Gems from the Book of Daniel (IV and last)

 

Chapters 5 and 6 also bring their lot of ‘surprises’. In chapter 5, the son of Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, asked for the vessels of gold and of silver that his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem and drank in with his lords, wives, and concubines and party. Immediately, the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote something mysterious on the wall. As he was scared, the king summoned the wise men, aka the enchanters, astrologers and soothsayers. They could not read the writing nor give its meaning. So, the queen (who had not been invited to the party for the king to indulge in his orgies) came and said (vs. 11-12): “There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father--your father the king--made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers, because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.” Now, let me ask you this: As the chief of all the ‘wise men’, how come all of Daniel’s subordinates were aware of the king’s summon and he wasn’t? How could such a man be ignored? You may have other explanations, but this is what I think.

A title doesn’t necessarily give you the authority which goes with it. Normally, the king’s envoy should have gone straight to Daniel who would have been the one to gather his troops. However, he was overlooked -especially as the king promised great honours to the solver of the riddle. A few weeks ago, I watched an English movie, Secret State. The title says it all. The British Prime Minister was only one by name. There was a real mafia below him and he was just a (relatively naive) pawn on the chessboard. At some point, he gave an injunction to someone and added: “I am the PM!” The other guy almost laughed at him and carried on doing just as he willed. He gave a public ultimatum to an oil mogul who simply ignored it and did not even lower himself to picking up his calls. The embarrassment was beyond description. Power is more than a title: it is also a series of influential networks. Nobody even bothered asking the astrologers where their chief was. Even the king could not remember him and yet, Daniel was supposed to be the wisest and the leader of his wise men (vs. 2.48). Everybody should have been talking of him...

This reminds me even more of the fact that talent alone is not enough. Everybody may know your talent, but if GOD, the Master of times and circumstances, does not create opportunities for your exposure, some ill-intentioned and jealous people may burry you with all your talents and gifts. This is the topic of the second part of my book, Catalysts of Favour.

It also reminds me of the fact that tenebrous people do not like light and holiness. Everybody knew that Daniel had the spirit of the holy gods and a divine light in him. I don’t know about you, but I would have never left such a person, personally. I would have never done a thing without first consulting with him or her. However, John said two things: The world hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil, and also, the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (Jn 7:7b & 1:5). Holiness disturbs. People deeply feel judged by your mere presence, by the fact that you do not lie, swear and get drunk with them. Even when you say nothing, their conscience accuses them and your steadfastness reminds them of their weakness and cowardice. Light can shine as much as it wants in darkness, darkness will not receive it. People do not want GOD to put His nose in their businesses. They want to call on Him on their terms and when it is convenient for them. In any case He is just the last resort when everything ELSE has failed. Indeed, despite the fact that Daniel outshone everyone once more, no magi, no enchanter and no astrologer asked him to teach them how to solve riddles and problems. Instead, they plotted against him. Listen to them: "O King Darius, live forever! All the presidents of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counsellors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked." Vs. 6.5, 6-8. You see how they are manipulating the king? He thinks he is signing something from his own accord while it is the people under him who are actually pulling the ropes.

This is how a royal edict which will affect a whole nation can be promulgated even though its real target is just one person? How many similar decrees are signed worldwide? Decrees affecting millions of people negatively just because someone or a little group of persons has decided to please or destroy an individual? Because some wanted to offer the Iraki oil to a small clique along with contract deals for the reconstruction of the country, look at the state of the Middle East today, all this in the name of getting rid of Saddam Hussein… Fortunately enough, when Daniel paid them a visit, the lions were fasting (and maybe praying for a fatter meat as well). However, when the plotters’ turn came, they had just ended their fast and gave thanks as they ate the succulent meal that God had just served to them.

The Church must go back to militancy. As we enter 2013, let’s pray for the spirit of Daniel to rest on us: we have/ need to counsel kings and authorities.

HAPPY NEW YEAR and GOD BLESS YOU!

Gems from the Book of Daniel (III)

 

I strongly encourage you to read the first two parts of this posting for a better understanding.

After hearing the dream and the explanation thereof, the king fell on his face, worshiped Daniel and commanded to offer an offering and incense to him. He said to him: “It is true that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets” and he made Daniel great, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over all the province of Babylon, and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon (vs. 46-48).

