Dare to be a Daniel (Dan. 6:1-4)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/3/2013 8:37 AM

My Worship Time                                                                     Focus:  Honesty versus Corruption

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Daniel 6:1-4

            Message of the verses:  I think that it is important to see who we are reading about in this chapter as the first verses in most of the chapters in the book of Daniel tell us who is ruling at that time, and so we can go back into history to see what the year is that the chapter is speaking about.  To better understand this in the sixth chapter of Daniel I will quote the first paragraph from Warren Wiersbe’s commentary on Daniel, in particular the sixth chapter, and also quote from the endnote too.

            “Darius the Mede must not be confused with Darius I who ruled Persia from 522 to 486 and during whose reign the temple was restored by the Jewish remnant at Jerusalem.  Darius the Mede was probably the name (or title) of the man King Cyrus appointed ruler of the city of Babylon (9:1) until he himself took charge ; or it may have been the title Cyrus himself took when he came to reign. (1) King Cyrus ruled the Persian Empire from 539 to 530 and was succeeded by Cambyses (530-522).”

(1)  “Daniel 6:28 can be translated, ‘Even in the reign of Cyrus, the Persian.’  This would make Darius and Cyrus the same person.  However, most translators and Old Testament Scholars avoid this approach and see Darius and Cyrus as two different persons.”

As we read this chapter of Daniel we will be able to see that “wherever you find dedicated believers living and working with unbelievers, you will often see the same forces at work that are described in this chapter, whether in families, churches, corporations, or governments.”  Keeping this statement in mind we will begin to look at the first of these forces at work in Daniel chapter six.

Honesty verses Corruption (Daniel 6:1-4):  “1 It seemed good to Darius to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, that they would be in charge of the whole kingdom, 2  and over them three commissioners (of whom Daniel was one), that these satraps might be accountable to them, and that the king might not suffer loss. 3 Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself among the commissioners and satraps because he possessed an extraordinary spirit, and the king planned to appoint him over the entire kingdom. 4 Then the commissioners and satraps began trying to find a ground of accusation against Daniel in regard to government affairs; but they could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him.”

When Darius took over the Babylonian Empire he saw that he needed to make some changes, for since the Babylonian Empire was ended and the Medes and the Persians were taking over as we saw in the last chapter of Daniel, Darius would indeed want to make these changes because of the corruption that was found in the Babylonian Empire.  I guess we could compare this situation to when a company buys another company in modern times and then decides who they want to keep and who they want to get rid of.  Darius made a wise decision in making Daniel one of the three commissioners who would be over the 120 satraps and after a while Darius was about to make Daniel head over all his empire, but something was brewing in the empire, something that we can pretty much see as we read about it as the work of the evil one trying to persecute Daniel.  We do not read of any sins that Daniel ever committed in the Old Testament, and this does not mean that he did not sin, but it does mean that Daniel was one of the most forthright people we see in the Old Testament.  Daniel may have been in semiretirement for he was in his eighties, but God was not done with this OT giant yet and so he would do some more work as we will see.

Darius was a wise leader in that he realized that he could not take care of everything by himself and that is why he was looking for a few good men to care for the things that needed to be cared for in his government, and to have them cared for in an ethical way.  We read in verse three these words that describe Daniel “he possessed an extraordinary spirit,” and this is the kind of man Darius was looking for.  Now when the other leaders found out about Daniel’s wonderful work effort they knew that they would not be able to work in the corrupted way that they were working and so they decided to “vet” him as we put it in modern day language, but when they were done they found nothing wrong with him and so like modern day liberals in our time they would go a step further to find something wrong with him.  In our day the news media would just make up something wrong and all of the people who listen to them would believe it.

These men had their reasons for being against Daniel, for money was surely part of it, but they probably did not realize that Satan was using them to help him get rid of Daniel for Satan knew that Daniel was doing a great work for the Lord in the position he was in. When these men would go to the Darius with their evidence against later on in the chapter they would use words that show their disgust for Daniel by using anti-Semitic terms to talk to the king about him.  Satan is behind anti-Semitism, but when we go back to the promise that God made to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 we read that “I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse.”  God has been faithful to this promise, and one of the things that bring fear to my heart is the way that we as a nation are shifting our support to the nation of Israel, for this is one of the last steps that a nation can come to before God will bring a great judgment upon them.  Look back in history to see all of the leaders of nations who tried to get rid of the Jews and you will find that the Jews always stood at their graves, as God continues to make good His covenant He made with Abraham. 

Now we can’t take for granted that the good man always gets the best job, or the good man always gets the promotion for perhaps God is trying bring about spiritual growth in the person and this is how He chooses to do it.  However with this said believers should continue to live and act in ways that will bring glory to the Lord in their workplace, their churches and their homes just as Daniel did.

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  There is a song that I have heard entitled “Dare to be a Daniel,” and that is what I want to do. 

