Hallelujah! Glory to God! Praise God for His faithfulness in our life during the past week that He has blessed us with His presence, protection, and provision and supplied us with everything that we need to live our life on earth satisfactorily, which means, the Lord enabled us to take care of all our spiritual as well as physical/material needs in our lives. We are so privileged to have the Lord our God on our side who blessed us with everything we need for our life on earth. This is a promise of God to His faithful ones as Apostle Paul very specifically stated while he was writing to the believers in Philippi regarding God’s unlimited provisions in the life of all who called upon His name that I have received full payment and have more than enough … And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:18-19; also refer to Psalm 23:1; Matthew 6:33; 2 Corinthians 9:8; Ephesians 3:20). Apostle Paul was able to write such a bold statement because he trusted the Lord his God with all of his heart and mind and soul and body. David, one of the most powerful kings [if not the most powerful king in Israel’s history] who reigned in Israel said: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (Psalm 23:1). David trusted the Lord his God wholeheartedly because he believed the Lord his God will care for him like a shepherd who cares for his sheep. Like king David who trusted the Lord his God [the God of Israel and the God of his fathers] in every life-situation [good or bad], Apostle Paul also had complete trust in the ability and power of God and in His providential care:

• • Paul knew that the God who took care of his need lavishly will definitely take care of the needs of everyone who trust in Him.
  • Paul knew that God will not forsake all those who seek Him earnestly
  • Paul knew that God will be on their side who call upon His name
  • Paul knew that God cares for all who belongs to Him
  • Paul knew that God is able to meet all our needs sufficiently according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus
  • Paul knew that God and God alone can supply our needs limitlessly
  • Paul knew that God is the only source of all spiritual blessings

The Scripture states that If God is for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31; also refer to Psalm 118:6; Isaiah 41:10; hebrews 13:6; 1 John 4:4). If the Lord our God is the One who provides for our needs (spiritual as well as physical/material) and if He meets all our needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus, the saying that “nothing is impossible with God” (Genesis 18:14; Job 42:2; Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27; Luke 1:37) will be true in our life too and we can do anything and everything for God and others, as Paul asserted: I can do all this through him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13).

The Lord has blessed us with an inspiring and rewarding Scripture passage for our SftW meditation this week, which states: Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever (Daniel 12:3). This Scripture passage specifically communicates to its readers that the wise in the sight of the Lord, despite the trials and troubles they face in life, will shine like the brightness of the heavens and those who lead many to righteousness will be like the stars for ever and ever. It is an open invitation extended to all people with a promise that they will be like the brightness and stars of the heavens for ever and ever if they deliberately choose to live a righteous and holy life and act wisely in the sight of God and people, for He who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:23).

The prophetic writings of Daniel covers all that happened in the past, which covered the historical perspectives of God and His people (1:1-2); the present-time events, which covered all that happened during his life-time (Daniel 1:3-6:28); and the end-time events, which covered the eschatological perspectives on God’s plan for the mankind and the world (Daniel 7:1-12:13). The book of Daniel is written by Daniel, one of the princes of Judah, who was among those who were taken to Babylon as captives. In spite of the fact that he was taken to Babylon as a captive [despite him being a prince in Judah], due to his high profile efficiency in leadership and knowledge and wisdom he was given a high position in the administration of king Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 1:18-21; 2:48a). In addition to holding a high position in the administration of king Nebuchadnezzar, the king appointed Daniel as a ruler over the entire province of Babylon (Daniel 2:48b). Also, the king appointed him as the in-charge over all the wise men in Babylon (Daniel 1:17; 2:48c). Although Daniel served in the administration of king Nebuchadnezzar, he did not defile himself with the worship or other practices of Babylon (Daniel 1:8) rather he was loyal to his God, the God of Israel, and served Him faithfully and prayed to Him three times a day as any faithful worshiper of Yahweh does in Israel (Daniel 6:10). He also helped his people and served them without any hesitation (Daniel 2:49) and interceded for them wholeheartedly (Daniel 9:1-27). God was with him in all that he did before His God and his people and before king Nebuchadnezzar and the Lord his God blessed everything Daniel said and did as the Lord bestowed him with the wisdom and knowledge of heaven (Daniel 1:17; 2:23).

