“Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly,” - Jonah 2v1
I love how God allows us to personalise Him as our God. It is clear from this little statement here that Jonah was “saved” because the Lord is called His God and he was able to call out to his God in a time of trouble.
“Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.” - Jonah 1v16
The last time I read through Jonah I got really upset with him. I remember using the word “scoundrel” to describe him. I think now that I might have been a little hasty in my judgement.
In Jonah 1v9, Jonah boldly admitted that he knew the Lord, Jehovah. After he convinced the sailors that judgement was coming on them because of his own sin he had to then convince them to throw him out of the boat.
When the sea had calmed they knew that Jonah had told them the truth. As a result they too turned to the true God and feared and worshipped Him. In essence, Jonah told the men enough about His God that they got “saved.”
In spite of his error in trying to run from God he could not deny what was real to him – he had to tell these men about the Lord.
“And he said unto them, I am a Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.” - Jonah 1v9
Jonah had plenty of problems that we would not want to emulate. Already we have seen a lack of faith and plenty of cowardice. There is more later in the book.
But here is a positive. Because Jonah was on the ship God allowed a great storm to hit. The pagan sailors tried to figure out which god they angered and how. When they came to Jonah he at least had the courage to admit that his faith was in Yahweh, Whom he acknowledged made the sea and the dry land. Even while running from God Jonah KNEW that he was to blame for he has offended a perfect holy God.
“But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.” - Jonah 1v3
How would any of us feel if God called us to a place like Mecca to preach the gospel? How about if God called us to preach at an major Al-Queda headquarters? I think many of us would choose the logical option – run away as fast as we could.
Jonah faced a similar situation. God called him to go and preach to Nineveh, the rich and powerful capital of the vast Assyrian Empire. The worshipped a fish god and the worship included human sacrifice and cruelty. Their enemies were simply tortured and killed. No wonder he ran.
“Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.” - Obadiah 1v4
I think it is obvious by now how God feels about pride. Edom were Israel’s enemy, and they had grown in pride over their accomplishments. They had built homes in the mountains around Israel and were very confident in their own power. God said however that he would bring them down because of their pride.
Pride gets lost in itself. It gets so caught up that it makes one think he is invincible. However God lets us know that pride is not forever. “I will bring you down,” said the Lord.
As we look around today it may seem that all the “wrong” people are being exalted. Yet, one day that will change. Man exalts himself and that is temporal. When God exalts us it will be eternal.
“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:” - Amos 8v11
In times of Israel’s prosperity they repeatedly refused to hear the word of God. The prophets faithfully came and proclaimed it and they refused it. As a result God told them that the day was coming when He would withdraw His word from them and speak to them no longer
Though God no longer totally withdraws His word there is a Bible principle here. At some point God does stop striving with man. When man persists in rejecting God He will stop calling. Man can still be saved on the basis of what He has heard, just like Israel could turn back to God on what the prophets had said.
I don’t know about all of this, but there does seem to be a modern application for nations as well. God seems to open the door of the gospel to certain nations at certain times and for certain period of times. As the nation grows cold and gets “used” to Him they stop listening and eventually God moves on to another land.
“Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was a herdsman, and a gatherer of sycamore fruit:” - Amos 7v14
Who does God use? Wouldn’t it “make sense” for God to use the noble statesmen and the powerbrokers of the world? Wouldn’t it “make sense” for God to use films stars and famous athletes? In our minds it would, and, on occasion He does use these kind of people.
I Corinthians 1 tells us that it is rare that He does so. God knows man’s natural proclivity to take credit for what He does. For the most part the strong, noble, able, and the mighty could well think that they did things for God in their own power.
The vast majority of us are more like Amos - nobody famous, not from a long line of well-known Christians with a proven track record. Most of us are just like him, nothing more than sheepherders and fruit-pickers.
Why does God do this? Why does He use the “least-likely” individuals to do His work? It just doesn’t make any sense; or does it?
Most of know that there is nothing we can do for Him. When He does it only He will receive the glory. Men could look at us and think that we are who we are by our own power. When God uses the weak and lowly however they see Him and are drawn to Him.
“Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken. Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.” - Amos 5v14-15
We live in a day when the lines between good and evil are blurred. Even Christians seem to have difficulty seeing what is good and what is evil and sometimes don’t understand that “never the twain shall meet. The mixing of evil and good causes a luke-warmness that we know makes God sick.
What do we as Christians do about it? What does God say? God made something clear to Israel that is just as valid today – “Hate the evil and love the good.” He uses two very strong terms so that there is no confusion. He doesn’t say “Dislike the evil and like the good.” He doesn’t say, “Use the evil if it helps you to achieved good.” He says, “Hate the evil, love the good.”
If we want to prove our love to Him we must have his perspective on evil and good. What is it so hard for us the follow His instructions. If we were to be honest we would have to admit that part of the reason is that though we may love the good, we don’t REALLY hate the evil.
“For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:” - Amos 5v4
Amos, like the other prophets, is full of God’s wrath and warnings about His coming judgement. If God did not intervene and offer them hope His destruction would come and man would deserve it.
Man has two choices – life and death. There are all kinds of methods man has tried to find life, but only one way works. God could have laid out all kinds of conditions and made it dependent on man to keep them.
Praise God that He did not lay down a list of requirements. I know I could have never kept them. Praise God it is the this simple – “Seek me and you will live!”
“The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.” - Joel 3v16
The day is going to come when God’s wrath will be poured out in full measure on the earth. Sin will have its consequences. The “heavens will roar and shake” as God “finally” pours out the fullness of His perfect justice. The world without Him is without any hope.
Yet God’s people have hope, or a shelter of protection, as the NKJV puts it. He will be our shelter, our hope in the midst of His wrath. Here the promise is for Israel, but through the finished work of Christ God has graciously offered the same hope to all who will put their faith in Him.
There is great comfort in the knowledge that we have hope, we have a shelter. If not for this the whole “end time” scenario could bring great fear. Even in death we have the hope of His perfect shelter.
“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.” - Joel 2v32
Since time immemorial man has cried out in his own way, “What must I do to be saved?” Admittedly there are some who are so messed up that they don’t even realise that they need “saved” or delivered, but for the most part man ahs always tried to get back to God.
Man has tried everything from peace offerings to human sacrifice, and from abstinence to self-mutilation in order to make God happy.
God makes it a lot simpler – “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Praise God for that marvellous news! Not one of us would have any hope if we had to depend on ourselves. Here God is specifically talking about Israel’s deliverance, but Paul applied this to salvation.
“Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things.” - Joel 2v21
How do we find encouragement in times when it seems like it is just going to be hard to do the right thing?
God gives some words of encouragement to His people.
How can we do this? We can do it with utmost confidence that God is going to do great things. The problem is that too often we don’t really believe that God is going to do great things, we have reasoned things out in our own minds that the future is too difficult and that we must find our own solution.
How do we know God is going to do great things? He has a proven track record – He already has done marvellous things in the past and He does not change.
“Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?” - Joel 2v17
There are many, many people who are never going to read a tract or pick up a Bible. As we serve the Lord we soon find out that one of the main ways that anyone is going to know anything about God is the way we show Him to them. When we call ourselves “Christian” we are saying that we are “Christ-like” showing the world an imperfect image of Him.
Most of the prophets wrote to a nation in trouble. They had wandered far from God, and by doing so gave the enemies and the other nations a reason to question God’s very existence. When they lived like the nations the nations began to think that they were not different, so would even question if God existed or if He had any power. God called them back to Himself for their own good and to show His mighty power so that others might turn to Him.
What happens today when we live like the world? What happens when there is no difference and we act like we are under their control?
“And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.” - Joel 2v13
Ritualism and outward observances of sorrow and supposed repentance have always been a part of religious practice. When someone feels guilty or is threatened with punishment they will do almost anything to achieve penance, or at least to purge their guilty conscience.
Israel was no different – they tried everything to placate a holy God. They sat in sackcloth and ashes. They tore their clothes in sorrow and a semblance of repentance. The problem was that nothing was really taking place in their hearts.
“I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.” - Hosea 14v4
Hosea is an amazing book. Over and over we read of impending judgement, bit then there are words of love and mercy. We learn a lot about the character of God in this book.