1. Standing by a purpose true,
   Heeding God’s command,
   Honor them, the faithful few!
   All hail to Daniel’s band!
• Refrain:
  Dare to be a Daniel,
  Dare to stand alone!
  Dare to have a purpose firm!
  Dare to make it known.
2. Many mighty men are lost,
   Daring not to stand,
   Who for God had been a host
   By joining Daniel’s band.
3. Many giants, great and tall,
   Stalking through the land,
   Headlong to the earth would fall,
   If met by Daniel’s band.
4. Hold the Gospel banner high!
   On to vict’ry grand!
   Satan and his hosts defy,
   And shout for Daniel’s band.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord to led and guide me, and trust the Lord to continue to teach me contentment.

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 46:1-8

      1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; 3 though the waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.  Selah.  4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy dwelling palace of the most high.  5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved, God will help her when morning dawns.

      6 The nations make and uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted.  7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.  Selah.  8 Come behold the works of the Lord, who has wrought desolation in the earth.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “Long life” (1Kings 3:14).

Today’s Bible Question:  “Who must be blameless, sober, hospitable, apt to teach?”

Answer in tomorrow’s SD.

8/3/2013 9:47 AM

Is America Going the Way of Babylon? (Dan. chapter 5)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/23/2013 9:30 AM

            Today’s Spiritual Diary will be different than the regular SD that I do each day as I wrote in yesterday’s SD that I want to take some excerpts from the sermon that John MacArthur preached on the fifth chapter of Daniel.  At the end of this message that he did in 1980 he compared some of the sins that were committed in the latter days of the Babylonian Empire with the sins that are being committed at that time in our country, and there are some that we can add to this list in the year 2013. 

Excerpts from “Divine Graffiti: The End of an Empire”

            “First of all verses 1-4.  ‘I see the sin of drunkenness.’  Do you see it there? When he was drunk it all really began to happen.  Cyrus had had it all.  All except Babylon.  And Babylon looked to be unassailable.  And so in a drunken stupor of debauchery, they though themselves impregnable.

            “By the way, you might like to know that in the same place, in the same city of Babylon, in the very same palace, 200 years later, Alexander the Great, undefeated by all the armies of the world, died in his own vomit in a drunken stupor. It wasn’t just Belshazzar.  Alcohol had destroyed many rulers.  It’s destroying some in our own country.

            “Drunkenness:  We have millions of drunks in this country.  Our leaders are drunken, as well as our people.  In the United States, there’s a death from auto accidents due to alcohol every 11 minutes and an injury every 18 seconds.  We are a drunken nation.

            “Secondly, pleasure madness.  They were having a party while the end of the world was a few hours away.  They didn’t understand how serious it was.  Pleasure mad, crazy about entertainment wives, and concubines, and sex, and dancing, and drinking, and feeding themselves.

            “And here we are in the same kind of condition; Sports, and movies, and TV, and shows, and sex, and restaurants, and on, and on.  And we spend billions and billions on these things. 

            “Thirdly, immorality:  The worship of the Canaanite gods involved sexual perversion and sexual stimulation that I would not speak of.  Archaeologists have discovered artifacts in the digs around Babylon that have engraved on them pornographic pictures from this era.  They had their pornography.

            “But I don’t think it could be any worse than what we have in America.

            “Fourthly, this society was destroyed because of its idolatry. They were worshipping all their manmade gods and blatantly rejecting the true God. There were thousands of deities that cluttered their culture.  And we have the same thing.  We have zillions of false Christs, false messiahs, religious phonies, cults and occults, gods of sex, and money, and things and pleasure, and education.  And we have literally crowded God out of our whole country, except for vestiges here and there of those who really know Him.  7/23/2013 11:30 PM

“Fifthly, Blasphemy:  This nation was destroyed because of blasphemy.  It wasn’t enough to reject a blasphemed God, they mocked God.  You can’t believe how fearful a thing that is.  I couldn’t conceive of doing that.  And yet we produce movies like Brian, which is a spoof Jesus Christ that makes him into some kind of a clown and superstar.  Monty Python’s Jesus is a sick joke.  Is a sick joke mocking God.  We mock God with our empty prayers before congressional meetings and football games. (In 2013 we will get into trouble by praying at a football game.)  We mock God with religious charlatans who use His holy name to get rich and fill the needs of their empty egos.

Sixthly, I believe America is characterized like Babylon was of willful rejection.  No nation that I know of in history of the church has had any greater opportunity to hear the gospel than this nation.  Isn’t that true?  It was founded for Christian freedom.  We have heard it but we don’t care about it.  We’re not interested.  It is a willful rejection.  And over in verses 18-22, Daniel said to Belshazzar, ‘You know all the facts about how God revealed Himself to Nebuchadnezzar.  You know the whole story.  And you willingly sin against light.’  ‘To him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not to him it is sin.’  We got churches all over this country on every block and all the way down the streets of this country.  In every little town, there are churches and they are empty, and they are liberal.  And schools are pumping out people denying the Word of God supposed to pastor those churches.  We are turning our backs, willfully rejecting the very thing we know to be true.  No nation ever had greater opportunity than America.  And I’m fast believing that no nation every turned its back on it, either, as severly as we have.  We don’t learn anything from history.  How foolish.

