SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/17/2013
10:02 PM
My Worship Time Focus: Insight: Learning God’s Plan PT-1
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Daniel 9:1-2
Message of the
verses: Dr. Wiersbe begins his
commentary on Daniel nine with these words:
“When speaking at a press conference in Cairo on February 1, 1943 Sir
Winston Churchill said ‘I always avoid prophesying beforehand, because it is a
much better policy to prophecy after the event has already taken place.’” He ends his introductory comments with these
words: “Note three stages in Daniel’s
experience with the prophetic message that spoke concerning his people and the
city of Jerusalem.” We will begin with
the first part of this first main point in today’s SD.
We know that Daniel knew that Babylon was going to fall
for he wrote of this in chapter two and seven and chapter five actually tells
the story of their defeat. However long
before Daniel had prophesied about this both Isaiah and Jeremiah had predicted the
fall of Babylon, and perhaps this is what we read in this chapter that Daniel
was reading from the book of Isaiah.
The Word of God: “1 In the first year of Darius the son of
Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the
Chaldeans- 2 in the first year of his
reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was
revealed as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of
the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.”
The Word of God is the best book every written, for it
was written by men through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. I will site two passages in the NT that speak
to this: “All Scripture is inspired by
God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in
righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16).” “For no
prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy
Spirit spoke from God (2 Peter 1:21.”
I want to now quote from the endnotes that go along with
verse one: “The Ahasuerus (Xerxes) named
in verse 1 is not the same monarch found in the Book of Ester.” Darius could be a title that was used in that
day, something like President is used today.
I have read that it is possible that this was even be Cyrus who is
mentioned in Isaiah 44 and 45, for it was Cyrus who first allowed some of the
children of Israel to leave the city of Babylon. Darius was also named in Daniel chapter six
and this is the chapter that Daniel had to spend a night in the Lion’s den
because he was praying. Could it be
possible that Daniel was praying the prayer that is found here in Daniel
chapter nine? We know one thing for sure
and that Daniel was a man of prayer.
Where was Daniel reading in the book of Jeremiah? Dr. Wiersbe writes “Had Jeremiah’s scrolls of
the Old Testament been like our modern Bibles, he would have read Jeremiah 24
and been reassured that the Lord would care for His people no matter what ruler
was on the throne. From 25:1-14, he
would learn the reason for the exile as well as the length of the exile—seventy
years—and this would be corroborated in 29:10-14.”
God not only has used men to write the Word of God, but
men to preserve it as well for we read in the book of Jeremiah that the scroll
of Jeremiah was burned up, but was rewritten by Jeremiah again.
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: Today’s lesson
was a wonderful reminder about the Word of God and how refreshing it is and
also how much we can learn from it even if we read the same passages at
different times in our lives. I have found
that on different occasions that God has used His Word in my life like He was
just writing it to me.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Continue to read and to trust the Word of
God, and to continue to trust the God of the Word.
Memory verses for the
week: 1 John 5:13a and Titus 3:5a
These things I have written…so
that you may know that you have eternal life.
Not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us. (KJV)
Answer to our last Bible
Question: “Hail” (Exodus 7:12).
Today’s Bible
Question: “In the Christian armor, what
is the shield?”
Answer in our next SD.
11/17/2013 10:39 PM
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