Daniel

"Daniel's Answer to The King" by Briton Riviere

"23The King was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den no wound was found on him because he had trusted in his God."
-Daniel 6:23 






Vitals
Focuses on : Daniel 6
Job Description : Man appointed to a high official position because of his talents(notably dream interpreting)
Significant events in worldly position : Interpreted dreams and messages to Kings, defied the King's law of praying to nobody but the King for 30 days
Aftermath: Exited the lion's den without sustaining any form of injury
Is this person one with desirable traits of a Christian?

          The book of Daniel has a bunch of interesting stories with many diverse themes. The one that caught my eye the most was the situation of Daniel in the lion's den which is in chapter 6 of Daniel. The story takes place under the reign of King Darius. Because of Daniel's history filled with exceptional deeds, the King favored Daniel and put him in a position more distinguished than any administrator or satrap that was out there. These people with less authority than Daniel wanted to expose him for any negative trait that they could find. They eventually pin-pointed his faith in God as a target. They persuaded King Darius to issue a law that anyone who prays to anybody other than the King himself will be sent to the den of the lions. Daniel would neglect the content of that command and continue to pray three times everyday. He would be caught much to the dismay of King Darius who liked Daniel. Daniel would spend the night in the lion's den only to be discovered by a jubilant Darius in the morning to be still alive. Daniel told him that his God had sent an Angel to save him from the lions. The accusers that wanted to rid the kingdom of Daniel would than be sent to the lion's den, where they would be brutally ripped apart. 

          In life, there will always be people who will wish to persecute you and set you up in a situation where nothing but death seems to be in store for you. Daniel is this week's featured "Servant of The Weak" because he didn't care about the law, he insisted on praying and defying the King's decree. He put himself in danger just because of how much he loved God and the end result would work out for Daniel because of his powerful belief.  

          It's just amazing at what Daniel really did in this chapter. An order from the highest power in the kingdom was given, it was an expectation to be obliged to these rules. Daniel chose to turn the other way and continue to pray to God. And the punishment wasn't a simple five-dollar fine or two hours of community service, it was sleeping with the lions which is pretty much identical to a death penalty. Despite knowing all of this, Daniel just acted as if the decree was never made, he knew what he was getting himself into.

          If there was any sort of law to charge someone when you pray, I'd probably be hesitant to do it. If anything, I'll probably do it when nobody's looking. That wasn't the case for Daniel, he just pretended like nothing happened. He didn't hide it, he allowed himself to be seen by the accusers. He just didn't let any elements of this command to change his routine whatsoever.

          When Daniel was sent to the animal cage, everybody thought it was over with for him. I mean, who in the world can spend a whole night with hungry beasts such as lions? But someone like Daniel was able to do it. Still, Daniel didn't protect himself by scaring, slaying, or amusing the lions in any fashion. He really didn't do anything at all, he just remained there. Daniel claims that an angel was sent to cover the mouths of the lions. This just really goes to show how great God is, God was able to shield Daniel from the blood-thirsty lions and safety was the only thing that happened to Daniel throughout his time inside. 

           Daniel is a considerably strong example of how to act in times of distress. It was illegal to pray and what did Daniel do? He prayed. Lions were going to absolutely destroy him and Daniel didn't have to do anything. He put all his trust in God and his life was saved.

            The force of a prayer can be tremendous. It's powerful enough to hold off a pack of lions from eating a man. The horror of being persecuted can really get into your skin, but you have to remember this. It's a symbol of your strength when you express your faith in moments of peril. 

          In Matt 5:10 the beatitudes actually say that persecution is a positive thing. 

          "10Blessed are those who are persecuted

                     because of their righteousness,

               for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

         No matter how bad it looks, we just have to think and look at the huge picture that it can't actually be that bad. If we stop and ponder for a second, we will be able to realize that the impact of how bad things could be have a limit. A problem or conflict might be overwhelming at first, but putting our trust in God is how one can rise above it all.

