Wow, y'all! The words of Daniel are such a treasure! Maybe one, like me, you have never truly studied and discovered until now. (I have discovered so much about this book through Beth Moore's study and would recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity to participate in it.) There is so much in chapter 8 but ultimately it all points to God's glorious power and control He exerts throughout the events of the universe He created.
Chapter 8 expands on prophesy that was also presented in chapters 2 and 7 of Daniel but focuses on only two of the kingdoms represented by the statue in Chapter 2, the Medo-Persian Empire and the Grecian Empire. Chronologically, chapter 8 comes before chapter 5, before King Darius attacked and Medes took control of the Babylonian kingdom. The ram introduced in verse 3 represents this kingdom, one horn representing the Medes and the other representing the Persians. (This kingdom is also represented by the silver part of the statue in chapter 2.) The goat represents the Greeks who would conquer the Medo-Persians, eventually taking over almost the entire populated world through Alexander the Great (the very large horn in verse 5). Later, this horn would be broken off at the height of it's power and replaced with four prominent horns that would point in the four directions of the earth (v. 8). This represents the four generals who would take over the Grecian Empire after the death of Alexander the Great. Finally, a small horn would come out of one of the prominent horns (v. 9) and be a great evil power that would attack God's chosen people and halt their daily sacrifices. This last small horn is a dual reference to the Greek ruler Antiochus and to the antichrist.
What does all of this prophesy mean to us in our day-to-day lives? Well, really more than I can cover here, but here are some highlights. First, isn't it amazing that Daniel had this vision from the Lord about things he couldn't comprehend and most of which wouldn't even come to pass in his lifetime? Not only did the vision show him that the Babylonian empire would be overthrown by the Medes and Persians, it went on to say that the Medo-Persian empire would be overthrown by the Greeks and went into detail about several Greek rulers. This is amazing because Greece wasn't even considered a world power when this prophesy was given. All these events would come to pass over about the next 500 years! Today, it would be like one of us having a vision of some nation like Mexico taking over the entire world. Daniel must have not known what to think! Obviously it is a testament to his faith that the Lord gave him this vision and that he knew it was from the Lord. I pray that we would be so attuned to the Lord's voice that we would have the confidence Daniel had when the Lord spoke to him. Because of Daniel's faithfulness, our faith is built by seeing the fulfillment of this prophesy in history. What might have been considered catastrophic and random events at the time, show us God's hand in everything that happens. What will future generations learn because of your faithfulness to the Lord now? (2 Timothy 2:22-26)
Also, this chapter points to God's ultimate control and use of all things. Alexander the Great was put into the position of power by the Lord (Daniel 2:21). He thought it was because of his own greatness and even ordered his provinces to worship him. This pride consumed him. It is what pride always does. We even have to be careful of this in serving the Lord. We must remember that the things the Lord allows us to accomplish for His kingdom are because of His greatness, not because of anything we did or could control. In the words of Beth Moore, "no human being is wise or powerful enough to attain the swift feats of Alexander the Great." God used him to accomplish his tasks. He can use anyone, even a pagan king, because he has ultimate control over everything. One thing that God accomplished through the rule of Alexander the Great was to spread the Greek language and culture throughout the world which prepared the world for the gospel which was presented in the Greek language of the New Testament. Isn't it cool that God used this pagan king to spread the Scripture to the nations? And when God was through with him, He deposed him. God is sovereign. Anything we accomplish in our lives is because God allowed it. Praise God that we can be part of His plan!
Finally, let's discuss the dual reference of the small horn in the last part of the vision. It referred first to Antiochus, who became the ruler of the Grecian Empire. History tells us that he did many evil things during his reign and perhaps the foremost being the persecution of the Jews. He executed tens of thousands of Jews during his reign and in 170 B.C. took over the temple with his Greek gods and prevented the Jews from making their daily sacrifices. The practice of the daily sacrifices resumed in 163 B.C. (the 2,300 mornings and evenings referred to in verse 14) when Antiochus died. This was all a foreshadowing, or dress rehearsal as Beth Moore describes it, to the other one that the small horn refers to, the antichrist. Everything we have talked about up to now has already come to pass. Obviously this part has not. However, we can be sure it will. God never changes and always keeps His promises. Just seeing the fulfilled prophesy thus far should make us more confident in this fact.