I think this is a beautiful picture, “I will heal their backslidings and love them freely.” I can almost see the image of the prodigal son’s father looking out over the fields waiting and yearning for his erring son to come home. When he sees him the fathers rushes to him and greets him with tears and open arms.
“O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.” - Hosea 14v1
Sometimes God can take things that we make so complicated and make them so simples. There are books, CDs, DVDs, and seminars all talking about why Christians struggle, stumble, and fall in their sin. They all seem be looking for a quick way out or a quick fix. We all try to figure out how we find ourselves in this situation. Just like with Adam and Eve it always seem to be somebody else’s fault. Maybe it’s our parents, or the wicked world around us, or our spouse and kids, or the miserable job we have that led us to this mess. Surely, there must be a reason why I am where I am today.
God tells us in Hosea what it is that causes us to stumble and fall. No need to make it complicated – God put it this way, “You have fallen because of your sin.”
That’s it – when we stumble or fall spiritually it is because we have sinned. It is our fault, there is no one to blame but ourselves.
“I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.” - Hosea 13v14
Many times in the Old Testament God uses teachings and prophecies with a two-fold purpose. One is immediate and the other is for future reference. Here God is promising to redeem Israel from their captivity, but there was a future application that Paul referred to in 1 Corinthians 15 when he wrote – “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
“Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually.” - Hosea 12v6
Reading Hosea 11 and the first part of chapter 12 gives us a real picture of the heart of God in relation to judgement.
“How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together.” It is obvious that God does not cherish judgement. He must judge because He His holy and perfect. In order to avert God’s judgement Israel has some simple instructions:
“And my people are bent to backsliding from me: though they called them to the most High, none at all would exalt him.” - Hosea 11v7
There is little sadder than to watch a person who is bent on his backsliding. Here it was an entire nation who decided to ignore God’s love and pleading and continue on in their sin. While all along there is an outward appearance of calling on the Lord, none would exalt Him in their lives by repenting of and forsaking their sin.
Sadly we are not exempt from the same situation today. There are those of God’s people who know they are sinning, who know that God offers restoration of fellowship, but they are bent on their backsliding. What a tragic situation to be in!
“I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms; but they knew not that I healed them. I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them. He shall not return into the land of Egypt, but the Assyrian shall be his king, because they refused to return.” - Hosea 11v3-5
I doubt there is any picture as precious as a parent teaching a child to walk, drawing them in love, and stooping down to feed them. Here in Hosea the picture is almost heart breaking. God did all of this for Israel, but the refused to stay faithful to Him.
There is a precious principle here though. We get just a glimpse of how God treats His children. As Christians we have been adopted into His family. He talks about His tender care for us in the New Testament, but this is a beautiful picture. He tenderly teaches us the walk in Him, and lovingly feeds us with His word. Lets me sure that we don’t reject it as Ephraim did.
Why is that God’s people all through history seem to turn to God, but then go right back to their sin? Why would Paul write in Romans 7 that in our flesh we battle with sins and doing the things we don’t want while we don’t do the things we should? Why is there a lifelong struggle with sin? Is there any hope.
I think there is. Paul wrote that only Christ could deliver him from the body of death. The reason for constantly losing the battle appears to be the same as it was for Israel here. Israel called out to God, but it was not from their hearts, instead it was a selfish howling.
We are not going to see God work in our hearts and see victory until we call out to Him from our hearts. When we call from our hearts it is because we are convinced that we must have His help. Anything else is just working from the flesh.
“For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” - Hosea 6v6
What does God desire from His people. There are far too many churches and far too many people who would say that God requires us to abide by a certain set of rules, to dress a certain way, and keep a list of permissible place to attend and avoid.
Israel had the same mindset – the most important thing they could do was to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings, keeping to a legalist code. Legalism may seem like a harsh word, but that is what it is when we put a “code of practice” to a place God never intended it to be. The Jews did it, and some folks today are just a guilty.