“Seventh, another problem that I see in this particular thing is unrelieved guilt.  This country, this Babylonian society was basically ridden with guilt.  Because sin brings guilt.  And know what?  The king saw the writing on the wall and his countenance was changed.  His thoughts were. ‘And the joints of his lions were loosed,’ and verse 6, ‘And his knees smashed together.’  Why?  Now if you and I were here and all of a sudden we saw some writing on the wall, we might say, hey, the Lord is giving a message.  But that would only be because we know the Lord and we have a secure heart.  But if we were a bunch of ungodly people in the midst of an orgy and supernatural fingers started to write a message, we’d react a little differently.  The reason they reacted the way they did was because their guilt convicted them, you see? 

“We interpret everything that happens to us according to our consciences.  And conscience makes a coward of us all.  The enemy on the inside condemned them like Adam and Eve.

“Our nation is so guilt ridden it’s unbelievable.  We’re literally ridden with guilt.  Never have there been so many psychiatrists, psychologist, counselors, mental illness, alcohol, drugs, misery, sorrow, suicide. It’s all over the place, because we are totally unrelieved in our guilt.

“Eight, America’s characterized by greed and impure motives, and that’s what was part of the destruction of Babylon.  In verse 7, he says, ‘I’ll give you gold, and I’ll give you scarlet, and I’ll make you the third ruler in the kingdom,’ and in verse 17, he says it to Daniel.  Verse 16 ‘I’ll give you all this stuff,’ and Daniel says, ‘I could care less.’

“Number nine: Materialism. Power was equated with your clothes and your gold, the decadence of living for prestige and riches.  I don’t think there’s even been a country in the history of the world to know the wealth of America for such a long period of time spread over so many people.  There are wealthier people in the Arab states, but the mass of people don’t really experience that.  We are wealthy and we are decadent.

“Number ten:  Another thing that struck me about this was their confidence in human security, their confidence in human security.  Did you notice that they were having this feast because they thought their city was impregnable?  What could happen to them?”

MacArthur goes on to speak of how we have a similar mind set in our country because of our military strength, but after 911 we should realize that we are venerable. 

“Another thing that hit me in this passage that is indicative of a dying society is corrupt leadership.  (If you listen to the news today you will hear of things like the IRS scandal, the cover-up in Libya, and other scandals that have actually fallen on deaf ears.”  What were all these princes doing getting just as drunk as the king?  Corrupt leadership, and all the soothsayers, and the Chaldeans, and the magicians had absolutely no help.  They couldn’t give them an answer.  The whole bunch of them were as drunk, and immoral, and as inept, as everybody else.

“Can I throw in another thing?  I read one author this week who said on of the problems with Belshazzar was that he wasn’t as good as his father.  He wasn’t as good as his adoptive father, Nabonidus, and he wasn’t as good as his father or grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar.  I told you in our last study (chapter 4 of Daniel), that I think Nebuchadnezzar became a believer.  Remember that?  But there’s a big gap from Nebuchadnezzar to Belshazzar.  And it illustrated to me the decline of the family.  I see that in America, too.  Where is the Godly seed?  Where is the righteous generation?

“A last one:  And this is the sum of it.  What made Babylon fall? Pride.  Verse 22, ‘You didn’t humble your heart.  You didn’t humble your heart.’  Pride.  Listen to this:  ‘At the feast of Belshazzar and 1,000 of his lords, whild they drank from golden vessels as they book of truth records, in the night, as they reveled in the royar palace hall, they were seized with consternation at the hand  upon the wall.  See the brave captive Daniel as he stood before the throng and rebuked the haughty monarch for his mighty deeds of wrong.  As he read out the writing, it was the doom of one and all, for the kingdom was finished said the hand upon the wall.  Se the faith, and zeal, and courage that would dare to do the right which the spirit gave to Daniel this the secret of his might.  In his home in Judea, a captive in its hall, he still understood the writing of his God upon the wall.’  See our deeds are recorded, there’s a hand that’s writing now.  Sinner, give your heart to Jesus, to His royal mandate vow.  For the day is approaching, it must come to one and all when a sinner’s condemnation will be written on the wall.  The message that I have for you tonight is this:  Sin brings destruction.  We started with Ezekiel 18:10, and we finished with it:  ‘The soul that sinneth, it shall die.’  Be it a man, woman, be it a nation.  Doom is inevitable in the world as it gets worse and worse.  The Bible promises that those who put their faith in Jesus Christ shall escape the wrath to come, shall be delivered from the hour of tribulation.  Shall be saved from judgment and taken to heaven.”

