Reading:  Daniel 4-6
Posted:  September 22, 2014


King Nebuchadnezzar begins this chapter with a greeting that sounds like it could have been written by one of the disciples in the New Testament.   I find that extraordinary, given that he was a Babylonian (Iraqi) whose people served other gods.  Only after the story begins to unfold do we understand why the king is so moved.   He has recently finished a seven year long lesson that taught him one thing.       God is in charge.

God is in charge of who gets to be the king.
God is in charge of our mental and physical condition.
God is in charge of the future.

Someone who has this much power (and rightly deserves it) should be treated with the respect and dignity due their office.   Since there is no higher authority in all creation, there isn't any praise we can manufacture that would be "too much".   Jesus is due it all.

Nebuchadnezzar makes two near-fatal mistakes:  1.  He begins to believe he is more powerful than he is     2.  He doesn't repent when he is warned that he has sinned.    

You and I may sin in a weak moment.  I hope we don't, but it is possible.   God, in his mercy provides opportunity to repent...even before penalty.  If we are humble of heart, and listening to His voice, we can possibly avoid a much more strict rebuke by quickly repenting.

In Chapter 5 we skip way ahead to the reign of Belshazzar, who was a son or grandson of Nebuchadnezzar.   Almost unbelievably, he hasn't learned some key things from his predecessor.   Even after Nebuchadnezzar's 7 year experience in the fields, Belshazzar remains unmoved by the power of God.  He also sins in two ways:   1.   He uses that which is holy for common use.    2.  He doesn't recognize or give glory to God for what he has.    Just like Nebuchadnezzar, he receives advance notice, however where Nebuchadnezzar had a year to repent, Belshazzar has only a matter of hours.   He doesn't repent, and is killed that very night.   The lesson:  Don't treat sacred things as common.

Several things are holy (that means "set apart") in God's eyes:  Marriage.  Once married, we are set apart and cannot be united to another person.  To do so (adultery)  treats that which is set apart as common, and incurs God's anger.    Our bodies are considered holy, as Christians we are the sanctuary in which God himself dwells.   Treating our bodies abusively (addiction)  is to treat as common that which is holy.   For this reason Christians abstain from pastimes that are addictive and hard on the body.    God's Name is holy, and should only be used for speaking about Him.   To use it otherwise is to treat that which is holy as common.   Sunday is a day dedicated to the Lord.   God repeats over and over again that we should "keep the Sabbath holy".   I find myself working around the church quite often on a Sunday, but there are some things that I don't feel released to do.  For instance:  I don't feel I can mow my grass on a Sunday.   I might be able to justify mowing at the church...but I almost never do.   Whatever you do on Sunday, give some thought to whether or not it glorifies God.    I'm sure there are several more....comment on ones that you can think of.   For instance:  The Bible.  That's holy, don't use it for anything else.

We now skip ahead to the time of Darius, who replaces Belshazzar as king.   Some time has passed since Darius took over.  Enough time to recognize that Daniel is a hard worker, and talented.     I believe Daniel was an older man by this time, perhaps even 80 years of age. Nebuchadnezzar's first year was 604, and the year Belshazzar saw the writing was 539.  That is 65 years.   Given that Daniel was a young man when he was taken into exile, maybe 15 years of age, he would be around 80 now.   His wisdom and his age allow him to respond to Belshazzar's promise of a reward for the interpretation of a dream by saying "give your rewards to someone else".   Daniel already has everything that he needs...he has God at work in his life.   He has seen great and mighty things occur, he has enjoyed power and position in the land of his captivity.   And, before he passes away, he will see the king release the people to travel back to their homeland.   Daniel will not go, probably because of his advanced years.

Daniel in the den of lions is a popular story.  I first saw it illustrated with felt pieces when I was a child in Sunday School.  It sticks in my mind that Daniel was portrayed as a young man, but he really wasn't.     All through his life, Daniel is placed by God in impossible situations.    As in this case, he did nothing wrong, trusted only in God, and yet he is singled out by his peers with evil intent.  

Sometimes God allows these difficult things to happen to us so that His mighty power may be displayed.   Instead of crying out to God, saying "why me, Lord?"  perhaps we should be thinking about what God is planning to do through it.     I am glad that Daniel was thrown into the lion's den.  I'm glad because it moved the heart of Darius, it cleansed the earth of several evil overseers and it was recorded to embolden Christians across the globe for thousands of years.   Who know how many men and women have stood strong in the face of danger, remembering the trial and faithfulness of Daniel?

May we do likewise.

PR