We don't know all the details surrounding the fulfillment of this part of the prophesy. We don't know exactly when or from where the antichrist will come. We do know that many will be deceived by him. (1 John 2:18-19, 2 John 7) However, as children of God we must stay alert and not be found sleeping so that we won't be deceived. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-8) Whatever is happening now around us in our world or what will happen in the future, we know that is was known by God long before He created this world and He is allowing it to happen for His purposes which we may never fully understand this side of heaven. But we can place our confidence in the Lord, knowing everything is in His control and will be fulfilled according to His purpose. We want to be on His side in the end. Don't drift away thinking you are fighting a losing battle, because the only loser here is satan who is fooling some here in this world. But, dear brothers and sisters, don't you be fooled.
"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." Galatians 6:7-10
--Kim Newton, Media Manager
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Daniel 7
I have to admit that I felt a little intimidated by chapter 7 because it talks about the future, and what we commonly call the end times. I have never made myself study these events thoroughly because it seems like there are so many opinions, and in the end, only God knows how it will happen, so why should we get so worked up about it? But after getting into chapter 7 more and looking through several study Bibles and with a little help from Beth Moore’s study on Daniel, I’ve realized that there is much to learn and apply to my daily life in this chapter.
First, here’s a quick recap: Daniel’s dream happens before the events in chapter 5 occur, and there are 4 beasts mentioned. All sources that I looked through agree on what each beast represents. The first beast which is the lion with eagle’s wings represents Babylon when King Nebuchadnezzar reigned. The second beast, which is the bear, is the Medo-Persian Empire. The third beast, which is the leopard with 4 heads and 4 wings, represents Alexander the Great’s conquest of the known world. The fourth beast that is terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong represents the Roman Empire. If you notice, these all correspond with the statue interpretations in Daniel chapter 2. The little horn that comes up in chapter 7 represents the antichrist.
We could spend weeks looking into all the information and lessons to learn from Daniel 7. But the main one that I wanted to focus on this time is pulled from verse 25. It says that the antichrist (who is controlled by Satan) will speak words against the Most High and shall wear out the saints of the Most High (believers), and we will be given into his hand. We have to keep in mind that Satan’s goal throughout all history has been to gain worship of himself instead of God and an easy tool for him to use is to try to wear us out. Which is pretty easy for him to do if we let our guard down and don’t put on God’s armor daily (see Eph 6:10-20). I have to admit that I get worn out by such little things – mainly because I’m not asking God to give me his strength. I’m trying to serve God with my own strength, which never works, and no one knows that better than Satan. Satan is banking on my failure to meet God’s standard, and he doesn’t have any qualms about hitting me when I’m already down.
So how can we be encouraged? Well, Eph 6:16 says, “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.” Notice the word all that appears twice in that statement. Second Peter 1:3 tells us, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence”. We have what we need to guard ourselves from Satan’s attacks – we just need to study God’s Word and ask the Holy Spirit living in us to teach us and give us understanding. So don’t get discouraged by what you see in the world today. Remember, God wins in the end, and only God knows when that time is. So even Satan is left to guess, which is why he has to have “anitchrist’s” ready to raise up at each generation. I’ll end with 1 John 2:18, 20-21:
“18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour… 20But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. 21I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.”
In a nutshell, get into God’s Word and don’t allow yourself to become an easy target for the enemy. Know the truth, and the best way to know it, is to memorize it. Don’t be scared of memorization – take it one verse at a time and break it down into sections if you need to. Sing it, act it out, whatever helps you.
--Kelli Biles, Office Manager
First, here’s a quick recap: Daniel’s dream happens before the events in chapter 5 occur, and there are 4 beasts mentioned. All sources that I looked through agree on what each beast represents. The first beast which is the lion with eagle’s wings represents Babylon when King Nebuchadnezzar reigned. The second beast, which is the bear, is the Medo-Persian Empire. The third beast, which is the leopard with 4 heads and 4 wings, represents Alexander the Great’s conquest of the known world. The fourth beast that is terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong represents the Roman Empire. If you notice, these all correspond with the statue interpretations in Daniel chapter 2. The little horn that comes up in chapter 7 represents the antichrist.
