Why do we exist? How do we know what we know? Is there absolute truth? What does it mean to be human? What makes something right or wrong? The deepest questions human beings can ask have long been pondered by the world’s thinkers. The amount of ink that has been spilled on the topics related to theology, philosophy, ethics, religion, and spirituality reflects the extent to which we have sought to understand these things. Some of our best thinkers— some of the most intelligent people that have ever lived—have thought very deeply about these questions, and, over time, people have developed various systems of thought in efforts to try to explain these things. However, although we’ve had the world’s greatest thinkers pondering these matters for millennia, there has not yet been anything approaching a consensus on these questions. If the great diversity of opinions on these matters teaches us anything, it is that we need a better path forward.
In Daniel 2, King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that this is no ordinary dream. This is a revelatory dream. It is a dream that provides insight into future events that will be relevant for King Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom.
Although King Nebuchadnezzar doesn’t understand what the dream means, he does understand that it does have some kind of deeper meaning, and he wants to understand that meaning. So, he calls together the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell him what he dreamed and to give him the interpretation of the dream. By asking them to tell him what he dreamed, it seems that he is trying to ensure that these guys are really tapped into the supernatural realm. It seems he wants to avoid the possibility that they might just make something up. Thus, he tells them not only to give him the interpretation, but to reveal to him the dream.
The magicians, sorcerers, and enchanters were known for their ability to interpret signs and omens. They had a broad knowledge of ancient texts. They were believed to have the skill to invoke supernatural forces to uncover mysteries. The Chaldeans were a class of learned men known for their scholarliness and for their ability to interpret dreams. The only way for King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream to be made known is that God must reveal it. Since only God knows the hearts of the children of man, the content of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was known only to God and King Nebuchadnezzar.
Of course, this is only one minor example of something that requires divine revelation to understand. The reality is that all of the biggest and most important questions that have ever been asked in the history of humankind require divine revelation in order to understand them. We need divine revelation to understand anything about the nature and character of God, the purpose and meaning of life, the experience of the human condition, the nature of the spiritual realm, the plan of salvation in Jesus Christ, and much more. We can’t know the first thing about any of these things apart from God revealing it to us. This is what we have in the Bible. The Bible presents us with a God’s-eye perspective on the most important questions human beings can ask. The perspective that God gives us in Scripture is superior to every manmade religion and philosophical system that has been devised, even as the wisdom that God provided to Daniel was superior to the wise men of that time.
This story underscores the inferiority of human wisdom and presents us with the superiority of God’s revelation over human wisdom. It highlights the necessity of divine revelation for the understanding of mysteries.
S ometimes people might accuse Christians of bias. The accuse us at coming at an issue from a biased Christian perspective. This is undoubtedly true. However, it is not only true of Christians. It is true of all people. We all come at things from a certain perspective. We all have underlying assumptions about what is true and good, and how we know what is true and good. Either your underlying assumptions are based on what God has revealed, or they’re grounded in inferior wisdom devised by human beings. Nevertheless, sometimes people want Christians to put their biases aside in order to look at things “objectively.”
However, as Christians, we know they are really not asking us to look at things objectively. They are asking us to adopt their biases. They are asking us to stop relying upon God and what he has revealed in his word, and they are asking us to think independently from God. They are asking us to set aside the truth of God’s revelation and to adopt a philosophical system devised by human wisdom.
Nevertheless, we are dependent upon God. If we want to think about things with true objectivity, we cannot put our faith to the side. We cannot put God’s word to the side. We have to rely upon what God has revealed if we want to see things as they truly are. The diversity of human opinions on matters of ethics, and religion, and spirituality is a testimony to our need for a word from God. Without that word, even the greatest minds are left in darkness. When we embrace Christ, we receive a divine perspective that reorients our understanding and enables to see things as they truly are so that we can begin to walk in the truth. In a world filled with conflicting voices and endless debates, the wisdom of God remains as the only sure foundation upon which we can experience true joy and worship in our lives.