One of the reason for this blog it to get the message of salvation through Jesus Christ out to those who read the posts on it, and I also pray that believers who read this will grow in grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord, and the last reason I write what I write is to spark holy revival in the hearts of believer who read this so that they too can tell others of the Good News of the Gospel.

7/23/2013 12:30 PM   

Darius-Judgment Delivered (Dan. 5:30-31)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/22/2013 8:06 AM

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Darius-Judgment Delivered

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Daniel 5:30-31

            Message of the verses:  “30 That same night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain. 31 So Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two.”

            First we will look at Proverbs 29:1 “He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, Will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.”  Looks like this verse surely applies to Belshazzar.

            Even though we will finish the fifth chapter of Daniel in this SD I want to add one more SD on this chapter from a message I listened to from John MacArthur, as he goes through some of the sins that the nation of Babylon committed against the Lord and compares them with some of the sins that are happening to the United States.  The message was given in 1980 so I am sure that we have added many more sins since that time.

            Let us clear up who this Darius was for there is some confusion about his identity.  Dr Wiersbe writes “Many students believe that Darius was Gubaru, an important officer in the army whom Cyrus made ruler of the providence of Babylon.  Darius the Mede must not be confused with Darius I who ruled from 522 to 486 and encouraged the Jewish remnant in the restoration of the temple (Ezra 1:5-6).”  Now from an endnote:  “Some scholars think that ‘Darius’ was the title of the Persian ruler just as ‘Pharaoh’ was the title of the Egyptian ruler.  This would mean that ‘Darius the Mede’ could have been Cyrus himself.”  In the 44^th and 45^th chapters of Isaiah we see that Cyrus was called by God before he was even born to take His people out of Babylon and return them to Israel.  It is not believed that he was a believer in God, but was doing the will of God in returning the children of Israel back to Israel.

            How did Babylon fall in one night?  We have stated that the walls of Babylon were 87 feet thick and were some three hundred feet tall, and that the city was very large, large enough to grow crops in it to sustain the people who lived in it.  The Euphrates River flowed through the city, and it was the river that actually did them in for the Medes and the Persians dammed up the river diverting it away from Babylon so that their soldiers could go under the wall to enter the city.  Remember that there was a great party going on so the security of the city was not as great as it should have been, but they were sure that they were safe inside the walls of the city.  I heard a sermon on this chapter shortly after I became a believer and the man who gave the sermon said that a few days before their attack that they sent some of their men into the city who had their ears cut off, which was a sign of disgrace.  These men would scout out the city to see where its weak points were and when the rest of the army came into the city they would know where to go.  That is what happened and the mighty city of Babylon fell in one night.  Dr. Wiersbe points out that one of the reasons that God destroyed this empire is because they destroyed the temple in Jerusalem.  We must remember that though Babylon was destroyed that the two systems of Babylon are still around to this day, that is the political Babylon and also the religious Babylon which God will destroy for good as seen in the 17^th and 18^th chapters of Revelations.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Prideful behavior is seen in this section and is something that God hates.  Pride was the first sin that entered the universe that God created.  Both Satan and also Adam and Eve’s sins were pride.  Pride is saying that God is not needed, for I can do it on my own.  This surely is not true and very a dangerous trait to have, and should be confessed right away.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Proverbs 3:5-6.

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 46:1-7

            1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; 3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.  Selah.  4 There is a river whose streams make glade the city of God, the holy dwelling place of the most high.  5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved, God will help her when morning dawns.

            6 The nations make and uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted.  7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.

Answer to yesterday’s SD:  “Martha” (Luke 10:40).

Today’s Bible Question:  “What was the name of the ten cities east of the Jordan River called?”

Answer in tomorrow’s SD.

7/22/2013 8:43 AM

PT-2 Daniel-Judgment Described (Dan. 5:25-29)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/21/2013 8:48 AM

My Worship Time                                                          Focus: PT-2 Daniel-Judgment Described

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Daniel 5:25-29

            Message of the verses:  Perhaps a bit of review is needed at this point in our study of Daniel chapter five.  We have been looking at different characters, we got through this chapter, and we are now looking at Daniel for the second day.  We have already looked at Belshazzar, The Lord, and the Queen mother. We did not copy and paste verses 18-24 in yesterday’s SD, but we did comment on what these verses were saying.

            The Lord’s warning (Daniel 5:25-29):  “25 “Now this is the inscription that was written out: ’MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.’ 26“This is the interpretation of the message: ’MENE’-God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it. 27 “’TEKEL’-you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient. 28 “’PERES’-your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians." 29 Then Belshazzar gave orders, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a necklace of gold around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that he now had authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.”

