Three Hearts

By Pastor Dan Hickling

“Therefore Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon.”—Daniel 2:24a (ESV) 

Things are starting to heat up as Daniel hears about Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and decree to destroy all of the wise men in his kingdom. While others were unable to deliver on knowing and interpreting the king’s dream, Daniel now gets involved now, and as he does we see three different hearts revealed: “He went and said thus to him: ‘Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show the king the interpretation’” (Daniel 2:24b ESV).

The first heart we see is an intercessors heart. Notice that Daniel didn’t just promise to deliver on interpreting the dream in order to save himself, but so that the rest of the wise men would also be spared. He steps in to save others. That’s what an intercessor does, especially when it comes to prayer. They get involved by going before God in order to see other people saved. See what happens next: “Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste and said thus to him: ‘I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who will make known to the king the interpretation’” (Daniel 2:25 ESV).

The next heart we see is a self-centered heart. Arioch announces that he has found the answer to the king’s dilemma. In a culture where one misstep could result in death, building a good reputation meant everything. With a sense of self-preservation in mind, Arioch leverages the situation by taking credit for the solution. It’s hard to judge Arioch for this, but we still need to understand his heart was centered on himself.  

Once Daniel has been brought in, “The king declared to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, ‘Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?’” (Daniel 2:26 ESV). 

Lastly, we see a seeking heart. Nebuchadnezzar still longs for the spiritual answers that have eluded him. He can’t shake it! Deep down he knows there’s something he needs to know that can’t come by the natural channels of this world. His heart is restless and will remain so until he receives the answers that only God can give.

All three hearts still exist today. One we need to emulate (the intercessors heart), one we need to guard against (the self-centered heart), and one we need to be watching for (the seeking heart). Lord, give us an intercessors heart like Daniel and may we see past ourselves so we can see those seeking after You.  

DIG: What three types of hearts do we see in this passage?

DISCOVER: What should our relationship be to each type of heart?

DO: Consider how you might increase in your intercession for those seeking God’s answers to their questions.