Bound in The Fire

O. T. #1979 "Bound in The Fire"

July 9, 2021

Daniel 3-Part 3

LET IT GLOW

Declaring that they would not bow down to the king's gods nor worship his golden giant idol, the three Hebrews confronted their challenge and confessed the Lord. They believed God was able to deliver them from the furnace, but even if He chose not to, they would still remain faithful to Him. There are more things we can learn from the faith of the three Hebrews before they are thrown into the fiery furnace of Neb:

3. True faith confounds the enemy.

• The proud king's temper got the best of him, although he gave them a way out, he then was determined to destroy them for refusing to obey his law. (The jealous Babylonian officials must have been happy because they wanted to be promoted in their place.)
• The king ordered the furnace to be 7 times hotter for the Hebrews. (They would be on fire for Jesus.)
• That furnace was used for smelting ore. It had a large opening at the top where the wood and ore could be put into the furnace. An opening in its wall allowed the progress to be checked, as well as use of bellows to increase the blaze of the fire. The furnace was large enough for 4 men to walk around in it.

So lately one weekend we were confronted with criticism, our past failures, and the other people's unforgiveness. We didn't expect it from the source, and it was devastating. Words were like hot coals burning my soul. They wouldn't listen to us, but kept beating the dead dog, not seeing the good we had accomplished. We were already judged for decisions we had not even made yet. This resulted in feeling like my heart was cut out and slashed into pieces. Tears continuously flowed down my face, but we did not walk away first. All this happened because we remained faithful to our God in serving Him for a lifetime. Needless to say, this event presented the hardest struggle of my faith, requiring forgiveness I have ever experienced in my life. Truly, we were in the fiery furnace.

Have you ever had such an experience? Time is helping me to love and forgive as Jesus loves and forgives my sins, too.

LET IT GROW

4. True faith confirms the promises.

• We know the rest of the story. The three faithful Hebrews were bound in their coats (a cloak), hosen (a gown), hats (a mantle; a robe (an upper and outer garment).
• And they were cast into the fiery furnace. (verse 21)

 Rather than sin against their God, the three Hebrews remained obedient and faithful to their God. They were determined not to do the king's will, but God's will. In face of execution and death, they knew their lives and souls were in God's hands. The faithful Hebrews had no hope unless hope itself intervened.

What has you bound today? Is it causing you to sin more or grow deeper in love and faith in Jesus?

Folks, I don't like to leave us here, but next time we will see how Hope came just in time. Finish this chapter and you will find Hope.

 

LET IT GO

Greater is the One living inside of me than he who is living in the world.

God is a promise keeper. His Words never fail.

He restores broken hearts.

Release Your love and power inside of us. You reign forever.

We praise You God today.

Facing a Fiery Furnace With Faith

O. T. #1978  "Facing a Fiery Furnace  With Faith"

July 8, 2021

Daniel 3-Part 2

If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve the gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. (Daniel 3:17-18)

LET IT GLOW

When the king of the most powerful empire in the world says you will do something, or else burn to death, one has a serious decision to make-to obey or not to obey. Bow down and worship his golden idol when the music is played or you are ashes, and immediately, or not. That was the law. However, the 3 Hebrew men did not bow.

What can we learn from  this event? The Wiersbe Bible Commentary gives us some points to think about:

1. True faith confronts the challenge. (verses 1-12)

• The heart of the king was filled with pride. He wanted to make sure his people were loyal to him, and there were no rebels. Fear was a tactic he used to accomplish his goal.
• The hearts of the people were superstitious, accustomed to worshiping many gods and goddesses. Everyone lives by faith in something. the difference is in the object of that faith.
• The hearts of the three Jewish men were revealed when they stood tall as everyone else bowed. Their confidence was in the Lord being in control and had nothing to fear.

In Isaiah 43:1-2 God said, Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.

Faith means obeying God regardless of the feelings within us, the circumstances around us, or the consequences before us. True faith isn't frightened by threats, impressed by crowds, or swayed by superstitious ceremonies. True faith obeys the Lord and trusts Him to work out the consequences.