Daniel’s life and all that he has written teaches us that the faithful and righteous people may have to face trials and troubles in their life time and time again. For instance: (i) Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who were thrown into the fiery furnace for being loyal to their God, the God of their fathers (Daniel 3:1-30); (ii) Daniel who was thrown into the lion’s den for being loyal to his God, the God of his ancestors (Daniel 6:1-28); (iii) Job who lost everything in life and went through severe bodily pain [agony] for being blameless, upright, feared God, and shunned evil (Job 1:1, 8 [1:1-2:13]). The truth is that they all came out victoriously at the end of their trials and troubles and God blessed them and honored them before others (Daniel 3:24-30; 6:19-23; Job 42:12-17). In addition, Daniel teaches us that …

• • God is Sovereign in everything He says and does
  • God is in-charge of everything that is going on in the universe, which includes all forms of human governments, seasons, and so on
  • God is the ultimate ruler of the universe including the heavens and earth
  • God is faithful and trustworthy
  • God who promises is a faithful God and He will fulfill all that He promises
  • God answers the prayers of His faithful ones
  • God reveals mysteries or hidden things to His anointed ones
  • God delivers the righteous from their trials and troubles
  • God enables His people to overcome oppression and persecution
  • God brings an end to all kinds of evil on earth
  • God’s comfort will be upon His people whether they are at home as free people or in a foreign land as captives
  • God will bring home the exiles wherever they are (or He will lead to Himself all those who have forsaken Him)
  • God is in-charge of one’s life whether it is during the good days and bad days
  • God’s plans and purposes prevails
  • Daniel teaches us that integrity of heart and faithfulness in life matters to God

The Holy Scriptures (both the Old Testament and the New Testament together) teach us that the God of heaven [who is the God of the Bible] is a compassionate and loving God (Daniel 9:9; Psalm 86:15; 103:8-10; 145:8) and He is the One who created us [that includes you, me, and every one else in the whole of universe] in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7). God, while being a holy and faithful and compassionate and loving God, maintains justice and righteousness in the universe, which indicates that He does not leave the guilty unpunished (Exodus 34:7). This being said, Daniel knew that the God of Israel allowed the enemy nation to defeat/invade God’s chosen people and take them as captives and scatter them across the neighboring nations. God acted this way because they behaved unfaithfully and rebelled against Him despite redeeming and saving them from their enemies and blessing them more than any other peoples or nations on earth. Despite all that had happened to him and his countrymen, Daniel trusted the Lord, the God of his ancestors, all the more, in fact more than his very life or  anyone else in the world, including the king and his high-ranking officials. He [even while being in the enemy’s country and being surrounded by his enemies] never …

• • failed to worship his God, the God of Israel, or
  • failed to pray to Him regularly like any other committed Jew does at home or in a foreign land or
  • failed to help those in need, including his own people as well as some of his enemy colleagues, or
  • failed to be faithful to his God, the God of his ancestors; or
  • failed to fulfill God’s purpose in and through his life; or
  • failed to fulfill the given responsibility in the royal court of king Nebuchadnezzar.

Daniel’s life is an example for everyone else for godly and disciplined life including personal, social, communal, contextual/cross-cultural, and spiritual life. Daniel knew that the Lord his God, the God of Israel, alone can …

• • help him and his people in times of trials and troubles
  • give them strength [physically as well as spiritually] while they are weak and weary
  • protect them from possible dangers that threatens their very life itself
  • give them honor and respect before others
  • bless them with good things in life
  • give them finest wisdom and knowledge compare to their counterparts and contemporaries
  • reveal the mysteries that are hidden to human grasps and perceptions; and so on.

Daniel did not compromise his faith in Yahweh, the God of Israel, or his spiritual practices or his godly lifestyle with anything else in this world, including his high-ranking position or his association with high-profile people including king and his officials, etc. He also never failed to give credit to the God of Israel whenever the Lord honored him with special gifts (like interpreting the dreams and visions and revealing mysteries, and so on), or honor him with a better position or while receiving worthwhile privileges in life. We can read from his writing that he gave credit to his God, the God of Israel, and praised Him (Daniel 2:19), as the Lord revealed the mystery (the hidden things) to him regarding the dream king Nebuchadnezzar had at night (Daniel 2:1, 27-47) which really disturbed the king’s mind and took away king’s sleep from him …

Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his.

He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others.