We could spend weeks looking into all the information and lessons to learn from Daniel 7. But the main one that I wanted to focus on this time is pulled from verse 25. It says that the antichrist (who is controlled by Satan) will speak words against the Most High and shall wear out the saints of the Most High (believers), and we will be given into his hand. We have to keep in mind that Satan’s goal throughout all history has been to gain worship of himself instead of God and an easy tool for him to use is to try to wear us out. Which is pretty easy for him to do if we let our guard down and don’t put on God’s armor daily (see Eph 6:10-20). I have to admit that I get worn out by such little things – mainly because I’m not asking God to give me his strength. I’m trying to serve God with my own strength, which never works, and no one knows that better than Satan. Satan is banking on my failure to meet God’s standard, and he doesn’t have any qualms about hitting me when I’m already down.
So how can we be encouraged? Well, Eph 6:16 says, “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.” Notice the word all that appears twice in that statement. Second Peter 1:3 tells us, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence”. We have what we need to guard ourselves from Satan’s attacks – we just need to study God’s Word and ask the Holy Spirit living in us to teach us and give us understanding. So don’t get discouraged by what you see in the world today. Remember, God wins in the end, and only God knows when that time is. So even Satan is left to guess, which is why he has to have “anitchrist’s” ready to raise up at each generation. I’ll end with 1 John 2:18, 20-21:
“18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour… 20But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. 21I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.”
In a nutshell, get into God’s Word and don’t allow yourself to become an easy target for the enemy. Know the truth, and the best way to know it, is to memorize it. Don’t be scared of memorization – take it one verse at a time and break it down into sections if you need to. Sing it, act it out, whatever helps you.
--Kelli Biles, Office Manager
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Daniel 6
Remember back in Daniel 2, when Daniel interpreted King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream about the great statue? Do you remember how that statue represented the future? The King in chapter six is the continuation of that prophecy being fulfilled. The chest and arms of silver were to represent the Medo-persian Empire. Darius was the Mede part of this duo. Later Cyrus (Persian) would come in to play as the other silver arm of the statue. I love reading about prophecies being fulfilled in the Bible. Even more, seeing it fulfilled in our days. We can see the authenticity of God’s word in Him following through with His promises.
The thing that catches my attention the most is King Darius himself. I cannot tell exactly where Darius stood with the Lord, but we can see in verse 9 where he stood with himself. How easy is it for us to say “yes” to something without thinking of others? For an example, I am a big planner. My past room-mates could tell you that I just love to plan out my next step all day long. Even worse, I often do it out loud for the surrounding people to hear my plan. I have no idea why I do this, I Just do. Even though this technique helps me in many ways, and drives people crazy in others, I can get carried away and make some mistakes with it. Sometimes a plan will start out with just one person, and then before I know it I have invited more people to join in on the plan and it gets real complicated real fast and leaves the first individual probably feeling less than cared for. I just get caught up in the moment that I do not even stop and think about that first individual and what they would think about all the changes I made without even talking to them about it. I then cringe because it is too late to take it all back. I feel that in a much larger scale this is what King Darius did. He probably did not have a planning problem but a “self” problem. I wonder what was going through his head when the administrators and satraps went to the king with the idea of the edict. Because of his reaction we can see that he did not mind the attention that would be given to him through the edict. We see with Nebuchadnezzar how easy it is to get puffed up with pride. I think Darius experiences the exact same thing. “Yes, let them worship me alone.” Who thinks like that? An unbelieving King does.
King Darius probably did not have a personal relationship with God at this point but we can see that he was aware of God’s power and existence. He tells Daniel that his God will deliver him. There we have the cringe I was talking about earlier. Despite all the labor the king went through to keep Daniel from this fate, he could not take back the edict he had approved. He lost sleep over this one. Because he ran to the den the next morning and yelled at Daniel expecting an answer back makes me think he definitely believed that Daniel’s God was with him. Once again we come to a close with the King praising God. We are still not sure where Darius stood with God. After all we had seen Nebuchadnezzar praising the same God the same way but it still took a lot for him to recognize God’s greatness. Maybe Darius got it the first time. May we learn from their examples instead of learning the hard way.