To have bowed only once before the idol would have destroyed their witness and broken their fellowship with God. To bow once would have led to serving Neb's false gods for the rest of their lives. The king must have forgotten that earlier he had called the God of the Jews "the God of gods, the Lord of kings" found in 2:47.  Satan tried to get Jesus to bow down before him, only once, but the Savior refused and did not sin during His temptations.

True faith doesn't look for loopholes; it simply obeys God and knows that He will do what is best. Faith rests on commands and promises, not on arguments and explanations. People were looking and listening; the three were concerned not for themselves, but to be a witness to others.

LET IT GROW

2. True faith confesses the Lord. (verses 13-18)

• Those 3 Jews were concerned with obeying the Lord and giving a faithful witness to all who were watching and listening. Their attitude was respectful and their words were few and carefully chosen. Our task is to obey God and trust Him, and He will do the rest.
• Read our two key verses above. Those men did not need to defend themselves before the king. They believed that if they were thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom they served was able to save them. He would rescue them from the king's power. but if He did not, they wanted to make it clear that they would never serve his gods or worship the golden statue he set up. (NLT)

These courageous Jewish men refused the king's direct order and placed themselves in God's hands. They would fear their God rather than the king's furnace any day. Even if He sovereignly decides to let them burn, they still serve the living God rather than bow to his dead idol. Priceless! They preferred death over unfaithfulness to God and had no doubt prepared themselves for the possibility of this day far in advance. The faithful Hebrews had no hope-unless hope itself intervened. (The Tony Evans Bible Commentary)

Jesus is our hope. He is all-powerful. Nothing is impossible with God, as Luke 1:37 tells us. He holds our life in His hands. He decided our birth and has determined our day of death. Are you ready? 

3. True faith confounds the enemy. (verses 19-25)

4. True faith confirms the promises. (verses 25-30)

 

LET IT GO

Our God is still the same God that the three Hebrews worshiped and served.

He does not change.

If He desires for us to go through the fiery furnace, whether it be literal or one of conflict, He can deliver us from it or give us strength to go through it.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. (Hebrews 10:23)

When God speaks, He stands by His Word to see that it comes to pass. (Isaiah 55:11)

So we must trust God completely when He speaks a word to us, for He never deceives His children. If God has indicated to you that He is going to do something, we can be absolutely confident that He will do it. He has not failed me yet.

Are we faithfully believing?

Fiery Trials Bring Exceeding Joy

O. T. #1977  "Fiery Trials Bring Exceeding Joy"

July 7, 2021

Daniel 3

LET IT GLOW

We don't know how much time lapsed after Daniel and his friends were promoted. Perhaps it was 20 years. Anyway, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, made a golden image hollow inside and about 90 feet tall and 9 feet wide, which was undoubtedly seen for miles as it stood on the plain of Dura. He called his administrators to the dedication of the image. (Apparently, Daniel was away, maybe on business, for he is not mentioned here.) the list of officials include those in civil, military, and religious offices. The commanded that all people would bow down to the image when they heard the music. Also, there were consequences if anyone did not do so:

And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. (verse 6)

This command was in violation of God's second commandment (Exodus 20:4-5). The masses generally obeyed when their life was at stake. All bowed to the image, idol, except the three Hebrew boys. It would have been quite noticeable, wouldn't you say? this was reported to the king. The tattle tales ran to the king, wouldn't you say?

They paid no attention to you, king, for they refused to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue you have set up. What an accusation.  Jealousy dripped from the reporters since those foreigners had attained high positions despite their being only captives.

The word worship appears 11 times in this chapter. It refers to prostrate oneself (in homage); fall down to worship. Haven't we lost the position during our worship of God? Will we not humble our self, being vulnerable to worship the Almighty God?

What would we have done? Even when we knew we would be thrown into a fiery furnace to die, how would we have reacted? Would we disobey the will of a political king to remain faithful to our God? It may come to this one day in our nation. 