            I believe that there are times when the Lord blinds the eyes of people to see what is actually very easy to see.  The words were written in Aramaic and anyone who could read it would know what the words meant, but as far as what God said in these words the men of Babylon could not understand what they meant.  Daniel was given this gift to be able to understand these types of things as we saw in the very first chapter of Daniel and so he will explain what God wanted the king to understand from these words that were written by Him. 

            Dr. Wiersbe writes that the word “mina’ meant ‘numbered,’ and the repetition of the word indicated that God had determined and established the end of the kingdom and it would happen shortly.  (See Genesis 41:32:  “"Now as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice, it means that the matter is determined by God, and God will quickly bring it about.”)

            “Tekel indicated that the king himself had been weighed by God and found wanting; so the king’s days were numbered.  Who would bring an end to the kingdom and the king of Babylon?  The answer was in the third word ‘divided’ and ‘Persia.’  Babylon would be divided between the Medes and Persians whose armies were at the gates of the city that very night.”

            We saw in chapter four that God gave Nebuchadnezzar a year to repent, but he did not repent and so God humbled him for seven years, but in the case of Belshazzar God judged him that very night. 

            Belshazzar gave the gifts to Daniel even though he did not want them, for Daniel knew what was about to happen and being third ruler in a kingdom that would end in a few hours would not be something that Daniel would want.  As we have mentioned before that the book of Daniel is not written in chronological order and the events that happened in chapters seven and eight have already happened and we will see from them when we get there that God had given Daniel a vision as to who would follow the Babylonian kingdom.  In chapter six, which we will look at next month (Lord willing), we will see Daniel as he ministers in the kingdom of the Medes and the Persians. 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  There comes a point when God brings about judgment to people and to nations, a time when time is up.  I pray for the mercy of God to be upon our country for our country has sinned greatly and surely deserves judgment from the Lord.  Billy Graham said back in the 1980’s that if God did not soon judge the United States that He would have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.”  In the message from this fifth chapter of Daniel that I listened to from John MacArthur he pretty much said the same thing and he recorded that message in 1980.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Proverbs 3:5-6.

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 46:1-7

            1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; 3 Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah. 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.

    6 The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted. 7 The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.  

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “Jesus, thou Son of David” (Luke 18:38-39).

Today’s Bible Question:  “Who said ‘Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone’?”

Answer in tomorrow’s SD.

7/21/2013 9:19 AM

Daniel-Judgment Described (Dan. 5:13-17)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/20/2013 12:59 PM

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Daniel-Judgment Described

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Daniel 5:13-17

            Message of the verses:  I remember when one of my favorite Pastors retired from the church I was attending, and he got a card, actually he got a few of the same kind of retirement cards which said that Pastors do not retire, but go out to pastor.  Daniel may have been retired from active service for the kingdom of Babylon, but not for the kingdom of God as he was between 80-84 when he was summoned by the king.

            The king’s offer (Daniel 5:13-17):  “13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke and said to Daniel, "Are you that Daniel who is one of the exiles from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? 14  "Now I have heard about you that a spirit of the gods is in you, and that illumination, insight and extraordinary wisdom have been found in you. 15  "Just now the wise men and the conjurers were brought in before me that they might read this inscription and make its interpretation known to me, but they could not declare the interpretation of the message. 16 “But I personally have heard about you, that you are able to give interpretations and solve difficult problems. Now if you are able to read the inscription and make its interpretation known to me, you will be clothed with purple and wear a necklace of gold around your neck, and you will have authority as the third ruler in the kingdom." 17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, "Keep your gifts for yourself or give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the inscription to the king and make the interpretation known to him.’”

            Here is how this familiar scenario went for Daniel:  “A revelation from God, a fearful and frustrated ruler, incompetent counselors, and God’s servant to the rescue.”  Paul writes to Timothy that one of the qualifications of a servant of God is that they are not to be “greedy for money.”  Daniel was not greedy for money, nor was Moses or Paul or Samuel, these servants of God were not for sale.  Think of Elisha after he told the officer from Syria how God would heal him, for he turned down the officers money.

            Daniel was respectful to the king, but still told him he did not want the money or the position.  Daniel probably did not respect the king, but must respect the office for it was God who put the king there to do His bidding, and fulfill His plan.  I know how Daniel felt. 

            Belshazzar was a prideful man who did not take the time to get to know one of the greatest men who ever lived.  He was an idol worshiper who also was blaspheming God by using the articles taken from the temple to drink wine out of at his party.  Belshazzar knew what had happened to Nebuchadnezzar, how he had to be turned almost into an animal before he would swallow his pride, and yet he would not speak to Daniel about all of this.  If we don’t know history we are likely to repeat it, and repeat it in a wrong way like Belshazzar was about to do.  Dr. Wiersbe writes:  “Like King Belshazzar and his guests, many people in our world today are unmindful of the lessons of the past, unintelligent when it comes to interpreting the present, and totally unprepared for the consequences that lie in the future.”