--Kristi Smith, Summer Camp Manager
The thing that catches my attention the most is King Darius himself. I cannot tell exactly where Darius stood with the Lord, but we can see in verse 9 where he stood with himself. How easy is it for us to say “yes” to something without thinking of others? For an example, I am a big planner. My past room-mates could tell you that I just love to plan out my next step all day long. Even worse, I often do it out loud for the surrounding people to hear my plan. I have no idea why I do this, I Just do. Even though this technique helps me in many ways, and drives people crazy in others, I can get carried away and make some mistakes with it. Sometimes a plan will start out with just one person, and then before I know it I have invited more people to join in on the plan and it gets real complicated real fast and leaves the first individual probably feeling less than cared for. I just get caught up in the moment that I do not even stop and think about that first individual and what they would think about all the changes I made without even talking to them about it. I then cringe because it is too late to take it all back. I feel that in a much larger scale this is what King Darius did. He probably did not have a planning problem but a “self” problem. I wonder what was going through his head when the administrators and satraps went to the king with the idea of the edict. Because of his reaction we can see that he did not mind the attention that would be given to him through the edict. We see with Nebuchadnezzar how easy it is to get puffed up with pride. I think Darius experiences the exact same thing. “Yes, let them worship me alone.” Who thinks like that? An unbelieving King does.
King Darius probably did not have a personal relationship with God at this point but we can see that he was aware of God’s power and existence. He tells Daniel that his God will deliver him. There we have the cringe I was talking about earlier. Despite all the labor the king went through to keep Daniel from this fate, he could not take back the edict he had approved. He lost sleep over this one. Because he ran to the den the next morning and yelled at Daniel expecting an answer back makes me think he definitely believed that Daniel’s God was with him. Once again we come to a close with the King praising God. We are still not sure where Darius stood with God. After all we had seen Nebuchadnezzar praising the same God the same way but it still took a lot for him to recognize God’s greatness. Maybe Darius got it the first time. May we learn from their examples instead of learning the hard way.
--Kristi Smith, Summer Camp Manager
Daniel 5
This chapter has quite a few things in it for us to learn from, but I want to focus on one specific thing about King Belshazzar. First of all, if you didn’t notice, King Belshazzar is the son of the king from the last few chapters – King Nebuchadnezzar. Also he has a name very similar to our hero Daniel – Belteshazzar. So to simplify things I will always call Daniel . . . Daniel.
This chapter begins with a switch. We have been discussing King Nebuchadnezzar’s struggles with learning about and trusting God, but now all of a sudden he is out of the picture and we are focusing on his son. King Belshazzar seems to have the same struggles as his father – he is very proud of his kingdom and wants all of the glory and honor associated with being a king. The only problem is that God wants the same from him and he doesn’t seem to even know who God is. The ironic thing is King Belshazzar lived with his father – and got to see and experience the things his father went through first hand, but yet for some reason he acts as though he never knew any of it ever happened. As a result King Belshazzar comes to a terrible fate.
While the king focused on himself and living a life of selfishness, the Lord seeks out King Belshazzar to give him a chance to make amends to his life. He had the chance to learn from his father’s mistakes, and chooses to disregard them. He also then chooses to disregard the Lords warning through the message written on the wall. We know that we should not disregard God and His warnings. This is pretty straight forward, so I want us to reflect on learning from the mistakes of others. All throughout our lives we are surrounded by people that have experienced life and every experience can lead us to learn about the good and bad of decisions made. Some things we just have to live through and experience for ourselves to learn from them, but other times we can look to others and their wisdom and learn from them.
The Lord may not always write us warning messages on the walls in our living room, but He does always give us wise people to seek advice from and to learn from their experiences. He also gives us the chance to see the consequences of bad decisions of people around us, so we can stay away from those situations that will put us in a pit. King Belshazzar chose to not learn from his fathers mistakes and paid for it. Be sure you take the time to learn from those who you can look up to.
--Seth Gordon, Recreation Director
This chapter begins with a switch. We have been discussing King Nebuchadnezzar’s struggles with learning about and trusting God, but now all of a sudden he is out of the picture and we are focusing on his son. King Belshazzar seems to have the same struggles as his father – he is very proud of his kingdom and wants all of the glory and honor associated with being a king. The only problem is that God wants the same from him and he doesn’t seem to even know who God is. The ironic thing is King Belshazzar lived with his father – and got to see and experience the things his father went through first hand, but yet for some reason he acts as though he never knew any of it ever happened. As a result King Belshazzar comes to a terrible fate.
