PT-1 God Discloses the Secret (Daniel 2:14-23)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/6/2013 9:14 AM

My Worship Time                                                               Focus:  God Discloses the Secret PT-1

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Daniel 2:14-23

            Message of the verses:  In Today’s SD we will begin the third main point from Warren Wiersbe’s commentary on the book of Daniel which has three sub-points in it.  We will see how far we can get today as we look at this great portion of God’s Word.

            Introduction:  Perhaps it would be good to look at this from how Satan was operating.  Satan had just lost the first battle as the king would not allow the “wise men” to give him any false information, and not Satan is trying to have Daniel and his three friends killed along with his false prophets.  Satan cares nothing for these false prophets and if they have to die in order to have Daniel and his friends killed so be it.  We will now see how the Lord will intervene and how He will accomplish His purposes and how He will bless His people.

            Remarkable Postponement (Daniel 2:14-16):  14 Then Daniel replied with discretion and discernment to Arioch, the captain of the king’s bodyguard, who had gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon; 15  he said to Arioch, the king’s commander, "For what reason is the decree from the king so urgent?" Then Arioch informed Daniel about the matter. 16 So Daniel went in and requested of the king that he would give him time, in order that he might declare the interpretation to the king.”

            As we read more and more about Daniel we can see that he truly is a special person whom God will continue to use.  We remember that when Daniel and his three friends got to Babylon they wanted them to eat the king’s food, but Daniel used the same kind of discretion and discernment in talking to those in charge of them so that they would not have to defile themselves by eating the kings food.  Now we can be sure that Arioch knew something about Daniel and his three friends and so even though he was taking his life in his hands by postponing the execution he would allow Daniel to go into the king.  Let us look at Col. 4:5-6 “5 ¶  Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. 6  Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”

            We can assume that the king had calmed down a bit and allowed Daniel to see him, for after all Daniel and his friends were not in the meeting with the incompetent wise men.  This took a great deal of courage and also faith for Daniel to go into the king and tell him that he would be able to answer the kings questions and explain the dreams to him, after all Daniel did not know what the dreams were or what they meant at this time, but he knew that the Lord had given him a gift to understand dreams and visions.

            Believing Prayer (Daniel 2:17-19):  “17  Then Daniel went to his house and informed his friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, about the matter, 18  so that they might request compassion from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his friends would not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19  Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.”

            Let’s begin with an endnote from Dr. Wiersbe explaining “God of heaven.”  “This name for God is used six times in the Book of Daniel—2:18-19, 28, 37, 44; 5:23.  It is first heard in Scripture from the lips of Abraham (Gen. 24:3, 7) and is found frequently in Ezra and Nehemiah.  It appears to be the name of God used by His people during the years of their exile and dispersion.  The God of heaven isn’t limited to the land of Israel; He can work even in might Babylon!”

            When we get to chapter six we will see that Daniel prayed three times a day with his window opened towards Jerusalem:  “44  "When Your people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatever way You shall send them, and they pray to the LORD toward the city which You have chosen and the house which I have built for Your name, 45  then hear in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.”  This is 1Kings 8:44-45 which was a part of a prayer that Solomon gave at the dedication of the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem.

            As Daniel and his friends began to pray to God it was in the night that God gave Daniel the answer to what they were asking for.  God gave this to him in the form of a vision.  In the 18^th verse we see the word “mystery” which is the Aramaic word (raz) and it is used eight times in this chapter.  This word is equivalent to the Greed word mysterion and this word is used twenty-eight times in the NT.  The meaning, according to Dr. Wiersbe is as follows “a hidden truth that is revealed only to the initiated.”  “God had hidden the prophetic truth in the dream and He enabled His servant to know both the dream and its interpretation and to understand God’s future plans.”  James 5:16b tells us “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

            Joyful Praise (Daniel 2:20-23):  “20  Daniel said, "Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, For wisdom and power belong to Him. 21  "It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men And knowledge to men of understanding. 22  "It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, And the light dwells with Him. 23  "To You, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, For You have given me wisdom and power; Even now You have made known to me what we requested of You, For You have made known to us the king’s matter.’”

            There are times in our lives that we have prayed for something and by God’s grace He answers our prayers and then we are so happy about the answer but forget to praise the Lord for His gracious answer.  Jesus healed ten lepers that is told about in Luke’s gospel but only one came back to thank the Lord for the healing and the one that came back was a Samaritan. Daniel was not like that for we read that he praised the God of heaven for the answer to his prayers along with his three friends.  One thing that we see in this section about the names of his friends is that they are given in their Hebrew names and not the names that were given to them by the Babylonians which spoke of their gods, while the Hebrew names spoke of the God of Israel.

            I mentioned earlier that Satan would not have cared if his false prophets would have been killed if Daniel and his friends were also killed, but now that God gave the answer to Daniel even the false prophets would not die.  Dr. Wiersbe has an endnote about this:  “Because Lot was in their city, the people of Zoar escaped the judgment that destroyed the cities of the plain (Gen. 19:18-25), and because Paul was on the ship, God saved all the passengers from drowning (Acts 27:21-26, 30-32, 42-44).  The world opposes God’s people, little realizing the blessings comes because of them.” 