See the irony: he confesses that God is God, but worships Daniel. He acknowledges the excellence of the God of Daniel, but he doesn’t convert. He doesn’t send the other “wise” men away from the palace. He simply decides that Daniel is now the chief prefect over them. The proof that Nebuchadnezzar did not convert is given in Chapters 3 and 4. In chapter 3, he erects a massive statue of himself and asks everybody to worship it. When he learns that Daniel’s friends would not do it, he summons them and says (vs. 14 & 15): “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up?... if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?” Where has the one who had previously acknowledged the supremacy of the God of the Hebrews over every other god gone? Here is he now, boasting about “his gods”.

As threatened, he throws them in an overheated fire which refuses to roast them. Terrified, he proclaims (vs. 28-29): “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego… Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” Who will not want to serve this kind of God? Yet, Nebuchadnezzar simply forbids blasphemy against Him, but doesn’t invite the people to change their ways and does not convert himself, even though he knows that no other god can rescue like Him. Strange, isn’t it?

In chapter 4, he has another dream and once more, he first turns to his charlatans. In front of their (new) incapacity to interpret it (you don’t say!), Daniel intervenes again and explains that the king has become haughty and God is going to strike him if he doesn’t repent. Daniel pleads with him, saying (vs. 27): “O king, break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.” This is the proof that until now, Nebuchadnezzar is still not converted. Things occur as announced by Daniel and the king is struck by a mysterious illness which almost turns him into an animal. History is full of fables regarding the true nature of his affliction, but what is certain is that he was mad, to say the least. When he regains his sanity after some years, he says (vs. 37): “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.” He is converted, at last...

This teaches us that in many cases, it is only brokenness that can force people to convert. You can do a lot for someone through your prayers, they may even admit it to their friends, but this does not mean they will give their life to Christ. The children of Israel are a very good example of this. What miracle did they not see? Yet, they remained in their unbelief. Likewise, Jesus speaks to a crowd which had just been miraculously fed with only five loaves of bread and two fish and says: “You are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.” Then, He asked them to labour for imperishable food, meaning, doing the work of God which was: believing in Him. Listen to their answer: “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform?” (Jn 6:26-30). These people had witnessed or heard of healings, deliverance, resurrections, cleansing of lepers and they had just witnessed a multiplication of five loaves of bread for 5000 men (i.e. more than 10,000 people including women and children). They had been so impressed that they said: "This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!" and were ready to crown Jesus (Jn 6:14-15) and yet, less than 24 hours later, they had the nerve to ask His business card for them to believe in Him! No wonder Jesus told them that they were only looking for Him because of their bellies and not because they had seen wonders which had convinced them that He is truly the Son of the Living God. Don’t wait for God to strike you down like he dealt with Nebuchadnezzar. Do not wait to see a miracle to believe: believe because God is real and is God. Do not say that you will know that God loves you if He gives you this or that or if you see Him powerfully at work: this is the attitude of an ungrateful heart. Just believe that He is God and He loves you. Daniel’s friends told the king (3:17-18): “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” In other words, whether He gives me or not, whether He does this for me or not, I will still serve Him. Do not run after God because of what His hand can give you: this is spiritual begging. Cling unto God like the branch clings unto the trunk of which it depends. God does not need you, you need Him. Without Him, you will soon become a dry and dead leaf or branch. May these thoughts guide you as we enter 2013.

To be continued…

Merry Christmas and God bless you.

Gems from the Book of Daniel (II)

 

When Daniel found out about the king’s threat, he went to see the king on his own and offered to solve the enigma -even though nobody had initially thought of him- and the secret was revealed to him during the night. Let me pause again to say this:

· God's people continue to be ignored, overlooked and despised. It's really weird that nobody thought of Daniel and his friends when chapter 1 tells us that in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters of his kingdom (vs. 20). So, what happened? The Church is still people’s last resort. God is the last to Whom we turn when we are in trouble. As Nathanael said to Philip, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Jn 1:46. The world does not mind us because for them, nothing good can come out of the Church.