What does God desire? In this passage He says He desires mercy and knowing Him above all the rest. I recently saw a video to a song called “Does Anybody Hear Her?” The story is of a girl running in the wrong direction and the Christians who are too busy doing their “Christian thing” to notice her. “Under every steeple all the lost and lonely people are searching for the hope that’s tucked away in you and me…” aptly describes what is going on in far too many lives. We are far too busy doing “church stuff” to be aware of the needs to show God’s mercy to the needy around us.
There is nothing wrong with our “church stuff” but we are missing it if we don’t truly seek to know God and show His mercy to others. That’s what He desires – the “church stuff” will fall into place if we know God and seek to show His mercy.
“I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offense, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.” - Hosea 5v15
God will not totally forsake His people. In the case of Israel God would not cast them off, but He would remove His blessings from them as long as they remained in their sin. God is so holy that He cannot tolerate sin in any sense. In this case Israel remained God’s people, but He withdrew His blessing until they turned back to Him and repented. He allowed them to be afflicted to bring about their repentance.
Once we get saved we belong to Him, we are His children. He is not going to cast us of, but if we continue in out sin we cannot expect God to pour out His blessings. God does not cast us off either, but we may expect Him to withhold His blessings until we forsake our sin and turn to Him.
“Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.” - Hosea 4v11
Why does it seem sometimes that people who are going on in their sin a just doing stupid things. Their actions and attitudes make no sense at all. It is hard for those on the outside to figure out what they are up to and why they do what they do. Their lives just don’t seem to make any sense.
Sin has an amazing and tragic influence. From earlier in the chapter we find that often times people will set their affection on their sin instead of the Lord. The results are that they will not prosper, but even “worse” than that is that their hearts can be turned away and enslaved.
Sin is a terrible master. It thinks nothing of its victims. It is selfish, greedy, and destructive. It takes away any ability to reason logically.
It is tragedy heaped upon tragedy when Christians allow sin to be their master and to take away their ability to think. Even Christians can be so enamoured with their sin that they lose all logic. Sin want to reign over them and often they will let it.
The blessing is that they need not. Sin has NO power of them, when sin reigns and messes up their heads it is because they allow it. There needs to be a “rereckoning” in their hearts. Sin has turned them away, but for the believer it has NO POWER. “Reckon yourselves dead to sin” God tells us in Romans chapter 6.
The believers heart may indeed be focused on his sin, his sin may have messed with his head till he it totally confused, but God has an answer, it requires faith and accounting that sin does not have the power it seem to have. We have a new Master who loves is more than sin ever will. Sin is selfish, our new Master in Christ is selfless.
“They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity.” - Hosea 4v8
How awful sin really is. One of the major problems that Israel really had is that not only did they continue in their sin, not only did they love their, not only would they not forsake their sin, but they had set their hearts and their affection on their sin. Their sin had taken God’s place in their focus. Their affections were totally off base.
Sadly, Israel had no monopoly on this mindset. Colossians tells us that we have to set our affection on things above, we can’t set our affection on things here on earth. Our flesh cries out for attention. Sometimes we can love our sin so much that we can set our hearts on that instead of on Him and His way.
Oh the tragedy of setting our hearts on our sin. May we, by God’s strength, set our affection on things above instead.
“And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.” - Hosea 2v15
Hosea is one of those amazing stories found in what we often call the “Minor Prophets.” The prophet Hosea was called to marry a prostitute as a picture of Israel’s unfaithfulness. Israel, by her spiritual unfaithfulness, had acted just like a prostitute toward God. Hosea and his wife Gomer were a clear picture of this relationship.
For most of two chapters God expressed His displeasure are Israel’s sin. Yet, God still showed His mercy – “I will give her the valley of Achor as a door of hope.” God always provides a door of hope, even in the times of trouble. For Israel it was a valley, for us it is a Saviour.
“Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Greece shall come. But I will show thee that which is noted in the Scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.” - Daniel 10v20-21
There are some things we don’t really like to talk about. A few years ago Frank Peretti wrote a series of books about spiritual warfare. We read about angels and demons fighting to and fro. The people on earth never knew what was really going on, but their lives were vitally affected by the spiritual battles going on around them.