            James 1:5 tells us that if we lack wisdom then we are to ask of God and He will give it to us, and that is exactly what happened with Daniel and his friends.

            I have to mention that Daniel 2:21 gave great comfort to me during the 2008 Presidential elections because the verse says that God is the One in control of choosing the rulers of the nations along with all elected officials.  God is the One who is the God of history for it is He who can set and change the times allotted to rulers and to nations and this is what seemingly was so troubling to Nebuchadnezzar.  His dream brought darkness, but Daniels brought light.

            Daniel would include his three friends in his praise for the answer and later on he will remember his three friends before the king and he will give them greater positions in his government.

            Dr. Wiersbe concludes this section with these words:  “When God’s people today face a crisis, they need to follow the example of Daniel and his friends and take the matter to the Lord in prayer.  Faith is living without scheming, and faith brings glory to God.  Daniel and his friends couldn’t take credit for what happened because it came from the hand of God ‘Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me’ (Ps. 50:15, NKJV).’  ‘Whatever God can do faith can do,’ said A. W. Tozer, ‘and whatever faith can do prayer can do when it is offered in faith.  An invitation to prayer is, therefore, and invitation to omnipotence, for prayer engages the Omnipotent God and brings Him into our human affairs.’” 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I can see the compassion of God in this section, and also I can see His great power.  I can see His sovereignty in this section also.  I did not think that we could get all the way through this third main point from Daniel’s second chapter as found in Warren Wiersbe’s commentary but we did.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Believe in the compassion, power and sovereignty of God in a personal way even though I do not know how it will affect our nation which truly seems to be under the judgment of God at this time

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 32:7-9

            7 You are my hiding place; You reserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance.  Selah.  8 I will instruct you and teach you in a way that 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 trappings include bit and bridle to hold the in check, otherwise they will not come near you.

Answer to yesterdays Bible Question:  “Jonah”  (Jonah 4:3)

Today’s Bible Question:  “Hezekiah was king of what country?”

Answer in tomorrow’s SD.

4/6/2013 11:02 AM

                

           

             

God Disgraces the "Wise Men" (Daniel 2:2-13)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/5/2013 9:36 AM

My Worship Time                                                              Focus:  God Disgraces the “Wise Men”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Daniel 2:2-13

            Message of the verses:  “2 Then the king gave orders to call in the magicians, the conjurers, the sorcerers and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. 3 The king said to them, "I had a dream and my spirit is anxious to understand the dream." 4 Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic: "O king, live forever! Tell the dream to your servants, and we will declare the interpretation." 5 The king replied to the Chaldeans, "The command from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you will be torn limb from limb and your houses will be made a rubbish heap. 6 “But if you declare the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me gifts and a reward and great honor; therefore declare to me the dream and its interpretation." 7 They answered a second time and said, "Let the king tell the dream to his servants, and we will declare the interpretation." 8 The king replied, "I know for certain that you are bargaining for time, inasmuch as you have seen that the command from me is firm, 9 that if you do not make the dream known to me, there is only one decree for you. For you have agreed together to speak lying and corrupt words before me until the situation is changed; therefore tell me the dream, that I may know that you can declare to me its interpretation." 10 The Chaldeans answered the king and said, "There is not a man on earth who could declare the matter for the king, inasmuch as no great king or ruler has ever asked anything like this of any magician, conjurer or Chaldean. 11 “Moreover, the thing which the king demands is difficult, and there is no one else who could declare it to the king except gods, whose dwelling place is not with mortal flesh." 12 Because of this the king became indignant and very furious and gave orders to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. 13 So the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they looked for Daniel and his friends to kill them.”

            Now can you imagine having someone knock on your door and reveal to you that the king has given orders to have you killed right now?  Well that is what is going to happen to Daniel, but that will be in the next SD.

            Remember that from verse four in chapter two of Daniel until the 28^th verse of chapter seven that Daniel is written Aramaic.

            In yesterday’s SD we found out from verse one of chapter two that the king had dreamed dreams and was very upset about what the dream meant.  So what was the king suppose to do?  He did what most kings of that time would do and that is call into his presence those who were suppose to advise him about such matters.  There is a list of people that he called into his presence to help him with this matter.  As I read over this section and I have read over it a few times in my lifetime I don’t believe that the king had any trust in these men.  Why do I say this?  Let’s go back to chapter one and look at what the king said about Daniel and his four friends:  “As for every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in all his realm (Daniel 1:20).”  There are also two views that come up here as to whether or not the king really forgot this dream or whether he was just testing the so-called experts.  These men of that era had dream books and they would chart different people who had different dreams and see what happened to them and therefore they thought they could tell what others who had similar dreams meant.  While listening to a sermon from John MacArthur on this section he said that these books have been found in digs that went on in this area.

