Daniel’s Devotion (Part 4)

Hello Friends!

Welcome Back! Let’s continue our study of “Daniel’s Devotion” from God’s Word…

Daniel’s Devotion (Part 4)

This fifth chapter of Daniel's prophecy is not only a prophetic passage of great importance but also a chapter that has a very important historic significance as well. The King of Babylon, at the time of chapter 5 is Belshazzar who most likely was the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar. King Nebuchadnezzar had died and Belshazzar came to power over this world empire near the time of the end of this great Gentile world power.

The King had invited 1,000 of his "lords" to a banquet, which actually turned into the "last hoorah" for King Belshazzar:

Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand – Daniel 5:1

Though the Medes and the Persians had been threatening to overthrow the Babylonians, the King felt secure inside the walls of this supposedly "impregnable city" with its double high walls surrounding the city, a city that had never been defeated.

During the course of the evening the King called for the "Temple vessels" that his grandfather had brought out of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem to Babylon. The King had his servants fill these "special vessels" with wine and made them available to the King's guest. This was a very bad mistake:

While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of the house of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone – Daniel 5:2-4

It was while the drunken party was going on that the Medes came from the North and the Persians from the South and damned up the water entering the city under its Northern wall and exiting under its Southern wall. That gave Babylon's enemies a dry tunnel under the walls to enter the city. This was the method by which the "impregnable city" was entered by its major enemies at that time. The Babylonian Empire was brought down by the Medo-Persian Empire – the second of the Gentile world powers to rule over Jerusalem and the Jewish people.

This passage is describing the fall of the Babylonian Empire but does not mention that the city of Babylon was destroyed. The city of Babylon has never been totally destroyed. However, Bible prophecy seems to say this will happen in the last days.

Ancient Jewish Prophets say that Babylon must be totally destroyed and never be rebuilt:

Isaiah chapters 13 & 14

Jeremiah chapters 50 & 51

Revelation chapters 16 & 18

Seventy-five years after the fall of the Babylonian Empire, Ezra lived in Babylon:

This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the Lord his God upon him… For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him – Ezra 7:6 & 9

Secular history tells us that Alexander the Great ruled the world from his headquarters in Babylon, 200 years after the fall of the Babylonian Empire. The Apostle Peter started a church in Babylon 500 years after the fall of the Empire:

She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does Mark my son – 1 Peter 5:13

One day in the future, Babylon will be totally destroyed.

The other thought that I have is pertaining to the use of the "implements" from the Temple. Because the Babylonians desecrated the Temple and it's implements…

But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified. Then the fingers of the hand were sent from Him, and this writing was written. “And this is the inscription that was written:

MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.

This is the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a chain of gold around his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom – Daniel 5:22-29

God brought judgment to King “Belshazzar” and “Darius the Mede received the kingdom”:

That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old – Daniel 5:30-31

God will also bring His eternal judgment on Babylon:

The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, the vengeance of his temple – Jeremiah 50:28

Make the arrows bright! Gather the shields! The Lord has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes. For His plan is against Babylon to destroy it, because it is the vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance for His temple – Jeremiah 51:11

Biblical Babylon is the modern-day state of Iraq, where the Antichrist may be headquartered and will rule over a "one world" political, governmental, economic system in the last days. The rebuilding of war-torn Iraq is setting the stage for Bible Prophecy to be fulfilled…

Thank you for reading! Don’t miss next week’s continued investigation of Daniel’s Devotion…

May the Lord Jesus Christ continue to bless you with His perfect love, mercy and grace!

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!

Blessings!

Shane <><

Faith of a Child

Matthew 18: 2-5

He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

One of my neighbor’s has a daughter with a rare-neuromuscular disorder called Dystonia.  Bre is 13 years old and loves Jesus with all of her heart.  Earlier this week, her mom shared a story that I wanted to share for today’s devotion.

