365 Reflections

Daniel 6:1–3 (ESV)  It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; 2 and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. 3 Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. Daniel is at the top of his game no matter who is in charge. Here we have a clue as to why. The text repeats a line from Belshazzar's time: "an excellent spirit was in him".  Notice the effect of that excellent spirit: Daniel 6:3 (ESV) this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. It doesn't say "Daniel distinguished himself. It says he became distinguished. We live in a "distinguish yourself" culture. We are inundated with messages suggesting tha...

How do you stand for God when everyone else is falling for lies? That is the most important question we can ask of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3. The only three people in the world who stood for God at a time of global confusion. The world ebbs and flows into this sort of state, where at times people are utterly fooled into following nonsense. I consider the COVID-19 lockdown period one such time. I'm sorry if that offends, but it's truer now than ever. We were lied to, and few stood up for the truth because the consequences for doing so were somewhat severe.  It doesn't get more severe than burning to death.  Daniel 3:8–12 (ESV) Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. 9 They declared to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! 10 You, O king, have made a decree, that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, shall fall down and worship the golden i...

The great Bible names are famous for not taking credit. To make that argument, consider first those who sought to make a name for themselves: Samson fought his own battles instead of the Lord's.  Saul won a battle and built himself a monument in his own name.  Simon the magician offered money for the Holy Spirit's power to be important.  The super apostles in Paul's letters used the church for glorification.  And of course, the Babylonian city in Revelation is cast down in her pride.  Daniel is among those men who did great exploits and refused to take credit. When Nebuchadnezzar's dream needed interpreting, Daniel gave all the credit to God.  Daniel 2:26–28 (ESV) The king declared to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?” 27 Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, 28 b...

Daniel begins and it's one of my favorite books in the Bible. Daniel is a book about conviction and clarity regarding one's place in God's sovereign control of history. We find that truth in the first two verses of the English version of this book: Daniel 1:1–2 (ESV) In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god. The first verse suggests that Nebuchadnezzar was in charge. He came to Jerusalem and besieged it. But the second verse provides interesting clarity. The Lord gave the king of Jerusalem into his hand.  God rules over history. Even here where the beloved nation suffers the reproach of being conquered in the ancient world, God is in charge.  Wow.  Now we love the sovere...

Lamentations 4 is another sad poem chronicling Israel's demise as she lies in exile. The passage gives far more clarity than others as to the people's perception of themselves before their defeat by the Babylonians.  We find that people were unaware that anything like this could ever happen. First, Jeremiah laments the tarnish on her royalty by noting the gold is now diminished: Lamentations 4:1–2 (ESV) How the gold has grown dim, how the pure gold is changed! The holy stones lie scattered at the head of every street. 2 The precious sons of Zion, worth their weight in fine gold, how they are regarded as earthen pots, the work of a potter’s hands! Riches blind a person and a country. They make you think you are impervious to disaster. But there are many ways to lose money. One of the consistent warnings in the Old and New Testaments is how unreliable wealth is to one's defense of life.  Proverbs 23:4–5 (ESV)  Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. 5...

When Jacob dies, the brothers of Joseph go right back to their scheming. They've been showered with grace and love by Joseph. He wept on their necks and provided them with the best place to live in Egypt. He took care of all their needs. YET... in spite of all he did for them... they still thought he'd be out to get them. Look what happens immediately after Jacob's passing: Genesis 50:15–17 (ESV) When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” 16 So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died: 17 ‘Say to Joseph, “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.” ’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. Notice Joseph's response to their statements. He's back to weeping ! It has to be...