            We see in this section the anger of the king and we also see that he was going to get his way with this and would not be persuaded by these men.  He told them if they did not tell him what his dream was and what it meant they would be hacked into pieces and their homes would be made into public latrines or dumps.  They tried to buy some time, but the king saw through it.  They told the king that no king had ever asked such a thing, and he did not care about that.

            What can we learn from this part of the story?  I think that we can learn that God was in control of all of this and that he put all of this into motion.  Why did he do that?  I think that one of the reasons that He did this was to get Daniel into position that He wanted him to be in.  Daniel was given a gift to understand dreams and visions as we saw in the last chapter, and once Daniel would give the interpretation to the king, the king would promote Daniel and his friends to higher positions.  God has His people in positions today around the world to work out His plans that He has, and that can be seen right from this portion of Scripture.

            Dr. Wiersbe gives, as always, great insight from this section of Scripture.  He writes “Throughout Bible history, you find occasions when God exposed the foolishness of the world and the deceptiveness of Satan.  Moses and Aaron defeated the magicians of Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt (Ex. 7-12), and Elijah on Mount Carmel exposed the deception of Baal worship (1 Kings 18).  Jeremiah confronted the false prophet Hananiah and revealed his wickedness (Jer. 28), and Paul exposed the deception of Bar Jesus the sorcerer (Acts 13:1-12).  But it was Jesus who by His life, teaching, and sacrificial death declared the wisdom of this world ‘foolishness’ with God, and that includes all its myths and false religions (1 Cor. 1:18ff).  The statement of the advisers in Daniel 2:10 wipes out astrology and other forms of human prophecy!  Out of their own mouths they condemned their own practices!”  I think that this statement by Dr. Wiersbe puts things into proper perspective, not only in the section of Daniel we are looking at, but also in situations found in the world today.  Paul says that the foolishness of God has more wisdom than what man has.  He was speaking of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in order to save people from their sins and this truly is foolishness to many people today.  However it is true and all one has to do is to personally believe that Jesus Christ took their place on the cross and the result of what He did for them give them His righteousness while taking their sin.  “2Co 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I see the awful thing that are happening to our nation today I must trust the God is in control and will work out these things for His glory and for His children’s good.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I want to know God better and believe He will reveal Himself more and more to me as I study His Word.  I desire to have Him direct my paths each day.

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 32:7-9

            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 trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, otherwise they will not come near you.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “Those who hear the Word of God and do it.”  (Luke 8:21)

Today’s Bible Question:  “Who said “Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life.”

The answer in tomorrow’s SD.

4/5/2013 11:05 AM      

           

God Distresses a King (Dan. 2:1)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/4/2013 8:29 AM

My Worship Time                                                                            Focus:  God Distresses a King

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Daniel 2:1

            Message of the verses:  1 Now in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was troubled and his sleep left him.”

            17  As for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams.”  This verse is Daniel 1:17 and it is a verse that we should remember throughout the entire book of Daniel, for it tells us of the special gift that was given to Daniel by the Lord, a gift that he would use all of his life to bring honor and glory to the Lord.

            Dr. Wiersbe entitles chapter two of his commentary on the book of Daniel “The God of Dreams and Destinies”  We will see in this chapter of Daniel that God is in complete control of things that were going on in this gentile nation of Babylon.  There is a verse in the book of Luke that Jesus speaks of in His Olivet discourse that tells about the times of the gentiles.  I have heard or read that there are some who believe that the times of the gentiles began in 586 B. C. when Israel was taken out of her land, and even though they did return to the land some seventy years later they never had sovereign control of the land like they had before they were taken out of it in 586 B. C.  God was still in complete control of all the things that went on in the world, and for that matter He still is even though we are living in the times of the gentiles.

            When we get to the fourth verse in chapter two of Daniel we will find out that it was written in the Aramaic language from there until chapter seven and verse twenty-eight.  Dr. Wiersbe has an endnote that speaks about this:  “From 2:4 to 7:28, the book is written in Aramaic, the language of Babylon, rather than in Hebrew.  These prophecies deal primarily with the future of Gentile kingdoms, so Aramaic is more suitable.  No doubt Daniel’s writings were circulated among the Gentiles as well as the Jews.”

            We will see in chapter two that although Nebuchadnezzar’s name is used many times because he is the man in charge of Babylon, it is God who is the main character in this chapter and throughout this book of Daniel.  King Nebuchadnezzar says the following in verse 22 speaking of God, “who reveals the deep and secret things.”  We will see, as we read between the lines of this book that Daniel was making a witness of God to the king, and eventually we will see that God would open Nebuchadnezzar’s heart to realize that he too needed a Savior.

            Verse on of chapter two speaks of the second year of the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar, and we talked about this earlier, but it bears repeating that the Babylonians did not begin numbering the reign of their king until after he served one year while the Jews began right from the first year and therefore it may seem like there is a mistake in Daniels numbering of the Gentile kings.

