Loosening of Knots

“Don’t be alarmed! Don’t look so pale! There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit…This man was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems.” Daniel 5:10-11

These were the words spoke to Belshazzar by the queen during the unholy banquet. The hand of God literally appeared and wrote a message on the wall which no one could interpret. The queen recalled a man in the kingdom during Nebuchadnezzar’s reign possessing extraordinary gifts. Two points of interest in this passage, as rendered by the Aramaic translation, are the phrases ‘keen mind’ and ‘solve difficult problems’ . According to my Bible Study, a ‘keen mind’ is closely translated to an extraordinary spirit. ‘Solving difficult problems’ is associated in the Aramaic translation with ‘a loosening of knots.’

As I meditate on the queen’s description of Daniel I cannot help but to think of my dear grandmother. I couldn’t have come up with a more accurate description of the spirit of my grandmother. Through her pursuit and commitment to living a Daniel life in a Babylonian world she developed an extraordinary spirit and an amazing ability to both speak to God and hear from God. Many people called upon her to ‘solve difficult problems’ and loosen the knots that so deeply bound them in their lives. Through constant meditation of God’s word she was able to live out the Romans 16:25-26 life. “Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden…but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the eternal God.”

The Bible states that revelation and hidden mysteries belong to the saints of God – those who try to live holy lives. “…the mystery that has been kept hidden but is now disclosed to the saints” Col: 1:26. It is essential in the life of a Christian to have a Daniel in our lives to give us Godly direction and God-driven interpretation. On the flipside, we need to position ourselves in His knowledge and wisdom to help others ‘loosen their problems.’

May we all be described as having a keen mind in Christ.