He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.

He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.

I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king (Daniel 2:20-23)

Daniel being faithful to his God, the God of heaven, became a prominent person in the Babylonian kingdom and king Nebuchadnezzar honored him with a high position in his administration (Daniel 2:48) and he ultimately became the third highest ruler in the kingdom of Babylon (Daniel 5:29). Although there is no indication of how and when Daniel died or at what age he died, we can understand from the Scripture that he lived his full-length of life on earth. The Scripture says that he was brought to Babylon as a young man (perhaps, as a teenager) during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and soon chosen to serve in king’s service and he remained there until the first year of king Cyrus [the Medo-Persian emperor who subdued the Babylonian empire], which means he lived the full-length of his life – perhaps he died at an age between eighty and ninety (Daniel 1:1-6, 21; also refer to Genesis 6:3; 2 Samuel 5:4; Psalm 90:10). Nebuchadnezzar’s demands to enter in to his service were very specific and Daniel, along with some of his fellow-captives, met those requirements, which were as follows: Young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace (Daniel 1:4). These Hebrew young men (Daniel [whose name is changed into Belteshazzar], and his friends Hananiah [whose name is changed into Shadrach], Mishael [whose name is changed into Meshach], and Azariah [whose name is changed into Abednego]) were better off in everything king demanded than anyone else in the entire kingdom (Daniel 17-20). In addition, God blessed Daniel with insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom and the gift of understanding and interpreting visions and dreams of all kinds and ability to solve difficult problems (Daniel 1:17b; 2:19, 27-28; 5:10-17). Daniel was a highly esteemed person before his God, the God of heaven who is the God of his ancestors (Daniel 10:11 also refer to 2:19; Genesis 24:3; Ezra 1:2; Nehemiah 1:5; Jonah 1:9; Matthew 6:9) and the kings and his officials (Daniel 2:46-48; 5:29), for Daniel …

• • was a faithful man of God (Daniel 6:4)
  • was a man filled with the Spirit of God (Daniel 4:8; 5:11; 14)
  • served his God faithfully (Daniel 6:20, 23)
  • obeyed His righteous laws and decrees and commands (Daniel 1:8)
  • prayed regularly and faithfully to his God (Daniel 2:17-18; 6:10)
  • loved his fellow-citizens and others and helped them (Daniel 1:6-7, 17-20; 2:12-16, 49)

He also served his human-leaders [like king Nebuchadnezzar and so on] so faithfully and professionally; and to the best of his God-given ability (Daniel 1:19-20; 2:24-48; 5:1-29). Daniel was counted along with Noah and Job (Ezekiel 14:14, 16, 18, 20; 28:3). For Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:8-9, 22; 7:5); Job was blameless and upright and feared God and shunned evil (Job 1:1, 8; 2:3); and Daniel was precious and highly esteemed before God (Daniel 9:23; 10:11; 12:13). [With the help of the God of heaven who is also the God of Israel] Daniel was wise enough to gain godly wisdom and insight and understanding right from his young age, which enabled him to lead a righteous life that filled with God’s love, truth, and compassion. The godly and exemplary life of Daniel [and his friends] brought praise and adoration to the God of heaven among the people around them; and their godly life-style and their word and deed brought glory and honor to their God (Daniel 1:17; 2:46-47; 3:24-30; 4:8, 34-37; 5:10-16, 29). Remember the promise that God shared with Daniel at the end of his life: As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance (Daniel 12:13).

Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, as we draw close to the end of our SftW meditation this week, let us be sure that Daniel and others like him will shine like the stars and brightness of the heavens in its due time as they trusted the God of heaven wholeheartedly and lived a life that is according to the plan and purpose of God. Similarly, we also will shine all the brighter as the stars and brightness of the heavens if we live our life according to the plan and purpose of God, for the Scripture says: Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever (Daniel 12:3). Therefore let us live our life wisely in the sight of God and others. It is written in the book of Proverbs that The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day (Proverbs 4:18). Jesus also promised that the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of our Father in heaven, as He stated: The righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear (Matthew 13:43). Jesus, being the light of the world, would not allow us to walk in the darkness if we seek Him earnestly and walk in His light deliberately, as Jesus said: I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12). Also, Jesus added, saying: Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16). May the Lord God Almighty bless us all! Amen!