            We learned as we studied the first chapter of Daniel that it was the father of Nebuchadnezzar, Nabopolassar who played a key role in the demise of the Assyrian Empire following the death of the last powerful Assyrian king, Ashurbanipal. He ruled over Babylon for twenty years.  Nabopolassar died in 605 B. C. which was the year that Daniel was taken out of Israel and sent to Babylon.  Nebuchadnezzar was probably worried about how long he would live and how long his kingdom would last and therefore was having trouble sleeping, having restless nights, “The sleep of the working man is pleasant, whether he eats little or much; but the full stomach of the rich man does not allow him to sleep (Ecc. 5:12).”  Shakespeare said “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.”  It seems that this was true of Nebuchadnezzar and so he had trouble sleeping.

            I wrote earlier that there were some similar things that are seen in the lives of Daniel and Joseph, for God sent both of them to a Gentile nation in order to protect His people Israel.  Not only was that true of them both but in both of their lives the kings of these nations were given dreams by the Lord that disturbed them both.  Pharaoh and Joseph’s accounts are seen in Genesis 41 and Daniel’s and Nebuchadnezzar’s account are seen here in Daniel chapter two.  Again we see how God is in charge of all nations from these two men whom He put in the right place at the right time.

            We see in the verse that Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, and this could mean that he continued to have the same dream over and over again, and it disturbed him.  Because he was disturbed we will see a different side of his personality that we saw at the end of chapter one.

            God used dreams in the lives of different people at different times in the OT times and even the magi who came to worship Jesus had dreams to know about His birth as seen in Matthew 2:12.  However since the completion of the Bible there are many Bible scholars who do not believe that God uses dreams like those He used earlier in history.

            The Lord had given this dream to Nebuchadnezzar, a gentile king to communicate with him about the future of Gentile nations, but he did not realize what his dreams were about, but God would soon use Daniel to tell him about his dreams and this would bring honor to the God of Israel.

            Speaking of whether or not God uses dreams today Dr. Wiersbe says that God uses the Holy Spirit and the Word of God and of course prayer to guide His children today.  There is a danger that dreams can come from demotic sources “25  "I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy falsely in My name, saying, ’I had a dream, I had a dream!’ 26  "How long? Is there anything in the hearts of the prophets who prophesy falsehood, even these prophets of the deception of their own heart, 27  who intend to make My people forget My name by their dreams which they relate to one another, just as their fathers forgot My name because of Baal? 28 “The prophet who has a dream may relate his dream, but let him who has My word speak My word in truth. What does straw have in common with grain?" declares the LORD. 29 “Is not My word like fire?" declares the LORD, "and like a hammer which shatters a rock? 30 “Therefore behold, I am against the prophets," declares the LORD, "who steal My words from each other. 31 "Behold, I am against the prophets," declares the LORD, "who use their tongues and declare, ’The Lord declares.’ 32  "Behold, I am against those who have prophesied false dreams," declares the LORD, "and related them and led My people astray by their falsehoods and reckless boasting; yet I did not send them or command them, nor do they furnish this people the slightest benefit," declares the LORD (Jer. 23:25-32).” 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I want to answer a question that I think that I need to answer each time that I read the Word of God and that is how I saw the God of the Word in what I have read.  I see God demonstrating His sovereignty, His grace, His wisdom, and His power.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to see God in His Word so that I can better know Him.

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 32:7-9

            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.  Do not be as the horse or as the mule which has no understanding, whose trappings include bit and bridle to hole them in check, otherwise they will not come near you.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “Life”  (2 Corinthians 3:6)

Today’s Bible Question:  “Whom did Jesus say were His mother and His brothers?”

Answer in tomorrow’s SD.

4/4/2013 10:05 AM  

           

A Wise God (Studies in Proverbs)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/3/2013 7:17 AM

My Worship Time                                                                                          Focus:  A Wise God

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Studies in Proverbs

            Message of the verses:  Today we come to the last SD in the book of Proverbs.  We have been looking at “Our Great God,” and some of the characteristics of God and in today’s SD we will look at God as being all wise which is one of His attributes.

            How do we describe God’s wisdom?  Dr. Wiersbe states “Theologians tell us that God’s wisdom refers to His ability to devise perfect means to attain perfect ends.  Nobody has to teach God anything.”  “"For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has become His counselor?’ (Rom. 11:34.”  Isa. 40:13 “Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, Or as His counselor has informed Him?”  Jer. 23:18 “"But who has stood in the council of the LORD, That he should see and hear His word? Who has given heed to His word and listened?”  Can anyone ever truthfully say that God has ever made a mistake?  God does all things well:  Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”  Romans 9:20-21 “20 On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, "Why did you make me like this," will it? 21 Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?”  In Romans 16:27 Paul writes “to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.”  These are the last words that Paul writes in his letter to the Romans.

            There are a number of ways that God demonstrates His wisdom in the Word of God and the first one we will look at is that God demonstrates His wisdom through His creation.  “19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth, By understanding He established the heavens. 20 By His knowledge the deeps were broken up And the skies drip with dew.”  Let us look at a hymn written by Isaac Watts which he entitled “I Sing the Mighty Power of God” to help us better understand God’s wisdom in creation. 

