My study of this passage took a longer time than usual, but I wanted to be sure to give you the best blog entry I could.
Also, I want to share with you dear readers, that I have put I Corinthians into a 40-day study, and have published it on Amazon. Since this epistle appears to be like a constitution for the Christian faith, I want to market my first book to those who have a religion with no power, as I grew up with, so I have titled it, "Why Christianity Isn't Working For You." I would encourage you to go to https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086XHFFJL to download it or purchase the paperback for your personal study to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. And please go back and give me an honest review. Thank you.
Daniel 7: 1-14
Now that Daniel is retired, he's going back to some writings he did to put them all in order.
(1) In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a dream and visions in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he wrote the dream down and related the following summary of it.
He says back when Belshazzar was king, Daniel had a dream and wrote it down then, when he woke up. Now he's going back to it to lay it all out.
(2) Daniel said, "I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.
The "four winds of heaven" are mentioned also in Revelation 7:1, where four angels are holding them back so they won't blow. Here Daniel sees them blowing and stirring up the sea. This is probably the Mediterranean Sea, and it represents the ever-changing Gentile world.
(3) "And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another.
From this sea of nations are emerging in succession four fearsome beasts, that correspond to Nebuchadnezzar's dream statue (in chapter 2).
(4) "The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human mind also was given to it.
The lion corresponds to the golden head of the statue, which represented Nebuchadnezzar. The wings being plucked and dropping him to the ground would refer to his period of insanity, when he was then "lifted up" and given back his mind and his majesty (in chapter 4).
(5) "And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, 'Arise, devour much meat!'
This second beast would correspond to the silver chest and arms of the dream statue, the "raised up on one side" would indicate the alliance of two powers, one stronger than the other. This describes the Medo-Persian Empire, the Persian element dominating the Median. The three ribs that it was encouraged to feast on correspond to the three major conquests the Medes and Persians made: the Lydian kingdom in Asia Minor (which fell to Cyrus in 546), the Chaldean Empire (which he annexed in 539), and the kingdom of Egypt (which Cambyses acquired in 525).
(6) "After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird; the beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.
The third beast would correspond to the bronze hips and thighs of the statue, and it has four wings and four heads. This represents Alexander the Great and his conquests being divided among his four generals. This Greco-Macedonian Empire was the largest empire of ancient times, and it lasted about 300 years.
(7) "After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.
This fourth beast kept his fascination for its complexity. It was terrifying in its power and ferocity with its "large iron teeth," to be more crushing in its military power, exploitation, and repression than the other three. It "trampled down" everything that was left, whatever survived the other three empires.
This beast was nothing like any of the others that went before, and unlike any predator known to natural history. And it had ten horns; these correspond to the ten toes on the feet of the statue.
(8) "While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts.
This looks like some inconsequential upstart that grows in political power and authority to destroy three of the ten in the federation of powers, and is a man who lives "bigger than life" with a huge ego.
(9) "I kept looking
"Until thrones were set up,
"And the Ancient of Days took His seat;
"His vesture was like white snow
"And the hair of His head like pure wool.
"His throne was ablaze with flames,
"Its wheels were a burning fire.
(10) "A river of fire was flowing
"And coming out from before Him;
"Thousands upon thousands were attending Him,
"And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him;
Daniel kept watching until the Ancient of Days appears, and this looks just like what Ezekiel saw in his vision in chapter 1 of his book; and also John saw and recorded in Revelation 1: 13-16.
"The court sat,
"And the books were opened.
This looks like what will transpire as the King over all Creation sets up His Kingdom on the Earth, when the "stone was cut out of the mountain without hands" and it crushed and destroyed all the governments that went before it (Daniel 2: 45). We see also in Revelation 19 and 20 the thousand-year Golden Age of the world, and the final end of the Earth and judgment of all.
(11) "Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire.
Daniel saw that this boastful egotist is still running his mouth, until he is finally destroyed (Revelation 19: 20).
(12) "As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time.
The remnants of the world powers that will precede the final Last Days will come under judgment. Then follow these curious words, that an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time. There is no agreed idea of what this might mean among theologians.
I, like Daniel, am perplexed, I also have questions that have not been answered yet. (But I'm not distressed in not knowing, I trust God has it all in hand!)
(13) "I kept looking in the night visions,
"And behold, with the clouds of Heaven
"One like a Son of Man was coming,
This is the only place in the whole Old Testament where the term "Son of Man" is used of a divine personage rather than a human being. Jesus used this term for Himself more often than any other. And coming "with clouds" describes how His second coming will appear (Mark 13: 26; Matthew 24: 30; 26:64; also Revelation 1: 7). Frequently in the Old Testament God is said to come from Heaven in a chariot of clouds to execute judgment (Psalms 18:10; 97: 2-4; 104: 3; Isaiah 19: 1; Nahum 1: 3).
"And He came up to the Ancient of Days
"And was presented before Him.
This looks like an official, ritualistic process of coming before a monarch. Since Jesus is our Lord God Almighty, the Most High God, and I John 4: 12 says that "No one has seen God [the Father] at any time," I take this "presentation" as an official joining of the human Jesus (Son of Man) with the divine Christ the Lord (Ancient of Days), the True God and True Man who is our Savior and Redeemer and King.
(14) "And to Him was given dominion,
"Glory and a Kingdom,
"That all the peoples, Nations and men of every language
"Might serve Him.
"His dominion is an everlasting dominion
"Which will not pass away;
"And His Kingdom is one
"Which will not be destroyed."
Here Daniel was shown that the final Kingdom that is headed by our Lord God Himself will never end or be destroyed or superceded by any other forever!
O my Father, You have planned out everything before You ever made anything! That's why You could tell Daniel way back so long ago what will be happening in the world even today.
We are seeing today how our past history has borne out the fulfillment of most of what You told Daniel, and he faithfully recorded for us to read today.
Now we are living through the Last Days of all that You revealed here, so that we could be prepared to face what is coming upon us in these days. Please help us understand what we are seeing in the world in the light You have given us in Your written Word. Let us recognize Your hand in all that is transpiring before our very eyes!
O Father, strengthen us to rely only on You in these days that are coming and that are upon us already. Give us understanding of Your care for us through the even more difficult times that will come. Draw us into Your strong and gentle arms of compassion and protection, Abba Daddy, as we curl up in Your lap!
Show us how to reach out to others who are hurting around us, to help them to know Your great Love and compassion, to rescue and redeem all of Your children. And deprive all those who refuse Your gracious and generous offer of any excuse at all for their rebellion.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Most High, Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, please come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, April 30, 2020
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
The Lions' Den
Daniel 6: 16-28
We saw yesterday how Daniel's co-workers were jealous of his abilities, and feared that he would overshadow them, so they forced the king's hand to get rid if him, and thought they'd won.
(16) Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and cast into the lions' den. The king spoke and said to Daniel, "Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you."
This king Darius already realized how valuable Daniel was as an employee, a high official over a third of his domain. And he knew that Daniel depended on his God to help him. So, even if Darius didn't believe in God, he knew that Daniel did, and he voiced his tremulous hope.
But he still had to have him thrown into the lions' den, at about the age of eighty three.
(17) A stone was brought and laid over the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing would be changed in regard to Daniel.
Then when the stone was laid over the mouth of the cave, moist clay tablets were attached to the chains holding the stone in place, into which the king and the nobles rolled their cylindrical seals to make it official.
(18) Then the king went off to his palace and spent the night fasting, and no entertainment was brought before him; and his sleep fled from him.
Darius walked back to his palace a troubled man. Where could he find another minister of such integrity and judgment? The more he thought about Daniel's peril, the more anxious Darius became. He couldn't eat anything, and couldn't abide by any kind of entertainment at all. Then he tossed and turned in his bed, and never did get to sleep at all.
(19) Then the king arose at dawn, at the break of day, and went in haste to the lions' den.
Finally, at the first grey light of dawn, without eating breakfast, he rushed back to the lions' pit.
(20) When he had come near the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice. The king spoke and said to Daniel, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you constantly serve, been able to deliver you from the lions?"
He must have already ordered for it to be unsealed, for by the time he got there, he immediately called to Daniel, hoping against hope for an answer. His emphasis on Daniel's God being "living" would mean that if He really existed, then He would be able to rescue Daniel. Unless He was just another unproved supposition, like all the deities everyone else worshiped. This would be the test.
