Not For Your Eyes Only

“But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for [any] wisdom that I have more than any living, but for [their] sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.” (Da 2:30 AV)

There is the idea the first phrase of this verse means that Daniel does not have this dream and interpretation because he is better or more knowledgeable that others.  The word ‘…but…’ and the phrase that follows has me confused. What I think Daniel is saying (because he is the one who will interpret) is that the knowledge of the dream and the interpretation of it is not for the mere pleasure of wisdom, but rather, for the purpose of sharing it with those who need to hear it.   In other words, the prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream.  If he has knowledge, he is obligated to share that knowledge.  If we know the scriptures, we are obligated to share the scriptures.  Even if we may not be the subject of the revelation, there are others who are and who need it.

Several times, while getting coffee at a café, the creamer in the carafe had gone bad.  You know it is bad by the slimy film that rests on the top and refused to dissolve in the hot liquid gold beneath it.  There is it is, swimming above coffee, daring you to drink the whole drink, only to find yourself marking every bathroom from there to your destination.  We could do several things.  We could inform the café help of the pending pitcher of poison.  We could stand there and warn every customer of their fate if they choose to use the product.  We could hand the contaminated cream to the help and wait for a fresh one.  Or, we could simply walk away, allowing others to come to the same enlightenment as we just experienced.

The moral and ethical thing to do is to inform any and all who might be effected by your knowledge.  It would be the moral thing to do.  The same is true with biblical truth.  Most specially, the gospel.  To keep knowledge to ourselves, specially the good news of the gospel is a wicked thing to do.