Wisdom and Might

Daniel 2:20 (ESV)

Daniel answered and said:

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,

to whom belong wisdom and might.

Daniel 2 begins with a troubled king exercising his power to insist that his men of wisdom reveal not only the meaning of his dream, but the dream itself. Their response? “There is not a man on earth who can meet the king’s demand” (Dan 2:10). To do so would require more wisdom and power than resides in man.

Daniel, in answer to prayer, received a revelation of the king’s dream and its meaning. His response was a psalm of praise that recognized wisdom and might as belonging to God (Dan 2:20). The phrase “wisdom and might” is repeated toward the end of the psalm, “you have given me wisdom and might” (Dan 2:23). There is a sense in which wisdom and might is the framing concept of the entire chapter.

A king exercises his might and power to threaten the men who are supposed to be wise. He requires of them more wisdom than they possess. They acknowledge that the wisdom he is looking for is beyond men, yet he insists on using his might to enforce his unreasonable request. Then Daniel, a man of wisdom, asks for a little time, seeks God in prayer along with his friends, and receives wisdom from God. In presenting the meaning of the dream to the king, Daniel reveals that there is a power and might much greater than that of the king. The king is great, but his kingdom will one day fall. The final kingdom, that destroys all other kingdoms, is not a kingdom of man. It is a kingdom of God (Dan 2:44). All wisdom and might belong to God.

We are often intimidated by those in positions of power, or those who understand and use big words or seem to know more than we do, yet there is no wisdom or might but that which comes from God. Romans 13 reminds us that authorities are put into place and taken out of positions of power by God. There is no such thing as a self-made man. Proverbs 2:6-8 says,

For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;

he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,

 guarding the paths of justice

and watching over the way of his saints.

Kings, presidents, and authorities seek to exercise their might. Scientists and academics flaunt their wisdom. But they forget that there is no wisdom or might except from God. We would do well to remember that any wisdom or might we have is a gift from God. We would do well to walk humbly before our God for all wisdom and might belong to him. We would do well to be less intimidated by man and more in awe of God. Daniel was right, all wisdom and might belong to God.