“I Sing the Mighty Power of God

1. I sing the almighty power of God,

That made the mountains rise,

That spread the flowing seas abroad,

And built the lofty skies.

2. I sing the wisdom that ordained

The sun to rule the day;

The moon shines full at His command,

And all the stars obey.

3. I sing the goodness of the Lord,

That filled the earth with food;

He formed the creatures with His Word,

And then pronounced them good.

4. Lord! how Thy wonders are displayed

Where'er I turn mine eye!

If I survey the ground I tread,

Or gaze upon the sky!

5. There's not a plant or flower below

But makes Thy glories known;

And clouds arise and tempests blow,

By order from Thy throne.

6. Creatures that borrow life from Thee

Are subject to Thy care;

There's not a place where we can flee,

But God is present there.

7.  His hand is my perpetual guard,

He guides me with His eye;

Why should I then forget the Lord,

Whose love is ever nigh?

            Dr. Wiersbe was witnessing to a college student who kept talking about the universe to which he replied to the student “Why do you say ‘universe’ and not multiverse?” He goes on to say “But my question is a valid one.  If there weren’t wisdom and order built into the universe (what most people call ‘scientific laws’), the farmer couldn’t expect a harvest, the astronomer couldn’t predict an eclipse, the scientist couldn’t safely conduct an experiment, the pilot wouldn’t be able to fly his plane, and nobody on earth would know from one moment to another what the stars and planets would do next!”

            Next we will see how God’s wisdom is seen in His providential ordering of events, and not just for the nations, but also for individuals.  I remember listening to a sermon by John MacArthur who said that he felt that God’s providential was even more impressive than the miracles that He performed while Jesus was on earth.  The reason for this statement is that God’s providential ordering of events goes on every second of every day when you think of all the people that are on the earth and all the nations that are on the earth and each of them God is ordering their events. 

            Pr. 21:30 “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD.”  Job 12:13 “"To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his.”  Dr. Wiersbe explains what the word providence means:  “The English word ‘providence’ comes from two Latin words video, ‘to see,’ and pro, ‘before.’  God in His wisdom ‘sees before,’ that is, plans in advance and ‘sees to it’ that His will is accomplished.

            “Providence doesn’t mean that God simply ‘foresees’ what lies ahead and ‘adjusts’ Himself accordingly.  God alone knows and controls future events.  The Baptist theologian Augustus Hipkins Strong calls providence, ‘that continuous agency of God by which he makes all the events of the physical and moral universe fulfill the original design with which he created it.’  Without violating man’s ability to choose, God ‘works all things according to the counsel of His will’ (Eph. 1:11, NKJV) and rules and overrules in all things.  ‘The Lord does whatever pleases Him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths (Ps. 135:6, NIV).”

            One of the reasons that we have the book of Proverbs in our Bibles is because God has a desire to share His wisdom with us.  “6 For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. 7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity (Pr. 2:6-7).”  In 1 Cor. 1:24b we read “Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”  In order to get a hold of God’s wisdom we must do it through Jesus Christ by accepting Him as our Lord and Savior, for as we see in the above verse He is the power of God and also the wisdom of God.  9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.’ (Romans 10:9-11)

            To the lost the message of salvation is foolish, but to those who are saved it is the power of God “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1Cor. 1:18).”  Once you have trusted Christ as Your Savior and Lord you become a child of God “11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:11-13).”  The next step is to ask God to give you His wisdom in the ordering of your life “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.”  Pr. 15:33 states “The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, And before honor comes humility.”  Believers are then to read the Word of God, to meditate upon it, to pray to the Lord to direct your steps and that brings us again to Proverbs 3:5-6 “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.”  Becoming a believer in Jesus Christ may not always be easy, but God will work all things out for our good and for His glory as seen in Romans 8:28.  Let us look at Psalm 33:11 to see where the will of God comes from:  “The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations.”  They come from His heart.

            Dr. Wiersbe writes “When you have decisions to make, take time to pray and meditate on the Word.  Ask God to direct you and, if necessary, seek wise counsel from friends who are mature in the faith.  At the start of each day, ask God to guide you in every decision you must make, big or small; a wrong ‘small’ decision could lead to disturbing ‘big’ decisions.  As you grow in the wisdom and knowledge of God, and as you walk by faith, seeking to honor the Lord, you will increase in spiritual discernment and live skillfully.”

            Proverbs 4:18-19 “18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until the full day. 19 The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know over what they stumble.”

            Dr. Wiersbe concludes his commentary on the book of Proverbs with a quote from A. W. Tozer’s book “The Knowledge of the Holy.”  “With the goodness of God to desire our highest welfare, the wisdom of God to plan it, and the power of God to achieve it, what do we lack?  Surely we are the most favored of all creatures.”

            Lord willing we will begin to look at the second chapter of Daniel in tomorrow’s SD, and then proceed to begin looking at the book of Ecclesiastes after that.