The books are fiction, of course, but they do picture a Biblical truth that can seem a bit mystical and even scary. From what we glean in these verses there are demons assigned to certain geographical areas. The angel sent to Daniel had to leave to fight with the demon assigned to Persia and the demon of Greece was also mentioned.
What is the point here? The point is that there is a spiritual warfare going on around us. It may not be exactly like Peretti described, but it is real and it is happening. Yes, greater is He that is in us than, but we still must avail ourselves of His power. We must be sober and vigilant, because our Adversary is walking about seeking whom he may devour. We must ever on guard, ever vigilant, ever ready, and ever armoured for the fight.
“And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.” – Daniel 10v19
When we look at this passage of Scripture we see what a daunting task we have before us in our spiritual work. Daniel had been praying for help. When help got there the angle told him that he had been delayed for three weeks by Satanic forces and that he did not succeed until Michael cam to help him.
The angel told Daniel that there was a real battle to come, but that God would one day be victorious. When Daniel saw the scope of the battle he was afraid. Well should he have been – and we face the same battle today. It is an immense fight that we fight, and we need to be aware of the immensity of it.
“Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.” - Daniel 10v12
“Daniel was a man of prayer, daily prayed he three time…” Thus starts a lovely children’s song about Daniel in the lion’s den. It does point out an important truth about Daniel and his prayer life.
Daniel was a man who saw his prayers answered. I think this passage partly tells us why. When he prayed he
Set his heart to understand God
Chastened, or humbled himself before God
When he did this, God heard his prayer and sent the answer.
What does this mean about prayer? It means that Daniel did not try to get things done his way, he set his mind to understand God’s way instead of his and then he humbled himself to receive God’s will. True prayer does not try to mould God to our pattern, it humbly desires Him to mould us to his pattern.
“O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.” - Daniel 9v19
As part of Daniel’s prayer of intercession for the people he came to the point when he admitted that they were totally dependent on God to deal with their sin. He had confessed their sin and called on them to repent. He knew that there was nothing more that they could “do” to deal with their sin and that only God could deal with it now.
He knew that they were dependent on God to forgive their sins. They were totally reliant on Him. There is nothing man can do about sin, other than to forsake it. God must forgive it.
“Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.” - Daniel 9v14
How do we know what to do when it seems like God is really “messing things up?” Lets be honest, do we ever get “cheesed off” at God for not doing things the way we think He should?
Overcoming this requires a measure of faith to know that whatever He is doing is right. There are times when this requires what I once heard referred to as “raw faith” -the ability to dig down deep and simply trust God.
How do we do that? First of all we must have absolute, 100% faith in the word of God. If God says it in His word we must choose to accept it. Actually, this is vital in every aspect of our Christian life.
Here though, in order accept how God works we must accept the truth of “the Lord our God is righteous in all his works which He doeth.” Only when we can learn the truth of this can we accept the things that don’t “seem right” to us.
“As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.” - Daniel 9v13
Israel was in captivity. They had chosen to disobey the law of God, which He gave them for their own good, and as a result they were suffering the consequences of their sin. All that happened to them was not necessarily the result of God’s judgement, but was the natural result of their choices. Instead of trusting God, they tried to treat with the Chaldeans and were betrayed by them. If they had trusted God He would have kept them. They suffered the results of their choices. In Daniel’s prayer he acknowledged that God was full of grace and mercy, but they would not turn to Him. If they repented and turned to God He promised that He would restore them.
“O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.” - Daniel 9v8
Whatever happened to embarrassment? It seems like we live in a day when even God’s people are ashamed to be ashamed. After Daniel’s vision he interceded for God’s people, but he did not do so on any basis on what the people deserved. He fasted and prayed, seeking help for God’s people.
He admitted something that some folks today would be embarrassed to do. He said that God is righteous, but the people have “confusion of face.” This word “confusion” refers to confusion which is caused by being ashamed, or embarrassed, In essence Daniel said – “You are righteous, but we are embarrassed by our sin.”
“Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.” - Daniel 6v23
Over and over again Daniel’s faith was honoured and blessed. After Daniel survived the night in the lion’s den the king was overjoyed, just as he had said, Daniel’s God had carried him through and kept him safe.
