The book of Daniel which is referred to as the key to all
biblical prophesies, centers on the profound truth – the sovereignty of God. The book is full of many predictive
prophecies about the people of God who were taken into captivity by the
Babylonians after Judah was conquered under the reign of Jehoiakim. It focuses on giving hope to the Israelites
by revealing God’s sovereign plan for them throughout the period spent in
captivity to the end of the age.
Daniel and his three friends, Shadrach Meshach and Abednego
were among the faithful Jews taken into captivity by King Nebuchadnezzar. These
people have lost their freedom and identity to another nation; they were in a
state of hopelessness; surrounded by idolaters and people who dishonor God, yet
they did not yield to pressures that will cause them to sin. Their knowledge of
God made them resolute to the extent that they resisted all attempts to
dishonor God. They ‘know their God’; they were committed to him and persuaded
that he will not forsake them. Dan 3:16-18.
Daniel and his three friends exhibited their love, trust,
obedience, reverence and total submission to God no matter the circumstance,
decrees and laws the enemy used to test their faith. They were not moved by any
circumstance because they ‘know their
God’. They refused favours to
partake in food that was either dedicated to pagan gods or will compromise
their faith and God blessed them physically, mentally and also spiritually.
(Dan 1:5-17). Daniel was personally gifted with the divine ability to
understand all dreams and visions and used this ability during his lifetime to
the glory of God. He interpreted dreams of King Nebuchadnezzar and predicted
God’s future plan for this world, beginning with Babylon and continuing to the
end of the age and the tribulations awaiting the end times. God saving grace
delivered Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the fiery furnace and rescued
Daniel from being consumed by lions and from the enemies who conspired against
him.
Daniel had one purpose and he lived for that purpose alone- to live for God. He tested and tasted
the faithfulness of God and determined to have a strong intimacy with Him. He did
not forsake his prayer life or succumb to pressures from an ungodly society to
turn away from the Supreme God. We see a life of fear, trust, love, obedience
and reverence for the Almighty God. I believe we will find hope in this story
and it will shape our walk by faith in God and in our Lord Jesus Christ with
the help of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
1. Knowing God.
Key Text: “…but the people that do know their God shall be
strong and do exploits” (Daniel 11:32).
To be strong and do exploits in life, rests fundamentally on
knowing God. The word ‘know’ according to the Oxford dictionaries means ‘to be
sure of something’, ‘to have knowledge of something’ or ‘develop a relationship
with something’. Other synonyms are to be acquainted with, understand or
perceive. To know God is to have a deeper knowledge of him as a result of a
closer walk or relationship with him. It is a personal, life-long relationship
developed between God and the believer, nurtured into maturity and ultimately
becomes a lifestyle. It is a stage where you utterly depend on God knowing that
He is faithful, you trust him absolutely and make a permanent decision to make
Him your priority.
The third chapter of the Book of Daniel talks about the three
friends of Daniel who exhibited their knowledge of ‘who God is’ to the extent
that they became ‘rebellious’ for God. Their stand for God was so firm that
when Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian King threatened the three Jewish boys with
death by the fiery furnace for not bowing to his gold statue, they answered the
king “ Your Majesty, we will not try to
defend ourselves. If the God whom we serve is able to save us from the blazing
furnace and from your power, then he will. But even if he doesn’t, Your Majesty
may be sure that we will not bow down to the gold statue that you have set up’.
Dan. 3: 16-18
God saved Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from being consumed
by the hot flames. This miracle astonished Nebuchadnezzar the king of
idolaters, who overwhelmingly said, ‘Lo,
I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt;
and the form of the fourth is like ‘the Son of God”. Praise the Lord God of heaven!!!
Nebuchadnezzar’s eye was opened to see ‘the Son of God’ in the midst of the hot
flames. Our Christian life should also
become a testimony for others to come to repentance. God’s divine rescue of
these three men became a testimony that immediately moved the king to praise
God and said ‘Praise the God of
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego! He sent his angel and rescued these men who
serve and trust him. They disobeyed my orders and risked their lives rather
than bow down and worship any god except their own’ (Dan 3:28, GNB).