            The study of the book of Proverbs has brought to my life many wonderful things that I had no idea were in it.  It has been a wonderful study, like all the other book studies that I have done beginning back in the mid 1990’s.  By God’s grace I desire to finish my study of the entire Bible before the Lord comes for me.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Romans 11:33 states “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!”  God’s wisdom and knowledge are rich and they are available to me, as they are to all believers. 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to seek to know the Lord as I study His Word each day, to know Him better and to live for Him in a way He desires for me to live.

Memory verses for the week:  Psalms 32:7-9

            7 You are my hiding place; Your 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 like the horse or the mule which have no understanding, whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, otherwise they will not come near you.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “No”  (Genesis 41:4)

Today’s Bible Question:  “What does the Spirit give?”

Answer in Tomorrow’s SD.

4/3/2013 8:53 AM   

A Compassionate God (Studies in Proverbs)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/2/2013 11:08 AM

My Worship Time                                                                            Focus:  A Compassionate God

Bible Reading & Meditation                                             Reference:  Studies in Proverbs

            Message of the verses:   We have been looking at the subject of “This God is Our God,” in the last two Spiritual Diaries.  It was in the endnote from an earlier SD that Dr. Wiersbe had quoted A. W. Tozer’s book “The Knowledge of the Holy,” a book about the attributes of God that he also mentioned another book dealing with the same subject by Richard L. Strauss, who is the son of Dr. Lehman Strauss who was a wonderful man of God.  The book Dr. Wiersbe spoke of is called “The Joy of Knowing God,” and this book also is about the attributes of God.  Since we are looking at who God is in this final chapter from Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary on the book of Proverbs I thought that I would give a quote from Richard Strauss’s book:  “Getting to know God better could be the single most important issue in the Christian’s life.”  I think that this statement is an accurate statement and it is my desire to know the God of the Word, along with knowing the Word of God, for by knowing the Word of God I will get to know God better and better.  A person can only know God from how He reveals Himself in His Word and that in and of itself is a difficult thing to do.  From my study in another book that A. W. Tozer wrote he states that God is immeasurable, that is no one can measure who God is totally, for if we could then He would not be God.  Today we will be looking at God as being compassionate.

A Compassionate God

            I suppose that I knew that God was compassionate since I became a child of His in Jan. of 1974, but in my study of Mark I read the following verse “Mr. 8:2 “I feel compassion for the people because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat,” and it was as if a light went on showing the compassion of God.

            One of the ways that God shows His compassion is found in the Law where it speaks of how Israel should care for the poor, widows, and orphans.  Proverbs 14:31 says the following “He who oppresses the poor taunts his Maker, But he who is gracious to the needy honors Him.”  Proverbs 17:5 says “He who mocks the poor taunts his Maker; He who rejoices at calamity will not go unpunished.”  Pr. 22:2 states “The rich and the poor have a common bond, The LORD is the maker of them all.”  When Jesus came to earth we can see how He cared for the poor and the outcasts and God desires His people to do the same. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich (2 Cor. 8:9).”

            Pr. 22:22-23 says “22 Do not rob the poor because he is poor, Nor oppress the afflicted at the gate; 23  For the LORD will plead their cause, And plunder the soul of those who plunder them.”  We see the words “The gate” in verse 22, and the gate was Israel’s equivalent of our modern courtroom, because it was there that the elders meet.  Probably the poor did not have the money to pay for a lawyer, but God would come to their defense.  Dr. Wiersbe writes the following in an endnote:  “The word translated ‘redeemer’ in Proverbs 23:11 is goel and refers to the kinsman-redeemer, such as Boaz in the book of Ruth.  For the law governing the redemption of property, see Leviticus 25:47-55.  The goel had to be a close relative who was willing to pay and able to pay.  He is a picture of Jesus Christ, who in His incarnation took upon Himself flesh and blood (Heb. 2:14) that He might redeem us from our spiritual bankruptcy and sin.  See my book Be Committed for an exposition of Ruth and an explanation of the law of the kinsman-redeemer.”  I studied “Be Committed” a few years ago and Lord willing, I will post my Spiritual Diaries from that book in the future on the blog sight.

            Proverbs 21:13 tells us that those who shut their eyes to the poor will someday cry and not be heard:  “He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor Will also cry himself and not be answered.”  On the other hand Proverbs 28:27 says “He who gives to the poor will never want, But he who shuts his eyes will have many curses.”

            Pr. 19:17 says “He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, And He will pay back what he has given.”  This shows us that when we give to the poor we are actually giving to the Lord.  The Lord will put it on account  and will pay us dividends “15  You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; 16  for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. 17 Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account (Phil. 4:15-17).”  Matthew 25:40 “"The King will answer and say to them, ’Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’”  The following are some verses that Dr. Wiersbe says also applies to the way we treat our enemies.  Pr. 20:22 “Do not say, "I will repay evil"; Wait for the LORD, and He will save you.”  Pr. 25:21-22 “21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; 22  For you will heap burning coals on his head, And the LORD will reward you.”  18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. 19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord. 20 “BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:18-21).” 

