Daniel - Study Four

                                              

                                                 Daniel - Study Four

    In the previous three studies of Daniel we saw how God used the great

faith of Daniel and his three Jewish friends to make a believer of the king of

Babylon. This was part of God's long range plan for the universe, which

continues today through prophecy. One of the challenges and roadblocks

for the training of the king was the custom of the day. This was a time when

a king's decree or a man's word was law. Your statement or decision could

not be changed. This was a wonderful ploy for evil people to cause trouble

for anyone they wanted to destroy. When I was young, it was common for

agreements to be "sealed" by a handshake. An honest man's word was his

bond. Nowadays, even written contracts are no guarantee. Over thousands

of years, we've gone from the ridiculous to the ridiculous.

     While Daniel and his friends held high political positions during their captivity,

they were resented by jealous Babylonians and Chaldeans. There is always

jealousy and envy in politics, and in business, too. Everyone wants to have

a superior position and the money that goes with it. The belief that a man's word

was binding has morphed into two political claims. One is that your position on

an issue cannot be changed once you have committed yourself. The exact

opposite is also claimed--if you change your mind for any reason, you are

flip-flopping. Neither position is backed by intelligence and common sense.

    There are many verses in scripture dealing with fools and I will quote just

one. Proverbs 12:15, "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who

heeds counsel is wise." The really tragic part of fools is their neglect to study

the subject and understand the real facts. When their decision is "set in stone",

they create massive problems and disaster. Changing one's mind is prudent

when the facts support it. However, in Daniel we see that a decree cannot be

changed, even by a king.

    Jealous officials convinced Darius (now king)  that he should decree that the

people must petition only the king for 30 days, and not any god or man under

penalty of being placed in the lion's den. See Daniel 6:6-9. Being prideful, as

kings are, it seemed a good thing to the king. While he had replaced

Nebuchadnezzar and it was some 40 years later, the close bond between

Daniel and the previous king was forgotten, and the king was tricked. Daniel

would bow to no man or god except the God in Heaven, and this was forgotten.

    This story relates a miracle and makes for good reading. But the real message

here is much more important. I'll get to that shortly, but we'll continue with Daniel

before I outline "the rest of the story." The king could not change the decree, and he

spent the entire day trying to think of a solution. Then he spent a sleepless night after

sealing Daniel inside the lion’s den by placing the imprint of his ring on the sealed

entrance. Now here is a very mild test for you.

    How do you feel when the king calls out to Daniel and he answers that he is

unharmed? Did you feel similar to a youngster on Christmas morning when he gets

up and rushes to see what Santa brought? If you did, that was a quickening of the

Holy Spirit. If you did, rejoice because it means you have real faith and the Holy

Spirit is working in your life. If you didn't, you need more time and effort in

scripture. The fact that you've read the story before doesn't matter. Many people,

including Christians, probably fail this mild test. The pull of the world interferes

with our spiritual walk.

    The king was overjoyed that Daniel was protected from the lions. Note I said

"protected", not saved. We are saved by Jesus, but protected by God. While the

king obviously had no choice, he did have at least past history and HOPE (which

is a type of faith) that the God in Heaven would pull Daniel through. This showed

the king had at least an idea of the spiritual world and battle that is ongoing

24/7, whether you realize it or not.

    Recognition of the mostly unseen spiritual world is nearly impossible in our

carnal world because so much of our belief is based on science and sight. Remember

the saying, "seeing is believing"? If you can't believe in what you can't physically

see, you will have trouble really believing the virgin birth, Christ's miracles and

the resurrection. Are they wonderful stories or quickening recognition for you?

    I'll leave the explanation about the unseen spiritual world to an expert, the Apostle

Paul, who explained it to the Ephesians. Now, first understand that the spiritual

world is highly organized. Both God and Satan are in this game for keeps. You

don't stand a chance without a well-oiled army. We know Satan never permits his

"soldiers" to sleep. We are familiar with angels God sends to help us. We should understand  that GOD also has a well-trained army and it is on duty 24/7 Check Joshua 5:13-14. "And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, 'Are You for us or for our adversaries?'" "So He said, 'No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.'

 Perhaps you can imagine the vastness of this spiritual battle when you see that

God has a real army with soldiers ranging from privates to general to commander

in chief. This is where the REAL action is. Oh, we have the physical battle here on

earth to observe in places like Afghanistan, but unless we are directly connected

with that war through friends or relatives, we pay little attention. Except for the lack

of action to end that suction cup of American lives and major contributor to our

national debt, that is. Because our people, including churched Christians, do not

make the effort to understand the spiritual is actually more important than what we

see and hear physically, we are contributing to the downfall of the world--not just

America, but the entire world. So, we now go to read what the Apostle Paul told the

Ephesians. Keep in mind, since this is spiritual warfare, the usual equipment we

would have such as armored vests, helmets and such are not visible and we can't

physically feel them.

    Ephesians, 6:10-18. "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of

his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the

wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against

principalities, against the powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,

against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up

the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having

done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put

on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation

of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able

to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and

the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God; praying always with all prayer and

supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to  this end with all perseverance  and

supplication for all the saints--"

    You will need the Holy Spirit to help you understand this, and that includes those of

you who are believers and who also consider yourself saved. If you experience the

presence and assistance of the Holy Spirit, you will be both physically and mentally

affected. Recall scripture passages when angels came to help people, and the

experience left people drained of energy, and, in some cases, prostate. When the

Holy Spirit is indwelling you and moving you in any kind of the Lord's work, it will be

an awesome experience you won't forget. This is as good as it gets.

    I recently had occasion to see a recently saved person actually receive the Holy

Spirit's assistance in learning scripture, and it was very moving. You have no idea

how encouraging experiences such as these are to a teacher of the Word. We praise

God to be able to see some of His handiwork.

Rev. Walbear