Oh, how I have missed blogging with you! This has definitely been a week of the Tyranny of the Urgent. I feel like I have been forced to put Bible study on the back burner this week. It makes me miserable! I need some encouragement to stay consistent.
Will you read Daniel 4 with me? It begins with King Nebuchadnezzar telling the story of the previous 8 years of his life. Hindsight is 20/20, and without a doubt, Nebuchadnezzar wished he could turn back time and make a different choice.
In verses 4-8, Nebuchadnezzar had another one of his troubling dreams, but this time he told the magicians the details without making it a guessing game. Verse 8 begins with "Finally, Daniel came . . ." Didn't it make you wonder why the king didn't consult Daniel first? Verse 9 shows that the king had confidence in Daniel's ability; so I am very curious to understand why he even bothered to ask the other wise men's opinions.
After Daniel confirmed that the king's dream was a bad omen, he offered some words of wisdom in verse 27. "Therefore, O king, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue." And Nebuchadnezzar completely disregarded Daniel's advice!! He was able to escape the consequences for a year, but then his selfish pride got the best of him, and the dream came true. Because Nebuchadnezzar refused to acknowledge the sovereignty of the One True God, he was driven away to live with the wild animals for seven years.
At the end of the seven years, the king chose to praise and glorify God, and God restored his kingdom. This time, Nebuchadnezzar seemed to understand that God has the power to humble the proud and that all things belong to God Almighty.
So, how can this story apply to our lives? First of all, am I walking in humility or selfish pride? Do I recognize that all good things come from the Father, and am I quick to praise Him for everything? Do I point others to Christ, and do I invite them to praise and exalt His Name with me? The Bible says in at least three different places that "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Let's make it our goal to be worthy of His grace!
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Daniel 3
King Nebuchadnezzar took Daniel’s interpretation of the dream way too far. Recall Daniel 2:37-38, “You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; in your hands he has placed mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.” Well, it went straight to the king’s head, and he built a gold statue of himself that was 90 feet tall! Then he wanted everyone to bow down and worship the monstrosity.
The story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego is one of my favorite Bible stories. It displays the glory of God and His power over the laws of nature and over the will of man. I love the testimony of faith the three young Hebrews voiced in verses 16-18! “We do not need to defend ourselves . . ., the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods.” They knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the God of heaven had complete power to save them from the fiery furnace. However, they were willing to serve Him even if He chose not to save them from pain and death.
God did choose to save them, and I believe He answered their prayers because it was an opportunity for God to be glorified in their lives. I try to follow their example when I pray about difficult decisions. “Lord, I firmly believe that you have all the power to work in my circumstances. However, if you choose not to work in my favor, I will still love and serve you.” When in your life have you been able to demonstrate that type of faith in God? I would love to hear your stories!
The story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego is one of my favorite Bible stories. It displays the glory of God and His power over the laws of nature and over the will of man. I love the testimony of faith the three young Hebrews voiced in verses 16-18! “We do not need to defend ourselves . . ., the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods.” They knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the God of heaven had complete power to save them from the fiery furnace. However, they were willing to serve Him even if He chose not to save them from pain and death.
God did choose to save them, and I believe He answered their prayers because it was an opportunity for God to be glorified in their lives. I try to follow their example when I pray about difficult decisions. “Lord, I firmly believe that you have all the power to work in my circumstances. However, if you choose not to work in my favor, I will still love and serve you.” When in your life have you been able to demonstrate that type of faith in God? I would love to hear your stories!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Daniel 2
King Nebuchadnezzar was a harsh task master, wasn't he! Can you imagine being threatened with execution unless you could tell someone what they had dreamed last night? Wow! Why would anyone make such a request? Why was this such a huge issue for the king? Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary points out that men with great authority are often disturbed at night with the great burden of cares and responsibility they bear. Their sleep is not restful because of their dreams and worries.
John Gill mentions in his commentary that the punishment of being cut into pieces and having houses turned into piles of rubble was common "when any were found plotting against the government, or guilty of treason." So, my thought is that King Nebuchadnezzar may have had a good idea that the dream was related to the demolition of his personal kingdom. He was rightfully suspicious of the wise men in his kingdom who were known to have insight into the future. He may have been paranoid that these men were plotting against him, and his demand that they tell him the dream was a test of their loyalty to the kingdom.