· God truly reveals hidden things. Unfortunately, we Christians are the ones who do not believe that He can reveal them to us. God can speak to you about your country, city, area, workplace, family, children and about your future, so that you will not perish with the others – Daniel’s first concern was for God to speak so him and his friends would not share the disastrous fate of the other wise men. God says: “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and inscrutable things which you do not know… Nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known” (Jer 33.3, Mat 10.26). You can know these things, if you wish. I am obviously not talking of spiritual voyeurism. God is not going to reveal to you what your neighbours are eating or their undies, just for the pleasure of showing: this is witchcraft. God reveals things for salvation (ours or our loved ones) and for His glory. A few days ago, my daughter came to me with a situation which was troubling her. There was this classmate of hers who seemed to have a serious problem, but the girl would not speak about it. So, my daughter wanted to know what she could do to help. I told her to pray for GOD to reveal what was wrong to her. I told her to expect an answer via any of these means: a dream, a vision, a sudden intuitive knowledge of the situation, a circumstance (like her finding herself ‘by chance’ somewhere where she can see or hear about the problem) or GOD could also touch the girl’s heart so she would open up to her. She quickly mumbled a few words in her mind and moved onto something else. It was Friday. On Monday afternoon, after the lessons, the girl joined her as she was walking to the music room and spontaneously started pouring out to her, sharing overwhelming issues. My daughter offered to pray for her which the girl gladly accepted. She could not believe someone actually cared. GOD SPEAKS. He is still in the business of revealing hidden things when the motive for knowing them is pure.

Before revealing the king's dream and its interpretation, unlike Elijah who had 450 prophets of Baal put to death, Daniel requested not to destroy the Babylonian wise men (2:24). He could have jumped on the occasion to wipe all these hellhounds who were seducing the king and the people off, but he did not. We like asking God to kill our enemies way too much. We forget that we will always have physical and/or spiritual enemies as long as we live. Destroy two and here are three others: it is an endless fight. Let’s just remember that God’s will is not for the wicked to perish, but to turn back to Him (Ez 18:23, 1Tim 2:4) and let’s be merciful like our Heavenly Father is. By killing them, we deprive them of any possibility to repent.

To be continued…

Have a wonderful week and may God bless you with wisdom!

Gems from the Book of Daniel (I)

 

I am reading the book of Daniel again, and as always, even after reading it n^th times, I am still discovering things. I love the Scriptures!

Two things have fascinated me in the first chapter. The first is that the devil has good taste. Indeed, the king did not want to have just anybody by his side. He was looking for handsome, wise, intelligent, skilled young men without blemish and with a royal or noble background who would learn the literature and language of the Chaldeans (vs. 3-4). Such were the criteria to be at his service. I had already expanded on this in a previous post: In quest of esotericism. The more intelligent you are, the more the system of this world hunts for you. If you are beautiful and don’t have your head on strong shoulders, beauty contests are there to lure you. Lodges too, do not recruit idiots because what their teachings are often very complicated and far beyond the intellectual reach of the average citizen.

The second thing that catches my attention is the fact that their names were changed into names alluding to Babylonian gods and culture. We, Christians, also live in a world which regularly tries to change our names and force us to answer to names that are not ours, for the sake of social integration. Rihanna’s latest hairdo is hip? Young Christians copy it without any discernment. Lady Gaga’s latest fashion style is hop (just her name should tell you the girl is mad)? Christians just copy it. All my friends are getting a tattoo? I will have one as well, but instead of a snake or a mermaid, I’ll go for a cross or the name of Jesus. Cool! All rappers wander around with their pants on their thighs? Young (and even old) Christians do the same… Those who were still called “Christians” (little christs) not so long ago, are now called “Worldly”. What is your sign? And you say: Cancer or Scorpio... Have you changed your name? Are you now identified by the name of one of the gods of this world?

In chapter 2, king Nebuchadnezzar had a dream, but when he got up, he could not remember it. So, he summoned all the wise men of his kingdom –i.e. magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers- asking them to reveal the dream to him and the interpretation thereof. They said to him: “Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.” To which the king replied: “I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see that the thing is gone from me. » As the king insisted, threatening to tear them limb from limb, and lay their houses in ruins, they pleaded saying (vs. 10-11): "There is not a man on earth who can meet the king's demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean. The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh."

Let me stop here for now and highlight this:

· Notice who was supposed to be the wise men of the time: all manner of occultists. These are the kind of people world leaders turn to when they are troubled. Things have not changed. Mitterrand in France, Reagan in the US, most African presidents to name only a notorious few, were/are all surrounded by a bunch of marabouts and astrologers in charge of foretelling the future.

· These people knew nothing. They had no answer but they wanted the king to first tell them the dream. I have heard many stories of people who went to consult fortune-tellers, but instead of hearing something like: “You are X and you came for this or that and here is the answer to your problems,” They were tricked into divulging information about their family, health and job which were later used to invent a prediction for them. This is what the king’s mages wanted to do.

