Daily Java: Daniel – More Than A Lion Tamer
There are times when it is difficult to do what is right, even dangerous. But no matter what the circumstance, it is always necessary to do the right thing.
Daniel was such a man, one who did the right thing no matter what the consequences were. Though four different major kings and three empires, Daniel stood at the king’s right hand. No matter what the outcome would be, he always stood for God and God always blessed him.
Daniel was brought to Babylon with the first wave of Israelite captives as one of the promising young men. He first displayed the power of God residing within him when he refused to eat the food given to him because of the fact that it was unclean by the laws of God. He promised that if his captors would allow him and his Hebrew companions to eat proper food, they would be better off than the others. And they were.
The King began to see in Daniel something that was valuable. When King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream, Daniel was the one to interpret it by the power of God. The interpretation became true and the king put Daniel in charge of many things in his kingdom.
The next king was not so good. At a party in which he and his friends were degrading the holy Israelite temple vessels by using them for dishes, a hand appeared writing on the wall. Again, Daniel was the one who could interpret it. He told the king that he would die and his kingdom would be forfeit. That night the king died.
With his next king, a king in a whole new empire, he got caught in political cross hairs by some who were jealous of his high standing. After an edict that all would worship a golden idol of the king, Daniel insisted on kneeling at his window in prayer as he had done every day of his life. Because of the disobedience, he was thrown into a lions’ den to be eaten alive.
Again, God delivered him and he was made even more important. His position at the king’s side was cemented.
Daniel knew where his power came from. And he knew his God. He knew that to turn from him, even if he would die, would do no good ultimately. He was willing to sacrifice himself and his life for the pursuit of God’s glory.
Through him the Lord answered the questions of kings and gave messages to those in power. Through him also, the Lord revealed great pictures of the end of the world and the decline and fall of several national empires. Through him, the Lord showed power beyond that of a normal person.
Daniel knew that as long as he depended on God, and as long as he was faithful, God would be with him and protect him.
Daniel lived to an old age, respected by many, feared by many. But in every circumstance and occasion, all around him knew that here was a man who was with God. And that he would remain with his God no matter what may happen.
His most famous miracle was one in which God showed his power over the physical. As he sat in that lions’ den, he knew that God would protect him. And he also knew, as three of his friends said, even if God didn’t protect him, he still would remain faithful.
There was so much more to Daniel’s life than his visit to the lions’ den. But in that encounter, we see God’s power working in him. That same power can work in us.
No comments:
Post a Comment
To comment, post your comment and click the anonymous button. It would be nice if you signed it so I could know who you are.
You are welcome to say anything you want as long as it is nice. If I don't like it, or it is ugly, I will take it off, place it into the garbage disposal, grind it up, and allow it to be flushed into the Gulf of Mexico where it will be eaten by a fish and then excreted where it will lie on the bottom of the ocean until it is covered up by other comments.