14 When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact. 15 He asked the king’s officer, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. 16 At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him.
17 Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 18 He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven
Two things struck me as I reread this passage. The first is that Daniel talked with the oficer "with wisdom and tact." That's something many would-be modern prophets forget to do, taking being as tactful as a Sherman tank as a badge of honor. Some prophets had a more in-your-face style, but Daniel wasn't one of them.
The second was that he needed some intercessory help from his friends. A prayer for supernatural wisdom was a tag-team event, not just a one-man job. Like a Tour de France leader, David needs his domestiques to get him to the prophetic yellow jersey; however, that trio gets their own three millennia of fame later in the book.
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