November 2

DANIEL 7

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. ² Daniel declared, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. ³ And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. ⁴ The first was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. ⁵ And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’ ⁶ After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it. ⁷ After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. ⁸ I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things. – Daniel 7:1-8

DANIEL 7 FOUR BEASTS IN DANIEL’S DREAM

This account narrates the dream that troubled Daniel concerning the four great beasts. The dream started with the four winds of heaven stirring up the great sea and it was from it that the four great beasts came out of. The first beast was described as a lion that had eagles’ wings which were plucked off and it was lifted up from the ground and stood on two feet like a man and was given a man’s mind. The second beast was like a bear and was raised up on one side with three ribs in its mouth between its teeth and was told to come out and eat a lot of flesh. The third was like a leopard with four wings on its back and had four heads and dominion was given to it. The fourth beast, the most horrific one, had great iron teeth and devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what’s left with its feet. It had ten horns that had eyes in each horn and a mouth speaking great things.

The dream greatly worried Daniel and we won’t know its meaning until the next verse in 15-17 where an angel will interpret his dream.

REFLECTION

·       Why do you think Daniel was worried and bothered by his dream?

November 1

DANIEL 6

²⁵ Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. ²⁶ I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion

people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,

for he is the living God,
    enduring forever;
his kingdom shall never be destroyed,
    and his dominion shall be to the end.
²⁷ He delivers and rescues;
    he works signs and wonders
    in heaven and on earth,
he who has saved Daniel
    from the power of the lions.”

²⁸ So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.        

                                                                   – Daniel 6:25-28

DANIEL 6 TREMBLE & FEAR BEFORE THE LIVING GOD

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Do you know that your life is not yours, it is the Lord’s?

So why would you even doubt your true worth?

The Lord is Almighty, tremble and fear before the living God

He is able to deliver you from all the troubles of this world.

Following the miracle of Daniel in the lion’s den, King Darius made a decree to tremble and fear before Daniel’s God. Whether he believed in God after seeing what the living God can do, it is not mentioned in this account. Instead, he refers to him as the God of Daniel. What is interesting is that he proclaims that he is the living God who endures forever and his kingdom shall never be destroyed. He also declares that he is the deliverer and that he gives signs and wonders in the heaven and the earth. He won’t be able to say these praises if the Holy Spirit wasn’t involved in it. He won’t be able to say these things if God didn’t use him to declare such attributes. God can use any unbeliever to declare his glory. In this case, Darius witnessed a miracle that only a living God can do.

REFLECTION

• What is the difference between knowing God and serving him?

October 30

DANIEL 6

¹⁰ When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. ¹¹ Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. ¹² Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.” ¹³ Then they answered and said before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.” ¹⁴ Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. ¹⁵ Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.”

                                                                  – Daniel 6:10-15

DANIEL 6 DANIEL’S RESPONSE TO THE PLOT AGAINST HIM

In this account, we witness Daniel’s integrity in response to the threat of his life. Because Daniel had much favor from King Darius, these officials were teeming with envy and jealousy and had to come up with a plot to kill Daniel. James 3:16 says “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.”  Also, the book of James in chapter 4:2-3 explains the instigating factor for the plot to kill Daniel. It says “You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” In 1 Corinthians 3:3 Paul tells the church “For you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?” Daniel’s response to the plot to his life was to continue praying three times a day as he always did. We don’t see any fear for his life in this account, but a total dependence on God instead. He is faithful to rely on God in good or bad times. He still prayed three times a day without fail.

REFLECTION

• What lessons can we learn from Daniel when our safety is threatened?

October 29

DANIEL 6

It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; ² and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. ³ Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. ⁴ Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. ⁵ Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.” ⁶ Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live forever! ⁷ All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. ⁸ Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” ⁹ Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction. – Daniel 6:1-9

DANIEL 6 WHEN YOU ARE FAITHFUL AND FAULTLESS

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When you are faithful and faultless, you will be envied

Prepare to be attacked because their hearts are wicked

When you are faithful and faultless, you will be hated

Just like how Jesus was abused and persecuted.

If you are faithful and faultless, the world won’t stop at ostracizing those who look different from them. This is what happened to Daniel. He was envied because he was a man of integrity and wisdom. So, these officials had to pin him down so they could feel superior over him. John 15:18 says that “If the world hates you, know that it has hated Christ before it hated you. 2 Timothy 3:12 says that if you desire to live a godly life, you will be persecuted.

REFLECTION

• Share some insights about how  and why believers are hated by the world.

October 28

DANIEL 5

²² And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, ²³ but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored.²⁴ “Then from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. ²⁵ And this is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. ²⁶ This is the interpretation of the matter: Mene, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; ²⁷ Tekel, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; ²⁸ Peres, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” ²⁹ Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

³⁰ That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed. ³¹And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old. Daniel 5:22-31

DANIEL 5 THE MEANING OF THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Watch out all of those who boast about their power and glory

You are in for God’s wrath who hates all forms of idolatry

If you desecrate and dishonor what belongs to the Lord

You will be annihilated and destroyed from this world.

