Today’s Reading: Dan 5:1–6:28, 1 Thess 5:12–28, Job 41:10–20
Today’s Theme: Honour God
Today’s theme is honouring God. We are called to live lives that honour God and bring Him glory even in the midst of trials like Daniel. We are also called to honour God by honouring His ministers and living Spirit filled, joyful lives of faith and trust in the sovereign king.
Our God is the one who delivers us from the lion’s den and the dragon’s fiery darts.
Daniel 5:1–6:28
Materialism
They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. (Daniel 5:4, ESV)
This is no different to the materialism of our day. Don’t get carried along with the materialism of our culture.
Honour God
Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation. (Daniel 5:17, ESV)
Daniel did not look for recognition or reward from man. He used his gift to honour God and for God’s glory, we should do the same.
God is Sovereign
He was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will. (Daniel 5:21, ESV)
God is sovereign over the governments of the world.
God holds our breath
but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored. (Daniel 5:23, ESV)
Jonathan Edwards picked up the essence of this truth in the famous sermon ‘Sinners in the hands of an angry God’.
Found wanting
Tekel, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; (Daniel 5:27, ESV)
We too were weighed in the balance and found wanting, thank God for Jesus paying our debt.
Be excellent
Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. (Daniel 6:3, ESV)
We should be excellent in all we do.
Faithful service
Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. (Daniel 6:4, ESV)
We are called to faithful service at home, church and at our places of work.
Habitual prayer
When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. (Daniel 6:10, ESV)
We must build habits of prayer like this into our daily lives.
Love over rules
Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.” (Daniel 6:15, ESV)
This is like the devil trying to hold God to his law to condemn us but God’s law of love overruled.
The Kings heart
Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him. (Daniel 6:18, ESV)
Darius is almost like a type of Christ in his passion for Daniel. Jesus is our king and He sought our deliverance from the law of sin and death.
God’s Angels
My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” (Daniel 6:22, ESV)
Awesome! Lord send your Angels and shut the lion’s mouth.
Trust in God
Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. (Daniel 6:23, ESV)
The lesson to be learned is that we should trust in God.
Sovereign God, the ultimate King
I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. (Daniel 6:26, ESV)
Some of the best declarations of God’s sovereignty come from great pagan emperors who knew what it was to have power. This is significant, they could truly appreciate the power and majesty of God as the ultimate king.
1 Thessalonians 5:12–28
Honour our ministers
We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. (1 Thessalonians 5:12–13, ESV)
We should respect and honour those who work in the ministry.
Faith filled joy
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18, ESV)
God wants us to have faith filled joy, this is His will for us.
Burn brightly
Do not quench the Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 5:19, ESV)
May the fire of your Spirit burn brightly in our lives.
Think critically
but test everything; hold fast what is good. (1 Thessalonians 5:21, ESV)
As Christians we must think critically so that we can hold an opinion on what is good and discard what is not good. We must not passively accept everything, we must use our renewed minds to filter what we receive.
Man, a three part being
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23, ESV)
We are a three part being, spirit, soul and body. As a whole person we must live in a blameless way in preparation for the coming of Jesus.
Eternal security
He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:24, ESV)
We have eternal security through our faith in God who WILL do it.
Job 41:10–20
Who can stand before God?
No one is so fierce that he dares to stir him up. Who then is he who can stand before me? (Job 41:10, ESV)
If you can’t stand before a great beast or even the devil, what makes you think you can stand before God?
God is LORD
Who has first given to me, that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine. (Job 41:11, ESV)
There, we hear it from God Himself, He owns everything and everyone.
Dragons
His sneezings flash forth light, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the dawn. Out of his mouth go flaming torches; sparks of fire leap forth. (Job 41:18–19, ESV)
A fire breathing dragon, these are not creatures of myth and legend.
Most of the above post is a copy of the original notes from the same date in 2014.
Additional resources
The Gospel Coalition on 1 Thessalonians 5