Good Afternoon, Lovely Ladies (and maybe a man or two)!
I don't know about you, but the book of Daniel has got my mind reeling. Jessa, I agree with your comment about the faith Daniel displayed in saying, "Even if he [God] doesn't save me, I'll still praise Him." That is real-life, authentic faith. And, I do my best to say the same thing when I'm faced with trials, but our flesh is weak, isn't it? I desire that rugged, "regardless of what happens" faith. Good thoughts, Jessa! Thanks for commenting!
And, Sandra, oh how my heart is grieving as I think of your sweet husband in his radiation mask. You can rest assured that I am interceding for y'all. Those were hard, hard days, but God made them worshipful as loved ones read scripture over the microphone during my treatments. I'm praying for healing, but more than that, I'm praying that God will entrust you with more and more of himself as you struggle. He is able, dear one! Thank you for sharing!
And, to all of those who are participating but not sharing, shame on you! :) Of course, I'm joking, but we can't truly form a unified, Bible Studyin' team if you don't tell us your thoughts. So, reveal yourselves, already! :)
Okay, onto Day 2's thoughts from me:
Y'all, it bugged me that the Lord handed Jehoiakim over to Nebuchadnezzar. I couldn't understand how he could give him to an idol-worshipping king. It didn't make sense to me. So, I dug deeper. I went back and reviewed 2 Chronicles 36:5, which says, "Jehoiakim was 25-years-old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem 11 years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord His God."
This reminder made me realize how critical it is that we look at God's hand from a wide-angled lens. You cannot take one, isolated incident and get an accurate depiction of God. We need to see how He's worked in the past, in order to understand how He's working now. He was exercising His power and authority to judge Jehoiakim for his past evils.
Ahhhh, now I get it. Let my lesson work for you. If you don't understand something, seek out truth until you do get it.
Happy studying!
I did not look back to see why God handed him over. I just thought about how awesome it is that even when we don't have all the facts God is in control. There are so many times I tried to make decisions based on what I knew when I should have trusted God because he sees the whole picture - future included, especially the future!
ReplyDeleteWhat struck me after reading the first 5 verses in depth (and a bit of googling!) is that Daniel was *brought* to Babylon - but he nevertheless remained true to God and himself despite the culture around him. I also learned that the purpose of the training and royal diet was to distance Daniel and the others from God. Wow. Sometimes, when I'm right in the midst of things, it is hard to remember to stop and say "does this serve God?" Sometimes I think that I deserve a royal diet... I must remember that God is the ultimate.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Lindsey, when investigating the military battle at the beginning of Daniel, a website made reference to the face that "the Master *handed* King Jehiakim over" - God is in control of that battle.. and all battles. King Nebuchadnezzar didn't "earn" his victory - God's hand was there all along. What a powerful reminder that I am not alone in my struggles.
So, I'm a day behind..boo! But...
ReplyDeleteI read in my study bible about the Babylonian exile being the result of the Lord's judgment on his people. The Lord threatened his people with exile if they were unfaithful to the terms of the covenant established at Mt.Sinai. Of course, they were, indeed, unfaithful and thus the threat became a reality. Hence, King Jehoiakim was "delivered" to the hands of King Neb.
This reminds me that God is ALWAYS faithful to his promises. Whether it is the promise of salvation and eternal life, or a promise of demise if I continue to disobey him....his promise will always hold true.
I am also SO impressed with Daniel and his faithfulness throughout this entire chapter. It would have been SO easy to wallow in self pity after being ripped out of his home and forced to become educated in the ways of the Babylonians. Instead of resentment or pity, he continued to serve and glorify God. (And TRUST in Him!!!) This is a good lesson for me! I need to practice more praising and trusting, and less grumbling!