            Dr. Wiersbe writes “God is a shield to those who trust Him (Pr. 30:5) and a strong tower for those who run to Him for help ((18:10).  ‘The name of the Lord’ in verse 10 signifies all the glorious attributes of the Lord.  (“The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe.)”  Because of who He is and what He is, those who trust Him don’t have to worry—because He is always their refuge and strength (Ps. 46:1).” 

            In our study of Proverbs we have looked at Proverbs 3:5-6 many different times, in fact one of the chapters in Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary is dedicated to those two verses.  As we look at these two verses we can see that one of God’s compassionate ministries comes from them, and that is the ministry of divine guidance.  Dr. Wiersbe writes “As I said earlier in this book, God expects us to assess a situation and get all the facts we can, but we must never lean on our own understanding.  We must humble ourselves before Him and seek His direction in all things, and we must be sure that our motives are right.”

            Because we are human we may make a mistake and begin to move in the wrong direction, what then?  “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps (Pr. 16:9).”  Next Pr. 19:21 “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.”  Then Pr. 16:33 “The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the LORD.”  The key is that we must have a desire to learn and obey the plans of the Lord and then if we make a mistake He will guide us.  There are times when we want something so badly that we try in our own minds to believe that it is the Lord’s will, but in the end we find out that it was not the Lord’s will for us, we are doing just like James says “5 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. 6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7  For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways (James 1:5-9).” 

            I want to finish this SD with a couple of quotes from Dr. Wiersbe and a quote from the Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard who said “Life can only be understood backward, but it must be lived forward.”  To this quote Dr. Wiersbe writes “One day we shall look back and say with David, ‘Surely [only] goodness and mercy [have followed] me all the days of my life’ (Ps. 23:6).”  Now we will look at the end note for this last quote “Most scholars believe that Psalm 23 was a product of David’s latter years and not the poem of a young shepherd.  It’s possible that it grew out of the insurrection caused by his wicked son Absalom (2 Sam. 15-19).  David had experienced many difficulties in his long life, yet he saw only God’s goodness and mercy.”

            We can take encouragement from the Word of God that He will guide our steps if we fear the Lord and desire to follow His plan for our lives: “Who is the man who fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the way he should choose (Ps. 25:12).”  We can see from Acts 16:6-10 that the great apostle Paul was not always sure of the next step, but we know that the Lord would guide him.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The following is from “The Joy of Knowing God” and at the end of the first chapter the author has the following “Action to Take:”  “Determine first that you will ask God daily to show you something about Himself, and secondly that you will read some portion of Scripture daily, looking for some truth about Him.  Begin right now.”

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I desire to know God better.

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 32:7-9

            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 that which you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.  9 Do not be as the horse or the mule which have no understanding, whose trappings include bit and bridle to hole them in check, otherwise they will not come near you.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “In Jerusalem”

Today’s Bible Question:  “In Pharaoh’s dream did the fat cattle eat up the lean cattle?”

Answer in tomorrow’s SD.

4/2/2013 12:55 PM

           

             

A Sovereign God (Studies in Proverbs)

SPIRITIUAL DIARY FOR 4/1/2013 9:17 AM

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus:  A Sovereign God

Bible Reading & Meditation                                        Reference:  Studies in Proverbs

            Message of the verses:  We will continue looking at the last chapter in Warren Wiersbe’s commentary on the book of Proverbs by looking at the next aspect of “This Is Our God,” which is His sovereignty. 

A Sovereign God

            Isn’t it wonderful to get up in the morning knowing that the sun will rise as a specific time and will set at a specific time, that the high tides will come in when they are suppose to and go out when they are suppose to.  Things like these happen because of a Sovereign God who is in control of all things.  Dr. A. T. Pierson puts it this way “History is His story,” and because God is sovereign history is His story.  Let us look at Proverbs 16:4 “The LORD works out everything for his own ends—even the wicked for a day of disaster.”  Then we will look at Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.”  An as a Christian believer I can also look at Colossians 1:16, “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-all things have been created through Him and for Him.”  This verse gives me confidence that not only God create all things but is in control of all things.

            In his commentary on this subject of God’s Sovereignty Dr. Wiersbe quotes Charles H. Spurgeon from a sermon that he gave on Feb. 4, 1866 in which he states “No doctrine in the whole Word of God has more excited the hatred of mankind than the truth of the absolute sovereignty of God.  The fact that ‘the Lord reigneth’ is indisputable, and it is this fact that arouses the utmost opposition of the unrenewed human heart.”  I suppose we should ask the question why this statement is true.  One of the things that comes to my mind when I think about this is the theory of evolution and the reason why this comes to my mind is because I believe that Satan is behind evolution and one of the reasons is when a person believes in evolution and not what the Bible reaches about creation they are accountable to no one.  Another thing that I think about goes back to the first sin that mankind every committed and the reason why it was committed.  I believe that Eve though that God was cheating her by holding back something from her, and what that was that He was holding back was telling her about evil.  Once her and Adam sinned everything changed for them and for us too because sin is rebellion against God.  When we sin against God we are saying that He is not in charge and I can do whatever I want to do, I don’t care that He is sovereign.