(21) Then Daniel spoke to the king, "O king, live forever!
Then Daniel answered--he was alive!
(22) "My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime."
Daniel testified that God had vindicated him as innocent before both God and man, proving that God is real.
(23) Then the king was very pleased and gave orders for Daniel to be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den and no injury whatever was found on him, because he had trusted his God.
Then Darius was so relieved, he could breathe again! So he had Daniel lifted out of the den and examined thoroughly for any injuries. Not a scratch was found on him. The evidence was incontrovertible: the God Daniel had remained faithful to had kept him safe.
So through his reliance on Yahweh, Daniel introduced his king to his God, and gained his place among the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11: 33.
(24) The king gave orders, and they brought those men who had maliciously accused Daniel, and they cast them, their children and their wives into the lions' den; and they had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.
Then God caused the weapon that they had fashioned against Daniel to be turned upon his accusers (Isaiah 54: 17).
They had no scruples against disposing of their whole families, so there would be no avengers to rise up and cause any problems later. And the starved lions made quick work of them all.
(25) Then Darius the king wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language who were living in all the land: "May your peace abound!
Now Darius, like Nebuchadnezzar, wrote to the whole world that was known in that day. Every people group, every nation, every language everywhere.
(26) "I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel;
He is commanding everyone to honor and respect Daniel's God.
"For He is the living God and enduring forever,
He had to be alive to do what He did, so His life must last forever.
"And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed,
He is not human, so no human could replace Him or destroy His rule.
"And His dominion will be forever.
God's rule is eternal and will never pass away, as do empires built by human power.
(27) "He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders
"In Heaven and on Earth,
Daniel's God is alive and shows that He lives by the way He acts in history, responding like a real Person, to the requirements of justice and the needs of His people.
"Who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions."
And God miraculously rescues His true worshipers, performing wonders both in Heaven and on Earth. He has furnished objective proof of His eternal power and Godhead, in contrast with all other deities, whose existence is at best conjectural and traditional.
And God once again encourages His people, as He prepares them to return to their own land soon. He is still the same God that He was in the days of Moses, and He will again bring His people back home.
(28) So this Daniel enjoyed success in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
Daniel's position as Prime Minister was now secure, and he apparently continued in it until his retirement a few years later.
Darius was a Mede, and he "received" the royal authority (5: 31), as from one who was empowered to invest him with it, presumably, Cyrus the Persian.
"Darius" may not have been his personal name, but rather a title of honor, as "Caesar" became in the Roman Empire later. He could have been Gubaru, Cyrus' trusted general who he appointed official viceroy of the Medo-Persian Empire, the honorific title of "Dara" ("king" in Avestan Persian) from the Old Persian, "Darayavahush" ("The Royal One") being applied to him.
Daniel 9: 1 states that he "was made ruler" (Hebrew: homlak) over the realm of the Chaldeans, a term never applied to one who seizes the sovereignty by force of arms but rather to one who is appointed to kingship by a higher authority.
It would seem that after he had taken care of more pressing concerns elsewhere, Cyrus himself later returned to Babylon and formally ascended the throne in an official coronation ceremony. It was in the third year of Cyrus' reign, presumably as king of Babylon, that Daniel received the revelations in chapters 10-12.
Yet it is also evident from cuneiform records that Gubaru continued to serve as governor of Babylon even after Cyrus' decease.
So Daniel served Darius and Cyrus, who may have both been reigning concurrently, with Darius subordinate to Cyrus.
After this, Daniel apparently retired again from public service and gave himself to Bible study and prayer and writing.
O my Father, please help Your children to trust You like Daniel trusted You even when he was thrown into a den full of lions and sealed in all night. We don't see him resisting, and we see You using him even in his old age, in serving in an official capacity, then retiring to seek You even more with his increased available time.
And You honored Daniel, and blessed him with years and service and usefulness, and You used his testimony and his witness in the lives of several kings, pagan kings who were able to know you through him.
O Father, help Your children today to seek you as single-mindedly as Daniel did. Honor Your sons and daughters who are immersing themselves in Your word, and use them (us) as Your witnesses to the ungodly world around us, our lives and testimonies revealing You and Your ways to them.
Father, grow Your children, and grow Your family, so we will grow up into the full stature of the Son of God. Enable us to broadcast to every living person how much You love each one of us all, and bring your gestational ones to the birth into Your own family, and let none of the rebels have any excuse for refusing Your gracious, generous gift of Salvation and Redemption.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, the Son of the Father, the Most High God, Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
We saw yesterday how Daniel's co-workers were jealous of his abilities, and feared that he would overshadow them, so they forced the king's hand to get rid if him, and thought they'd won.
(16) Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and cast into the lions' den. The king spoke and said to Daniel, "Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you."
This king Darius already realized how valuable Daniel was as an employee, a high official over a third of his domain. And he knew that Daniel depended on his God to help him. So, even if Darius didn't believe in God, he knew that Daniel did, and he voiced his tremulous hope.
But he still had to have him thrown into the lions' den, at about the age of eighty three.
(17) A stone was brought and laid over the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing would be changed in regard to Daniel.
Then when the stone was laid over the mouth of the cave, moist clay tablets were attached to the chains holding the stone in place, into which the king and the nobles rolled their cylindrical seals to make it official.
(18) Then the king went off to his palace and spent the night fasting, and no entertainment was brought before him; and his sleep fled from him.
Darius walked back to his palace a troubled man. Where could he find another minister of such integrity and judgment? The more he thought about Daniel's peril, the more anxious Darius became. He couldn't eat anything, and couldn't abide by any kind of entertainment at all. Then he tossed and turned in his bed, and never did get to sleep at all.
(19) Then the king arose at dawn, at the break of day, and went in haste to the lions' den.
Finally, at the first grey light of dawn, without eating breakfast, he rushed back to the lions' pit.
(20) When he had come near the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice. The king spoke and said to Daniel, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you constantly serve, been able to deliver you from the lions?"
He must have already ordered for it to be unsealed, for by the time he got there, he immediately called to Daniel, hoping against hope for an answer. His emphasis on Daniel's God being "living" would mean that if He really existed, then He would be able to rescue Daniel. Unless He was just another unproved supposition, like all the deities everyone else worshiped. This would be the test.
(21) Then Daniel spoke to the king, "O king, live forever!
Then Daniel answered--he was alive!
(22) "My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime."
Daniel testified that God had vindicated him as innocent before both God and man, proving that God is real.
(23) Then the king was very pleased and gave orders for Daniel to be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den and no injury whatever was found on him, because he had trusted his God.
Then Darius was so relieved, he could breathe again! So he had Daniel lifted out of the den and examined thoroughly for any injuries. Not a scratch was found on him. The evidence was incontrovertible: the God Daniel had remained faithful to had kept him safe.
So through his reliance on Yahweh, Daniel introduced his king to his God, and gained his place among the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11: 33.
(24) The king gave orders, and they brought those men who had maliciously accused Daniel, and they cast them, their children and their wives into the lions' den; and they had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.
Then God caused the weapon that they had fashioned against Daniel to be turned upon his accusers (Isaiah 54: 17).
They had no scruples against disposing of their whole families, so there would be no avengers to rise up and cause any problems later. And the starved lions made quick work of them all.
(25) Then Darius the king wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language who were living in all the land: "May your peace abound!
Now Darius, like Nebuchadnezzar, wrote to the whole world that was known in that day. Every people group, every nation, every language everywhere.
(26) "I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel;
He is commanding everyone to honor and respect Daniel's God.
"For He is the living God and enduring forever,
He had to be alive to do what He did, so His life must last forever.
"And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed,
He is not human, so no human could replace Him or destroy His rule.
"And His dominion will be forever.
God's rule is eternal and will never pass away, as do empires built by human power.
(27) "He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders
"In Heaven and on Earth,
Daniel's God is alive and shows that He lives by the way He acts in history, responding like a real Person, to the requirements of justice and the needs of His people.
"Who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions."
And God miraculously rescues His true worshipers, performing wonders both in Heaven and on Earth. He has furnished objective proof of His eternal power and Godhead, in contrast with all other deities, whose existence is at best conjectural and traditional.