          Daniel could've cared less about the decree. He knew that he was going to be okay because he knew his God in whom he prayed for. He had nothing to fear of because he knew that he was under God's wing and God will never let go.              

Thanks Maria Lim for telling me about this chapter!

King Nebuchadnezzar

"33Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like cattle. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird."
-Daniel 4:33


Vitals
Focuses on : Daniel 1- 4
Job Description : King of Babylon

Significant events in worldly position :

• Had dreams interpreted by Daniel
• Attempted to have Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego thrown into a furnace
• Driven away from people and lived with wild animals for seven years
• Praised God 

Aftermath: Was returned back to his throne now with sanity and the state of mind to glorify God


Is he one with desirable traits of a Christian?
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          In the book of Daniel 1-4, King Nebuchadnezzar is featured greatly. The king of Babylon certainly encountered a series of unexpected events in his life. He would live a majority of his life in a pretty corrupt manner. In chapter 2, he has a dream and cannot understand what it means. He calls for magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers to help him  grab a sense of what his dream means. When the astrologers told him that a task like that is impossible, Nebuchadnezzar became furious and ordered all of the wise men in Babylon to be executed. Daniel would eventually help the king interpret his dream. In chapter 3, he built a gold statue of 90 feet high. He made a decree that whenever the people would hear music, they were to bow down and worship the image that Nebuchadnezzar has made. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (the three men who Daniel trained with in chapter one) refused to bow to the golden image. King Nebuchadnezzar would have these three men thrown into a blazing hot furnace. Needless to say, they would come out of the furnace with no scent of fire on them for an angel came down to rescue their bodies. 

          Probably the most important event for Nebuchadnezzar came during chapter four. The king would have another dream to be interpreted by Daniel. Daniel would tell him that dream's meaning is that he will be "driven away from his people and live with wild animals". He would "eat grass like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven". Daniel tells of how he will be in that state for seven years until he acknowledges God. The prophet than proceeds to advice the king to "renounce his sins" so that his current life may continue. Evidently, King Nebuchadnezzar wouldn't take Daniel's advice as 12 months later, Daniel's prediction would come true. At the end, Nebuchadnezzar would recognize God and glorify him which in turn would give him back his sanity. He was returned back to his throne and became better than ever. 

          Most of the descriptions regarding the king of Babylon would show that he wasn't exactly a man of moral perfection. King Nebuchadnezzar is the featured "Servant of the Weak" because he is a good example that you shouldn't choose to take the path of exalting God only when you're in a rather sticky situation.

          King Nebuchadnezzar was able to enjoy many luxurious things because he was the guy in charge. He did anything as he pleased ranging from summoning the services of any specialized professional to building a golden statue that's bigger than my house. He had the power to get his hands on just about everything.

          However, despite how comfortable his living conditions were, he was not a good man. All the actions that he did in the book of Daniel shows that Nebuchadnezzar was not a pure individual at all. Too be honest, the stuff that he did in this book shows that he's a complete wretch. Just think about the things he does in order to get his way, whenever somebody fails to follow his orders, he executes them. The manner in which he approached others show that he basically has no heart. Not a single sign of humanity was shown during his rule before he turned absolutely insane for seven years.

          Nebuchadnezzar is pretty much a typical king of any nation. He only really loved three things, luxury, people serving him, himself. All king Nebuchadnezzar cared for and did was based on his own appeal. Everything that happened was all about himself. He didn't give a rat's tail about others because he went about life with the mentality that he was the center of everything. It's shown by his deeds, he would resort to death penalties in order for him to have his way.

          King Nebuchadnezzar would only improve his kindness after seven years of wildlife. It took him that long before he finally gave notice to God and worshiped him! It took torment of such immense degrees to wake him up. 