            God’s sovereignty does not destroy human responsibility and then turn humans into robots as some would say.  “To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the LORD comes the reply of the tongue (Pr. 16:1).”  Proverbs 16:33 states “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.”  Verse nine of Proverbs sixteen:  “A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.”  Dr. Wiersbe writes “God expects us to study, think, weigh possibilities, and make decisions, but we dare not ‘lean on our own understanding’ Pr. 3:5).  God promises to give wisdom to those who ask (James 1:5) and to direct those are willing to obey (Pr. 3:5-6).” 

            I have already mentioned that God is the creator of all things and He is sovereign in nature.  19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth, By understanding He established the heavens. 20 By His knowledge the deeps were broken up And the skies drip with dew (Pr. 3:19-20).”  Pr. 8:22-31 “22 "The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old. 23 “From everlasting I was established, From the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth. 24 “When there were no depths I was brought forth, When there were no springs abounding with water. 25 “Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills I was brought forth; 26 While He had not yet made the earth and the fields, Nor the first dust of the world. 27  "When He established the heavens, I was there, When He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep, 28  When He made firm the skies above, When the springs of the deep became fixed, 29  When He set for the sea its boundary So that the water would not transgress His command, When He marked out the foundations of the earth; 30  Then I was beside Him, as a master workman; And I was daily His delight, Rejoicing always before Him, 31  Rejoicing in the world, His earth, And having my delight in the sons of men.”  Pr. 30:4 “Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name or His son’s name? Surely you know!”  (Sounds a bit like something Job said.) 

            God is also sovereign in history:  “22 So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. 23 “For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ’TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. 24  "The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25  nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; 26  and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27  that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28  for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ’For we also are His children’ (Acts 17:22-28).”  Daniel 4:17, 34-35 “"This sentence is by the decree of the angelic watchers And the decision is a command of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, And bestows it on whom He wishes And sets over it the lowliest of men."  34  "But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom endures from generation to generation. 35  "All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, ’What have You done?’”  Pr. 1:15 “"By me kings reign, And rulers decree justice.”  Pr. 21:1 “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.”  Pr. 21:30 “There is no wisdom or understanding Or counsel against the LORD.”

            Dr. Wiersbe writes “Keep in mind that the God who decrees the end—His purposes—also decrees the means to the end.  If He determines to overthrow Pharaoh and deliver Israel from Egypt, He also decrees that Moses and Aaron go to Egypt to confront Pharaoh.  If He purposes to bring Israel into the Promised Land, He also decrees that Joshua shall be trained to lead them.  If He purposes to win lost souls, He also decrees that a witness will share the Gospel.  ‘And how shall they hear without a preacher?  And how shall they preach unless they are sent?’ (Romans. 10:14-15, NKJV).”

            I have heard from different people that if you truly believe that God is sovereign then why do you go out and witness to the lost if God is going to save them any way.  My answer has always been I do this because the Bible teaches me to do it.  I am truly amazed that God will use me in doing something like telling others about how they can change their eternal address from going to hell to going to heaven.  I truly believe that God does give His children Divine Appointments, as this has happened to me on different occasions. This is the Sovereign Lord accomplishing His will in my life and allowing me to be a part of telling others about how to be saved.  God is on His throne and He controls all things and for that I am glade beyond belief.  Romans 8:28 states “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”  Dr. Wiersbe speaking about our role in telling others about Jesus Christ states “Our task is to obey and share the message; His responsibility is to save those who believe.”

            A part of God’s Sovereignty is knowing what is going on in the world He created, knowing the thoughts of people’s minds, knowing their actions and deeds.  “For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He watches all his paths (Pr. 5:21).”  Proverbs 15:3 “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good.”  Pr. 21:2 “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the hearts.” Pr. 24:12 “If you say, "But we knew nothing about this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?” 

            Dr. Wiersbe concludes this portion of his commentary on the Sovereign God by writing “It’s encouraging to know that ‘the Lord reigns’ (Ps. 93:1) and that His righteous purposes will be fulfilled.  Let’s be sure that we’re walking with Him on the path of life, surrendered to His will and seeking to honor His name.” 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I trust that God is both Sovereign and Just along with being love, and because of this I can trust Him to work in my life so that I can bring honor and glory to my Lord who took my place on the cross. 

My Steps of Faith for Today:   I like the last statement Dr. Wiersbe made for my steps of faith for today:

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 32:7-9

            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 like the horse or the mule which have no understanding, whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, otherwise they will not  come near you.

Answer to Yesterday’s Bible Question:  “Reuben” (Gen. 35:23)

Today’s Bible Question:  “Where were the Levites and Priests required to live during their period of temple services?”

Answer in tomorrow’s SD.

4/1/2013 11:21 AM