And God once again encourages His people, as He prepares them to return to their own land soon. He is still the same God that He was in the days of Moses, and He will again bring His people back home.
(28) So this Daniel enjoyed success in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
Daniel's position as Prime Minister was now secure, and he apparently continued in it until his retirement a few years later.
Darius was a Mede, and he "received" the royal authority (5: 31), as from one who was empowered to invest him with it, presumably, Cyrus the Persian.
"Darius" may not have been his personal name, but rather a title of honor, as "Caesar" became in the Roman Empire later. He could have been Gubaru, Cyrus' trusted general who he appointed official viceroy of the Medo-Persian Empire, the honorific title of "Dara" ("king" in Avestan Persian) from the Old Persian, "Darayavahush" ("The Royal One") being applied to him.
Daniel 9: 1 states that he "was made ruler" (Hebrew: homlak) over the realm of the Chaldeans, a term never applied to one who seizes the sovereignty by force of arms but rather to one who is appointed to kingship by a higher authority.
It would seem that after he had taken care of more pressing concerns elsewhere, Cyrus himself later returned to Babylon and formally ascended the throne in an official coronation ceremony. It was in the third year of Cyrus' reign, presumably as king of Babylon, that Daniel received the revelations in chapters 10-12.
Yet it is also evident from cuneiform records that Gubaru continued to serve as governor of Babylon even after Cyrus' decease.
So Daniel served Darius and Cyrus, who may have both been reigning concurrently, with Darius subordinate to Cyrus.
After this, Daniel apparently retired again from public service and gave himself to Bible study and prayer and writing.
O my Father, please help Your children to trust You like Daniel trusted You even when he was thrown into a den full of lions and sealed in all night. We don't see him resisting, and we see You using him even in his old age, in serving in an official capacity, then retiring to seek You even more with his increased available time.
And You honored Daniel, and blessed him with years and service and usefulness, and You used his testimony and his witness in the lives of several kings, pagan kings who were able to know you through him.
O Father, help Your children today to seek you as single-mindedly as Daniel did. Honor Your sons and daughters who are immersing themselves in Your word, and use them (us) as Your witnesses to the ungodly world around us, our lives and testimonies revealing You and Your ways to them.
Father, grow Your children, and grow Your family, so we will grow up into the full stature of the Son of God. Enable us to broadcast to every living person how much You love each one of us all, and bring your gestational ones to the birth into Your own family, and let none of the rebels have any excuse for refusing Your gracious, generous gift of Salvation and Redemption.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, the Son of the Father, the Most High God, Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Monday, April 27, 2020
Even When There's No Way Out
Daniel 6: 6-15
When Daniel's districts out-performed all the others, so that the king considered letting him have authority over all the rest, too; then the others were so jealous of him, and felt their power threatened, that they wanted to get rid of him.
(6) Then these commissioners and satraps came by agreement to the king and spoke to him as follows: "King Darius, live forever!
All these high appointed officials came by agreement, which means a conspiracy! Every time you see, by agreement, think, "conspiracy"! They have all conspired to trick the king into doing something that will make him destroy Daniel, and get him out of their way!
(7) "All the commissioners of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the high officials and the governors have consulted together
This is a lie, because "all" the commissioners weren't consulted! Daniel was a commissioner, too. They told the king that "all" his officials agreed.
that the king should establish a statute and enforce an injunction that anyone who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, shall be cast into the lions' den.
This would sound reasonable to this pagan king. This suggested mode would compel every subject in the former Chaldean domain to acknowledge the authority of Persia over them now. Purely political.
(8) "Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document so that it may not be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked."
(9) Therefore King Darius signed the document, that is, the injunction.
We learn here the rigidity of "the law of the Medes and Persians" that it was so indelible, that not even the king himself could change it once it had been signed. No mistakes allowed. No erasures. No changes at all. Ever.
(10) Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously.
Daniel's habit was to pray three times a day in fellowship with God, which gave him his advantage in wisdom. Even when he knew that this edict was in force, he couldn't give up his faith, knowing God as he did. So he courageously took the chance to maintain his daily routine.
(11) Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God.
Here they are again by agreement carrying out their conspiracy. They knew about Daniel's schedule, so they were lying in wait, to catch him in prayer. I imagine them storming into his upstairs room to accost him like Nazi storm troopers!
Whether they arrested him then and there is not clear, but they did report immediately to the king.
(12) Then they approached and spoke before the king about the king's injunction, "Did you not sign an injunction that any man who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, is to be cast into the lions' den?" The king replied, "The statement is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked."
First they made sure the king realized the full import of this rule, and that it was still in force.
(13) Then they answered and spoke before the king, "Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the injunction which you signed, but keeps making his petition three times a day."
They brought the same charge that had been brought against Daniel's friends years before, in 3:2, "[They] pay no attention to you, O king!"
They represented Daniel's praying as willful disrespect to his king, discounting his devotion to his God entirely.
(14) Then, as soon as the king heard this statement, he was deeply distressed
This is when he probably realized it was a plot they had devised specifically against Daniel. He was the only one who would be seriously affected by this edict, as everyone else were worshiping multiple gods, and it didn't matter if they left off a few for a short time.
and set his mind on delivering Daniel; and even until sunset he kept exerting himself to rescue him.
So he did his darndest to try to exempt Daniel; all day long he did everything he could to try to let him out of the requirement this law exerted.
(15) Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, "Recognize, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or statute which the king establishes may be changed."
Finally the conspirators confronted the king to force him to destroy Daniel. They made him follow through, forcing his hand. They had succeeded in getting rid of this outsider who threatened their political aspirations.
O my Father, You have said that "No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper" (Isaiah 54: 17), and these men have decided to destroy Your witness to this empire and its king. They did not realize Your power, Father!
My Father, sometimes even Your own children aren't fully aware of Your great power in their own lives! We sometimes say, "Yes, He delivered from fire and lions and let a rock kill a giant, but I'm just little me, I'm no Daniel or David!"
Father, Daniel and Hananiah and Azariah and Mishael and David were only people, just like us! And You are still God! And even Peter walked on water, until he took his eyes off Jesus (Matthew 14: 29-30).
Help us to keep our eyes on You, Father, and trust You even when we don't see an out. Even when we can't figure how it could work out if we do it Your way, strengthen our trust in You to still obey and let You have the situation. Grow our faith, to be able to trust You, like Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael did when they said, "Even if He does not" deliver us, they were still willing to face the fire (3: 18).
And Daniel knew that he was vulnerable when he decided to continue to worship You. And he worshiped You anyway.
Father, help us to worship You by obeying Your will for us, whether it be in our emotions, or our thought life, or even in our finances. We are vulnerable to the enemy's lies that we "don't have enough" time or money or resources to share. You have promised us to give us everything we need, and You are our Source of everything, no matter what it is: health, time, money, food, emotional margin, whatever. We always have "enough" to give You Yours as well as help our family and neighbors with what they need, and still have enough for ourselves, too.
It's Your promise, and You always are true to Your Word!
And when we trust You even when we can't see, You grow our faith in meeting our needs and wants according to Your generosity from Your great treasures and riches in glory! (Philippians 4: 19).
O Father, You are good! And You are so good to us! You want to shower more blessings on us than we can hold! You lavish Your love upon us in more ways than we can imagine! Please open our eyes to see Your immensity in our daily lives!
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come swiftly, Lord Jesus!
When Daniel's districts out-performed all the others, so that the king considered letting him have authority over all the rest, too; then the others were so jealous of him, and felt their power threatened, that they wanted to get rid of him.
But he was so honest and ethical, there was nothing they could accuse him of to bring him down. The only thing they could think of was how he so irritatingly stuck to worshiping only his own God, and no other!
Ah-ha! Here's something he won't compromise on! Nothing wrong with it, but maybe they can think up something that will make it wrong ...?
(6) Then these commissioners and satraps came by agreement to the king and spoke to him as follows: "King Darius, live forever!
All these high appointed officials came by agreement, which means a conspiracy! Every time you see, by agreement, think, "conspiracy"! They have all conspired to trick the king into doing something that will make him destroy Daniel, and get him out of their way!
