Daniel 6:1-28
Daniel 9:1-27
2 Chronicles 36:22, 23
Ezra 1:1-11
1 Chronicles 3:17-19a
We covered the events of the end of Daniel’s ministry in Babylon.
Though he had been exiled as a young man by Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 1), he was now an
old man. His ministry had spanned seventy years and several kings. In fact, he
witnessed the fall of the Babylonians and the rise of the Medo-Persians (539
BC). Every king found Daniel to be set apart, distinguished by incredible
wisdom, faithfulness, integrity, and conviction, all of which were fruit of his
relationship with the Lord.
Did you notice that Daniel read the prophecies of Jeremiah (9:2) and called them
the words of God? He recognized that the Lord had used this man to deliver His
messages to His people. One of those messages was that the Jews would only be
in exile for seventy years. Thus, Daniel began to pray towards that end, for
the return of the people to Judah and Jerusalem.
Sure enough, the very next year (538), the Lord stirred up Cyrus the
Great, King of Persia, to re- lease the Jews to return home (Ezra 1:1-4). God’s anger had
relented and the exile was over. More than 42,000 people returned with
Zerubbabel, specifically commissioned to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. What
an exciting time!
Not only did Daniel witness the beginning and the end of the
Babylonian Captivity, he was privileged to see visions of the future. We have
already read his prophecies of the four empires that would rise to power (Daniel 2, 7, 8), which included a
vision of the end times, but now he would receive his most important message,
the arrival of the Messiah. “Seven sets of seven plus sixty-two sets of seven
will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed
One comes... After this period, the Anointed One will be killed... and a ruler
will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the
Temple (9:25, 26). Here is a prophecy of the arrival of Jesus, His death on a cross,
and another destruction of Jerusalem, this time by Titus and the Romans in 70
AD.
Daily Reflection
Daniel, indeed, had an incredible ministry, all of which took place in
a secular setting. Typically, when a God-follower is placed in a godless environment
like Babylon, his commitment to God disappears. Whether it is the temptation to
surrender to the world’s pleasures or it is the pressure of the world’s
animosity towards the things of God, most often Christians surrender their convictions
and blend in to be left alone.
That was not the case with Daniel. He impacted the world more
than the world impacted him. His unwavering commitment to the Lord had
tremendous influence on those around him. He never surrendered his convictions,
even under pressure of death. The result was not only the respect of his
co-workers but the glorification of God in a secular setting.
What about you? How strong are your convictions? Would your commitment
to God survive the pressures of the secular world?
Perhaps you live or work in the secular world, among people who
believe differently than you. Don’t be discouraged. God has placed you there
for a reason, to be a light for Him. Don’t surrender your convictions; instead, be
courageous and take a stand for Him, no matter the consequences. Determine
to glorify God even if it means that you have to face the lions!
BiAY.org |Day 251 — 114 Days to Go
No comments:
Post a Comment