The Book of Daniel (Chapters 1-2a)

 We are now in the book of Daniel. There is a lot more to the Daniel story than"the lion's den". The timeframe is pretty much the same as the book of Ezekiel which we just finished. Daniel was one of the young men who was taken from Jerusalem when the Babylonians first attacked the city and plundered it. Three of his friends were also captured with him. We know them by their Babylonian names, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, was a very prideful, and eccentric man. He would shower someone with praises and honor one minute, then have them and their families executed the next. It is important for us to know that he was feared not only by his enemies, but also by his friends and all the people in Babylon.

Chapter 1 begins: Nebuchadnezzar ordered his chief of staff to bring some of the young men who had been captured in Jerusalem to him. He wanted only the strongest, healthiest, good-looking, smartest, and wisest young men to be brought to the palace. "Train the young men in the language and the literature of Babylonia for three years. Give them the same food to eat that is served by the royal kitchen. Then I will select a handful of these men to serve as my royal advisors." Nebuchadnezzar ordered.

Daniel and his three friends were some of the young men selected for the king's program. Their names were changed to Babylonian names and they were stripped of their Jewish identity. When mealtime came around, all the other young men were more than happy to indulge in the amazing spread of food and wine that was laid out before them. But Daniel and his buddies knew that this kind of food was not acceptable to eat by Jewish law (which God stated way back in the book of Deuteronomy).

So rather than defile themselves, Daniel called over the chief of staff and asked for permission NOT to eat the unacceptable food. The chief of staff had gained respect for Daniel, but he responded in fear of the king. "The king has ordered that you eat this food. If you become pale and weak, he will have me beheaded!" Daniel was wise and responded with grace. "Test me and my three friends for ten days by giving us only vegetables and water. Then you can observe our condition and make your decision." So the chief of staff agreed.

It would have been so easy for Daniel and his three friends to indulge in the king's food. After all it was just food. But Daniel knew that honoring God begins with little things. He knew all too well about the story of Adam and Eve and the forbidden "food" in the garden. Doesn't the devil test us in "little things" all the time?  He knows that once we start bending away from God just a little bit, eventually we will fall completely away. We are tempted all the time. But just like Daniel, we have to already have "purposed in our hearts" not to stray. In other words, plan ahead of time not to give in, and not when temptation strikes.

After ten days, the chief of staff looked over all the young men. He was particularly interested in Daniel, Meshach, Shadrach, and Abed-Nego. They were healthier and looked better nourished than all the other young men who had been dining on the king's food. Their minds were also sharper! So for the three-year training period, Daniel and his friends ate vegetables and drank water. They didn't have to defile themselves by eating the king's food and then they were brought before Nebuchadnezzar. Out of all the young captives that were trained, none impressed the king as much as Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego. So they became advisors to the king. And they did a fantastic job.

One night Nebuchadnezzar had a troubling dream. He didn't know what it meant, so he brought in his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers and demanded that they tell him what his dream was, and what it meant. "Tell us what the dream was, and we will tell you what it means." One of the enchanters spoke up nervously. But Nebuchadnezzar got angry and said that anyone could make up a story to fit his dream, but telling him what he dreamt, now that would take special knowledge.

The king got so fed up with all their stalling techniques, that he ordered all his magicians, enchanters, astrologers, sorcerers and, advisors to be killed at once. As advisors to the king, Daniel and his three friends were on the execution list. When the commander of the king's army showed up at Daniel's door to kill him, Daniel politely and respectfully asked him why. The commander explained, and Daniel asked for a meeting with the king to tell the king what his dream meant. Daniel asked the king for time to seek God. He immediately went to the home of his friends and asked them to pray that God would reveal the king's dream to him and the secret of what it meant.

Daniel knew that only God alone could reveal this to him. He also knew that God worked in the king's heart to give him some time. After all, the king was ready to kill his magicians and enchanters on the spot. Are there times when you need wisdom? or knowledge? In James 1:5 it says "If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking". If you are facing a situation remember these two things, 1. God is working in hearts and behind the scenes. 2. God will give you the wisdom you need to make a Godly decision.

 Next time we will find out Nebuchadnezzar's dream and what it meant.

Ezekiel :1-11 Strange behavior Pt 2

 In part 1 of these chapters, we saw Ezekiel confronted by a strange being that he now realizes was God. He was given instructions on a scroll. Then he ate the scroll. He went to Israel and tied himself up in his house. God closed his mouth so Ezekiel could not speak until God allowed him to say "Those with ears, let them hear." Ezekiel built a small replica of Jerusalem and attacked it like a child playing war with their toys. Then we saw Ezekiel cut of all his hair and put it in three piles. He burned one pile, struck another with a sword and toss the last pile into the wind. All these things that were done by Ezekiel were direct orders from God. They were signs of judgement on Israel. But God was not through with these strange requests. We will look at the rest of these 11 chapters and what else God had in store for Israel through Ezekiel's actions.

God had Ezekiel lay on his left side while he was tied up for 390 days! Then on his right side for another 40 days! Each day of the 390 was to represent one year that Israel had turned it's back on God. Similarly, each of the 40 days was to represent the years that Judah turned from God. Although he was tied up, Ezekiels right arm was free and outstretched as a symbol of God's mighty arm of judgement. God gave Ezekiel a bread recipe that he would eat during this time. It would amount to almost exactly 8 ounces of bread per day. The water measurement 

would be equal to about a pint, barely enough to keep a man alive! As a symbolic sign of what was to come for the Jews.
Food would be so scarce. men could barely survive. Finally God had Ezekiel bake this bread, using animal poop as fuel for the fire. Ezekiel was not happy about it, but it symbolized the misery that would accompany Israel during the siege. God explained to Ezekiel each point of this strange request so that Ezekiel could relay the warning to the people. Ezekiel was a good and faithful servant. He did as God requested, knowing full well, because God told him so, that the Israelites would not listen. 