(7) "All the commissioners of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the high officials and the governors have consulted together
This is a lie, because "all" the commissioners weren't consulted! Daniel was a commissioner, too. They told the king that "all" his officials agreed.
that the king should establish a statute and enforce an injunction that anyone who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, shall be cast into the lions' den.
This would sound reasonable to this pagan king. This suggested mode would compel every subject in the former Chaldean domain to acknowledge the authority of Persia over them now. Purely political.
(8) "Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document so that it may not be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked."
(9) Therefore King Darius signed the document, that is, the injunction.
We learn here the rigidity of "the law of the Medes and Persians" that it was so indelible, that not even the king himself could change it once it had been signed. No mistakes allowed. No erasures. No changes at all. Ever.
(10) Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously.
Daniel's habit was to pray three times a day in fellowship with God, which gave him his advantage in wisdom. Even when he knew that this edict was in force, he couldn't give up his faith, knowing God as he did. So he courageously took the chance to maintain his daily routine.
(11) Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God.
Here they are again by agreement carrying out their conspiracy. They knew about Daniel's schedule, so they were lying in wait, to catch him in prayer. I imagine them storming into his upstairs room to accost him like Nazi storm troopers!
Whether they arrested him then and there is not clear, but they did report immediately to the king.
(12) Then they approached and spoke before the king about the king's injunction, "Did you not sign an injunction that any man who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, is to be cast into the lions' den?" The king replied, "The statement is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked."
First they made sure the king realized the full import of this rule, and that it was still in force.
(13) Then they answered and spoke before the king, "Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the injunction which you signed, but keeps making his petition three times a day."
They brought the same charge that had been brought against Daniel's friends years before, in 3:2, "[They] pay no attention to you, O king!"
They represented Daniel's praying as willful disrespect to his king, discounting his devotion to his God entirely.
(14) Then, as soon as the king heard this statement, he was deeply distressed
This is when he probably realized it was a plot they had devised specifically against Daniel. He was the only one who would be seriously affected by this edict, as everyone else were worshiping multiple gods, and it didn't matter if they left off a few for a short time.
and set his mind on delivering Daniel; and even until sunset he kept exerting himself to rescue him.
So he did his darndest to try to exempt Daniel; all day long he did everything he could to try to let him out of the requirement this law exerted.
(15) Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, "Recognize, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or statute which the king establishes may be changed."
Finally the conspirators confronted the king to force him to destroy Daniel. They made him follow through, forcing his hand. They had succeeded in getting rid of this outsider who threatened their political aspirations.
O my Father, You have said that "No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper" (Isaiah 54: 17), and these men have decided to destroy Your witness to this empire and its king. They did not realize Your power, Father!
My Father, sometimes even Your own children aren't fully aware of Your great power in their own lives! We sometimes say, "Yes, He delivered from fire and lions and let a rock kill a giant, but I'm just little me, I'm no Daniel or David!"
Father, Daniel and Hananiah and Azariah and Mishael and David were only people, just like us! And You are still God! And even Peter walked on water, until he took his eyes off Jesus (Matthew 14: 29-30).
Help us to keep our eyes on You, Father, and trust You even when we don't see an out. Even when we can't figure how it could work out if we do it Your way, strengthen our trust in You to still obey and let You have the situation. Grow our faith, to be able to trust You, like Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael did when they said, "Even if He does not" deliver us, they were still willing to face the fire (3: 18).
And Daniel knew that he was vulnerable when he decided to continue to worship You. And he worshiped You anyway.
Father, help us to worship You by obeying Your will for us, whether it be in our emotions, or our thought life, or even in our finances. We are vulnerable to the enemy's lies that we "don't have enough" time or money or resources to share. You have promised us to give us everything we need, and You are our Source of everything, no matter what it is: health, time, money, food, emotional margin, whatever. We always have "enough" to give You Yours as well as help our family and neighbors with what they need, and still have enough for ourselves, too.
It's Your promise, and You always are true to Your Word!
And when we trust You even when we can't see, You grow our faith in meeting our needs and wants according to Your generosity from Your great treasures and riches in glory! (Philippians 4: 19).
O Father, You are good! And You are so good to us! You want to shower more blessings on us than we can hold! You lavish Your love upon us in more ways than we can imagine! Please open our eyes to see Your immensity in our daily lives!
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come swiftly, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, April 26, 2020
Known To Be Faithful
Daniel 6: 1-5
We now have a change of administration in Babylon. Darius has conquered the capital city, and Belshazzar has lost the kingdom of his father Nabonidus.
Now Darius needs to establish his government.
(1) It seemed good to Darius to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, that they would be in charge of the whole kingdom,
So he's appointing district governors to administer the king's edicts over the various areas under his control.
(2) and over them three commissioners (of whom Daniel was one), that these satraps might be accountable to them, and that the king might not suffer loss.
And over these 120 satraps he set up three emirs or presidents, so that the order of authority would be orderly. And Daniel, even in his eighties, came out of retirement and became one of these emirs.
(3) Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself among the commissioners and satraps because he possessed an extraordinary spirit, and the king planned to appoint him over the entire kingdom.
Now the presence of God with Daniel helped him to make extraordinarily wise decisions on behalf of his satraps under him, and King Darius is noticing the difference of how much better his districts are doing, and is considering giving him authority to also administer the whole kingdom.
(4) Then the commissioners and satraps began trying to find a ground of accusation against Daniel in regard to government affairs;
The other officials are noticing, too, and they are jealous of Daniel. They know they can't compare with his wisdom, so they want to get rid of him.
(Sounds like stuff that's going on politically today! People never change.)
but they could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him.
Oh-oh, there wasn't anything wrong with any of his methods or dealings, what can they do to bring him down?
(Today they just make something up!)
(5) Then these men said, "We will not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the law of his God."
They knew that he was a Jew and would not compromise his faithfulness to his God. Even though he'd lived his whole adult life immersed in the idolatry of the society in Babylon, he had never wavered in his faith.
Can people say the same about us? Even when we aren't as engulfed with the worldly culture we live in as Daniel was, are we as faithful as he was, and known to be? Do our neighbors even know that we're Christians?
Have we been neighborly enough to let them know who we are, and that we are willing to help when needed? This is more necessary now than ever before. Many people today do not even know who their neighbors are!
If your church is broadcasting services online, have you shared this with your neighbor? Or with anyone else? (Mine is, and has been for several years already, so they have a head-start with all that is going on now; it's at fcfamily.org and they broadcast live on Sunday mornings at 8:00, 9:30, and 11:00 Central Time USA, or replay the recording on-demand.)
We as God's children are called to be Jesus' witnesses, to tell others what He has done for us. Every Christian should do the work of an evangelist, even if they don't think they have the gift of evangelism (in II Timothy 4: 5, Paul tells Timothy to "do the work of an evangelist" even though his gift was to be a pastor).
Jesus leaves us here after He saves us as His witnesses so that we will do His work, until His Return. He wants to build His Kingdom, both qualitatively and quantitatively--both in maturity and in numbers.
O my Father, please help us to be good children in Your royal family. Help us to help one another, and to love one another as You have loved us.
Send us out, Father, into all the nations of the world, casting abroad Your good seed of the Gospel, so that every living person will hear clearly to understand how much You love us all, and sent Your own Son to be our Savior and Redeemer.
Bring all of Your children to birth into Your family, Father, and fill Your great house with Your uncountable children; surround Your Great Banquet Table with Your chosen ones, to all enjoy eternal fellowship with You and with one another.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
We now have a change of administration in Babylon. Darius has conquered the capital city, and Belshazzar has lost the kingdom of his father Nabonidus.
Now Darius needs to establish his government.
(1) It seemed good to Darius to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, that they would be in charge of the whole kingdom,
So he's appointing district governors to administer the king's edicts over the various areas under his control.
(2) and over them three commissioners (of whom Daniel was one), that these satraps might be accountable to them, and that the king might not suffer loss.
And over these 120 satraps he set up three emirs or presidents, so that the order of authority would be orderly. And Daniel, even in his eighties, came out of retirement and became one of these emirs.
(3) Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself among the commissioners and satraps because he possessed an extraordinary spirit, and the king planned to appoint him over the entire kingdom.
