MUCH to be THANKFUL for including Friends like all of you. Most of all for Christ.
BEST to you and yours.
Samuel D. High
sdhigh@aristotle.net
-----Original Message-----
From: Apostle Tom <pressingon@hotmail.com>
Sent: Tue, 25 Nov 2008 19:20:39 -0600
To: <pressingon@hotmail.com>
Subject: Morning Manna (Nov. 26); BP: Dan. 5:10-31; RBTTY: I Pet. 3; Ez.
November 26 “Courage Under Fire”
“Then Daniel answered and said before the king, ‘Let your gifts be to yourself—and give your rewards to another; yet, will I read the writing unto the king and make known to him the interpretation’.”
Daniel 5:17
Faithfulness is never dependent upon rewards or repercussions.
Daniel, whose name means “God is my Judge,” is best known for his hours spent in the lions’ den (Dan. 6:16-24). Even now, small children’s eyes light up when the story is told of how the Lord God shut the lions’ mouths (v.22) and kept him safe during the night.
We also knows the reason Darius, the king of the Medes, threw the young Jewish lad into the lions’ lair. It was because of his faithfulness in praying to the God of Abraham three days each day, even though the king had decreed such actions were illegal (vv.10-15).
But, we should not be surprised that the same God Who delivered Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego from the fiery furnace (3:1-25) would also deliver Daniel in his hour of need. How wonderful to serve a sparrow-watching God Who knows our needs and has promised to supply them (Phil. 4:19).
Today’s Manna occurred during the last day’s reign of Belshazzar, the final Neo-Babylonian king. His grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar, ruled from 605 B.C.-562 B.C., and was responsible for capturing Jerusalem and destroying the Temple in 586 B.C. He also carried the Jews back to Babylon, where they served in captivity for 70 years.
Belshazzar was an immoral king, given to sensual pleasures and drunkenness. While hosting a night of revelry with wives, concubines and 1,000 of his lords of nobles (v.1), he suddenly saw the fingers of a hand writing on the wall (v.5). Immediately, “his countenance was changed and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed and his knees smote one against another” (v.6).
After offering a magnificent reward to his astrologers, soothsayers and magicians to interpret the words on the wall, he discovered that none of them could (vv.7-8). At this point, his wife mentioned to him about Daniel’s ability to interpret dreams and Belshazzar immediately summoned him (vv.10-13). The frightened king begged him to interpret the message and promised to reward him handsomely (vv.14-16).
It was at this point that Daniel uttered today’s Manna, while refusing the king’s reward and insuring that the God of Abraham would be glorified in the interpretation (vv.17-18a). The faithful Hebrew servant then reminded Belshazzar of his grandfather’s sins and ultimate demise (vv.18b-21) and pointedly told the ungodly king that he’d acted just like Nebuchadnezzar (vv.22-23).
Daniel then interpreted the “handwriting on the wall” and told the king that he was a goner (vv.24-28). Interestingly, the king still gave the reward to the faithful Jewish servant (v.29), even though he’d be killed later that night and replaced by Darius, the king of the Medes (vv.30-31). May the Holy Spirit help us today to also be courageous and faithful in all we say and do.
No comments:
Post a Comment