“We went out to dinner with our friends and Bre was adamant about getting the waitresses attention to meet her. She tried several times, ignoring my gestures to wait until the very sweet waitress had a free minute (or more). She finally built up enough breath support to loudly say to the waitress, "I have a question." She came over to Bre and knelt down. Bre, of course started out with the usual questions, but then quickly added, "Do you believe in Jesus?". The new friend said with hesitation, "Not really." Bre didn't skip a beat to tell her that the hug she was getting is not only from Bre herself but from Jesus and He loves her. The tears started flowing. Bre continued to tell her that Bre is his helper and that He is for real. Our new friend was crying so hard that I gave her a hug. She let me know that she has been going through a very hard time and that doubt has settled in about God, but that she has been thinking about Him a lot lately. I told her that everything happens for a reason and Bre is just reassuring her that He is with her and things will be ok. Sometimes I am numb to Bre's work in meeting new friends because it happens all the time, but this moment has taught me to be more patient and that this is her job. Please pray that our new friend finds her way and her struggles are less of a burden.

As a parent we all worry about what our children will do in their lifetime, whether they are special needs or typical. I honestly believe that Breanna has already found her calling.”

My prayer today is that you too will have the faith of a child, undoubting, unwavering, pure faith.

Thurs Devo - God's Presence Felt

God is always available. He is always there. We may not always feel His presence, though. It usually means we aren’t living in total surrender and obedience to Him. He wants to dwell among us, but He can’t be in the presence of sin. He has given us instructions in His Word so that we can enjoy His presence.

When God setup the Israelite priesthood and ordained Aaron and his sons, He gave them specific instructions to follow in order for Him to dwell among them. The tedious and repetitive tasks were to also remind them of their rightful place before a holy God. After completing His instructions for the week long ordination process, God promised to bless them. The priests and the rest of the Israelites would experience God’s glory and His presence!   

Leviticus 9:6        ⁶ Then Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded you to do, so that the glory of the Lord may appear to you.”

After Moses and Aaron did just as God commanded, then they were able to receive and give His blessing and see and feel His presence!
Leviticus 9:22-24               ²² Then Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them. And having sacrificed the sin offering, the burnt offering and the fellowship offering, he stepped down. ²³ Moses and Aaron then went into the tent of meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. ²⁴ Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.

Just this past week my family felt God’s overwhelming presence as He directed us through a very sad and hurtful situation with some fellow believers. There’s been joy in the midst of the hurt, as we’ve seen God amazingly answer prayers for direction! Sometimes the answer came through added hurt, but God worked good out of it by using those circumstances to make it very clear what we’re to do! Even with the pain, there’s no greater joy than feeling God’s presence. As we’ve followed His lead one step at a time, He’s given clear confirmation over and over again, overwhelming us with His Presence!

How have you seen and felt God’s presence as you live to obey Him?

What blessings has God given to you and me as we obediently live out His commands and do the work He’s instructed us to do?

God’s Presence can be felt!

Overflowing Hope

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Romans 15:13

One of my favorite pastimes is watching the State of the Union address.  You see my family is deeply rooted in politics.  My mother worked heavily in government, and instilled in me both a high level of civic education and a heavy dose of political discussions.  So this has always been a big thing.  Over the years, it has lost a lot of its luster because of the numerous ideas laid out by each President’s agenda rarely ever comes to be reality.  Yet for one night, there is a moment of sincere optimism.  There is dare I say, hope that things will be better in the days to come.  As a follower of Christ, I always have the hope that I serve Him better and for better days to come. 

When we have true belief in God, we are filled with eternal hope.  Before I get into hope, I feel the need to define it better because I struggle distinguishing between hope and faith.  Faith is that which you have certainty of or as the latter portion of Hebrews 11:1 says, “Assurance about what we do not see.”  Hope focuses on the ideal situation or as the definition states, “what is wanted that can be had.”  In using these terms with Christ in mind, we have faith both in Christ as Lord and in our salvation declaring Him Lord over our life, and we have hope that the life we live both righteously and enthusiastically follows Him.  I often refer to a song We Fall Down because that describes what Christ’s hope in us is all about.  The chorus says, “We fall down, but we get up for a saint is but a sinner who fell down and got up.”  Hope says that no matter how far you have fallen and times you have failed, Christ loves and believes in you the one day you will be the person He envisioned.