            We will look at the rest of this section in our next SD.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  It is good to know the past, especially things that important people did, and how they lived their lives before the Lord so that I can learn from them and repeat the good things that they have done in the past.

My Steps of Faith for Today:   Proverbs 3:5-6.

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 46:1-6

            1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; 3 though it waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.  Selah.  4 There is a river whose streams make glade the city of God, the holy dwelling place of the most high.  5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved, God will help her when morning dawns.

            6 The nations make and uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “When the Lord returns” (1 Corinthians 4:5)

Today’s Bible question:  “What did the blind beggar call Jesus?”

Answer in tomorrow’s SD.

 7/20/2013 1:28 PM

The Queen Mother Gives Good Advice (Dan. 5:10-12)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/19/2013 8:44 AM

My Worship Time                                                                 Focus:  The Queen Mother-Judgment

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Daniel 5:10-12

            Message of the verses:  We now begin to look at the third person from the fifth chapter of Daniel and that is probably one of the wives of Nebuchadnezzar who is described as the queen mother.

            “10 The queen entered the banquet hall because of the words of the king and his nobles; the queen spoke and said, "O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts alarm you or your face be pale.  11 "There is a man in your kingdom in whom is a spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, illumination, insight and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, your father the king, appointed him chief of the magicians, conjurers, Chaldeans and diviners.  12 "This was because an extraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, interpretation of dreams, explanation of enigmas and solving of difficult problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Let Daniel now be summoned and he will declare the interpretation.’”

            Daniel was probably in his eighties at this point in his life, and yet he still did not associate himself with the other magicians, conjurers, and the Chaldeans or diviners, but pretty much must have kept to himself.  The queen mother knew of him for she repeats the very words that Nebuchadnezzar had spoken about Daniel, that is he has a spirit of the holy gods.  She tells Belshazzar not to look so pale, for she knew who to call so he would get an answer to the writing on the wall. 

            Dr. Wiersbe writes “Her attitude didn’t match the gravity of the situation, but her suggestion was a good one:  summon Daniel, the king’s greatest adviser.  Her words reveal another characteristic of King Belshazzar—ignorance.  It seems incredible that he didn’t know Daniel, one of the highest officers in Babylon, and certainly the wisest counselor in the empire.  Belshazzar had been told about his grandfather’s dreams and Daniel’s interpretations (v. 22), but too often younger leaders are so concerned about themselves and the present that they forget to catch up on the past.  Had young King Rehoboam listened to the counsel of the elders of Israel, he would have avoided a great deal of trouble (1 Kings 12).”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I am no Daniel, but I can claim the following verses when in need of wisdom from the Lord:  “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5)  “5  Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”  (Proverbs 3:5-6)

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”  (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 46:1-6

            1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  2 Therefore we will not fear thought the earth should change and the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though the waters roar and foam, and though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.  Selah.  4 There is a river whose streams make glade the city of God, the holy dwelling place of the most high.  5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved, God will help her when morning dawns.

            6 The nations make an uproar, the kingdoms tottered, He raised His voice, the earth melted.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “He was a leper” (2 Kings 5:1).

Today’s Bible question:  “When shall every man have praise of God?”

Answer in tomorrow’s SD.

7/19/2013 9:06 AM

Merry Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS

               I promised yesterday to write a Christmas greeting on my blog on Christmas Day.

            What I have today about Christmas has probably already been said before, well at least some of it, but if that is the case then I will say it again.  Christmas, to me, holds mixed feelings in my mind.  I am not one who likes going all out on buying presents just because it is Christmas, but want to remember what Christmas is suppose to be all about.  Now we know that Jesus Christ was probably not born on the 25^th of December, but we do know that He was born, and probably born in the winter months, and I do not know exactly know how the 25^th of December came about as the day we celebrate Christmas.  I suppose a little digging on the internet would answer that question, but I probably will not do that.  Like I say the important thing is that Jesus Christ was born into the world and the first prophecy of Him coming into the world goes all the way back to the book of Genesis, and right after Adam and Eve sinned we read “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel."”  God is speaking of Satan in this passage and also He is saying that there will be war between Satan and the offspring of the woman.  “I’m declaring war between you and the Woman, between your offspring and hers. He’ll wound your head, you’ll wound his heel." (Message)” We see in the NASB that God speaks of the “seed of the woman,” and this is the only time we see this in the Word of God.  The seed comes through the man, but there were three differences in the Scriptures when this did not happen that way.  First God created Adam out of the earth, and then God created woman out of Adam’s rib, and then we read that Mary became pregnant through the Holy Spirit and this is where we get the seed of the woman as involved in the birth of Jesus Christ.

