THE HANDLING OF A CRISIS The event to which we have been exposed was occasioned during the Babylonian captivity, a judgment from God upon Judah because they failed to honor the land sabbaths. The captivity lasted for seventy years. Our focus has been on Daniel and his four companions, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
"And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain. Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon: He answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel. Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would show the king the interpretation. Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon." (Daniel 2:13-18)
Devotion 28 of 28
Nebuchadnezzar had a troubling dream that he could not remember. When he charged the wise men of Babylon to tell him what his dream was, and the meaning of it, they were unable to do so. In a rage, he passed the death sentence upon all of the wise men of Babylon. In the process of carrying out that sentence, the executioner found Daniel and his friends. After being given a stay of execution, Daniel and his friends asked for mercies from the Lord, and the demands of the king were revealed to Daniel.
Ponder what we would know about this whole incident if we viewed it as a newspaper reporter, without the advantage of Divine commentary.
01. Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem.
02. Jehoiakim was carried away captive.
03. Part of the vessels of the Lord's house are carried away.
04. The vessels are placed in the house of Nebuchadnezzar's god.
05. The king requires a search for gifted youth among the captives of Judah.
06. Four are chosen from Judah.
07. A strict diet is imposed upon them.
08. At the end of the allotted time, the boys are tested.
09. The boys prove superior in their testing.
10. Nebuchadnezzar has a dream he cannot remember.
11. The wise men of Babylon cannot help him.
12. The king decrees the death of the wise men throughout the realm.
13. A stay of execution is granted to Daniel and his friends.
That is how everything looked "according to appearance." But there was more to the circumstance than that!
01. God had given Judah to Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 1:1; .
02. God gave Jehoiakim and part of the vessels from His house to the king (Dan 1:1).
03. God gave the four children of Judah wisdom and understanding (Dan 1:17).
04. God gave Daniel favor in the eyes of the man over them (Dan 1:9).
05. God blessed the boys to be superior through a diet of vegetables and water over all others (Dan 1:9-15).
06. God gave them wisdom in all intelligence, literature, and learning (Dan 1:4).
07. God caused the boys to be "ten times" better than the wise man of the realm (Dan 1:20).
08. Daniel and his companions were protected from the decree of the king (Dan 2:25).
09. God causes Nebuchadnezzar to give Daniel time the others were refused (Dan 2:16).
It is the working of the Lord that makes this account unique – not the circumstances in which Daniel and his friends found themselves.
All of this may seem very apparent in the book of Daniel. However, we are seeing a Divine manner that is not confined to Daniel or his times. It is one thing to see how God worked in the life of these young men. It is quite another to perceive how He is working in your own life. We must learn from these things not to judge according to appearance, or put our trust in the flesh and its seeming abilities. When things are difficult, and circumstances seem like a giant weight to our souls, that does not mean God has abandoned us, or is not imminent in the circumstances of our lives themselves.
If God had not told us what was really happening in the first two chapters of Daniel, we would forever have remained in the dark, just like Nebuchadnezzar. But He has revealed His workings with Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah in order to assure your heart of His involvement with you!
If God was for those boys, Nebuchadnezzar could not be against them. And, if God is for you, who is it that you imagine can be against you? Put your faith in God! It is written, "If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Rom 8:31).
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You that Your eye is upon the righteous, and Your ear is open to their cry.
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