We should always have hope because Jesus has hope in all of us.  From the story of Peter who denied Him to Paul who persecuted His believers, He always gives us another opportunity to follow Him.  Along those lines, we too should follow His example and have hope not only for God’s favor but also for other to be followers of Christ as well.  Who in your life can you instill hope in?  How can you trust God more to have greater hope?  My prayer is that our spirit overflows with hope.  Amen.

Tues Devo: Self-made....?

Genesis 22:7-14 “Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is thelamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together. Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.”” (NASB)

Hello,

One day last week I was driving and this car passed me with a large window sticker in the back that read “Self Made” in a very elaborate font. I chuckled, then looked down at his license plate and it was personalized to simply read “SELF”. Caused me to think a lot. We like to pick on the younger generation for not having a great work ethic, or being willing to work as hard as those who came before. So, from one angle……someone took pride in their efforts to work hard and saw results. I like that they are potentially proud of their work ethic, and drive to see results toward a goal. But, this just doesn’t justify the mentality of “self-made”.

Should we work hard? Yes.

Should we strive for best results? Yes.

But we must not forget the source. God is THE source. He is the source of all of the following (and more - pardon the partial list J ): Opportunity, connections, strength, skill, ability, foresight, friendships, wealth. So yes, we must choose to take the opportunities in front of us – but who provided them? Yes, we must work hard – but who gives the strength when things are challenging and the friends to encourage us to keep pushing?  

Self-made? Nope….not at all, I am 100% God-Made. Now I must always remember this to keep from pride, and as a witness to those who watch my life.

Oh yes, one more thing….even if the material part is not there by measurements of others – that does not diminish the fact that I am God-made. You see, we must not merely measure the material – but more importantly measure the character. Love, kindness, peace, gentleness, self-control, purity – the strength and motivation for these are also from God – and the evaluation of who we are in the use of these character items far outweighs the material.

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill

Daniel’s Devotion (Part 3)

Hello Friends!

Welcome Back! Let’s continue our study of “Daniel’s Devotion” from God’s Word…

Daniel’s Devotion (Part 3)

This chapter in the book of prophecy written by Daniel is not a prophetic passage. However, it is very practical and is one of the three very practical passages in Daniel in which we will consider in future devotional studies.

It is interesting to note that Daniel is not mentioned here in chapter 3 and there is not a definite reason that we can point to scripturally on the subject. There have been suggestions that Daniel may have been traveling during this time.

To begin with, Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, had an "image of gold " erected in Babylon, most likely an "image of a man" – himself – that was “sixty cubits” (ninety feet tall) and “six cubits” (nine feet wide) at its base:

Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon – Daniel 3:1

Nebuchadnezzar's wise counselors set a trap for the three Hebrew companions of Daniel – Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah – which are their godly Hebrew names. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are the Chaldean names for these three Hebrew boys. The trap for these three men was the royal order for everyone to bow to the "image of gold " when they heard the “sound of the horn, flute, harp, and lyre, in symphony with all kinds of music” the sound of music. Failure to bow would be met with the punishment:

and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace – Daniel 3:6

The three Hebrew boys refused to bow and when brought before Nebuchadnezzar they told the King:

If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king – Daniel 3:17

That assurance was a real blessing for the three, as it is for us today, an assurance that He can deliver us from any "fiery trial". However, look at the next verse

But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up – Daniel 3:18

If God decides not to deliver us, the boys said "we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image". That is the attitude often missing today. Often we want God to be "Johnny on the spot" to take care of us on our time-table. I love that phrase – "But if not". What God decides is best, whether I think so or not!

These three boys did not "worship" and they were thrown into the furnace where they did not "burn". They not only did not burn, even the smell of smoke was not upon their bodies nor their clothing:

And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them – Daniel 3:27

When the Lord does something, He does it right! It was Jesus Christ in a "pre-incarnate" appearance that came to rescue the three Hebrew boys:

“Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God” – Daniel 3:25

This is a great story that ended with the three Hebrew boys being promoted in the Babylonian Kingdom:

Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon – Daniel 3:30

Though this is not actually a prophetic passage, it does have a prophetic spiritual application. In the last days God will protect the Jewish people from the "fiery Tribulation" – a period of time known as "Jacob's trouble" – that seems to be coming very soon.