Now the presence of God with Daniel helped him to make extraordinarily wise decisions on behalf of his satraps under him, and King Darius is noticing the difference of how much better his districts are doing, and is considering giving him authority to also administer the whole kingdom.
(4) Then the commissioners and satraps began trying to find a ground of accusation against Daniel in regard to government affairs;
The other officials are noticing, too, and they are jealous of Daniel. They know they can't compare with his wisdom, so they want to get rid of him.
(Sounds like stuff that's going on politically today! People never change.)
but they could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him.
Oh-oh, there wasn't anything wrong with any of his methods or dealings, what can they do to bring him down?
(Today they just make something up!)
(5) Then these men said, "We will not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the law of his God."
They knew that he was a Jew and would not compromise his faithfulness to his God. Even though he'd lived his whole adult life immersed in the idolatry of the society in Babylon, he had never wavered in his faith.
Can people say the same about us? Even when we aren't as engulfed with the worldly culture we live in as Daniel was, are we as faithful as he was, and known to be? Do our neighbors even know that we're Christians?
Have we been neighborly enough to let them know who we are, and that we are willing to help when needed? This is more necessary now than ever before. Many people today do not even know who their neighbors are!
If your church is broadcasting services online, have you shared this with your neighbor? Or with anyone else? (Mine is, and has been for several years already, so they have a head-start with all that is going on now; it's at fcfamily.org and they broadcast live on Sunday mornings at 8:00, 9:30, and 11:00 Central Time USA, or replay the recording on-demand.)
We as God's children are called to be Jesus' witnesses, to tell others what He has done for us. Every Christian should do the work of an evangelist, even if they don't think they have the gift of evangelism (in II Timothy 4: 5, Paul tells Timothy to "do the work of an evangelist" even though his gift was to be a pastor).
Jesus leaves us here after He saves us as His witnesses so that we will do His work, until His Return. He wants to build His Kingdom, both qualitatively and quantitatively--both in maturity and in numbers.
O my Father, please help us to be good children in Your royal family. Help us to help one another, and to love one another as You have loved us.
Send us out, Father, into all the nations of the world, casting abroad Your good seed of the Gospel, so that every living person will hear clearly to understand how much You love us all, and sent Your own Son to be our Savior and Redeemer.
Bring all of Your children to birth into Your family, Father, and fill Your great house with Your uncountable children; surround Your Great Banquet Table with Your chosen ones, to all enjoy eternal fellowship with You and with one another.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, April 25, 2020
He Should Have Known Better!
Daniel 5: 13-31
King Belshazzar, the son of Nabonidus who had claimed the throne through his marriage to Nebuchadnezzar's daughter, had been left in Babylon to insure order and safety while his father fought battles elsewhere.
Even while Cyrus' army was besieging the city, they knew that the fortifications could not be breached, so they ignored it, having several years provisions stored up for just such a time; and Belshazzar was having a party.
But he brought in the gold vessels from Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, and mocked the Lord God by drinking wine in them and praising the gods of Babylon.
Then the hand wrote the words that no one could read (see yesterday).
(13) Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke and said to Daniel, "Are you that Daniel who is one of the exiles from Judah, whom my [grand]father the king brought from Judah?
Belshazzar has never even met Daniel before this.
(14) "Now I have heard about you that a spirit of the gods is in you, and that illumination, insight, and extraordinary wisdom have been found in you.
He has only heard about him, but never saw his face before now.
(15) "Just now the wise men and the conjurers were brought in before me that they might read this inscription and make its interpretation known to me, but they could not declare the interpretation of the message.
(16) "But I personally have heard about you, that you are able to give interpretations and solve difficult problems. Now if you are able
Okay, he's heard about Daniel, that he is able. But then says, if you are able. He is still skeptical of this old man.
to read the inscription and make its interpretation known to me, you will be clothed with purple and wear a necklace of gold around your neck, and you will have authority as the third ruler in the kingdom."
And he makes the same promise he gave the rest of the wise men.
(17) Then Daniel answered and said before the king, "Keep your gifts for yourself or give your rewards to someone else;
Daniel doesn't want any of this falderal.
however, I will read the inscription to the king and make the interpretation known to him.
He is willing to give God's message to this foolish monarch. But he will first review some of this king's own history.
(18) "O king, the Most High God granted sovereignty, grandeur, glory and majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your [grand]father.
(19) "Because of the grandeur which He bestowed on him, all the peoples, nations and men of every language feared and trembled before him; whomever he wished he killed and whomever he wished he spared alive; and whomever he wished he elevated and whomever he wished he humbled.
(20) "But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit became so proud that he behaved arrogantly, he was deposed from his royal throne and his glory was taken away from him.
(21) "He was also driven away from mankind, and his heart was made like that of beasts, and his dwelling place was with the wild donkeys. He was given grass to eat like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of Heaven until he recognized that the Most High God is ruler over the realm of mankind and that He sets over it whomever He wishes.
All this is recorded in Daniel 4 that is covered April 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23 on this blog.
(22) "Yet you, his [grand]son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this,
Belshazzar has heard all the history of his mother's father and the world-wide edict he published as king.
(23) "but you have exalted yourself against the Lord of Heaven; and have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see, hear or understand. But the God in whose hand are your life-breath and all your ways you have not glorified.
Even though he knew the whole story, he evidently didn't believe it.
(24) "Then the hand was sent from Him and this inscription written out.
Now this Most High God is responding to him. And this is what He says:
(25) "Now this is the inscription that was written out: 'MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.'
These are the words: MENE means a counting, like counting money.
TEKEL means to weigh a coin to find out its worth; money again.
UPHARSIN is the plural form of PERES, which means "to divide."
Now he'll tell him what God is saying to him.
(26) "This is the interpretation of the message: 'MENE'--God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it.
God has already counted out his whole kingdom, and has come to the end of it.
(27) 'TEKEL'--you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient.
Belshazzar himself has been weighed, and he's been found to be wanting, lacking, deficient.
(28) 'PERES'--your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians."
Daniel uses the past participle, and is telling him that it's too late; his kingdom has already been taken from him and divided up between Medes and Persians.
(29) Then Belshazzar gave orders, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a necklace of gold around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that he now had authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.
Belshazzar did what he said he would, in front of all his nobles, as though it would do Daniel any good. Daniel didn't care. And it was all over with, anyway.
(30) That same night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain.
They had no idea of the out-of-the-box plan Cyrus' men had devised: to divert the very river itself to expose the formerly underwater sub-structure of the fortifications and sneak in all the troops necessary to take the whole city.
And this cowardly monarch was executed.
(31) So Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two.
And the next section of Nebuchadnezzar's dream statue became a reality. (See about this statue on April 5, 6, and 7, 2020.)
God has planned it all out. He knows who will turn to Him, and who will work against Him. And He uses us all and all of our choices, whether good or bad, to work out what He has planned for us all. Even the bad, He works for our good. And He will get all the credit, all the glory.
O my Father, You are God, and only You. And You are good! Everything You do is good, even when it looks bad to us.
O Father, please help us see things with Your eyes, to understand with Your understanding, and to trust You more and more with all of the things we face daily.
Father, You have told us that these things would come: that there would be pandemics and climate changes and even astrological anomalies. There will always be tyrants who want to politically enslave the people for their own benefit, and leaders of nations who want to rule the whole world. Show us how to recognize these things as You bring them to pass, and to not be blind to them until it's too late.
Prepare us, my Father, to be ready to face Your wrath as You pour it out all around us. Keep us strong in spirit, and encouraged emotionally, and safeguarded in our physical health. Prosper us materially and financially to assist those who have needs. Let us be Your compassionate angels to help those who find themselves caught up in the deceptions of the evil one and this world he rules.
My Father, send out Your Good News to all the nations of the world, so that every living person will be able to hear how much You love us all, and sent Your Son for the salvation of the world, and everyone in it who will.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come even now, Lord Jesus!
King Belshazzar, the son of Nabonidus who had claimed the throne through his marriage to Nebuchadnezzar's daughter, had been left in Babylon to insure order and safety while his father fought battles elsewhere.
Even while Cyrus' army was besieging the city, they knew that the fortifications could not be breached, so they ignored it, having several years provisions stored up for just such a time; and Belshazzar was having a party.
But he brought in the gold vessels from Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, and mocked the Lord God by drinking wine in them and praising the gods of Babylon.