This chapter ends with Daniel explaining the interpretation of the handwriting on the wall to King Belshazzar. It was not a good ending because just right after Belshazzar heard the meaning of the handwriting, he didn’t even have a full day to understand the aftermath of his sacrilege and arrogance. He died that night. The handwriting’s meaning came to pass. It is a sad fate for someone who could have learned from his ancestors.

This is what happens if we think highly of ourselves and engage in desecrating the house of God and its contents. It doesn’t take much pride to bring you to a deep fall. Belshazzar stirred God’s wrath over his sacrilege and idolatry. He dishonored God.

REFLECTION

• Why do you think Belshazzar wasn’t given much time to repent?

October 27

DANIEL 5

¹⁷ Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation. ¹⁸ O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father kingship and greatness and glory and majesty. ¹⁹ And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled. ²⁰ But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him. ²¹ He was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will. 

                                                                      – Daniel 5:17-21

DANIEL 5 DANIEL’S LESSONS ON PRIDE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

If anyone thinks highly of himself, he is an idolater

He will be crushed and humbled by the Lord God

Let no conceit and boasting come out of your mouth

Remember to glorify the Lord with a humble heart.

In this account, Daniel was summoned by Belshazzar to interpret the writing on the wall and in return, he promised him honor and a powerful position. Daniel wasn’t interested in all that was offered to him.  Instead, he took Belshazzar down memory lane with what his ancestor, Nebuchadnezzar went through just because of his pride and idolatry. He reminded him of the fate of his ancestor when he teemed with boasting and pride over his kingdom. He was demoted to the level of animals and shunned from his people and kingdom. Before Daniel interpreted the handwriting on the wall, he prepared Belshazzar to examine himself so that he could learn from the fate of his own kin, Nebuchadnezzar. I guess the sins of their fathers have gone down to the next generations. He made the same sins of pride and idolatry against God.

REFLECTION

• How can you tie up the sins of pride and idolatry? How are they twin sins?

October 24

DANIEL 4

³⁴ At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;³⁵ all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” ³⁶ At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. My counselors and my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me. ³⁷ Now I, Nebuchadnezzar,

praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble. – Daniel 4:34-37

DANIEL 4 THE RESULT OF WORSHIP AND PRAISE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

If we continue to turn our backs to the Lord our God

We will be left alone to our pride and foolish ways

If we acknowledge that we are nothing without God

If we praise him, our hearts will be changed to give him laud

If we obey God’s laws and serve him, we will stay humble

God can change our hearts and pull us out of the rubble.

Isn’t it a sad time to watch someone who has everything and ends up with nothing. Not even his dignity. That was what happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. Just because of his pride and unrepentant heart, he was banished from his own kingdom. He was stripped of everything he thought was his own doing. As soon as he lifted his eyes to heaven and praised the Lord, his reason returned. According to Spurgeon “this return of reason results in worship. “We do not worship enough, my brethren. Even in our public gatherings we do not have enough worship. O worship the King! Bow your heads now – bow your spirits rather, and adore him that liveth for ever and ever. Your thoughts, your emotions, these are better than bullocks and he-goats to be offered on the altar: God will accept them. Worship him with lowliest reverence, for you are nothing, and he is all in all.” 

REFLECTION

• What happens to us when we fail to worship and praise our Lord God?

October 25

DANIEL 5

King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand.² Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his fatherhad taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. ³ Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. ⁴ They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.⁵ Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote. ⁶ Then the king’s color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. ⁷ The king called loudly to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers. The king declared to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” ⁸ Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation. ⁹ Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, and his color changed, and his lords were perplexed. – Daniel 5:1-8

DANIEL 5 THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL

According to Dr. Constable’s expository note, “Nebuchadnezzar was Belshazzar’s grandfather rather than his father, but the original language commonly used “father” in the sense of ancestor. Belshazzar came to power some nine years after Nebuchadnezzar died. The events of this chapter therefore occurred about 66 years after those in chapter 1, and about 36 years after those in chapter 4. Daniel would now have been in his 80’s when this all happened.”

We will discover later when Daniel interprets the handwriting on the wall that this must have been God’s finger that actually wrote a message to the King who defiled the sacred vessels in the temple. For Belshazzar to take out these golden vessels in order to be able to use it in their feasting and worship of their gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron wood and stone is so ridiculously wicked. We witness idolatry and pride run in his blood because Nebuchadnezzar took many years before he acknowledged the one true God.

REFLECTION

• Why do you think Belshazzar took those vessels in the temple?