While the king focused on himself and living a life of selfishness, the Lord seeks out King Belshazzar to give him a chance to make amends to his life. He had the chance to learn from his father’s mistakes, and chooses to disregard them. He also then chooses to disregard the Lords warning through the message written on the wall. We know that we should not disregard God and His warnings. This is pretty straight forward, so I want us to reflect on learning from the mistakes of others. All throughout our lives we are surrounded by people that have experienced life and every experience can lead us to learn about the good and bad of decisions made. Some things we just have to live through and experience for ourselves to learn from them, but other times we can look to others and their wisdom and learn from them.
The Lord may not always write us warning messages on the walls in our living room, but He does always give us wise people to seek advice from and to learn from their experiences. He also gives us the chance to see the consequences of bad decisions of people around us, so we can stay away from those situations that will put us in a pit. King Belshazzar chose to not learn from his fathers mistakes and paid for it. Be sure you take the time to learn from those who you can look up to.
--Seth Gordon, Recreation Director
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Daniel 4
Daniel is the author of the book, but Nebuchadnezzar is the one telling the story of chapter 4. It is his testimony – his personal account of how the Lord changed his life. Daniel knew the story well and was probably very excited to add it to his book. The story is an incredible picture of God’s sovereignty. He knows exactly what He is doing even in the midst of what we would see as a horrible tragedy.
The great tragedy was not the outcast of Nebuchadnezzar from his throne and kingdom. That was tragic for Nebuchadnezzar, but it was extremely small compared to the overall picture. Remember who Nebuchadnezzar was. He was the king of Babylon who overthrew Jerusalem and all of Judah. Judah was the last of the two kingdoms of Israel to fall. Israel (the northern kingdom) fell about 150 years earlier to the Assyrians. Judah was the only kingdom to have kings who feared the Lord, although they were few. The conquering of Judah was the final blow to God’s chosen people. Israel as a nation has never really recovered. But the Lord was still at work. That’s what is so amazing about Him.
He warned His people over and over, but in the end, they did not listen. Read Deuteronomy 8 and see the warnings of becoming too content in your own power. So tragedy struck at the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. He slaughtered many of God’s chosen people and took many as captives (see 2 Kings 25 and 2 Chron. 36). He selected the best of the captives and made them eunuchs within his palace walls. This most certainly included Daniel and his friends. Daniel 1:3 and Isaiah 39:7 use the Hebrew term for eunuchs. The term “official” is used in some translations. Here is Wikipedia’s definition of a eunuch: “A eunuch is a castrated man, in particular one castrated early enough to have major hormonal consequences; the term usually refers to those castrated in order to perform a specific social function, as was common in many societies of the past. Servants or slaves were usually castrated in order to make them safer servants of a royal court where physical access to the ruler could wield great influence.” This was the strict practice of any king of that day, and especially Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar was a very evil king who had no mercy upon God’s people. He kept some alive only for his own benefit. But the Lord had a different benefit in mind for Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom.
Nebuchadnezzar’s first acknowledgement of the one true God was at the end of chapter 3. "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the king's command, and yielded up their bodies so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their houses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way." He acknowledged the Lord in a very serious and reverent manner, but he did not seek after Him. The Lord was not done. Respectable reverence was not what the Lord was looking for – even though the king would tear any opposition limb from limb and turn their house into a rubbish heap!
Chapter 4 is about the continuation of successfully bringing a VERY proud man to his knees in true desperation – so that in response he would give his entire life over to the Lord. It was God’s plan. He took the sin of man and brought glory to Himself. God’s chosen people rebelled and they experienced a time of great tragedy – brutal death, loss of freedom, destruction of home and family, castration, and slavery. Daniel was right in the middle of it. All by the hand of an evil king who is now praising the name of the Lord. "Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride."
Can you imagine the tears of joy running down Daniel’s face as he wrote this story? Through such great loss came such tremendous victory. One day we will be able to sit in person and listen to the full version of this story told by these two men – side by side.
What will it take for the Lord to humble us before Him?