LET IT GROW

Dear one, are you going through a fiery trial in your life now? How are you doing?

The devil tempts us to destroy our faith, but God tests us to develop our faith. A faith that can't be tested can't be trusted. False faith withers in times of trial, but true faith takes deeper root, grows, and brings glory to God.

1 Peter 1:7  tells us: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. (1 Peter 4:12-13)

 

LET IT GO

My God is able to save, deliver, and heal.

Help us come through those fiery trials giving You glory.

Fill us with exceeding joy, Jesus.

Grow our faith in You.

Keep us humble as we serve You, Jesus.

From Tragedy to Triumph

O. T. #1976  "From Tragedy to Triumph"

July 6, 2021

Daniel 2-Part 6

LET IT GLOW

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. for the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations. (Ps. 100:4-5)

Have you experienced the goodness of God recently? It was so nice to be with our family last week. Have you experienced His mercy lately? Our trip to the beach took 12 hours each way. We all remained safe as we traveled. To see His might in the waves of the ocean and feel the strong winds, certainly God is All Mighty, El Shaddai.

How are we worshiping our God? Are we just going through the motions, reluctantly going to church? Or are we thankfully praising Him for who He is and what He has done? God is good, all the time!

LET IT GROW

The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret. (Daniel 2:47)

Nebuchadnezzar was so overwhelmed by what Daniel did that he treated Daniel as though he were a god. (Babylon was polytheistic, having may gods.) verse 46 King Neb recognized the supremacy of Daniel's God, yet he did not surrender his heart unto the One who provides salvation. Although he acknowledged the God of the Hebrews was greater than all other gods, he had not yet come to the place where he believed in one true living God. It is one thing to know about God and to know Him personally as Savior.

But if ye show the dream, and the interpretation, thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honor: therefore show me the dream and the interpretation thereof. (verse 6)

That statement was made by the king of Babylon to his magicians, but he kept his word whenever Daniel performed it. Daniel was promoted to ruler over the province of Babylon and chief of its governors. Then Daniel requested his three friends be helpers within the office. Not only was Daniel given administrative authority, but also chief of the wise men. Daniel was a chief counselor, who was near the king at all times. In addition, he sat at the king's gate, a place of great authority. (verse 49)

What started out as possible tragedy (the killing of 4 godly men) turned into great triumph (promotion after giving God the glory). God came through for His faithful servants like he did for Joseph way back in Egypt. Daniel continued to praise and honor God by his faithfulness in the middle of a pagan empire. Soon his friends would have an opportunity to prove the faithfulness of their God in the face of a deadly threat.

Do you believe that our God the God of gods, the one true living and only God to be worshiped? (I must ask this since we have some readers living in a nation what worships other gods.)

Folks, this is not just a good story. I know that He alone is worthy of praise and worship. Will you believe in Jehovah and Jesus is Savior? He loves you so much that Jesus provided a way to heaven for us by dying on the cross as the Lamb of God that takes away our sins.

LET IT GO

You are Lord God Almighty that reigns!

Holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty!

Worthy is the Lamb of praise and glory and worship!

Give God credit for things we do.

Thank You Father for Your Word and giving me directions and ability to write for Your glory.

Modern World, Decaying Morals

O. T. #1975  "Modern World, Decaying Morals"

July 5, 2021

Daniel 2-Part 5

LET IT GLOW

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before His presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. (Ps. 100: 1-3)

I memorized this chapter many moons ago. Can't recall when, just know that I know it. Isn't that all that matters? That we hide God's Word in our hearts so we do not sin against Him.

Look at what Life Application Study Bible says:

David tells us to acknowledge that Yahweh is God! How can we do that? We acknowledge Him when we shout our praises, appreciate His status as our Creator, accept His authority in every detail of life, enthusiastically agree with the guidance He gives us, and express our thanks for His unfailing love. God is our Creator: we did not create ourselves. Many people live as though they are the creator and center of their own little world. This mind-set leads to pride, greed, idolatry, and if everything should be taken away, a loss of hope itself. But when we realize that God created us and gives us all we have, we will want to give to others as God gave to us. (2 Cor. 9:8) Then, even if all is lost, we still have God and all He gives us.

