Proverbs 16 (Joyce)
“All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the LORD. Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” Proverbs 16:2-3
The renewing grace of God alone prepares the heart for every good work. This teaches us that we are not sufficient of ourselves to think or speak anything wise and good. Daniel was a godly man described in scripture as “beloved”. His name means “God is my judge” and as one studies Daniel’s life, it is clear that Daniel knew from an early age that we are not sufficient in ourselves, that God must provide the sufficiency. Daniel had understanding of the renewing grace of God and examples are evident throughout his life time.
We live when obedience to God is difficult because our culture chooses to ignore God and has no desire to be compliant with God’s Word or way. Every day we are challenged to trust in God or abandon the Lord in favor of the seductions of the world. In Daniel’s day, there was little or no observable trust in Yahweh. The Babylonians had many false gods in place to circumvent the worship of the one and only true God. So Daniel faced the same challenges as we do.
It is amazing to me that Daniel had significant impact on four different kings of Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar, King Belshazzar, King Darius, and King Cyrus all had relationship with Daniel and all listened when he spoke because of his lifestyle. They saw his constant attention to God and that God was serenely sovereign in Daniel’s life. Daniel was courageous. He took each challenge in stride and trusted God completely for the outcome.
First, Daniel was gathered with the first group of Jews who were enslaved by the Babylonians. As a young boy, probably around 11 or 12 he lost everything: his home, his family, his possessions, and his lifestyle as he had known it, yet, he never lost his dependence on God. I feel confident that the scriptures he had memorized as a young boy brought him courage as he faced incredible challenges with his life changes. He became determined to serve God because he knew his motives would be measured by the Lord. How many of us would give up in such desolate times? How many of us would look up and thank God for His plan?
Second, King Nebuchadnezzar insisted on having Daniel interpret his dream and the dream interpretation was not positive. In fact, Daniel had to tell the king that he would go insane and be affected by this insanity for seven years until he returned to God. Not an easy task and Daniel knew that the king could take his life if he desired to kill him. But, Daniel trusted God, committed his plans to the Lord and stepped out in obedience to the Lord with pure motives and complete trust.
When King Belshazzar (King Nebuchadnezzar’s son) defiled God by using the gold and silver chalices stolen from God to drink from and praise the false gods of the Babylonians, fingers of a human hand appeared and started writing on the wall. The thousand nobles present at the feast were scared out of their wits. King Belshazzar called for folks to interpret the writing and he would make them third in command of his kingdom. King Belshazzar’s wife encouraged the king to call for Daniel since he was full of the Holy Spirit who had the ability to interpret dreams, explain mysteries, and solve puzzles. Daniel came and shared that “God had numbered King Belshazzar’s days, God had weighed the king and he did not measure up, his kingdom would be divided and handed over to the Medes and Persians.” The very night of Daniel’s words the Babylonian king was murdered, thus Proverbs 16:2 became a reality for him and Darius followed his reign.
As King Darius came on the scene, he remembered Daniel’s powerful spirit and intelligence. He set Daniel up as one of the top three in command. Because the other leaders were so jealous, they sought to take Daniel’s life. At this point, Daniel was an old man. Because King Darius had sent out a decree about serving other gods, Daniel was in danger of losing his life because he faithfully prayed everyday-morning, noon, and night. Since the king’s decree could not be changed toward Daniel the jealous leaders were excited that Daniel would become a tasty meal for the lions in the den.
Once again, God proved serenely sovereign and closed the mouths of the lions in the den. King Darius was thrilled because Daniel’s God had saved his life and commanded that everyone should worship and fear Daniel’s God. The jealous leaders became the tasty meals for the lions along with their wives and children. WOW! This is such a powerful story of God’s faithfulness and Daniel’s continued service to his God. Each of us has a sphere of influence. I encourage us all to have impact on this sphere. It may not be the kings of our world, but folks around us need God to be touching their lives with power. Take the next few days to touch your sphere of influence! God will be faithful and by committing your ways to the Lord-they will succeed.