In verses 10-11, the wise men insulted the king by telling him he didn't have the right to make such a request of them. Oooo, bad move. You don't tell an insecure king that he doesn't have the authority to give orders in his own palace. This forced Nebuchadnezzar to say, "Time's up! Execution is tomorrow."
I don't know why Daniel and his friends were not at the palace to hear the request, yet they were on the execution list. At any rate, I am so proud of Daniel once again for having the nerve to speak to the commander of the king's guard "with wisdom and tact." (vs. 14) Here he was facing a death sentence, and he was able to keep his cool and make negotiations. Then he had the gall to go before the king and ask for more time! Wow! I have always been taught (I guess because of the story of Esther) that the king had to call for you before you could enter his court. Daniel certainly wouldn't have been on the invitation to dinner list. The king was desperate enough for an interpretation that he agreed to Daniel's plea.
Daniel was very wise to get his three friends to pray for mercy from the God of heaven concerning the mystery. (vs. 18) In times of great need, do you have friends you can call on to pray with you? I couldn't make it without my personal prayer warriors. I feel very fortunate to have prayer partners world wide whom I can call on when I am desperate for a word from God.
"During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision." (vs. 19) Do you find that God often talks to you in the night? Sometimes that is the only time He can get me alone and quiet enough to listen to His voice.
I really like Daniel's prayer of praise in verses 20-23. I also like that Daniel unashamedly gives God the glory in verse 28, "but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries." He needed the king to recognize from Whom his wisdom came. This prompted the king to proclaim, "Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries," after Daniel had interpreted the dream. (vs. 47)
Even though Daniel's interpretation confirmed that Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom would end, the king celebrated because he realized there was not an immediate threat to his reign. He threw a party and lavished gifts and high honors on Daniel and his three friends. Let's be friends like that who encourage one another to serve God by serving others. Let's go glorify God together!
John Gill mentions in his commentary that the punishment of being cut into pieces and having houses turned into piles of rubble was common "when any were found plotting against the government, or guilty of treason." So, my thought is that King Nebuchadnezzar may have had a good idea that the dream was related to the demolition of his personal kingdom. He was rightfully suspicious of the wise men in his kingdom who were known to have insight into the future. He may have been paranoid that these men were plotting against him, and his demand that they tell him the dream was a test of their loyalty to the kingdom.
In verses 10-11, the wise men insulted the king by telling him he didn't have the right to make such a request of them. Oooo, bad move. You don't tell an insecure king that he doesn't have the authority to give orders in his own palace. This forced Nebuchadnezzar to say, "Time's up! Execution is tomorrow."
I don't know why Daniel and his friends were not at the palace to hear the request, yet they were on the execution list. At any rate, I am so proud of Daniel once again for having the nerve to speak to the commander of the king's guard "with wisdom and tact." (vs. 14) Here he was facing a death sentence, and he was able to keep his cool and make negotiations. Then he had the gall to go before the king and ask for more time! Wow! I have always been taught (I guess because of the story of Esther) that the king had to call for you before you could enter his court. Daniel certainly wouldn't have been on the invitation to dinner list. The king was desperate enough for an interpretation that he agreed to Daniel's plea.
Daniel was very wise to get his three friends to pray for mercy from the God of heaven concerning the mystery. (vs. 18) In times of great need, do you have friends you can call on to pray with you? I couldn't make it without my personal prayer warriors. I feel very fortunate to have prayer partners world wide whom I can call on when I am desperate for a word from God.
"During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision." (vs. 19) Do you find that God often talks to you in the night? Sometimes that is the only time He can get me alone and quiet enough to listen to His voice.
I really like Daniel's prayer of praise in verses 20-23. I also like that Daniel unashamedly gives God the glory in verse 28, "but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries." He needed the king to recognize from Whom his wisdom came. This prompted the king to proclaim, "Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries," after Daniel had interpreted the dream. (vs. 47)
Even though Daniel's interpretation confirmed that Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom would end, the king celebrated because he realized there was not an immediate threat to his reign. He threw a party and lavished gifts and high honors on Daniel and his three friends. Let's be friends like that who encourage one another to serve God by serving others. Let's go glorify God together!