· No one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh. By their own admission, they cannot be in touch with the gods. By their own admission, the entities they adore and cause people to worship, are unable to interfere in the lives of men. They are making people believe that they can consult the gods/spirits whereas they are mere wind-chasers. Indeed, the Bible tells us that idols, all idols, are vanity and pursuit of the wind (Is 41:29). This reminds the confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. Elijah had told them: “Call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the LORD, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” In spite of all their invocations, nothing happened and Elijah laughed at them saying: "Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened." 1Ki 18:24 and 27. Idols are nothing, vanity. Don’t waste your time reading horoscopes: astrologers cannot predict the future. And if you know people who consult diviners of any nature whatsoever, share this with them.

To be continued…

Have a blessed week in CHRIST JESUS, The LORD.

Finally….

The French version of Catalysts of Favour, “CATALYSEURS DE FAVEUR”, is also out!

God is gooooooooooooood!

Have a look at both versions on the editor's website:

http://www.xulonpress.com/bookstore/bookdetail.php?PB_ISBN=9781624198564&HC_ISBN=NONE

And if you happen to know somebody whose first language is French….

Must-pray prayers of the New T. (X)

 

Praying against temptation

Lk 22.31-32, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again (converted, come back to me), strengthen your brothers.”

1) This is firstly a reminder that the devil exists, roams around and that his intentions towards us have not changed since the Garden of Eden: he only seeks to steal, kill and destroy (Jn 10.10).

2) Satan demanded to have you… This is a reminder that even though he was cast out of heaven and thrown down to the earth with his demons (Rev 12.8-9), Satan still has access to God. It is to Him that he places his demands. Indeed,

Zec 3:1-5, “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. And the LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, O Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?" Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, "Remove the filthy garments from him." And to him he said, "Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments." And I said, "Let them put a clean turban on his head." So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD was standing by.” This is why he is called the accuser of the brethren (Rev 12:10). He spends his time looking for faults on our part that he can use against us before God, the Just Judge, and force Him to leave us on our own. Psalm 109 rightly says: “They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause. In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer. So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love. Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser stand at his right hand. When he is tried, let him come forth guilty; let his prayer be counted as sin!” (Vs 3-7) ? The KJV reads: let Satan stand at his right hand. And he does this day and night!

Job is another example of the devil’s presence before the LORD. Read this: “There was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. The LORD said to Satan, "From where have you come?" Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it." And the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?" Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face." And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand." So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.” (Job 1:6-12)

So, the devil can do nothing without the LORD’s permission. In fact, speaking of His sheep, Jesus said that they will never perish, that no one could snatch them out of His hand, and that His Father who had given them to Him is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand (Jn 10:28-29). No wonder the devil himself had to acknowledge the fact that God had put a hedge on every side around him, his house and all his possessions. In other words, nobody can touch us except God first removes that protecting hedge around us. Indeed, the verse « stretch out your hand and touch all that he has » is not accurately translated because the Hebrew word shâlach, translated by stretch out, actually means send away, let go, let loose, put away, send off, cast away or push away.

3) I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail… And we know that God always hear the prayers of Jesus (Jn 11:42)… The first thing that this verse teaches us is that our faith is what matters the most to the LORD. This is what He is keen to preserve it above all. Then, this passage also teaches us that when the devil demands to sift us like wheat, God has two options. Either He destroys Satan’s plans by removing our iniquity/sin and changing our filthy garments by pure ones (the blood of Jesus), or He lets him do as he wishes, but only after our advocate with the Father, Jesus (1Jn 2.1), has prayed that those trials would not break us. This is why Paul says that no temptation has overtaken us that is not common to man and that, God who is faithful, will not let us be tempted beyond our ability, but will provide the way of escape with the temptation, that we may be able to endure it (1Cor 10:13). And we know that Job’s faith was not shaken. In spite of all his losses –his children, his wealth and his health- he refused to curse God and simply said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." (Job 1:21)

Our part is to avoid any presumption like Peter who thought he could face jail and death with the LORD (Lk 22:33), only to deny Him shortly after. We should be aware that all those who are standing are susceptible to fall (1Cor 10:12). This is why Jesus exhorts us to watch and pray not to enter into temptation (Mat 26:41). And the prayer we must pray is: Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (Mat 6:13).

Have a great week and God bless you!