Hear this, all peoples;
Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
Both low and high,
Rich and poor together.
My mouth will speak wisdom,
And the meditation of my heart will be understanding.
I will incline my ear to a proverb;
I will express my riddle on the harp. Psalm 49:1-4
DANIEL: A MODEL GOD HAS PROVIDED
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, chooses Israelite captives to be trained to serve him: ... But Daniel purposed in his heart (made up his mind) that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself ... 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 ... Then at the end of the days which the king had specified for presenting them, the commander of the officials presented them before Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and out of them all ... not one was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s personal service. 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 1:1-20
INSIGHT
Moral courage. It is the resolve to do what is right—even if no one knows. Regardless of the consequences. Even when you are weary. Even when there are extenuating circumstances and when everyone would understand if you “caved in.” Daniel is a man of moral courage. The food he is offered violates the dietary restrictions in the Law of Moses. Note the words: “Daniel purposed in his heart” Daniel 1:8. Then God brings Daniel into favor. He gives him skill; He gives him a healthy glow. When faced with moral challenges, we must do our part ... be obedient from the heart. And then trust God to do His part.
PRAYER
Because God honors our commitment to moral excellence, praise Him with the words of this psalm:
A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.
O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You,
In a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips will praise You. So I will bless You as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness,And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.
When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches,
For You have been my help,And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.
My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.
But those who seek my life to destroy it, Will go into the depths of the earth.
They will be delivered over to the power of the sword; They will be a prey for foxes.
But the king will rejoice in God; Everyone who swears by Him will glory,
For the mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped. Psalm 63:1-11
PAUSE FOR PRAYER AND THANKSGIVING.
Pray this confession to the Lord: And Achan answered Joshua and said,
“Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done . . .” Joshua 7:20
Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths.
Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
On You I wait all the day Psalm 25:4-5
NOW PRAY THIS AFFIRMATION TO THE LORD:
Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid;
“For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation” Isaiah 12:2
As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
-- Greater faithfulness with your talents
-- Your state and local leaders
-- Your activities for the day
FINALLY OFFER THIS CLOSING PRAYER TO THE LORD:
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit Romans 15:13
God Bless you my friends, Bob
THANKS TO: Quiet Walk Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
Thank you for an excellent post, Bob. I often think that if Daniel had not been faithful in the matter of the dietary laws, would he have gone on to be faithful in the matter of not bowing down to the golden image that the king had set up? It would have been so easy to compromise on what man might consider to be a lesser matter. Once we compromise on the "small" things (although in the eyes of God, sin is sin, whatever it is), it is much harder to stand up and be counted when it comes to the major things.
ReplyDeleteLet us pray that we will all be faithful witnesses in these End Times, and not lose our integrity.
By the way, I love the Isaiah Scripture that you chose. In the Hebrew, it says for "my salvation," "Yeshuati." My Yeshua. My Jesus!!! Truly Jesus is everywhere in the OT!
May the Lord bless you!
Shoshi
Moral courage is indeed needed in these troubling times. Amen.
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