Quote for the Day
“And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of into his hand…”(Special note: these devotions on the book of Daniel were written by me in 2006 about one year prior to God leading me from the security of corporate life to the challenges of a business on my own, “not knowing the future”. I am amazed to go back and see how God was preparing my heart, I trust you too will see that in your life as you read these. Dwh)
Today's Prayer
This week pray for those traveling that they will be able to see past the difficult circumstances that have been placed before them, and that they will instead see God’s vision for where they are today.
Daniel 1:1-7
Daniel 1: 1-7 (NIV)1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of , Nebuchadnezzar king of came to and besieged it. 2 And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of into his hand, along with some of the articles from the . These he carried off to the temple of his god in and put in the treasure house of his god.3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility- 4 young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. 5 The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.6 Among these were some from : Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7 The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
Message
As we begin the study of Daniel there are some interesting facts hidden in the book. Some have to be read carefully, others discovered through other historical writings and information. Let’s look at a little historical perspective. The king of , THE nation of the day, in fact, the Empire of the day, has just besieged . It is first noted by Daniel, the author and a prisoner of war, that it was his God that “delivered” his king to the enemy king. From the beginning, Daniel understood who was in charge of what…God was in charge of everything, even if it did not seem like the best circumstances. Daniel had the perspective of God’s control of this universe.We come to see Daniel at the beginning of his travels, travels that are forced on him, not what he had planned for in life. Captured in his home country; a part of the nobility of ; on the fast track to a great life; now a prisoner, well fed and cared for, no doubt, but a servant in the hands of the enemy king; a new name; and no way out. On top of all this, Daniel was a young teenager when all this happens!Where does your perspective come from? For Daniel it came from God alone, never influenced by the circumstances of the day or those who believe they are in control. This week review your thoughts and actions, and view them in the eternal perspective: God’s perspective!