Daniel’s faith was honoured with deliverance. The reason was clear – in this situation God knew that He would be best glorified by delivering Daniel. The king would see His power and it would be clear to the whole nation that Daniel served the one and only true God. Because Daniel believed he was delivered.
We need to remember though that God does not always act that way. There are times in the Bible when God is honoured by the death of His saints.
“Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spoke and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.” - Daniel 6v16
For nearly sixty years Daniel had faithfully serve in the king’s court in Babylon while remaining faithful to his God. The first bit of news for us is that it is possible to serve the Lord while being involved with the affairs of the world. His walk with God was right and pure, yet he was still able to serve in a public position. What an example for us today.
What kind of impact did his faith have on those around him? After Darius was tricked into signing a law which forbad worship of anyone but himself he realised that Daniel was to be the first prosecution under the new law. He was distraught and tried all day to figure out a way to salvage the situation. At the end of the day he knew the law had to be carried out.
But Daniel’s testimony bore fruit – “Thy God, whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.” After watching Daniel consistently, faithfully serving God Darius knew that God would help him. Everyone, including the king, knew where Daniel stood and knew that he served the God who had the power to deliver him, even from the mouths of the lions.
“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did formerly.” - Daniel 6v10
This is a very special portion of scripture to me. A few years ago I received a letter, or a writing, as Daniel did, and I did not respond the way Daniel did. The next morning I read this passage of scripture and my heart was challenged.
Daniel was a true man of God. When no one could find fault with him a group of the other leaders decided that the only way to get to him was to make a law regarding God. The law forbad anyone from praying to anyone but the king, They watched Daniel to see how he would respond. Daniel did not get his back, he did not protest, he simply did what he always did before – he prayed. He just went about his own business, knowing that the death penalty could await.
“Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.” - Daniel 5v17
Twenty years had passed since Nebuchadnezzar had accepted the true God. His son (or grandson) was on the throne and he decided to throw a huge party. During the feast they used some of the sanctified vessels from the Temple and the party declined into debauchery and the worship of pagan gods.
Suddenly a hand appeared and starting writing on the wall. Belshazzar and the others were petrified and they didn’t know what the message meant. The wise men were called in and they couldn’t figure it out either. Finally someone remembered Daniel and he was called before the king.
Of course Daniel knew the meaning, but before we get to that I want to notice something special about Daniel’s character. Belshazzar offered Daniel all kids of wealth and riches to tell him the meaning, but Daniel was not interested. He did not think it wise to accept money to give God’s message to the king. He did not want any question that he was being bought. “Keep your money, give it to someone else, I will tell you the meaning.”
I am impressed that Daniel refused all of the wealth he was offered. He knew that God would take care of him if he was faithful. The king had no real power over him and he wanted everyone to know it.
“And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honored him that liveth forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honor and brightness returned unto me; and my counselors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me. Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.” - Daniel 4v34-37
Daniel chapter four is the amazing testimony of a king who learned to trust the Lord. Nebuchadnezzar had already had dealings with the Lord and had seen His and at work with Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. In this section he tells what it took to make his head knowledge of God into heart knowledge.
The king had a dream that only David of course could interpret. The dream was a warning from God that his mighty kingdom would come to an end because of His pride. At first it appeared that Nebuchadnezzar was a bit rattled by the news, but a year later he is still wandering though his magnificent gardens admiring all the he had done. He was more full of pride and self-assurance than he ever had been. God humbled him by fulfilling his nightmare and sending to live among the animals.
Finally the king had had enough. It was clear at last that he was not as important as he thought he was. He acknowledged the realty of a God who ruled in the kingdom of men. After all of his talk and thoughts of God in his head, he now knew God in his heart.
What kept from knowing God all along? It was his sinful pride, but praise God that those who walk in pride He is able to bring down. Praise God when He deals with our pride so that we can walk in fellowship with Him!
“And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counselors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was a hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.” - Daniel 3v27
Nebuchadnezzar surely thought that he had dealt with these three recalcitrant Hebrews. The furnace was heated so hot that those who threw the men into it died from the heat.