          Even though Nebuchadnezzar would eventually be guided to the holy path, it shouldn't be that difficult. This is why Nebuchadnezzar lacks ideal characteristics of a firm believer in God. The sovereign  Lord should always be on your mind no matter what happens. Whether it's before, during, or after a drastic situation. It's a lifestyle to have God in your life, it shouldn't be a method to get out of a problem. His whole life prior to his turning point was scornful to say the least and that shouldn't happen. A mentality to be loving and God-fearing is supposed to be the outline of your entire mind.        

          It's great that Nebuchadnezzar was able to renounce his sins and realize what is truly important. But it's a problem when you acknowledge God only when you are in deep trouble. God should be in your mind 24/7 and not as a ticket to get out of a stressful situation. God should be in you all the time. He should be your everything.

Lazarus

"20At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores."
- Luke 16:20-12


Vitals
Found in : Luke 16:19-31                                                        

Job Description : Beggar who had sores licked by dogs


Significant events in worldly position : Endured lifelong sequences of events related to poverty and sickness


Aftermath : Carried by the angels to Abraham's Bosom (Salvation)


Is he one with desirable traits of a Christian?    

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          In the Gospel of Luke 16:19-31, a parable is told about a wealthy man living in great comfort everyday and a beggar who was never offered anything by the wealthy man. After both individuals had died, Lazarus was able to have angels carry him to Abraham’s bosom. The wealthy man, was forsaken and was in torment within the flames of Hell. The wealthy man calls for Lazarus to offer some water for the tip of his finger, Abraham told the wealthy man that Lazarus cannot do that. Abraham states that he had enjoyed a life filled with wonderful things and Lazarus had to endure his difficulties in his life. The wealthy man would then beg for him to send Lazarus down in hopes that he would warn his five brothers to repent and save themselves. Abraham would deny that and tell him that if they don’t listen to the prophets, they won’t repent even if they are warned. 
          This parable contains a wide assortment of influential themes of how Christians should live. Lazarus is the featured "Servant of The Weak" because he suffered in his life time, accepted God's plan, and ultimately enjoyed the comfort of holy paradise.
          Simply imagine yourself in the position that Lazarus was in. Exactly, you really can't, Lazarus was below the dumps. He was a beggar which meant that he was basically useless. "Suffer" probably isn't even the right word for what Lazarus was going through. This man had to undergo his life in absolute agony. I can't even imagine a minute being like Lazarus. This is what makes Lazarus one with ideal characteristics of a Christian. He decided to not live a life that was surrounded with fine linen and luxury. He chose to be a complete bum and live in horrendous conditions. He didn't complain or did anything that showed resentment toward his lifestyle. He accepted and embraced the road that God had made for him. This is what we as Christians need to think about when our lives just plainly suck. We have to realize that life isn't about how much linen and luxury we have. We have to realize that life isn't of our control and it is fully on God's judgement . 
          You have to ask yourself this question. Do I really want to live like Lazarus? The answer to that is Hell no. But than you have to ask yourself another question, Do I trust God? Too be honest with you, I do trust God but I definitely don't want to be living a life such as Lazarus. It's just tough to really swallow up what happens once you have reached that point in your life where you have discovered the truth. 
          I'm sure Lazarus was in extreme sorrow when he had finally grasped a hold of what God wanted of him in his worldly time on Earth. However, that's the key term to it all; "Worldly time". It might drive you in misery to excessive degrees but you have to just keep saying this to yourself "Worldly time". 
          What happened after death for Lazarus would make everything crystal clear. Lazarus was able to be guided by angels to the Promiseland. Despite residing in a house of utter torment as what could only be described as a loser, Lazarus was able to emerge out of life as a true winner. 
          So I'll simply leave you with this, next time in your daily routine life. When the direction of your plans don't travel along the route you want it to and you feel as if everything's against you. Don't despise it but rather EMBRACE IT.  
          Just like Lazarus, God has made a way for each and every individual and will see to it that everything is going to be alright.