Daniel 6 (résumé): Daniel in the Den of Lions

King Darius was organizing the kingdom and appointed 120 satraps (regional governors) with 3 administrators coordinating them, and the plan was to appoint Daniel as coordinator of all. Daniel's popularity and success brought jealousy and some sought to damage his image, but they didn't succeed because Daniel was so upright and honest. So they approved an irrevocable law making it illegal to worship any god  other than Darius for 30 days. Being the spiritual man that he was Daniel ignored the law and continued with his normal daily prayers, and when he was caught they threw him into the Lion's den as punishment. But God sent his angel to shut the lions' mouths and he was untouched. Then they got the jealous trouble makers and threw them to be devoured by the lions! So Darius decreed that Daniel's God was the living God who endures forever... his dominion will never end... and he performs signs and wonders!"

Daniel 5 (résumé): The Writing on the Wall

 Daniel 5 covers a period when Belshazzar was king of Babylon some years after Nebuchadnezzar's reign. The chapter relates Babylon's fall under Belshazzar. "King Belshazzar gave a banquet for a thousand nobles and drank wine with them using goblets taken from the temple in Jerusalem... and they praised their gods... suddenly a human hand appeared and wrote on the wall... and the king was scared stiff... but none of his wise men could decipher the meaning".  So Daniel was called and he told the king the meaning of the words written on the wall: Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin. which meant: "God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end... you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting... your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians". Belshazzar rewards Daniel making him the third highest ruler in the kingdom and that very night "Belshazzar was slain and Darius the Mede took over at the age of 62".

Hair cut

 I have just had my bi-monthly hair cut. I hope you like it? 👨

Last night I led the mid-week prayer meeting and Bible study and Pastor Murilo gave an excellent study on the 3rd Epistle of John. 

Having completed my synopsis of the Book of Ezekiel I have now covered 71.5% of the chapters of the Bible. I am now in the final book of the major prophets and have done one third of the 12 chapters of Daniel. Then it will be on to the 12 minor prophets to complete the Old Testament which is just over 78% of the Bible.

Daniel 4 (résumé): Nebuchadnezzar's dream of a tree

Daniel 4 is an unusual chapter as it is Nebuchadnezzar's personal testimony of how he was humbled and then restored by God. It is the only chapter in the Bible written by a pagan king. So Nebuchadnezzar tells us that "I had a dream that made me afraid". He told it to his magicians who couldn't interpret it so he called Daniel. In the dream he saw a gigantic tree "that reached the sky... and was visible to the ends of the earth... on it was food for all... and it sheltered beasts and birds". Then came a messenger ordering the felling of the tree and leaving just the stump bound by iron and bronze. Then the tree (Nebuchadnezzar) "is given the mind of an animal till seven times (years) pass by for him". Then it's declared that it must be recognized that "the Most High is sovereign and gives the kingdoms of men to whom he wishes". Daniel interprets the dream and the tree represents Nebuchadnezzar himself and his empire, and God will remove him from his throne. Then the king will "live with the wild animals, eat grass like cattle and be drenched with the dew. He will stay like this until he acknowledges the sovereignty of God... the remaining stump means that you will be restored when you acknowledge that heaven rules". Daniel advises repentance and doing what is right. Then the dream comes to pass with Nebuchadnezzar becoming insane living like a wild mad animal, "his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird" until he recognized the supreme sovereignty of God. Then, and only then, does God restore his right mind, and he praises "the Most High; I honoured and glorified him who lives forever... and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before". Thus Nebuchadnezzar concludes: "All those who walk in pride God is able to humble!"

Daniel 3 (résumé): The image of Gold & the Fiery Furnace

This chapter tells the story of Nebuchadnezzar building an enormous gold statue 27 metres high and 2.7 metres wide. He then summoned all the authorities to its inauguration and dedication and a herald announced that whenever people heard the sound of music from horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and pipes they must bow and worship the image. However 3 faithful Jews: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, refused to comply and were threatened with being thrown into a fiery furnace as punishment. They reacted that the Lord was able to rescue them from the furnace and that even if he didn't they would never bow before the idols. Infuriated Nebuchadnezzar had the fire made 7 times hotter than normal and tied up the men throwing them into the fire. However in a later inspection the king saw the men walking freely in the fire accompanied by a 4th man looking "like a son of the gods"! They eventually emerged from the fire untouched and not even smelling of smoke. So Nebuchadnezzar said: "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants". He then forbid persecution of the Lord and promoted the 3 men.

Hub Community Church

 Last night I led a wonderful service at Green Pastures with a team of 16 mainly young people from the Basingstoke Hub Community church which has been with us for a 2-week stay. The group sang, presented a drama sketch, preached a message based on the sketch and another of the group gave a word of testimony. It was a lovely blessed service.

Philip has also taken the group on 2 nature trails around the nature reserve.

We are thrilled and praising the Lord for a wonderful divine healing that we have seen. Liz and I were asked to pray for a child with the laying on of hands and God has healed the child from a quite complicated problem. All glory be to God! 🙌

I have completed my synopsis of the Book of Ezekiel and am now into the final major prophet Daniel. 

Daniel 2 (résumé): Nebuchadnezzar's Dream

Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that deeply disturbed him so he summoned all his wise men and challenged them to both tell him what he had dreamt and give him its interpretation too. The wise men couldn't do it and kept stringing him along hoping that the king would cave in and tell them the dream so that they could then fix him with an interpretation. Nebuchadnezzar came to realize the wise men were playing for time and so he lost his patience and said he would have the men executed. Daniel got to hear about this, sought God, and God revealed the dream and its interpretation to him which he told to the king. In the dream was a great statue. It had a head of gold (Babylon), chest and arms of silver (an inferior kingdom probably the Medo-Persia), Belly and thighs of bronze - probably Greece), legs of iron (probably Rome), feet a mixture of iron and clay. Thus the statue revealed a series of kingdoms starting with Babylon and beyond. Then comes a stone not hewn by humans which smashes the statue representing God's eternal kingdom above all human kingdoms. Nebuchadnezzar is ecstatic with the revelation of his dream and its interpretation and exalts God the author as "the God of gods and Lord of kings"! He promotes Daniel to a high post over Babylon and also appoints Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to places of authority.