--David Jones, CEO
The great tragedy was not the outcast of Nebuchadnezzar from his throne and kingdom. That was tragic for Nebuchadnezzar, but it was extremely small compared to the overall picture. Remember who Nebuchadnezzar was. He was the king of Babylon who overthrew Jerusalem and all of Judah. Judah was the last of the two kingdoms of Israel to fall. Israel (the northern kingdom) fell about 150 years earlier to the Assyrians. Judah was the only kingdom to have kings who feared the Lord, although they were few. The conquering of Judah was the final blow to God’s chosen people. Israel as a nation has never really recovered. But the Lord was still at work. That’s what is so amazing about Him.
He warned His people over and over, but in the end, they did not listen. Read Deuteronomy 8 and see the warnings of becoming too content in your own power. So tragedy struck at the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. He slaughtered many of God’s chosen people and took many as captives (see 2 Kings 25 and 2 Chron. 36). He selected the best of the captives and made them eunuchs within his palace walls. This most certainly included Daniel and his friends. Daniel 1:3 and Isaiah 39:7 use the Hebrew term for eunuchs. The term “official” is used in some translations. Here is Wikipedia’s definition of a eunuch: “A eunuch is a castrated man, in particular one castrated early enough to have major hormonal consequences; the term usually refers to those castrated in order to perform a specific social function, as was common in many societies of the past. Servants or slaves were usually castrated in order to make them safer servants of a royal court where physical access to the ruler could wield great influence.” This was the strict practice of any king of that day, and especially Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar was a very evil king who had no mercy upon God’s people. He kept some alive only for his own benefit. But the Lord had a different benefit in mind for Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom.
Nebuchadnezzar’s first acknowledgement of the one true God was at the end of chapter 3. "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the king's command, and yielded up their bodies so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their houses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way." He acknowledged the Lord in a very serious and reverent manner, but he did not seek after Him. The Lord was not done. Respectable reverence was not what the Lord was looking for – even though the king would tear any opposition limb from limb and turn their house into a rubbish heap!
Chapter 4 is about the continuation of successfully bringing a VERY proud man to his knees in true desperation – so that in response he would give his entire life over to the Lord. It was God’s plan. He took the sin of man and brought glory to Himself. God’s chosen people rebelled and they experienced a time of great tragedy – brutal death, loss of freedom, destruction of home and family, castration, and slavery. Daniel was right in the middle of it. All by the hand of an evil king who is now praising the name of the Lord. "Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride."
Can you imagine the tears of joy running down Daniel’s face as he wrote this story? Through such great loss came such tremendous victory. One day we will be able to sit in person and listen to the full version of this story told by these two men – side by side.
What will it take for the Lord to humble us before Him?
--David Jones, CEO
Monday, February 9, 2009
Daniel 3
We have come to a chapter that is probably fairly familiar. It is one of those Bible stories that we are taught as kids to remind us of God’s presence and protection. As I have been studying the book of Daniel through Beth Moore’s Bible Study, I am learning that there is so much more for me to learn from this chapter. I hope you will take the time to read it as I know God has much to say to you.
Before we start talking about Daniel 3, let’s think back to the previous chapter. In Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that Daniel was able to both describe and interpret. In the dream, there was a statue that was made out of different metals- gold, silver, bronze, and iron. The statue represented different kingdoms with the ultimate reign of God’s kingdom. Because Daniel was able to describe and interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, he was made ruler over the province of Babylon, and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were made administrators.
Now, at the beginning of Daniel 3, we find Nebuchadnezzar building his own statue. His image was made entirely of gold, and it was 90 feet high and 9 feet wide. Try to imagine this- it would be like two of the Tejas climbing walls put together and made of gold. If we look back at Daniel 2, we can see where Nebuchadnezzar is getting his idea. However, he wants his image to be bigger and better than the one in his dream. He wants to make sure that his kingdom is superior. So much so, that he calls all the officials of Babylon to bow down to the statue. Nebuchadnezzar obviously struggled with some of the same things we do today. The world around us is always telling us to make a name for ourselves. It is easy for us to fall into the trap of thinking we have worth if we do something that seems important, know someone that seems to be admired, or are a part of something that seems popular. Think about how this is even prevalent in the realm of other believers. Who do you idolize? Why are you a part of a certain organization or group? Why do you go to the church you are going to? Why do you serve in a certain position? Are any of the reasons because you are trying to impress someone or you feel like someone impressive is there? We need to remember what God’s Word says. Our value is found in Christ alone. According to Colossians 2:9-10, we have been given fullness is Christ. Also, those who are really great are those who are the least and have been willing to die to themselves. Think about the example Christ set for us. We need to be lifting up the name of Christ and not our own. When we know that we are complete in Him, then this will be much easier to do.