 That puts everything in perspective, doesn't it? Who is the center of our life? Is it God or self?

LET IT GROW

We were sitting in a medical facility awaiting my tests to be done when my attention was brought to a show on television in the room. I had seen a show where houses are remodeled, but this time it was shocking. The couple was lesbians. Sickening it was, as they planned to remodel a house they were purchasing somewhere. What a decay of morals our nation is experiencing now. We can't go anywhere that sinners are not pushing their immorality on us Christians. So we turned our attention to my phone, watching a preacher of Jesus Christ sharing the gospel for the next hour.

If you missed the dream that Daniel recalled for King Neb, it was focused in our last post. God had given Daniel wisdom as to what it was and its meaning.

Wiersbe furnishes some good points concerning the 4 Gentile kingdoms and the final reigning kingdom of Jesus Christ:

1. Babylonian kingdom-God is in control of history and the future because He plans them. The good and wicked accomplish His purposes. It was God who allowed Neb to defeat his enemies and expand his empire. He was given kingdom, power, strength, and glory by the God of heaven. (verse 37)
2. The Medo-Persian kingdom-the atomic weight of gold is 10 times that of clay, and silver is 5 times heavier than clay. Although kingdoms and nations appear strong and durable, they are always in danger of falling over and crashing. Neb's statue was top heavy.
3. The Grecian kingdom-It will be difficult for things to hold together at the end of the age. Although those kingdoms were strong, they still crumble. (The Greeks and Romans worshiped idols and false gods, instead of the One, True, Living God.)
4. The Roman Empire-It was strong as iron, yet weak and prone to crumble as clay. Man at his best is clay, for God made him out of the dust of the earth. Although all people are made in the image of God, sin has robbed us of the dominion He gave us. (Gen.1:26)
5. The Stone, Jesus Christ's kingdom-When He returns to rule, He will destroy His enemies and establish His kingdom. The stone is a frequent image of God in scripture and especially of Messiah, Jesus Christ the Son of God.

Our hope is not in laws, political alliances, or moral crusades. Our hope is in the Lord. People's hearts need to be changed by the grace of God. Then we will be witnesses to the ends of the earth. The only kingdom that will stand forever is Christ's kingdom. (Daniel 2:44)

With a message like Daniel's, the king should have been humbled and humbled himself before Almighty God, but he did not. We will read about how God brought him down to do just that in chapter 4. Next time we will see how Daniel and his friends were promoted in the Babylonian kingdom, since they remained faithful to their God.

Even though our modern world that can contact and travel quickly around the world, though we have powerful medicines, electronic devices that boggle our minds, good houses, cars, and planes, we have new problems to solve. It is easier to make a living, but harder to make a life; more difficult to remain faithful to our God in these times. Do we realize that we are but clay? Are we acknowledging that God is supreme and not us?

LET IT GO

Keep us close to You, Father.

Fight for us, keep us humbled, and surrendered to Your will, not ours.

Direct us, use us to share hope in Jesus.

Bless us and be in charge of our life today.

An Incredible Image

O. T. #1974  "An Incredible Image"

July 3, 2021

Daniel 2-Part 4

LET IT GLOW

God answered Daniel's prayer and told the king what he saw in his dream and its meaning. It was a huge, shining statue of a man. The bright metallic image was as tall as a 10 story building. Not only was it majestic, but also terrifying and troubling for the king. It was composed of 5 different materials: gold, silver, bronze, iron, and clay. There would be 4 successive Gentile kingdoms, and the fifth kingdom would destroy the other four and fill the earth. The fifth was the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is King of kings and Lord of lords.