Friday, February 6, 2009
Daniel 1
Will you take time to read Daniel 1 with me? You've read it before; so let's stop and dig into some of the details we tend to skip over because of familiarity with the text.
In our chronological study we had just a glimpse of King Jehoiakim in 2 Kings 23. It was during his reign that Babylon invaded Jerusalem, and King Nebuchadnezzar carried Daniel and his friends into exile. Notice the description of the young Israelites the king selected in Daniel 1:3-4, "royal family and the nobility-young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king's palace." These kids were the cream of the crop. I cannot imagine what it was like to be taken from their homeland and from their places of importance in Israel to become slaves to a pagan king. Personally, I would have just curled up in a corner and died of depression.
In verses 6 & 7, not only did the king give Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah new names, but he gave Daniel the name of Belteshazzar. I think it is cool that we know Daniel by his Hebrew name instead of his Babylonian name. Throughout the book of Daniel, Belteshazzar is put in parentheses because that is the name the king called him. We recognize him by his God-given name instead. I think it is a terrific example of how a young man stayed true to his godly upbringing rather than conforming to the secular culture.
"But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way." (Daniel 1:8) Would I have had the nerve to make this request of the chief official? Would I have preferred a diet of veggies and water over steak and potatoes and apple pie? Would I have given up after the chief official said no? Daniel did not take no for an answer. In verse 11, he asked the guard to test them for ten days. I had never noticed before that Daniel asked the chief official first and then talked the guard into trying his plan. This also makes me wonder if I have trained my children to value their religious beliefs like Daniel and his friends did. Would my kids stay true to their faith under this type of pressure? Is their faith their own, or are they relying on my faith? My prayer is that God will become very real to my children. I pray they will stand firm in their beliefs, especially when I am not around.
God honored the faithfulness of these four young men. At the end of the test, they were healthier and better nourished than any of the other exiles. In fact, Nebuchadnezzar found the boys ten times better than all the wise men in his whole kingdom. God gave them knowledge and understanding and enabled Daniel to interpret visions and dreams. God took the tragic circumstances of their slavery and used it to form these young men for service in His heavenly kingdom. I am so thankful that these boys took advantage of the opportunity rather than giving up on God. Would we do the same?
In our chronological study we had just a glimpse of King Jehoiakim in 2 Kings 23. It was during his reign that Babylon invaded Jerusalem, and King Nebuchadnezzar carried Daniel and his friends into exile. Notice the description of the young Israelites the king selected in Daniel 1:3-4, "royal family and the nobility-young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king's palace." These kids were the cream of the crop. I cannot imagine what it was like to be taken from their homeland and from their places of importance in Israel to become slaves to a pagan king. Personally, I would have just curled up in a corner and died of depression.
In verses 6 & 7, not only did the king give Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah new names, but he gave Daniel the name of Belteshazzar. I think it is cool that we know Daniel by his Hebrew name instead of his Babylonian name. Throughout the book of Daniel, Belteshazzar is put in parentheses because that is the name the king called him. We recognize him by his God-given name instead. I think it is a terrific example of how a young man stayed true to his godly upbringing rather than conforming to the secular culture.
"But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way." (Daniel 1:8) Would I have had the nerve to make this request of the chief official? Would I have preferred a diet of veggies and water over steak and potatoes and apple pie? Would I have given up after the chief official said no? Daniel did not take no for an answer. In verse 11, he asked the guard to test them for ten days. I had never noticed before that Daniel asked the chief official first and then talked the guard into trying his plan. This also makes me wonder if I have trained my children to value their religious beliefs like Daniel and his friends did. Would my kids stay true to their faith under this type of pressure? Is their faith their own, or are they relying on my faith? My prayer is that God will become very real to my children. I pray they will stand firm in their beliefs, especially when I am not around.
God honored the faithfulness of these four young men. At the end of the test, they were healthier and better nourished than any of the other exiles. In fact, Nebuchadnezzar found the boys ten times better than all the wise men in his whole kingdom. God gave them knowledge and understanding and enabled Daniel to interpret visions and dreams. God took the tragic circumstances of their slavery and used it to form these young men for service in His heavenly kingdom. I am so thankful that these boys took advantage of the opportunity rather than giving up on God. Would we do the same?
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