As we move along in Daniel 3, we find that everyone bows down to Nebuchadnezzar’s image expect three people- Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men were true followers of God and they would not bow to another even when the consequences were great. Nebuchadnezzar gave these men two chances to bow down with the fiery furnace in their sight. If they did not bow, they would be thrown into the hot blaze. These three men believed that God would take care of them no matter what. They believed that they would either be taken home to be with their God, or their God would be with them through the fire. You can tell they were sure of this by the way they answered Nebuchadnezzar. They were right; God did walk with them through the fire. It is amazing to see all the details of what God did in this miracle. Take some time to note these.
I want us to think about this fire in light of circumstances we have been in ourselves that have been very difficult. You may even be walking through a challenging time right now. I want you to remember that God is with you. He can deliver you from the fire at any point that He wants, but He knows that it is best for you right now to walk through the fire as your faith will be increased. 1 Peter 1:6-7 says, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” God uses trials to change our lives, and He is also faithful to use them in the lives of others. In Philippians 1:12, Paul talks about difficult circumstances that have happened to him. He says that they have happened to advance the gospel. Beth Moore says that circumstances will bow down to be a servant of the gospel. This can be true in our lives if we recognize that God is with us through the fire. Others will see a peace and joy in our lives as we walk through difficulties that can be so contagious. They will want to know where it comes from, and we are able to testify to God’s presence. What a wonderful opportunity we have. There can be so much good to come out of suffering. We know that fires are coming our way if we are not already in one. Hold tightly to God’s hand as He will accomplish much through the fire.
As we close out Daniel 3, we find the last mention of these three incredible men- Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Listen to what Nebuchadnezzar says, Then Nebuchadnezzar said, "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way." As Beth Moore says, “may the last mention of our name be in the context of God’s fame.” Hallelujah! Our time on this earth is so short. May God be glorified in our lives.
Keep your eyes on Christ!
--Jennifer Jones, Discipleship Manager
Before we start talking about Daniel 3, let’s think back to the previous chapter. In Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that Daniel was able to both describe and interpret. In the dream, there was a statue that was made out of different metals- gold, silver, bronze, and iron. The statue represented different kingdoms with the ultimate reign of God’s kingdom. Because Daniel was able to describe and interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, he was made ruler over the province of Babylon, and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were made administrators.
Now, at the beginning of Daniel 3, we find Nebuchadnezzar building his own statue. His image was made entirely of gold, and it was 90 feet high and 9 feet wide. Try to imagine this- it would be like two of the Tejas climbing walls put together and made of gold. If we look back at Daniel 2, we can see where Nebuchadnezzar is getting his idea. However, he wants his image to be bigger and better than the one in his dream. He wants to make sure that his kingdom is superior. So much so, that he calls all the officials of Babylon to bow down to the statue. Nebuchadnezzar obviously struggled with some of the same things we do today. The world around us is always telling us to make a name for ourselves. It is easy for us to fall into the trap of thinking we have worth if we do something that seems important, know someone that seems to be admired, or are a part of something that seems popular. Think about how this is even prevalent in the realm of other believers. Who do you idolize? Why are you a part of a certain organization or group? Why do you go to the church you are going to? Why do you serve in a certain position? Are any of the reasons because you are trying to impress someone or you feel like someone impressive is there? We need to remember what God’s Word says. Our value is found in Christ alone. According to Colossians 2:9-10, we have been given fullness is Christ. Also, those who are really great are those who are the least and have been willing to die to themselves. Think about the example Christ set for us. We need to be lifting up the name of Christ and not our own. When we know that we are complete in Him, then this will be much easier to do.
