Thurs.’s Devo - God is Our Judge

Read: Daniel 1:1-2:23; 1 Peter 3:8-4:6; Psalm 119:65-80; Proverbs 28:14 The book of Daniel begins at the time when Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem the first time. Daniel is writing this and he understands that only God could give Nebuchadnezzar the victory. He could have never defeated God’s people except God let him. Nebuchadnezzar took the sacred objects from the Temple which I would guess were the Ark of the Covenant and all the gold furniture. He placed them in his treasure-house of his god. He also commanded his officer, Ashpenaz to bring back young men of Judah’s royal family and from noble families as captives. He was to choose the best, smartest, best looking and gifted and teach them their language and culture. They would be fed and trained for three years to enter into royal service. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were chosen. They were probably around 12 years of age. They were renamed Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Daniel means “god is my judge” and his new name, Belteshazzar means “favored of Baal”. God was Daniel’s judge all through his life and defended him against all their decrees. Daniel was also favored by their god and was shown that by the favor his captors had for him. When he asked not to eat the unkoshier food of the Babylonians, he won their favor and their test. He was also favored by God and was given special ability to interpret the means’s of visions and dreams. Daniel and his three friends also found favor with the king who tested them and found them ten times more capable than any other the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom. Daniel remained in the royal service until the first year of the reign of King Cyrus. He and Ezra would have been in the kingdom together. Daniel would have known of his return to Jerusalem to rebuilt the Temple. During the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign he had such a disturbing dream that he called all his magicians and enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers together. (Daniel would have still in his apprenticeship so he would not have been called.) Nebuchadnezzar demanded that they tell him his dream and its meaning or he would have them torn limb from limb and their houses turned into heaps of rubble. This was an impossible order and the psychics tried to reason with the king but he would not have it. He decreed them all executed. Men were sent to find Daniel and his friends to kill them. When they found them, Daniel asked why they were being killed and when he found out he went at once to see the king and to request some time. Daniel told his three friends to pray that God would show one of them what the dream and its interpretation was. That night God gave the dream and interpretation to Daniel. Daniel praised the Lord for revealing to him what was hidden in darkness. First Peter tells us how to love. We love each other as brothers and sisters with a tender heart and a humble attitude. We don’t repay evil for evil or insult for insult. to do this we have to keep our mouth from speaking what we feel in our raw emotions. God will turn his face toward those who do right and hear their prayers but he will turn his face against those who do evil. Peter tells us over and over not to worry if we suffer for doing right because that is what Christ did. We only have to worry if we are suffering for doing wrong. Christ suffered for us and died a physical death but was raised in the spirit to life. He went and preached salvation to the spirits of those who had died during the days of Noah. They were waiting in Sheol. To the eight people who were saved in the flood, the flood was their baptism cleansing their world from sin. Now Christ is in heaven seated at the right hand of God and all the angels and authorities and powers accept his authority. The good news of the kingdom continues to be preached through our changed life. We are Jesus’ ambassadors on the earth. May our lives point others to You and your salvation power. You are the resurrection and the life.