  That is a great lesson for us. God desires faithfulness from us. When He wants us to do something, we are not to weigh the pros and cons. We should't do it with a great expectation of amazing results. God knows what He is doing. If He asks us to do something..... just do it and leave the results up to Him. Example: God wants me to tell that kid over there that He loves him and Jesus died for him. I think to myself, "That kid is bigger than me. I don't want to. He probably won't listen anyway. He is kind of a bully, so I'm not sure if God really wants me to say that to him." Don't call a committee meeting in your head to determine "if you should" Just know that God is good, and do what He wants. It frees us from all the internal debate. And if you don't get a positive response.... it's OK God has got this!

In Chapter 8, God brings Ezekiel to Jerusalem in a vision. He is virtually escorted to God's temple there in the holy city, however it is not good. Ezekiel sees a large statue, an idol sitting just outside the temple doors. And he see the elders of the church worshipping this idol outside the temple and inside the temple! Remember when Moses came down with the Ten Commandments and the people were worshipping a golden calf? Well here they are again. Not only that, but the women of Israel are worshipping another idol near the temple wall. God doesn't like it and, with a sad heart, He shows Ezekiel. Finally the vision ends with the cloud of God's glorious throne chariot drifting out of the temple and going east.... toward Babylon! Remember last time Ezekiel wondered why God's glory was there with him in Babylon and not in His temple? Well now we know. God answered Ezekiel's question with this vision.

So why did God have Ezekiel do all this? God new the Israelites wouldn't listen, but maybe, just maybe, He knew that we would be reading about this. We would see how the prophesies revealed to and through Ezekiel would come to pass. And that through this story, our faith would be strengthened as we get to know God and His infinite power, wisdom, mercy and grace just a little bit better.

Intro to Isaiah and chapters 1-6

The book of Isaiah was written by the prophet Isaiah. He ministered in Israel and Judah. After Israel was taken over by the Assyrians, he continued to minister only in Judah. He was the prophet during the reign of 4 different kings. 

The name Isaiah means Salvation of the Lord. It is a perfect name for him, because as you will see, He speaks a lot about Jesus, even though Jesus wouldn't even be born for another 700 years. 

The book of Isaiah and the book of Jeremiah are the two longest books in the bible. He has a lot to say about the poor and the people who are being controlled by evil judges and the government. He also talks a lot about the holiness of God. Do you know what the word holy means? It means set apart. So God is set apart from any other idol that the people worshipped. He is the only true God. When He asks us to be holy, just as He is holy, (1 Peter 1:16) He wants us to be set apart for Him. To obey Him and trust Him and not act like everyone else.

Isaiah was a faithful and bold prophet of God. He spoke very specifically about Jesus, the coming Messiah and about His justice, His promises to Israel, His life and death, and His majesty. Isaiah also told of God’s judgment on The Israelites as they continued to turn from Him. However, Isaiah understood not only God’s judgment but also His salvation, mercy, grace, and compassion. He told of these things and confirmed God’s promise that His people would not be completely destroyed.

In Chapter 2, Isaiah tells the Israelites how He chose them and had a perfect plan for them, but that they turned from Him and worshipped idols. God mentions how prideful the Israelites were 10 times in this chapter, so pride is one of their main sins. God says that he "Opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (1 Peter 5:5) He warned the people through Isaiah that judgement for their acts of prideful disobedience was coming. 

Chapter 3 is more about judgement, specifically Jerusalem. And how God himself will make sure that they have no food and water. This may seem a bit harsh, but when we turn from God, He will "take away" anything that will keep us from Him. The Israelites were so self reliant, that they thought they didn't need God anymore. We can get that way sometimes. When we get comfortable because we live in a house, we have clothes to wear and food everyday, we can think to ourselves. "I'm doing pretty good on my own." 

In Chapter 4 God, speaking through Isaiah, Gives hope to the Israelite survivors. He mentions the "Branch of the Lord", which means Jesus. Jesus is the Great Hope. He ends chapter four saying that He will be a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain. "He is our refuge and our shelter" (Psalm 92:1)

Chapter 5 begins with a story about a vineyard. The vineyard is Israel, and Isaiah tells how God cleared a way for the Israelites. Then they turned from Him. God is reminding the people that He chose them and He worked everything together for their sake. But now He tells of more judgement because they turned from Him. 

Chapter 6 takes a turn and Isaiah tells about a day when he saw the Lord sitting on a throne. H was surrounded by angels who kept praising God saying "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord of hosts. The earth is full of your glory!" The earth shook and Isaiah trembled. "I am not worthy to even be here here! I am a sinner! How can I, a man of unclean lips be here before the King of Kings?" Then one of the angels took a hot coal and touched it to Isaiah's lips and declared him cleansed of his sins. Then God asked Isaiah, "who shall I send to the kings with my message?" Isaiah responded. "Send me Lord!". God wants to use us.  Timothy 2:21 says if we are cleansed from our sins and keep ourselves pure, then we can be useful tools in His hands. Wouldn't that be amazing to be used by God! 

Next Time, Isaiah goes before the kings.