A friend had a couple questions from my last post. He wondered about my reference to God's reputation, and about my reference to a war of the gods. It occurred to me that others may have the same questions so I will post my response to his questions here.

I’m going to answer you second question first. Deut 10:17 calls God, "God of gods and Lord of lords." Ps 136:2 says, "Give thanks to the God of gods, For His lovingkindness is everlasting." It reminds me of Paul's words in 1 Cor 8:4-6:

[4] Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” [5] For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— [6] yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

In other words, you are correct that there is but one God, yet there are the gods of the world. Paul equates the gods of the world with demons in 1Cor 10:20. A war of the gods then is both a battle of faith systems, and a conflict between demons and God. War does not mean that both sides are equal, or even comparable. It does not imply that either side might win. The point is that God is God of gods. He is master of angels and demons. Satan constantly tries to lift himself up as the god of this world. 2Cor 4:4 calls him the "god of this world." Yet even though he believes himself to be an equal to God, there is no contest. In Daniel, God was demonstrating his superiority. The phrase "a battle of the gods" is a reference to the superiority of God over the gods of Babylon (whether demons masquerading as gods, or simply man-made belief systems). Either way, God demonstrated his superiority. So, are there gods other than God? Yes and no. There is no God but god, yet Satan and his demons often masquerade as gods. To go back to Paul, on the one hand idols are nothing. On the other hand idols are demons. There is a sense in which both are true.

As to your first question: The reputation of God is always on the line in the lives of those who claim to follow him. There will always be those who malign God. There will always be those who look at evil in the world and blame God. God's reputation is not on the line in the sense that he is on the verge of making a bad decision. It is on the line in the sense that his followers are often on the verge of making bad decisions. In Daniel 3 the three young men acted in a manner that brought glory to their God. It did not matter whether God spared them. What mattered was that they would not dishonor him by bowing to the King's statue. What unbelievers know or believe about God is often based on what they see in his followers. My goal in life is not to preserve my comfort, but to exalt the reputation of my God. To say it another way, my goal is to glorify my God. In Daniel, whether he spared the three men, or allowed them to burn, his reputation would have been preserved because these three men were willing to put their lives on the line for their God. Not many are willing to do that. God acts to draw men to himself. In Dan 3 God chose to do that through sparing his followers and demonstrating his power over the Babylonian gods and the king's fire. In the end God will be glorified. The real challenge is whether I, as a believer, am living to glorify him now, or simply living to pursue my own personal peace and affluence. God's reputation is on the line every day in the decisions that I make. Thus Jesus instructs us, "...let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Mt 5:16).

I hope you find these clarifications helpful.