Happy Tuesday!! We’re back with part two of our study of Daniel. If you haven’t read the first post then you can read that here. Let’s jump right in.
God will humble the proud
- In the fourth chapter of Daniel, we find King Nebuchadnezzar having yet another dream. Of course, Daniel is the only one who has the ability to interpret the dream. In his dream, Nebuchadnezzar saw a tree that grew to be large and strong. Its fruit was abundant, and it was used for food and shelter. A messenger called for the tree to be cut down, and stripped of its leaves and fruit. Only the stump and its roots would remain in the ground, bound by iron and bronze. The messenger then goes on to say that “he” would think and live as an animal.
- When Daniel heard the dream he was afraid to tell the king of its meaning. Eventually, he explained to Nebuchadnezzar that he was the tree. If he refused to renounce his sins and be kind to the oppressed, he would lose everything that he had.
- Nebuchadnezzar did not heed the warning, and a year later everything was stripped away from him. He had to live among the wild animals and eat grass. After his time spent among the animals, Nebuchadnezzar praised God and acknowledged Him for who He is. He was restored to his throne and became even greater than before.
- Verse 37 says, “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.”
- Think About It: Has God ever had to take something away from you because you were not humble?
You will have a reputation and people will know who you are
- In chapter five of Daniel, we find the new king going through the same thing that Nebuchadnezzar went through. He was arrogant and proud. God sent him a message that the days of his reign were numbered and would be brought to an end. Once again we see that God will humble the proud.
- The thing that stood out to me though in this chapter, was about Daniel and his reputation. Because Daniel was the only one who could interpret the dreams and messages, people knew to call on him when that was needed. I believe that you have a gift or talent, and when used for God’s glory, it will give you a reputation that you would’ve never gotten by yourself.
- I never imagined that anybody would ask me to speak at a program, but because of something that God placed on the inside of me, I had a certain reputation that told people who I was someone they could call on.
- Think About It: What kind of reputation do you have?
There are gifts, talents, and ideas that God will give you that will set you apart (be distinguished!)
- In this chapter, we have yet another king, King Darius. At the beginning of the chapter, we see Daniel appointed as a satrap administrator. Daniel was so distinguished by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. Do your qualities set you apart from the world? Or do you look the same as everyone else?
- We see that being distinguished brings promotion, but it also brings some haters (sorry!). Verse 4 says, “At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.” Daniel’s reputation was so good that even when people tried to find things to shed a negative light on him, they couldn’t. Following God and living life according to His will doesn’t mean that people won’t rise up against you. It does, however, mean that you don’t have to worry about that. Like we found in the first three chapters, God will fight on your behalf and He will take care of your enemies for you.
Opposition shouldn’t change who you are
- The administrators and the satraps knew that the only thing they could use to stop Daniel was his faith. So they went to the king and told him to issue a decree that for thirty days, no one should pray to any god or human except for thing king. If they did, they would be thrown into the lion’s den.
- When Daniel learned of the decree, he went home and prayed three times a day, JUST AS HE HAD DONE BEFORE. Opposition did not change you Daniel was or what he did. He continued to pray, he continued to give God thanks, and he continued to ask God for help and direction. A lot of us face opposition or go through problems and immediately give up on everything that we had done before. Opposition should not change who you are!
- When the king was told that Daniel still prays to his God, He was determined to try to rescue Daniel. If that doesn’t make you shout, I don’t know what will. Verse 14 says, “When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.” When you are obedient and steadfast in your faith, people who should be against you will want to help you!
Your trials will bring God glory
- In chapter three we saw how the three young men being thrown into the fiery furnace brought God glory. In this chapter, we see that Daniel being thrown into the lion’s den brought God glory.
- The king gave the order for Daniel to be thrown into the den. Before he sealed the den, the king told Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you.” The next morning, the king came to the den to see if God had rescued Daniel, and He did. He shut the mouths of the lions, and Daniel was not hurt.
- The king was happy for Daniel. He issued a decree that everyone must fear and reverence Daniel’s God.
- Your test and testimony will bring God glory!
Thank you for doing this bible study with me! I really encourage you to read these next three chapters on your own and see what speaks to you. If something other than what I’ve said stands out, please comment it down below!
My prayer for you today is that the gifts, talents, and abilities that God has placed on the inside of you will give you a reputation. You will have a reputation as someone who loves God, knows God, and serves God. I also pray that those same gifts, talents, and abilities will set you apart and you will be distinguished among your peers. It it my prayer that even when opposition comes against you, it doesn’t affect your faith or change who you are.
As always I want to thank God for using me as His messenger. You are loved and worthy. You mean something to me and you mean something to God. He has a great plan for your life if you make the decision to follow Him. I hope that this post will resonate with you in your day-to-day life as you began to work on the things that are stopping you from living your best life.