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My Meditations on Today’s Readings
(Ellipses are mine
and are used for contemplation.)
Key Words /
Phrases: I have heard that you; he knelt down, prayed and gave thanks
to His God as was his custom since early days; give interpretations, explain
enigmas, interpret dreams, until he knew that God rules, whomever He chooses,
jealousy envy, consulted together, for His mercy endures forever (x 17),
secretly bring in destructions, heresies, condemn, exploit, covet, corrupt
Judgment and Mercy: Weighed
and Found Wanting / Weighed and Found Righteous – Daniel 5 and 6 – (Facts: What It Says – Summarized) The Writing on the Wall: Nebuchadnezzar is dead and his hard earned
lessons of knowing God with him. His son
Belshazzar is now king of Babylon and giving a feast. He orders the sacred vessels taken from God’s
house during the Judean captivity to be brought to the feast. He and his guests drink wine from the
holy vessels as they “give praise to the
gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.” In the same hour…"a man’s hand"writes on the
wall near a lampstand in the palace where the once arrogant, profane king can
see and now trembles: “MENE, MENE,
TEKEL, UPHARSIN.” The Interpretation: The king becomes distraught
when none of his wise men, astrologers, or soothsayers can interpret the
dream. The queen reminds him of the man
of God, Daniel, who was honored by the king’s father for his wisdom and
interpretations of dreams and visions.
Daniel is called in, reminds the king of the humbling and exalting of
King Nebruchanezzar by God, accuses King Belshazzar of not humbling himself,
for praising idols rather than God, of profaning God’s holy things, of not
remembering what happened to his father the king and the wisdom of God his
father finally learned. Daniel then
gives the interpretation of the writing on the wall. MENE, MENE: “God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it.” TEKEL: “You have been weighed in the
balances and found wanting.” UPHARSIN (PERES): “Your
kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” Result: “That
very night Belshazzar the king was slain and Dairius, the Mede, received the
kingdom, at the age of about 62.” King Darius Honors Daniel: Daniel is named one of
3 governors over the Babylonian kingdom.
“Daniel distinguished himself
above the other 2 governors…because…an excellent spirit was in him.” Jealousy / Envy /
Plotting: Human nature has never
changed through the centuries. The other
satraps and governors plotted together to bring Daniel down from his exalted
place. They could find no fault with
him, so they entrapped him and the king by getting the king to agree to throw
anyone into the lion’s den who petitions another god or king for 30 days. Of
course, the men had been spying on Daniel and knew “he knelt down on his knees…prayed
and gave thanks before His God…as was his custom…since early days.”
They informed on Daniel; the king asked
Daniel the truth, and Daniel readily admitted his daily worship of God. The king sought to deliver Daniel and “was greatly displeased within himself” for
having been the cause of Daniel’s demise.
David is thrown in the den with the lions while the king spends a
sleepless night fasting. When the king
rushes the next morning to see if Daniel’s God has saved him, Daniel says, “O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions’
mouths, so that they have not hurt
me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have
done no wrong before you.” The Tables are
Turned: Those who accused Daniel
were themselves thrown into the lions’ den together with their wives and
children. All were killed. The king made a decree that all in his realm
must worship the “living God of
Daniel…Who is steadfast forever…Whose kingdom shall never be destroyed…Whose
dominion shall endure to the end…Who delivers…and rescues…who works signs…and
wonders in heaven and earth...and who delivered Daniel from the power of the
lions.” Principle: This is the power of God’s Spirit in one man to
move the hearts of a nation and a king to belief in God – whether for
destruction in judgment or honor in righteousness.
His Mercy Endures
Forever – Psalm 136: 10-26 – (Facts:
What It Says – Summarized) Remembering Our
History With God: The Psalmist
recounts the merciful intervention of God's saving hand in the lives of His
people from the plagues of Egypt, through the Exodus and wilderness
journey. 17 times in these few verses
alone, the psalmist reminds himself and us that God’s mercy endures forever. Principle:
This is what God – through the prophets and apostles - urges us to do
throughout the Bible: remember, recall what God has done in our personal and
collective history. He is a God of both
love and judgment, but how blessed we are that He is also a God of mercy…and He
calls us likewise to be merciful. “Mercy
triumphs over judgment.” James 2:13
Mercy in the Midst of
Temptations – 2 Peter 1 – (Facts:
What It Says – Summarized) Warning of False
Teachers: Peter is nearing the end of his life and is warning believers
that there…will be…false teachers among them.
They will 1) deny the Lord,
2) follow their destructive ways, 3) blaspheme
the truth, 4) By…covetousness…will…exploit…you…with deceptive words. But God: “The Lord knows how…to
deliver…the godly out of temptations and…to reserve…the unjust under punishment
for the day of judgment. – especially those who 1) walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, 2) who despise
authority, 3) who are presumptuous, 4) self-willed, 5) who are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, 5) who speak evil of things they do not
understand…and will utterly perish in their own corruption, 6) carousing
in their own deceptions while they
feast with you, 7) having eyes full
of adultery, 8) a heart trained
in covetous practices…enticing
unstable souls. While
they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption., for by
whom a person is overcome, by him he is also brought into bondage.” Principle:
People who
encourage us to join them in their sin are like junkies who encourage people to
join them in their drug habit. They
promise a good time and a real high, but in fact they are trapped in a
destructive lifestyle. Charles Stanley, Life Principles Daily Bible, pg. 1460.
My Lessons and
Applications: Why do we continually
choose to listen to, idolize, partner with the wrong people in life? Why are we taken in by advertising? “We buy things we don't need
with money we don't have to impress people we don't like.” Dave Ramsey, The Total Money
Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness. We need to renew our minds through the Word and
transform our lives by the power of the Holy Spirit - and like Daniel, commit to
and live out our lives of faith to honor God and impact our world for Him. Daniel did this by strengthening himself through prayer. This is Charles Stanley’ Life
Principle # 17 (Life Principle Daily
Bible – pg. 1457): “We stand
tallest and strongest on our knees.
Jeremiah 33:3 “Call
to Me and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do
not know.” 1) Prayer is the most powerful tool a believer has. 2) Don’t worry about what to say. The Holy Spirit will show you. 3) God is bigger than any problem you face.
4) Commit to a special prayer time. 5) Choose a definite time and place and be
consistent. 6) Prayer is the doorway to blessing and freedom from bondage.
7) Put on your armor (Ephesians 6:10-17) and stand firm in your
faith. Know that this is only possible
through prayer and complete reliance on Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 8)
Keep a prayer journal. Pray for specific
verses that apply to your situation. Write out your need and how God answers
your prayers. There is no place you will
feel more accepted or secure than in the presence of God. All of this and much more waits for you as
you come to Him.”
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