*Old Testament: Daniel 5,6
Poetry: Psalm 116
New Testament: Matthew 2
Last Thursday, my fellow Americans and I demonstrated our gratitude for life’s blessings by stuffing our faces with stuffing, turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, and pie. Thanksgiving Day is a special time to remember not only our national heritage which includes the original Thanksgiving celebration of religious freedom and God’s providence of 400ish years ago, but also to reminisce about our own individual blessings. Sometimes we get so caught up with the ins and outs of life that we fail to remember how far we have come, the blessings that we have, the answered prayers and faithful love of our Father in Heaven. As we’ll see, we are not the first people in history to be so flaky and forgetful.
In Daniel 5, we see King Nebby’s son, Belshazzar, ruling the kingdom. While drinking with his nobles out of goblets stolen from the Holy Temple, he notices a hand – just a hand – writing words on the wall. Flushed with terror, he promises a reward to whomever can interpret the cryptic message. Daniel, famous for having “power from the gods,” was summoned. Though his true interpretation of the text signified the imminent death and defeat of the current king, he was given a position of power, as promised.
Daniel remained a leader for the new king, Darius. Because YHWH had blessed Daniel with wisdom and leadership qualities, it was widely assumed among the king’s men that Daniel would soon be given even more power than they had. Consumed with jealousy, they had to find a way to get rid of Daniel, but they could find no fault in him.
…Except, there was that one thing: Daniel still prayed three times a day to the One True God. Maybe, if they could just get the king to sign a decree that everyone pray only to him, they could trap Daniel and get rid of him for good!
Approaching the king with flattery to kindle the flame of his pride, the king’s leaders – minus Daniel, of course – recommended that the king enact a 30-day irrevocable law that people could pray only to King Darius. (Finally, a sure-fire way to trap their nemesis, Daniel!) The king signed the law, and the men immediately spied on Daniel.
It didn’t take much spying, though. The men knew that Daniel always prayed at the window facing Jerusalem, and just as they suspected, his knowledge of the new law did not alter his commitment to this spiritual discipline and his allegiance to the True King.
Giddy with pride at the simple success of their scheme, the men came back to the king, reminded him of the law, and tattled about Daniel’s offense. Darius, who considered Daniel a friend, was replete with regret. Aware that even he could not change his law, the king ordered Daniel thrust into the den of hungry lions, but offered one last hopeful prayer: “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!” (6:16, NIV).
Cue the children’s picture Bibles to show cute, cuddling lions purring on Daniel’s lap; maybe Daniel rubbed their bellies (a favorite pastime of my late cat, Maximus) or perhaps the lions just basked calmly in the ray of sunshine, as cats tend to do for the majority of their lives. However, that was not the case. The Bible states that an angel held shut the mouths of lions. Perhaps the angel was even wrestling with the powerful big kitties all night long to keep them from eating Daniel!
Darius couldn’t sleep at all that night. As soon as dawn broke through, he scurried to the den to find out if Daniel’s God had miraculously saved his friend. The king was overjoyed when he heard Daniel’s voice and found him unharmed! Indignant at their trickery, Darius ordered the accusers to be thrown into the den, along with their families, who were mauled by lions before they even reached the bottom of the cell. Through this miracle, King Darius recognized YHWH as the One True God and decreed that his kingdom would follow YHWH, the God of Daniel.
As a lover of all cats large and small, this story has always been a favorite of mine. I also noticed that the kings – and other characters – in the Bible have been as wishy-washy as a cat (“Pet me! Now stop or I’ll attack you! I’m hungry again! No, I want beef chunks in gravy, not beef pate!”) in the way they continue to forget or reject YHWH and then turn from their ways when they witness His power. Do they not remember? Did they learn nothing from the kings before them? Surely these events about hangry lions not eating a captive meal and three men (and an angel) walking around in a blazing furnace went down in history as turning points in their culture! It reminds me of the ridiculous cycle of the Israelites wandering in desert who would turn from the One True God, then come running back to Him when He allowed bad things to happen, then promised to always follow Him, and then forgot and worshiped other gods, and then He let their enemies attack them, and on and on and on… I feel no pity for the Israelites because they just keep on forgetting their One True God, but then I realize: how fickle am I sometimes, too. I am human; you are human; we all fail. We all forget to remember the faithfulness of our Father. We cease seeking Him when we need Him most. We, too, are like the amnesiac Israelites and the arrogant kings of the Old Testament.
Thankfully, our reading from Psalms reminds us that “the LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion…” (116:5, NIV). So as we depart today, let us not dwell on our offenses, but, with gratitude, ponder the question posed a few verses later (vs 12): “What shall I return to the LORD for all His goodness to me?”
Reflection & Application:
– Make a list of how you have seen the goodness of God, those recorded in the scriptures and in your own life, and pray about how He wants you to serve as a result of his faithfulness and grace, to share His love and joy with others.
-Write out answered prayers and/or things for which you are grateful. Post it where you can see it.
-Thank our Father in Heaven for His forgiveness and kindness when we forget and stray. How can you offer His grace to someone in your life today?
Rachel Cain
Seek Grow Love 