Remember: The Lord will preserve the Jewish people and has a special plan for them in the future!

Thank you for reading! Don’t miss next week’s continued investigation of Daniel’s Devotion…

May the Lord Jesus Christ continue to bless you with His perfect love, mercy and grace!

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!

Blessings!

Shane <><

Thursday Devotional - Love and Rebuke

Have you ever both rebuked and loved a person in the same moment? I’m guessing many parents can answer “yes” to this question!

A truly godly and loving parent will instruct their child in the ways of God, knowing it’s best for them. As loving brothers and sisters in Christ, we too should desire the best for each other. Most of us don’t like conflict, but if we truly love others, we will humbly share with them God’s standards.

Last week, I gave an overview lecture of 20 chapters in Leviticus to a Bible study class and the following verses were some of the ones that jumped out at me.

Leviticus 19:17-18       ¹⁷ “‘Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt. ¹⁸ “‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.

This is our Holy God talking! He said to both rebuke and love our neighbor in two sentences back to back. They fit together. If we love our neighbor we won’t hate them or seek revenge. If we humbly approach our neighbor with the sincere and honest truth (frankness), then it’s less likely their sin will lead us to a hateful and revengeful heart attitude. Plus, if they rightly respond to the rebuke, we will help them turn from their sin and toward God. They will then enjoy a reconciled relationship with God, us, and others.

Jesus reiterated this in one of his teachings in the book of Matthew.

Matthew 18:15-17      ¹⁵ “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. ¹⁶ But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ ¹⁷ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.  

Who have you and I avoided rebuking or confronting?

Will you pray for boldness and humility and then approach them with loving sincerity?

How will you and I be open to receiving rebuke?

Will you and I be thankful for their love and concern for us and listen and respond appropriately?

Alice

Work In Progress

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.  Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.  From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.  Ephesians 4:14-16

My journey of faith started right here doing devotions over ten years ago.  I have grown so much in the decade that has passed since, and yet, I feel like I am still a work in progress.  My growth moves me to be better and closer each day to the God who showed me grace and to the people who despite my flaws have shown me love that only God supersedes.  I write devotions with the hope of helping others find purpose for what God has in store for them for each day that we focus on Christ is a step of growth in the right direction.

Spiritual growth is a continual process that is aided by knowledge in His word and use of one’s gifts. One area that I have grown immensely in is sharing my faith.  With greater knowledge in the truth of His word and understanding the gifts God has given me, I have realized that I am far better at discussing faith with someone I have first gotten to know.  If I try a different approach, it does not come across as authentic or worded differently, with Godly intent.  We all grow in different ways.  Some as my pastor said the other day are best diving in to learn how to swim.  Others learn best from someone knowledgeable or applying life experiences.  Our goal is to be knowledgeable in what God expects from us so that we operate continually with ‘Godly intent.’

Growth is not meant to be easy for as Jesus said, “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:14)  In trying to grow, we will fall sometimes, but the greatest growth often comes from our failures.  One of the last things my father told me was, “Keep your hands on the plow.”  It meant keep working at it.  Don’t give up.  Keep pushing. This is how we both grow and become the mature body of Christ.  How can you grow your spiritual gifts?  What greater knowledge can you obtain to further your spiritual growth?  My prayer is that we realize that we are continually a work in progress.  Amen.

Tues Devo: Precise anger

John 2:13-16 “The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.”” (NASB)

Hello,

In studying this chapter last week I noticed something that had previously I had overlooked. In the past I pictured Jesus going into beast mode and just destroying those things left and right. But as I paid more attention I saw the precision with which he acted. He wasn’t upset at the goods being sold – just where this is happening. While He drives out the animals and flips over the table – those things can be re-gathered and handled properly in the right spot. This is most noticeable by His handling of the doves – he doesn’t set them free, but just told the people to take them out.

This got me thinking – how often are we upset at the wrong things? Or how often have we started being angry about the right thing – but let than anger take over such that we are angry at everything in our path.

There are proper things to be angry and upset about – but with that we must keep our head and be precise in how/where that anger comes out.

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill