Read Daniel 5:1-12
“As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.” (v4)
Some Thoughts…
Oh how quickly things change! When we last left Daniel in Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar had finally seen the light of life and was bringing reform to his kingdom. Now we turn the page to the next chapter and we find a new king (possibly the son of Nebuchadnezzar’s successor – the historical record is not clear). This new King has let the Kingdom go in a moral slide that quickly turned its inhabitants away from the reforms and proclamation of his predecessor. This young King was bored with the entertainment and dulled by the sensations of his typical revelry, so he breaks into the temple of “the gods” that they and other human hands had made.
There was Daniel, still there, quietly serving the One True God. And when given the platform, he would speak on Yahweh’s behalf. There is a lesson here for every true believer; for every struggling saint trying to maintain a righteous and holy life in a wrong and unholy atmosphere. God doesn’t call us to change the world we live in, but to walk in faith and obedience with Him no matter the moral or spiritual climate. And when given the chance to speak we must speak His truth!
We can know for sure that opportunities to bear witness always arise for people who stand separate from the mass of popular shifts in trends, and when the moment comes we must courageously speak the truth and leave the possibility of change to God and to the conscious of those dying in the error of their thinking and actions. Yes, things will change in rapid succession, sometimes in miraculous currents of reform and repentance and many times away from truth, morality and God. So walk by faith…stay in the center of the stability of God’s truth and ways. And as the world around us spins like a top bouncing from one extreme to another, God will uphold His own. And His will most definitely will be done!
A Prayer…
Father, I will trust you! I will not make my decisions based on the ebbs and flows of societal whims and fickle fancies. I will walk hand in hand with You and when my grip slips, I will trust You to hold me tight and take me through the night. Amen.