Then the hand wrote the words that no one could read (see yesterday).
(13) Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke and said to Daniel, "Are you that Daniel who is one of the exiles from Judah, whom my [grand]father the king brought from Judah?
Belshazzar has never even met Daniel before this.
(14) "Now I have heard about you that a spirit of the gods is in you, and that illumination, insight, and extraordinary wisdom have been found in you.
He has only heard about him, but never saw his face before now.
(15) "Just now the wise men and the conjurers were brought in before me that they might read this inscription and make its interpretation known to me, but they could not declare the interpretation of the message.
(16) "But I personally have heard about you, that you are able to give interpretations and solve difficult problems. Now if you are able
Okay, he's heard about Daniel, that he is able. But then says, if you are able. He is still skeptical of this old man.
to read the inscription and make its interpretation known to me, you will be clothed with purple and wear a necklace of gold around your neck, and you will have authority as the third ruler in the kingdom."
And he makes the same promise he gave the rest of the wise men.
(17) Then Daniel answered and said before the king, "Keep your gifts for yourself or give your rewards to someone else;
Daniel doesn't want any of this falderal.
however, I will read the inscription to the king and make the interpretation known to him.
He is willing to give God's message to this foolish monarch. But he will first review some of this king's own history.
(18) "O king, the Most High God granted sovereignty, grandeur, glory and majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your [grand]father.
(19) "Because of the grandeur which He bestowed on him, all the peoples, nations and men of every language feared and trembled before him; whomever he wished he killed and whomever he wished he spared alive; and whomever he wished he elevated and whomever he wished he humbled.
(20) "But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit became so proud that he behaved arrogantly, he was deposed from his royal throne and his glory was taken away from him.
(21) "He was also driven away from mankind, and his heart was made like that of beasts, and his dwelling place was with the wild donkeys. He was given grass to eat like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of Heaven until he recognized that the Most High God is ruler over the realm of mankind and that He sets over it whomever He wishes.
All this is recorded in Daniel 4 that is covered April 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23 on this blog.
(22) "Yet you, his [grand]son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this,
Belshazzar has heard all the history of his mother's father and the world-wide edict he published as king.
(23) "but you have exalted yourself against the Lord of Heaven; and have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see, hear or understand. But the God in whose hand are your life-breath and all your ways you have not glorified.
Even though he knew the whole story, he evidently didn't believe it.
(24) "Then the hand was sent from Him and this inscription written out.
Now this Most High God is responding to him. And this is what He says:
(25) "Now this is the inscription that was written out: 'MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.'
These are the words: MENE means a counting, like counting money.
TEKEL means to weigh a coin to find out its worth; money again.
UPHARSIN is the plural form of PERES, which means "to divide."
Now he'll tell him what God is saying to him.
(26) "This is the interpretation of the message: 'MENE'--God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it.
God has already counted out his whole kingdom, and has come to the end of it.
(27) 'TEKEL'--you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient.
Belshazzar himself has been weighed, and he's been found to be wanting, lacking, deficient.
(28) 'PERES'--your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians."
Daniel uses the past participle, and is telling him that it's too late; his kingdom has already been taken from him and divided up between Medes and Persians.
(29) Then Belshazzar gave orders, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a necklace of gold around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that he now had authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.
Belshazzar did what he said he would, in front of all his nobles, as though it would do Daniel any good. Daniel didn't care. And it was all over with, anyway.
(30) That same night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain.
They had no idea of the out-of-the-box plan Cyrus' men had devised: to divert the very river itself to expose the formerly underwater sub-structure of the fortifications and sneak in all the troops necessary to take the whole city.
And this cowardly monarch was executed.
(31) So Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two.
And the next section of Nebuchadnezzar's dream statue became a reality. (See about this statue on April 5, 6, and 7, 2020.)
God has planned it all out. He knows who will turn to Him, and who will work against Him. And He uses us all and all of our choices, whether good or bad, to work out what He has planned for us all. Even the bad, He works for our good. And He will get all the credit, all the glory.
O my Father, You are God, and only You. And You are good! Everything You do is good, even when it looks bad to us.
O Father, please help us see things with Your eyes, to understand with Your understanding, and to trust You more and more with all of the things we face daily.
Father, You have told us that these things would come: that there would be pandemics and climate changes and even astrological anomalies. There will always be tyrants who want to politically enslave the people for their own benefit, and leaders of nations who want to rule the whole world. Show us how to recognize these things as You bring them to pass, and to not be blind to them until it's too late.
Prepare us, my Father, to be ready to face Your wrath as You pour it out all around us. Keep us strong in spirit, and encouraged emotionally, and safeguarded in our physical health. Prosper us materially and financially to assist those who have needs. Let us be Your compassionate angels to help those who find themselves caught up in the deceptions of the evil one and this world he rules.
My Father, send out Your Good News to all the nations of the world, so that every living person will be able to hear how much You love us all, and sent Your Son for the salvation of the world, and everyone in it who will.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come even now, Lord Jesus!
Friday, April 24, 2020
The Writing On The Wall
Daniel 5: 1-12
Nebuchadnezzar died in 563, succeeded by his son Evil-Merodach who released the captive Jewish king, Jehoichin, from prison and gave him an honorable place at the court (II Kings 25: 27-30). But two years later he was assassinated, and control eventually went to Nabonidus who married a daughter of Nebuchanezzar, which gave him claim to the throne.
But Nabonidus left his son, Belshazzar, in Babylon to keep order while he was off fighting elsewhere. Meanwhile, Darius was beseiging the city, which had previously proven impregnable because of its magnificent fortifications which could not be breached.
Since they had provisions laid up for many years, they made light of his attack. Little did they know of his surprise strategem.
(1) Belshazzar the king held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand.
The time had come for offering toasts and pouring out libations to the gods of Babylon, as Belshazzar was holding a state banquet for a thousand of his nobles.
(2) When Belshazzar tasted the wine, he gave orders to bring the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his [grand]father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them.
When the king had gotten good and drunk, he decided to bring out the beautiful goblets from Solomon's Temple. After all, they had been fashioned for a defeated god called Yahweh. Might as well make use of them.
(3) Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken out of the Temple, the house of God which was in Jerusalem; and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them.
(4) They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.
He then began to regale his guests by taunting Yahweh, praising all the Babylonian gods. Once again an arrogant Babylonian monarch defied the Lord God of Israel. The stage was set for the Most High God to intervene.
(5) Suddenly the fingers of a man's hand emerged and began writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace, and the king saw the back of the hand that did the writing.
(6) Then the king's face grew pale and his thoughts alarmed him, and his hip joints went slack and his knees began knocking together.
Suddenly the whole party stopped short, watching this disembodied hand. Very scary stuff, it scared this king to jelly.
(7) The king called aloud to bring in the conjurers, the Chaldeans and the diviners. The king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon, "Any man who can read this inscription and explain its interpretation to me shall be clothed with purple and have a necklace of gold around his neck, and have authority as third ruler in the kingdom,"
So the king called for all the men who he thought could solve this mystery, and offered them a rich reward. But the highest appointment he could give them was as third ruler in the kingdom, because he was second under his father.
(8) Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the inscription or make known its interpretation to the king.
(9) Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, his face grew even paler, and his nobles were perplexed.
None of these guys had any idea, which scared him even more.
(10) The queen entered the banquet hall because of the words of the king and his nobles; the queen spoke and said, "O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts alarm you or your face be pale.
Now comes in the Queen Mother. She had not been at the party, but her quarters were probably nearby, as she heard the goings-on. This was probably a daughter of Nebuchadnezzar, who had married Belshazzar's father, Nabonidus.
(11) "There is a man in your kingdom in whom is a spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your [grand]father, illumination, insight and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your [grand]father, your [grand]father the king, appointed him chief of the magicians, conjurers, Chaldeans and diviners.
She was there when her father had known Daniel, and how Daniel had helped him. He probably didn't come in with the rest of the "wise men" because he must have been in his eighties by then, and semi-retired.
(12) "This was because an extraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, interpretation of dreams, explanation of enigmas and solving of difficult problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Let Daniel now be summoned and he will declare the interpretation."
Evidently Belshazzar's administration had set Daniel aside, though he lived in Babylon. Now his mother is urging him to call for him, because she knew that he would be able to solve this riddle.
I notice that Daniel is still going by his Hebrew name. I think this is significant. He never lost his identity in the total immersion into the sea of the world.
Daniel still kept close to the Lord God, so he was still able to do all that the queen mother told her son he did for her father. He was the only one who could.
God places us where we are when He has a purpose for us there, at that time. Daniel is now a very old man, and may not be in the best of health; yet he is still around, and available for God's use.
It doesn't matter if you are young or old, if you're here now, God has a purpose for you; He wants to use you to accomplish something for Him.
There is something that you are to do, that no one else is able to do. If you don't do it, it won't get done. God will get it accomplished in some other way, by someone else, but you will miss out on the reward.
O my Father, there is so much for us to learn, in all the parts of all the stories You have put in Your written Word. Every narrative is rich with meaning and practical applicability to our lives today. Your Word is timeless, because You do not change, and humanity is still human. We still need You, and You still seek us out.
O Father, use us to send out Your Word; to broadcast Your Good News to every nation; to tell every living person how much You love each one of us, and You want every one of us to turn to You. You are not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance and humility before You.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Most High God, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come soon, Lord Jesus!
Nebuchadnezzar died in 563, succeeded by his son Evil-Merodach who released the captive Jewish king, Jehoichin, from prison and gave him an honorable place at the court (II Kings 25: 27-30). But two years later he was assassinated, and control eventually went to Nabonidus who married a daughter of Nebuchanezzar, which gave him claim to the throne.
But Nabonidus left his son, Belshazzar, in Babylon to keep order while he was off fighting elsewhere. Meanwhile, Darius was beseiging the city, which had previously proven impregnable because of its magnificent fortifications which could not be breached.
Since they had provisions laid up for many years, they made light of his attack. Little did they know of his surprise strategem.
(1) Belshazzar the king held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand.
The time had come for offering toasts and pouring out libations to the gods of Babylon, as Belshazzar was holding a state banquet for a thousand of his nobles.
(2) When Belshazzar tasted the wine, he gave orders to bring the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his [grand]father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them.
When the king had gotten good and drunk, he decided to bring out the beautiful goblets from Solomon's Temple. After all, they had been fashioned for a defeated god called Yahweh. Might as well make use of them.
(3) Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken out of the Temple, the house of God which was in Jerusalem; and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them.
(4) They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.
He then began to regale his guests by taunting Yahweh, praising all the Babylonian gods. Once again an arrogant Babylonian monarch defied the Lord God of Israel. The stage was set for the Most High God to intervene.
(5) Suddenly the fingers of a man's hand emerged and began writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace, and the king saw the back of the hand that did the writing.
(6) Then the king's face grew pale and his thoughts alarmed him, and his hip joints went slack and his knees began knocking together.
Suddenly the whole party stopped short, watching this disembodied hand. Very scary stuff, it scared this king to jelly.
(7) The king called aloud to bring in the conjurers, the Chaldeans and the diviners. The king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon, "Any man who can read this inscription and explain its interpretation to me shall be clothed with purple and have a necklace of gold around his neck, and have authority as third ruler in the kingdom,"
So the king called for all the men who he thought could solve this mystery, and offered them a rich reward. But the highest appointment he could give them was as third ruler in the kingdom, because he was second under his father.
(8) Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the inscription or make known its interpretation to the king.
(9) Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, his face grew even paler, and his nobles were perplexed.
None of these guys had any idea, which scared him even more.
(10) The queen entered the banquet hall because of the words of the king and his nobles; the queen spoke and said, "O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts alarm you or your face be pale.
Now comes in the Queen Mother. She had not been at the party, but her quarters were probably nearby, as she heard the goings-on. This was probably a daughter of Nebuchadnezzar, who had married Belshazzar's father, Nabonidus.
(11) "There is a man in your kingdom in whom is a spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your [grand]father, illumination, insight and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your [grand]father, your [grand]father the king, appointed him chief of the magicians, conjurers, Chaldeans and diviners.
She was there when her father had known Daniel, and how Daniel had helped him. He probably didn't come in with the rest of the "wise men" because he must have been in his eighties by then, and semi-retired.
(12) "This was because an extraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, interpretation of dreams, explanation of enigmas and solving of difficult problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Let Daniel now be summoned and he will declare the interpretation."
Evidently Belshazzar's administration had set Daniel aside, though he lived in Babylon. Now his mother is urging him to call for him, because she knew that he would be able to solve this riddle.
I notice that Daniel is still going by his Hebrew name. I think this is significant. He never lost his identity in the total immersion into the sea of the world.
Daniel still kept close to the Lord God, so he was still able to do all that the queen mother told her son he did for her father. He was the only one who could.
God places us where we are when He has a purpose for us there, at that time. Daniel is now a very old man, and may not be in the best of health; yet he is still around, and available for God's use.
It doesn't matter if you are young or old, if you're here now, God has a purpose for you; He wants to use you to accomplish something for Him.
There is something that you are to do, that no one else is able to do. If you don't do it, it won't get done. God will get it accomplished in some other way, by someone else, but you will miss out on the reward.
O my Father, there is so much for us to learn, in all the parts of all the stories You have put in Your written Word. Every narrative is rich with meaning and practical applicability to our lives today. Your Word is timeless, because You do not change, and humanity is still human. We still need You, and You still seek us out.
O Father, use us to send out Your Word; to broadcast Your Good News to every nation; to tell every living person how much You love each one of us, and You want every one of us to turn to You. You are not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance and humility before You.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Most High God, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come soon, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, April 23, 2020
Extreme Circumstances
Daniel 4: 28-37
We saw yesterday that Daniel advised the king to mend his ways, and maybe the Most High God would relent. So what did the king do?
(28) "All this happened to Nebuchadnezzar the king.
(29) "Twelve months later he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon.
It looks like a year has gone by, and he has just kind of forgotten about the pronouncement against him.
saying, 'King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty has been removed from you,
(32) 'and you will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field. You will be given grass to eat like cattle, and seven periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes.'
The same pronouncement he learned from Daniel a year ago is still in effect. This king still didn't realize that he is accountable to this Higher Power, the Most High God. So God made it clear to him, in his own lengthy experience.
(33) "Immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled;
So what God said he would do, He did. And this is how it worked out:
and he was driven away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of Heaven until his hair had grown like eagles' feathers and his nails like birds' claws.
The medical term for this mental illness is "boanthropy." He became like the brute beast he imagined himself to be, reduced to a state of a grazing beast in a field. Through this seven years, his physical appearance became animal-like, his skin toughened into a hide through constant exposure to the elements, and the hair of his head and his body became matted and coarse, like eagle feathers, and his fingernails and toenails grew into claws like a bird. This was the wretchedness of his condition, demonstrating his sinking to a subhuman level.
This man's pride was so ingrained and had such a powerful hold on him, that it took this extreme condition for this extended time to drive it from him.
(34) "But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward Heaven and my reason returned to me,
After seven long years of this humiliation of dementia, he finally looked to Heaven, and this is what his reason let him realize:
and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever;
"For His dominion is a lasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation.
(35) "All the inhabitants of the Earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of Heaven and among the inhabitants of Earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, 'What have You done?'
Nebuchadnezzar is telling the world that this Most High God really is God, and that His power exceeds all other power, and that His authority to rule goes on forever. Everyone who lives on the Earth is worth nothing compared to Him, even the most powerful king like himself. There is no one who has any standing at all to even question anything He decides to do, because He has the authority to do whatever He wants, and He will do what He wants to do.
We are all accountable to Him, but He is not accountable to any other. He is the Most High God, there is none other but Him.
(36) "At that time my reason returned to me.
When he was ready to humble himself before this Most High God, that is when he was healed of the condition he suffered for seven years.
And my majesty and splendor were restored to me for the glory of my kingdom, and my counselors and my nobles began seeking me out; so I was reestablished in my sovereignty, and surpassing greatness was added to me.
God, in His mercy, restored to Nebuchadnezzar all the glory and majesty and power he had lost in his illness, and even more. Because he was finally ready to submit to the authority the Most High God held over him, he ended up with more than he'd ever had before. This is the grace and generosity of our God.
