The Book of Daniel isn’t the easiest book in the Bible to read and understand. Having said that, I always enjoy the story of the young Jewish captives standing tall for God in Babylon. Their fiery furnace ordeal and triumph is awesome. It’s hard to beat the story of the hungry lions that left Daniel uneaten and unharmed. Even the story of King Belteshazzar being terrified as the mystery hand interrupted the big party by writing a message of doom on the wall…..well, it is just one of those classic stories that has lasting appeal and meaning. But Daniel is also a key book for those who enjoy history and future events.
In Chapter 11, Daniel writes about a future event that is now history for us. He told about a wicked ruler who would come into Jerusalem and attack the worship of God in the Holy Temple. History tells us that Daniel was prophesying about a vile ruler named Antiochus IV, Epiphanes. He sacrificed a sow in the Holy Temple to the horror of the Jews, erected a large statue of Zeus for people to worship and promoted naked participation in Greek games – all very offensive to the Jews. But sadly, many Jews succumbed to this evil man and his idolatry. The good news is – some didn’t! Here is a great verse for the day – it is just as true today as it was back then:
and do exploits.”
Daniel 11:32
History tells us that Mattathias Maccabeaus was one of those people who knew his God along with his five sons. Not an overpowering army by any stretch of the imagination! But this little group who knew their God, exhibited outstanding courage and did numerous exploits. Repeatedly they were able to defeat the much larger armies of the wicked Antiochus. Within three years they were able to cleanse and purify the Holy Temple. In 165 B.C. the Temple in Jerusalem was ready for worship services once again. Jews today still celebrate this event – they call it Hanukkah.
Christians today who KNOW THEIR GOD SHALL BE STRONG AND DO EXPLOITS for God and for eternity. There are many things we can spend our time learning and getting to know. But the most powerful thing I can do as a Christian is to daily spend time getting to KNOW GOD better and better. Today, I need to talk to Him not only on my knees beside my bed, but through out the day as well. Whether we are walking, running, driving, sitting or standing, we should consciously bring God into our thought life. We should be breathing little prayers, requests and thank-you’s to the Lord throughout the day. When I am reading my Bible EACH DAY, my prayer should be: “Lord, as I read today, help me to get to know You better. I want to love what You love and dislike what You do not like.” We get to know God more and more by reading our Bibles and studying His dealings with people and nations throughout the centuries. We become more intimate with God as we enjoy the Lord Jesus Christ more and more. We get to know God more and more by communicating with Him often.
Knowing God is a REAL RELATIONSHIP. The starting point is the moment of our salvation. It’s not knowing facts about God – that is mere intellectual knowledge. But knowing God is relational and experiential. My strength as a believer and my usefulness for God is directly proportionate to the degree to which I am experiencing and enjoying God in my life.
Comments
Very well said . One of the biggest mistakea a christian can make is to try to run our own show,We need to have constant communication with God.If we have Our Heavenly Father in our thoughts we will always be aware of his guiding influence . And all personal gain aside if we put God at the center of our lives we bring glory to him.
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