As we move along in Daniel 3, we find that everyone bows down to Nebuchadnezzar’s image expect three people- Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men were true followers of God and they would not bow to another even when the consequences were great. Nebuchadnezzar gave these men two chances to bow down with the fiery furnace in their sight. If they did not bow, they would be thrown into the hot blaze. These three men believed that God would take care of them no matter what. They believed that they would either be taken home to be with their God, or their God would be with them through the fire. You can tell they were sure of this by the way they answered Nebuchadnezzar. They were right; God did walk with them through the fire. It is amazing to see all the details of what God did in this miracle. Take some time to note these.
I want us to think about this fire in light of circumstances we have been in ourselves that have been very difficult. You may even be walking through a challenging time right now. I want you to remember that God is with you. He can deliver you from the fire at any point that He wants, but He knows that it is best for you right now to walk through the fire as your faith will be increased. 1 Peter 1:6-7 says, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” God uses trials to change our lives, and He is also faithful to use them in the lives of others. In Philippians 1:12, Paul talks about difficult circumstances that have happened to him. He says that they have happened to advance the gospel. Beth Moore says that circumstances will bow down to be a servant of the gospel. This can be true in our lives if we recognize that God is with us through the fire. Others will see a peace and joy in our lives as we walk through difficulties that can be so contagious. They will want to know where it comes from, and we are able to testify to God’s presence. What a wonderful opportunity we have. There can be so much good to come out of suffering. We know that fires are coming our way if we are not already in one. Hold tightly to God’s hand as He will accomplish much through the fire.
As we close out Daniel 3, we find the last mention of these three incredible men- Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Listen to what Nebuchadnezzar says, Then Nebuchadnezzar said, "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way." As Beth Moore says, “may the last mention of our name be in the context of God’s fame.” Hallelujah! Our time on this earth is so short. May God be glorified in our lives.
Keep your eyes on Christ!
--Jennifer Jones, Discipleship Manager
Monday, February 2, 2009
Daniel 2
Sometimes I have a dream that leaves me in a certain kind of mood when I wake up. For example, those really sad dreams where someone real close to you dies or a best friend is taken away from you for some unknown reason. These are dreams where I cry harder than I have ever cried in real life. I usually wake up from those feeling overwhelmingly sad. It is worse though because nothing in reality actually happened, it was all in my head. I strongly dislike those feelings that I get and cannot shake. I am assuming that each of you have experienced some kind of emotion because of a dream you had. It is not always sad though, some can leave you happy but disappointed it was not real, while others can make you think and even help you learn something. Well, we know that in Daniel’s time, God often used dreams to speak to people. Nebuchadnezzar was not a follower of the one true God. Why would a dream leave him feeling urgent to discover the meaning of it? How did he even know it had importance? The interpretation of the dream could be a whole different lesson, I encourage you to study it on your own if you have the chance. For today though, I am going to talk about the happenings around the dream. I hope none of you mind but I am going to give you some of the same points that Beth Moore uses in her study on Daniel. In the first verse we can read that the dreams left his spirit troubled and his sleep left him. Most likely he woke up in a sweat and rapid, deep breathes. These are the dreams we desperately wish to forget but usually cannot. Which leads us to the next reason why the king wanted to know the interpretation; his sleep left him. He could not go back to sleep after waking up. Good ol' Nebuchadnezzar used every means he knew how to figure this out. In his desperation he threatens the lives of all the wise men of Babylon. Magicians, conjurers, sorcerers and Chaldeans were all brought before him to tell the dream and the interpretation. These wise guys even admitted that only the gods could do such a thing. Little did they know that only The God was capable of such a task. He ordered the wise men to be cut to pieces. Because of Daniel's tact, faith and fervent prayers, the wise men were saved. God revealed the dream and the meaning to Daniel, who in turn was able to tell the king. Daniel is sure to give the credit to God, so that the king may see His power. I would have never thought of this until I read it from Beth Moore: had a prophet simply just told the king what was to come, he would not have believed it and would have not seen God's power. We all know that God could have used any means to get to Nebuchadnezzar, but this was such a cool way. Since Daniel was able to tell him what the dream was and the meaning, the king really listened and was able to see a glimpse of how mighty our God is. He wanted the King to be involved in this story for him to see. After Daniel tells him these things the King even confesses that Daniel's God is a God of God's and the master revealer.
-- Kristi Smith, Summer Camp Manager
-- Kristi Smith, Summer Camp Manager
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