Balancing Ministry N' Work

Last week we started Daniel chapter 7 and only went through half of the verses I had originally planned. We may get stuck in the weeds now and again as we work through the second half of Daniel, but I think it is important that we understand what it means. 7 verses and 4 beasts that line up with the statue from Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The dream, the beasts, and the creation of each of the kingdoms they represent were brought about by the one and only almighty God. He is the one that rules over all earthly kingdoms and He is the one that elevates one to rule when the time is right. The first beast that looked like a giant lion with eagle’s wings, the statues pure gold head, was Babylon under the leadership of king Nebuchadnezzar. The second beast that looked like a bear that was told to gorge itself on flesh is the silver chest and arms from Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. They represent the Mede and Persian Empire that grew by conquering nation after nation. A leopard with ...

The second half of Daniel has a lot of meat in it. We will talk about history, the weak kings of Babylon, the persecution in Jerusalem, and the coming Messiah. I encourage you to spend some time each week reading and re-reading the chapter we are going through. Daniel chapter seven is the start of the apocalyptic section of the book and it contains the first of the four apocalyptic visions. This chapter is said to provide the clearest picture of the coming of Jesus that is found in the Old Testament. Daniel said: Daniel 7:13 “ 13  I continued watching in the night visions, and suddenly one like a son of man was coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him.” Jesus said: Mark 14:61-62 “ 61  But he kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest questioned him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” 62  “I am,” said Jesus, “and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right h...

In chapter six we have seen Daniel proving himself to be someone that king Darius could count on and trust. The king was thinking about placing Daniel in charge of the entire kingdom. Daniel’s peers and those that reported to them did not like that idea at all. So, they dug and dug to try and find something that would knock Daniel down a notch or two in the king’s eyes. They came up with a plan to make Daniel choose between serving the king and serving his God. They convinced the king that it would be a good idea to pass a law that required everyone to pray to the king and only the king for the next 30 days. The law was passed, and the trap was set for Daniel. Daniel continued to pray to his God, not as an act of defiance to the king but as an act of faithfulness to his God. He did not bow to man’s wishes but honored God above all else. The trap was sprung, but the king was not happy. He tried to find a way out of this, but the law of the land was solid. The king had no...

Here in the 6 th chapter Daniel is essentially running 1/3 rd of king Darius’ kingdom. He is responsible for forty satraps or governors and the king is pleased with his work. Daniel has exceled at the job and the king is considering placing him over all of the kingdom. His peers and the satraps did not like that idea very much. They dug and dug for a way to knock Daniel down a peg or two. They did not want him to oversee them and expose anything they may have been doing wrong. They looked and could not find anything that would make the king think less of Daniel. So, they hatched a plan. A plan that would put Daniel in the position of choosing between following his God or following the king. They rightly believed that Daniel would honor his God over anything else. They went to the king, they played to his ego, and suggested something that would seem reasonable to most pagan kings. They convinced the king to pass a law that required all people to pray to him, and him alone, f...