September 22, 2019
Hymn 380 - Standing by a purpose true,
Prayer
The book of Daniel starts in Babylon where he had been taken captive. Babylon did not worship God like Israel. They worshiped idols.
Daniel 1:1-6
Along with Daniel many other Israelites had been taken captive. The king had one of his men pick some of the best captives to work for him. The chosen people then had to go through a preparation course. Daniel and three of his friends were chosen for this. God used the course to prepare them for what was to come.
Psalm 139:1-4
God knows what we need to prepare us for the things ahead. November 2010 Paul broke his collarbone. He wasn’t able to move his arm a lot, so I had to take over doing the notes for children’s meeting. Many years later I suddenly had to take notes for work during a conference call. God has a purpose for everything. Sometimes that purpose is to prepare.
Daniel 1:8-14
If you worked for the king he provided your food. The food he provided didn’t follow the laws God had given Israel. So Daniel asked the man in charge of them to give him and his friends different food. The man was afraid that if he did that and they didn’t look as health as the rest of the men he would be fired. So it was decided, they would do a test. If they didn’t look worse at the end of the week they could continue eating the different food. Daniel purposed not to eat the food. He knew it was wrong.
Going through college my parents gave me advise about wrong things. As you go through life listen to wise counsel and look to the Bible for direction. For us that could mean standing alone and being different. One time I need to back out of a project at work because it was supporting something that the Bible clearly said was wrong. It’s hard to stand alone but it’s worth it.
Daniel 1:15-20
At the end of the test Daniel and his friends looked better than the others. God blessed their faithfulness. The king said no one was as wise as they.
The Bible says “Them that honour Me I will honour.” God blesses everyone differently.
So God prepared Daniel. Daniel purposed to follow him and God allowed him to prosper. I hope we can all get something out of Daniel’s life.