While they watched a fourth person appeared in the flames. To Nebuchadnezzar this one appeared to be as a “son of the gods.” It was clearly a supernatural personage. There are two possibilities, it was either and angel, or it was an appearance of Christ in the flesh. Whichever, it was evidence that God was somehow with them through the fiery trial.
God’s presence was so real that the flames had no power over the men. Their hair was not singed and they did not even smell of smoke. When God was with them they really had nothing to fear. The enemy, in this case the flames, had NO power!
During our own fiery trial God may indeed use the flames to burn off the dross. The “dross burning” may not always be comfortable, but we can be assured that the flames really have no power over us. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego we can take comfort that when the Lord is with us the flames have no power over us!
The hymn writer put it this way:
“When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
May God give us the heart of these men, a heart that will not bow, no matter what happens in our lives.
“The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.” - Daniel 2v47
Nebuchadnezzar is an interesting character. Here he reacted emotionally to seeing an interpretation to his prayer. He was so excited that he said that Daniel’s God was the true God, he elevated Daniel to a position of authority, and then promoted the Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Surely, Nebuchadnezzar got saved because of Daniel’s testimony?
Sadly, this was not the case. In the next chapter Nebuchadnezzar will set up a monument to himself and demand worship. Not a saved man. What happened then?
Like far too many people Nebuchadnezzar made a statement and a decision based on his emotions. We need to be careful that we do not base our view of salvation of people based on their emotional responses. Emotions can cause huge responses – lets be sure that we see the reality of “If any man be in Christ he is a new creature.”
“That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.” - Daniel 2v18
By this time Daniel and his companions had honoured God, passed the test, and were now well established in the palace, without compromising their faith. One night king Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that troubled him. He called the wise men and no one could interpret so he ordered all the execution of all of the wise men in the kingdom, including Daniel and the others.
Rather than panic Daniel did the right thing – he went straight to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah and asked them to “desire mercies of the God of heaven” concerning he dream so that he would be able to interpret it.
What did Daniel do? He had a need so he went to his companions and he asked them to pray for him. What a wonderful example he set for us! What is the best thing for us to do when we have a need or face a challenge? We do like Daniel did and ask our brothers and sisters in Christ to pray for us. Our service for God is not an isolated effort. We have a “team” behind us to support us, lets be sure that we share our needs with them.
“But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” - Daniel 1v8
It is nearly impossible to pass by this one little section of Daniel without pausing for a moment. Daniel was a young man who was displaced from his homeland in a type of “ethnic resettlement.” He and his people were carried from their homes in Judah to the heartland of the massive Chaldean Empire. He, along with a few other young men were called into the king’s palace to teach him and his subjects the language, customs, and manners of the Israelites. This small group of men had the perfect job! They lived in the palace, slept in nice beds, and ate the king’s food. What more could one ask for?
Daniel saw in advance that there would be a problem. There would be a draw and a desire to conform to the ways of the king’s palace. Babylon’s desire was assimilate captive nations into their society. The goal was to make a few allowances and eventually do away with all memory of the original culture. Most of the time it worked for Babylon.
The king had not reckoned on a man like Daniel. He was a man who knew the importance of the purity of God’s people and that mixing with Babylon would defile God’s people. Therefore he decided to take a stand – “Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself…” Before he ever encountered the problem he had decided what he would do – there really was not a question and nothing was open to debate.
THE LORD IS THERE!
“It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The Lord is there.” - Ezekiel 48v35
YHWH Shammah – “The Lord is there!” The last verse of Ezekiel is a marvellous picture of the summation of the history of Israel and indeed the world itself, for at the end of the day all of history is tied to Israel. Jerusalem will have a brand new name to go with her new place in the world. All of God’s promises will then be fulfilled as He brings it all together.
The wonderful thing is that He has allowed the Gentiles to share in history. Through the marvellous gift of His Son He has broken down the wall of partition so that we can share in Israel’s glory!
What does that mean to us? We will share in the day when Jerusalem is called YHWH Shammah! Yes, the Lord is here today, there is no doubt about that. But in that day the Lord will be there is a very tangible and visible way. In His presence there is no sin so that terrible burden will be done away with.
What a day that will be when all of this around us will be done away and we will know is a new way that the Lord is there!