(37) "Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of Heaven, for all His works are true and His ways are just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride."
This is a stupendous admission from this proud despot of a king. This is the last thing we are told about this man, that he was humbled and gave God the credit and glory for His great majesty, and His power and authority to manipulate even a proud despot into humility before Him.
So was Nebuchadnezzar converted? Did he become a believer?
This is the last we hear of him. God had finished working in his mind and heart, and (apparently) drawn him into faith. So this is the end of his story here, with this happy ending. The next verse talks about the next king.
God had Daniel include this edict from this worldly king in his book because He wanted all of us to hear this admission from the king's own hand. First person witness and testimony. The strongest evidence in any court.
Our God will do whatever is necessary, everything possible and impossible, to draw to Himself those He chooses to be His own children in His family. Even bringing extreme circumstances upon those He is calling.
No matter how extreme you consider your circumstances to be, are they as all-encompassing as what He put upon this king? No? Then He is being gentle with you!
I am amazed at our God's graciousness and generosity to allow this ancient king to lose everything, his home, his reputation, his prosperity, his very mind! Then when he was willing to turn to Him and acknowledge his accountability to Him, God not only returned everything he had lost, but exponentially increased everything!
We also see that He doubled everything Job lost, when he was willing to humble himself before the Lord (Job 42: 12-13, compare 1: 2-3).
God has not changed. He will still bring extreme circumstances to draw people to Himself, and He has given John the final book in our Bible to explain some of the extreme things He will allow in this world and on this Earth before He sends His Son back to reign here.
When circumstances turn our lives upside-down, we can look at our Father's character and know that He allows everything that comes into our lives for our own good, and for His glory. We only need to draw closer to Him, learning to do His works that He planned before time for us to accomplish to grow His Kingdom. And whatever we lose in the process, we know that He will replenish beyond our expectations and imaginations!
That is our purpose for being here where we are, now when we are at this time. There are things we are to do and accomplish that no one else has been able to do until now. There is no one else who can do what each of us is to do, because we each have our own personalities and abilities. We are to work together, each one doing what someone else cannot, serving one another, so that everything will get done and be finished for our Lord Jesus when He returns to be our King!
O my Father, You are so good! You are so wise! You are always on time! Even when we are anxious for Your glory to be seen, grant us patience to carry on until the moment You appear!
Help us to continue to broadcast Your Good News throughout every nation in the whole world, so that every living person will be able to see and hear and understand how wonderful You are, to offer such a gracious and generous gift of Salvation to each one of us!
Father, fill Your great house will all of Your uncountable children, so that Your grand Banquet Table will be surrounded by Your Redeemed family, enjoying sweet fellowship with You and one another throughout all eternity!
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, the Most High God, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come swiftly, Lord Jesus!
We saw yesterday that Daniel advised the king to mend his ways, and maybe the Most High God would relent. So what did the king do?
(28) "All this happened to Nebuchadnezzar the king.
(29) "Twelve months later he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon.
(30) "The king reflected and said, 'Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?'
He looks at all he has built and beautified in the whole royal city, and again his pride rears up, and he takes credit for himself for everything he's done.
(31) "While the word was in the king's mouth, a voice came from Heaven,
While he was still praising himself, he was interrupted!
saying, 'King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty has been removed from you,
(32) 'and you will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field. You will be given grass to eat like cattle, and seven periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes.'
The same pronouncement he learned from Daniel a year ago is still in effect. This king still didn't realize that he is accountable to this Higher Power, the Most High God. So God made it clear to him, in his own lengthy experience.
(33) "Immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled;
So what God said he would do, He did. And this is how it worked out:
and he was driven away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of Heaven until his hair had grown like eagles' feathers and his nails like birds' claws.
The medical term for this mental illness is "boanthropy." He became like the brute beast he imagined himself to be, reduced to a state of a grazing beast in a field. Through this seven years, his physical appearance became animal-like, his skin toughened into a hide through constant exposure to the elements, and the hair of his head and his body became matted and coarse, like eagle feathers, and his fingernails and toenails grew into claws like a bird. This was the wretchedness of his condition, demonstrating his sinking to a subhuman level.
This man's pride was so ingrained and had such a powerful hold on him, that it took this extreme condition for this extended time to drive it from him.
(34) "But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward Heaven and my reason returned to me,
After seven long years of this humiliation of dementia, he finally looked to Heaven, and this is what his reason let him realize:
and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever;
"For His dominion is a lasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation.
(35) "All the inhabitants of the Earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of Heaven and among the inhabitants of Earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, 'What have You done?'
Nebuchadnezzar is telling the world that this Most High God really is God, and that His power exceeds all other power, and that His authority to rule goes on forever. Everyone who lives on the Earth is worth nothing compared to Him, even the most powerful king like himself. There is no one who has any standing at all to even question anything He decides to do, because He has the authority to do whatever He wants, and He will do what He wants to do.
We are all accountable to Him, but He is not accountable to any other. He is the Most High God, there is none other but Him.
(36) "At that time my reason returned to me.
When he was ready to humble himself before this Most High God, that is when he was healed of the condition he suffered for seven years.
And my majesty and splendor were restored to me for the glory of my kingdom, and my counselors and my nobles began seeking me out; so I was reestablished in my sovereignty, and surpassing greatness was added to me.
God, in His mercy, restored to Nebuchadnezzar all the glory and majesty and power he had lost in his illness, and even more. Because he was finally ready to submit to the authority the Most High God held over him, he ended up with more than he'd ever had before. This is the grace and generosity of our God.
(37) "Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of Heaven, for all His works are true and His ways are just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride."
This is a stupendous admission from this proud despot of a king. This is the last thing we are told about this man, that he was humbled and gave God the credit and glory for His great majesty, and His power and authority to manipulate even a proud despot into humility before Him.
So was Nebuchadnezzar converted? Did he become a believer?
This is the last we hear of him. God had finished working in his mind and heart, and (apparently) drawn him into faith. So this is the end of his story here, with this happy ending. The next verse talks about the next king.
God had Daniel include this edict from this worldly king in his book because He wanted all of us to hear this admission from the king's own hand. First person witness and testimony. The strongest evidence in any court.
Our God will do whatever is necessary, everything possible and impossible, to draw to Himself those He chooses to be His own children in His family. Even bringing extreme circumstances upon those He is calling.
No matter how extreme you consider your circumstances to be, are they as all-encompassing as what He put upon this king? No? Then He is being gentle with you!
I am amazed at our God's graciousness and generosity to allow this ancient king to lose everything, his home, his reputation, his prosperity, his very mind! Then when he was willing to turn to Him and acknowledge his accountability to Him, God not only returned everything he had lost, but exponentially increased everything!
We also see that He doubled everything Job lost, when he was willing to humble himself before the Lord (Job 42: 12-13, compare 1: 2-3).
God has not changed. He will still bring extreme circumstances to draw people to Himself, and He has given John the final book in our Bible to explain some of the extreme things He will allow in this world and on this Earth before He sends His Son back to reign here.
When circumstances turn our lives upside-down, we can look at our Father's character and know that He allows everything that comes into our lives for our own good, and for His glory. We only need to draw closer to Him, learning to do His works that He planned before time for us to accomplish to grow His Kingdom. And whatever we lose in the process, we know that He will replenish beyond our expectations and imaginations!
That is our purpose for being here where we are, now when we are at this time. There are things we are to do and accomplish that no one else has been able to do until now. There is no one else who can do what each of us is to do, because we each have our own personalities and abilities. We are to work together, each one doing what someone else cannot, serving one another, so that everything will get done and be finished for our Lord Jesus when He returns to be our King!
O my Father, You are so good! You are so wise! You are always on time! Even when we are anxious for Your glory to be seen, grant us patience to carry on until the moment You appear!
Help us to continue to broadcast Your Good News throughout every nation in the whole world, so that every living person will be able to see and hear and understand how wonderful You are, to offer such a gracious and generous gift of Salvation to each one of us!
Father, fill Your great house will all of Your uncountable children, so that Your grand Banquet Table will be surrounded by Your Redeemed family, enjoying sweet fellowship with You and one another throughout all eternity!
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, the Most High God, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come swiftly, Lord Jesus!
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