LET IT GROW

The meaning of Neb's dream in which the large image represented four Gentile kingdoms of:

1. The head of gold-Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian kingdom (verses 37-38) It lasted from 636 BC to 539 BC. Jeremiah called it "a gold cup in the Lord's hand," in Jer. 51:7.
2. The breast and arms of silver-The Medo-Persian kingdom (539-330 BC), in which Darius the Mede conquered Babylon.
3. The belly and thighs of bronze-The Grecian kingdom (330-63BC) in which Alexander the Great established the largest empire in ancient times.
4. the legs and feet of iron and clay-The Roman Empire (63 BC-AD 475) as Rome was strong in law, organization, and military might, but it had so many different peoples that this created weakness.
5. The destruction of the image-when Jesus Christ comes, as a Stone to judge His enemies and establish His universal kingdom.

[Resources: The Wiersbe Bible Commentary; Liberty Bible Commentary]

Daniel took time to give God the credit for such knowledge and wisdom. Since we can look back over history, we can conclude that It happened as He said it would. History records it as so. Therefore, we can conclude that Jesus will come again and establish His kingdom, just as predicted.

Are we ready? Do you know the Savior?

LET IT GO

Be sure that we do not put our trust in governments and people, but Jesus.

Serve Him while we have time.

Worship and love Jesus today.

Leave everything in His hands, the all-wise God.

Who is Wise?

O. T. #1973     "Who is Wise?"

July 1, 2021

Daniel 2-Part 3

LET IT GLOW

Give unto the LORD the glory due unto His name: bring an offering, and come into His courts. O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before Him, all the earth. (Ps. 96:8-9)

God is not only the God of the Jews, but also the God of the Gentiles, you and me. Therefore, we are exhorted to worship Him as Lord. One day every person will bow before Jesus Christ and confess that He alone is Lord to the glory of God. (Phil. 2:10-11)

Friend, have you prepared your heart to meet this holy God when death comes? the way has been provided-Jesus died on the cross to provide us with holiness and righteousness, because we have none. Simply as Jesus to forgive your sins and become your Savior. He will hear your prayer. Then we will be glad to bow before Him when that time comes.

Meanwhile, give Him the glory, honor, and praise that He deserves. Bring offerings to him in all sorts of forms, not just monetary. Attend a worship service and give your heart to Jesus. Although God is everywhere, we are told to not forsake the assembling of ourselves. It is to Him that we owe our very existence. He loves us so much. Will you come to Jesus today?

LET IT GROW

The king of Babylon had a disturbing dream at least one night. His magicians could not tell him what it was about, nor could they discern what it meant. So Neb was going to have all wise men killed, which included Daniel and his 3 friends. Brave Daniel asked the king for time and he would give the interpretation. (verse 16)

Daniel made known what was going on with his friends. They prayed for the God of heaven to show them mercy and reveal the king's secret. God was faithful to answer their prayers. That night He revealed the secret to Daniel in a night vision. (verse 19) Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. In verses 20-23, we read of Daniel's praise prayer.

Daniel asked the king's captain to not kill all the wise men in Babylon, for Daniel had the answer to the king's secret. Daniel was taken to the king, then told the king: But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed are these. (verse 28)

And it is not because I am wiser than anyone else that I know the secret of your dream, but because God wants you to understand what was in your heart. (verse 30)

What was in this king's heart? Well, at that time, Neb was the most powerful king on earth. He had conquered Assyria, Judah, and Egypt. He was considered a god to the pagans. This mystery was not revealed so Daniel would become the most important man on earth nor the smartest one; no, it was so Neb would realize he was not so and he would worship the only true God.

Eventually this did happen. Next time we will look at the dream and its meaning.

Do we take credit for what God does in our life? Or do we give Him the credit and glory? All that we are, all that we have, and all of our abilities have come from God, not us.  

LET IT GO

Thank You Father God that You love us, created us, sustain us, provide what we need.

Thank You Jesus for providing salvation and a way to go to heaven.

Glory to You.

We are not wise, for only You are all wise.