            Now as we read through the Old Testament we see how the Lord narrows down the line in which the Messiah would come from.  In the book of Matthew we see the bloodline of Jesus through Joseph, and in Luke’s gospel we see the bloodline of Jesus through Mary.  Both Joseph and Mary were descendants of David, but Mary came through the line of Nathan while Joseph came through Solomon.  Luke’s line of Jesus goes all the way back to God, while Matthew’s line only goes back to Abraham.  One of the kings of Judah, Jeconiah had a curse against him and so his line could not be in the line of the Messiah to be King.  As I said Mary came through the line of Nathan, Luke 3:31 “the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,.”   Joseph also came from the line of David and even though Jeconiah was in his line this did not permit Jesus from being the Messiah for He was not born of Joseph but of the Holy Spirit and Mary.

            Now as far as the place where Jesus was born and who was there when He was born, it is not like the nativity scenes we see in people’s yards or in their houses.  I read a historic novel a few years ago and the author incorporated into the birth of Jesus a place called Midgal Eder and this place is mentioned in the book of Micah 4:8 where we read “8 "As for you, tower of the flock, Hill of the daughter of Zion, To you it will come-Even the former dominion will come, The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.”  The words “tower of the flock” in the Hebrew is Midgal Eder, and this place was near Bethlehem on the way to Jerusalem and is where the lambs were born who would go to the temple and used for sacrifices.  There was a cave there and many believe that Jesus was born in that cave where these sacrificial lambs were born.  When you think about this it all makes perfect sense.  Now as far as who was there we know that Joseph, Mary, Jesus and later on the shepherds came, but as far as the wise men they did not come and see Jesus until he was near two years old.  They probably came from what was once Babylon and they probably got their information from Daniel who prophesied in his book of the time when the Messiah would die and so they would know when it would be near time for Him to be born and looked for Him following a star.  They first came to see Herod and asked him where the Messiah would be born and then went to find Him, giving gifts to Him and were then told in a dream not to go back to tell Herod.  Herod then had all male boys from the age of two years old and younger killed as was prophesied by Jeremiah. 

            Okay so the story of Jesus’ birth is probably much different than what we use to celebrate it in our world today as I tried to bring out, but the point of all of this is that God was in control of all the things which would bring His Son into the world to fulfill what His plans were for Him to accomplish, and He accomplished all of them, and we can praise the Lord on this Christmas Day that He did accomplish all of them.  Jesus told His mother while in the temple that He came to do His Father’s will and at the end of His life, while hanging on a cross He said “It is finished.”  What was finished was His becoming sin for us so that we could receive His righteousness and have it credited to our account so that when the Father looks at those who have received this free gift of salvation He will see Jesus Christ and not our sinfulness.

            The all time very best gift a person can receive on Christmas Day or any other day is to receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, to confess that they are a sinner in need of a Savior and find out that Jesus paid it all, and receive Him as Savior and Lord.

            Merry Christmas to all!

I, Jacob Howard, wrote Dr. Charlie Dyer, who is the speaker on the Land and the Book Radio, a question about Migdal-Eder, mentioned in Micah 4:8. This was Dr. Dyer’s response.

Jacob,

Thank you for your e-mail, and thanks as well for your kind words! Denny and I both appreciate the privilege God has given us to serve Him in this way. You have encouraged us both!

As far as Midgal Eder is concerned, there is no universal identification of the site. But I do believe it was a real site. The best thing I’ve read on the subject is from Alfred Edersheim’s The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. (You can find his complete work online at Google Books.) I’ll include his quotation here, and then I’ll follow it with a few observations. (I’ll also highlight the key point he makes in the quote.)

But as we pass from the sacred gloom of the cave [i.e., he was just talking about the birth of Jesus in a cave] out into the night, its sky all aglow with starry brightness, its loneliness is peopled, and its silence made vocal from heaven. There is nothing now to conceal, but much to reveal, though the manner of it would seem strangely incongruous to Jewish thinking. And yet Jewish tradition may here prove both illustrative and helpful. That the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, was a settled conviction. Equally so was the belief, that He was to be revealed from Migdal Eder, “the tower of the flock.” This Migdal Eder was not the watchtower for the ordinary flocks which pastured on the barren sheep ground beyond Bethlehem, but lay close to the town, on the road to Jerusalem. A passage in the Mishnah leads to the conclusion, that the flocks, which pastured there, were destined for Temple-sacrifices, and, accordingly, that the shepherds, who watched over them, were not ordinary shepherds. The latter were under the ban of Rabbinism, on account of their necessary isolation from religious ordinances, and their manner of life, which rendered strict legal observance unlikely, if not absolutely impossible. The same Mishnaic passage also leads us to infer, that these flocks lay out all the year round, since they are spoken of as in the fields thirty days before the Passover—that is, in the month of February, when in Palestine the average rainfall is nearly greatest. Thus, Jewish tradition in some dim manner apprehended the first revelation of the Messiah from that Migdal Eder, where shepherds watched the Temple-flocks all the year round. Of the deep symbolic significance of such a coincidence, it is needless to speak.

—Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, pp. 186-87

If Edersheim is correct (and I believe he is), the location for Migdal Eder would be north of Bethlehem and near the old road from Bethlehem to Jerusalem. (That road is the old “Hebron road” one drives on between Jerusalem and Bethlehem today!) I believe this puts the location  somewhere between the Jewish kibbutz of Ramat Rachel and Bethlehem, probably just to the west of Har Homa. There used to be an actual sheepfold in this area where I would take our groups but, sadly, it has been covered over by the modern road that now goes to Har Homa.

A key point here. Edersheim indicates that Migdal Eder was an actual spot, but he is not saying it was a town or village. Rather, the name means “watchtower of the flock” which seems to identify it as a specific pasture area for sheep. And the sheep that grazed here were those specifically destined for Temple sacrifice. In that sense the shepherds keeping watch over the temple sacrifices were the ones to whom God announced the birth of the ultimate “sacrificial lamb.”

I’m attaching a screen shot from Google Earth that might be of help in identifying the location for Midgal Eder. Note that Ramat Rachel is at the top of the picture and Bethlehem is at the bottom. The road running along the left side of the picture is the old Hebron Road, and Homat Shemu’el/Har Homa is just to the right of center in the picture. Based on Edersheim’s description, I would place Migdal Eder almost in the center of the picture…north of Bethlehem, just to the west of Har Homa, and east of the road from Bethlehem to Jerusalem. Since the word means “tower of the flock” it is likely a high spot in this area where sheep would graze. The hills right around (or right at) Har Homa are probably the best possible location.

I hope this is helpful!

Charlie

The Lord-Judgment Declared (Dan. 5:5-9)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/18/2013 8:42 AM

My Worship Time                                                                 Focus:  The Lord-Judgment Declared

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Daniel 5:5-9

            Message of the verses:  Dr. Wiersbe wrote at the end of his introductory commentary on this fifth chapter of Daniel the following:  “We shall look at the persons involved in this drama and see how they related to the plan of God.”

            Look at the Wall (Daniel. 5:5):  “5 Suddenly the fingers of a man’s hand emerged and began writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the back of the hand that did the writing.”

            The following verses all have the words “The finger of God” in them:  “Ex 8:19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.  Ex 31:18 When He had finished speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God.  De 9:10  "The LORD gave me the two tablets of stone written by the finger of God; and on them were all the words which the LORD had spoken with you at the mountain from the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly.  Lu 11:20 “But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

            I suppose that because of motion pictures and computers that the drama of this event does not seem as real as it did when it happened, but can you stop and think a bit about sitting in your house and all of a sudden a hand comes out of nowhere and begins to write a message to you?  As we will see latter on the kings knees began to nock together, and I suppose this would be our reaction too.  We mentioned in an earlier SD that part of Daniel is written in Aramaic, and both Aramaic and Hebrew read from the right to the left.  It may have been written in Hebrew and that is why the so called wise men could not read it.

            Look at the king (Daniel 5:6-7):  “6 Then the king’s face grew pale and his thoughts alarmed him, and his hip joints went slack and his knees began knocking together. 7 The king called aloud to bring in the conjurers, the Chaldeans and the diviners. The king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon, "Any man who can read this inscription and explain its interpretation to me shall be clothed with purple and have a necklace of gold around his neck, and have authority as third ruler in the kingdom.’”

            We see this reaction from different heathen kings in the Bible from time to time.  Pharaoh did this when Moses did miracles in his presence, and we also have seen this in the book of Daniel too.  These so called wise men were not so wise in any of these situations, for they worshiped idols who can’t speak or write or do anything like the God of heaven can do.  Dr. Wiersbe writes “God had turned the banquet hall into a courtroom and the king was about to be declared guilty.”

            Look at the wise men (Daniel 5:8-9):  “8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the inscription or make known its interpretation to the king. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, his face grew even paler, and his nobles were perplexed.”

            These men were as worthless in this situation as they had been when King Nebuchadnezzar had his dream in chapter two.  Even if they could read the words they could not figure what it was that God was saying to them.  I have heard that the Bible is for believers and when someone who is not a believer reading it they will not truly understand it.  They are reading someone else’s mail in a language they don’t understand.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I desire to listen to the Lord when He speaks to me through His Word or through a message given by a Pastor, or even in different circumstances.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Proverbs 3:5-6.

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 46:1-6.

            1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; 3 though it’s waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.  Selah.  4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the dwelling place of the most high.  5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved, God will help her when morning dawns. 

            6 The nations make and uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “James.”

Today’s Bible Question:  “What was Naaman’s physical problem?”

Answer in tomorrow’s SD.

7/18/2013 9:13 AM