God Distinguishes His Servants (Daniel 2:46-49)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/9/2013 10:19 AM

My Worship Time                                                             Focus:  God Distinguishes His Servants

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Daniel 2:46-49

            Message of the verses:  In today’s SD we will look at the last section of Daniel chapter two and then we will move to the book of Ecclesiastes for the remainder of the month of April.

            “46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and did homage to Daniel, and gave orders to present to him an offering and fragrant incense. 47 The king answered Daniel and said, "Surely your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, since you have been able to reveal this mystery." 48 Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 And Daniel made request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego over the administration of the province of Babylon, while Daniel was at the king’s court.”

            I have mentioned before, perhaps more than once, that this story of Daniel has many similarities with the story of Joseph, for they both end up serving in the kings court, helping to rule over the nations that they were living in.  As we go back and look from the book of Genesis we see that in the twelfth chapter that God had called Abram who later was given the name Abraham.  God called him to begin a nation by having a family who would become a nation.  When there were around seventy people in this family God would send them to Egypt, but God first of all sent Joseph to Egypt, (not the way he would have chosen to go there), in order to take care of his family.  Now we see that the Babylonians were about to capture Judah, but first God would send Daniel and his friends along with some other Jews to Babylon in 605 BC.  It just so happens that Nebuchadnezzar’s father was about to die in 605 BC and so Nebuchadnezzar left Judah to tend to his father and would not return until 597 BC, and then again in 586 BC where he would completely destroy the city of Jerusalem and the temple that was there.  However we see that God now has four of His men in Babylon to help prepare for the arrival of the rest of the captive Jews.  God will always have some of His people in places where they can do His bidding when it is needed to be done to bring honor and Glory to Himself, and Daniel and his three friend are doing this exact thing in the court of Babylon.

            Nebuchadnezzar was awe struck at what Daniel’s God had done through Daniel, and of course he would do what he had promised to do for the one who told him what his dream meant, and Daniel would make a request of the king to lift up his three friends to places of honor and leadership.  The act of Daniel and his friends praying to the Lord and then receiving the answer to their prayers would save the rest of the magicians and others, but the king would begin to see that the God of heaven whom Daniel served was truly the God of gods.  This would be the first step of several for Nebuchadnezzar to finally come to know the God of heaven.  Lord willing we will see how this works out in June when we look at the fourth chapter of Daniel.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I truly can see the wisdom of God along with the attributes of being all knowing, and all powerful in this section of the book of Daniel.  I praise the Lord for being all knowing, all powerful and all wise.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord to be with me in all of the decisions that I have to make.

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 32:7-10

            7 You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance.  Selah.  8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.  9 Do not be as the horse or as the mule which has no understanding, whose trapping include bit and bridle to hold them in check, otherwise they would not come near you.  10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround you.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “Genesis”

Today’s Bible Question:  “How long did it rain during the flood?”

Answer in tomorrow’s SD.

4/9/2013 11:26 AM