SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/8/2013
11:14 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-3 of “God’s Power versus Man’s
Authority”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Daniel
6:19-23
Message of the
verses: Today we look at the third
and last sub-point in this third main point that is found in Dr. Warren Wiersbe’s
commentary on Daniel.
The Lord Victorious (Daniel 6:19-23): “Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice.
The king spoke and said to Daniel, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has
your God, whom you constantly serve, been able to deliver you from the
lions?" 21 Then Daniel spoke to the king, "O king, live forever! 22
"My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths and they have not harmed
me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I
have committed no crime." 23 Then the king was very pleased and gave
orders for Daniel to be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of
the den and no injury whatever was found on him, because he had trusted in his
God.”
When we look at this section of Scripture we see that
Darius gave a kind of weak statement about Daniel’s God being the One True
God. We also see that God had sent an
angel to not only keep the lion’s mouth’s closed, but he also kept Daniel
company for the night. When Daniel’s
three friends were cast in the fiery furnace we also saw and angel with them in
the furnace. We will eventually see
other times in the book of Daniel that angel’s are at work, and the subject of
angels is indeed a very important subject when we are looking at the Word of
God, for God uses angels to do His work, and to protect His children. The author of Hebrews writes that there are
times when we may be entertaining angels and not even know it.
In his sermon on this sixth chapter of Daniel, John
MacArthur stated that there were some people, (liberal theologians) who
believed that these lions that were in the pit with Daniel were not hungry. I think that is kind of humorous because
these same lions would kill many people in the next section we look at. I think I will just believe the story as
Daniel tells it.
Now we come to something that we will not always
understand, and have to take by faith, and that is why God would save Daniel
from the mouths of the lions and yet in other cases not save others who are
written about in Scripture, and not only in Scripture but in the Church age
that we now live in. Dr. Wiersbe writes “God
saved Daniel because it brought great glory to His name and also, because he
still had more work to do. God’s
servants are immortal until their work is done.” When we look at the “faith chapter” which is
Hebrews chapter eleven we find that in verses 1-35 the story is about those who
demonstrated great faith, and yet the Lord delivered them from trial and death
in some miraculous ways. Now as we look
at verses 36-40 the story is different for it describes the “others” that also
had great faith and yet were persecuted and martyred. An example of this is that James the brother
of Jesus was killed by the sword, and yet Peter was let loose by an angel to
continue his ministry until God was done with it and then he also was martyred
for the cause of Christ.
At this time I want to quote an interesting endnote from
Dr. Wiersbe on this subject: “"The Lord so worked that King Darius obeyed his own
law and yet Daniel was still delivered from death. This reminds us that God has
worked in a similar way in His great plan of salvation. 'The wages of sin is
death' (Rom. 6:23), so Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world and paid the
debt we cannot pay. But He arose from the dead so that He might forgive all who
will receive Him by faith. God obeyed His own law and is therefore 'just and
the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus' (Romans. 3:26, NKJV)."
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: There are some
very interesting things that are written in this section of Daniel, and things
that I don’t understand fully, and so it takes faith to believe that what we
read is true. Daniel is one of the books
that liberal theologians like to target because of all the miracles that are
found in it and also because of all the prophecies that are found in it that have
already taken place and some that will still take place. If you take out the miracles and the
prophecies in the Bible it is just another weak book.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Trust the Lord to increase my faith as I
study His Word.
Memory verses for the week: Psalm 46:1-9
1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in
trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear
though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of
the sea; 3 though the waters roar and foam, thought the mountains quake at its
swelling pride. Selah. 4 There is a river whose streams make glade
the city of God, the holy dwelling place of the most high. 5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be
moved, God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations make an uproar the kingdoms tottered; He
raised His voice the earth melted. 7 The
Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.
8 Come behold the works of the Lord, who has wrought desolations in the
earth. 9 He makes wars to cease to the
end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
Question: “Seth” (Genesis 4:25).” I have to say that I am not sure that I agree
with this answer, but I will leave it to the readers to draw their own
conclusion. I get these questions from a
game called “Bible Challenge” and am learning things from the questions too,
but as I said I am not sure if I agree with this answer.
Today’s Bible
Question: “Which book states ‘Vanity of
vanities; all is vanity?’”
Answer in tomorrow’s SD. 8/8/2013 12:07 PM
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