Daniel 3:18

Verse of the Day Devotion: Daniel 3:18

“But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” – Daniel 3:18

This particular verse was spoken by Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego.  These were the three Hebrew young men taken into Babylon to serve in the same place as Daniel.  At that time, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon made an image of gold that he was requiring all in Babylon to worship.  The order was, “that at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up.” Daniel 3:5. He also set up the rule, “But whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.”  Daniel 3:6. There was a death penalty in affect and the method of death was cruel, being burned alive in a furnace.

So, at the time that the music calling for golden image worship was to occur, all the people in Babylon, of all nations and languages fell down and worshipped the image except three; Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego.  Note, Daniel was not in Babylon at this time.  Some Chaldeans observed the three not worshipping the statue, and let Nebuchadnezzar know.  I am sure they did this to hopefully earn favor from the king.  They told the king, by name, the three who did not worship it.  They knew the names because these three were over the administration of Babylon.

Well, this infuriated the king and he demanded that they be brought before him.  He questioned them by saying, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up?”  Daniel 3:14b Then he gives them another chance.  “Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?”  Daniel 3:15. This is a very arrogant statement.  However, he will soon learn about that God who can.

Instead of answering the king’s question, they told him that if we end up in the fiery furnace, our God is able to deliver you out of your hand and out of the furnace.  However, even if He chooses not to deliver us from you, let us make it clear that we will not serve you gods or worship your golden image.

Well, the end of the story is that they were thrown into the furnace, and God delivered them.  However, what I want to focus on here is their answer to the king.  Whatever happens, we will never worship any god but the true God.  No matter how awful or painful the punishment, no matter what it is, we will not give our worship to any of your gods.

There is coming a day, and in some ways is here now, when today’s Christians will need to make a similar decision.  In African nations like Nigeria, Boko Haram kidnaps Christians and if they do not convert to Islam, they are killed.  In North Korea and China, if they determine someone is a Christian, they will be sent to Concentration Work camps, known in China as re-education camps to be forced by torture, starvation and slavery work until they either convert or die.  Here in the United States, Christians are persecuted in our public schools and colleges.  Christian monuments are under threat of being destroyed and businesses are being attacked for upholding Christian beliefs.  It is only a matter of time, if things continue to get worse, until it will be illegal to be a Christian and live those beliefs in public.

I have one question, do we have the courage of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego to stand strong and not compromise, or will we be like the other Jews taken into Babylon who bowed and worshipped the golden image?  It is time for us to prepare for extremely difficult times.  We must draw closer to God and yield entirely to Him.  We must decide that no matter what, we will not deny the living God by worshipping idols and other false gods.  If we truly believe that Christ is our savior and that there is no other God but ours, then we must stand strong and unwavering.

We must start preparing now, for who knows when we will have to make “that” decision.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, Inc.

Daniel 9:3

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Daniel 9:3

“So, I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.” Daniel 9:3  

Starting with verse one of chapter nine we read, “In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans, in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.” Daniel 9:1-2.  Darius the Mede became the ruler of Babylon after the conquest of Babylon by Cyrus the Great of Persia. “So, Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two.” Daniel 5:31. This is the first year of Darius the Mede, which means it was around 537 B.C. Daniel understood by the prophet Jeremiah that there would be 70 years.  They were taken into captivity in 607 B.C. When we subtract 537 from 607, we get 70, the number of years in captivity. And as clarification, ‘the books’ refer to the sacred Hebrew writings available in Daniel’s day of which the prophecy of Jeremiah was a part; the term does not here designate a closed canon.

Now, note our focus verse. “So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.” Daniel’s prayer did not consist of a few insincere words uttered before falling asleep at night. He prayed fervently to the Lord with a determined heart. He put his whole self into this prayer for Daniel determined to look to God in prayer until the Lord gave him an answer. The Greek word translated ‘Lord’ is Adonai meaning master, owner, or sovereign ruler; generally denotes the authority and exalted position of God. Sackcloth was a coarse kind of cloth, usually made of hair, and employed for the purpose of making sacks, bags, etc. As it was dark, and coarse, and rough, it was regarded as a proper badge of mourning and humiliation and was worn as such usually by passing or girding it around the loins.  It was customary to cast ashes on the head in a time of great grief and sorrow. The principles on which this was done seem to have been that the external appearance should correspond with the state of the mind and the heart, and that such external circumstances would tend to produce a state of heart corresponding to them – or would produce true humiliation and repentance for sin..

Then in the next few verses he calls out to God, confessing the sins of Israel. “And I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed and said, “Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly, and rebelled, even turning aside from Thy commandments and ordinances. Moreover, we have not listened to Thy servants the prophets, who spoke in Thy name to our kings, our princes, our fathers, and all the people of the land.” Daniel 9:4-6.  God had mercifully sent His prophets to encourage the people of Israel and their leaders to repent however, they refused to listen. Not everyone turned their backs on God. The prophets were faithful, and others like Daniel and his friends remained true to the covenant. Nevertheless, Israel as a whole, it’s kings, our princes, and their ancestors as well as all  the people of Israel had turned its back upon God.

The majority of the Israelites turned from God and started focusing on other things rather than God and His ways. And this was why He allowed Babylon to take it. “Therefore He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or infirm; He gave them all into his hand. And all the articles of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king and of his officers, he brought them all to Babylon. Then they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem and burned all its fortified buildings with fire and destroyed all its valuable articles. And those who had escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths. All the days of its desolation it kept sabbath until seventy years were complete.” 2 Chronicles 36:17-21.

What is sad is that we are seeing this also in some of our churches. I have heard of many who are minimizing sin, and also minimizing what God has called us to do. It is essential that we see sin for what it is and eliminate it from our lives as well as making what God has called us to do a priority. And one thing that will help us do both is to pray, not simple little prayers but going to God and opening our hearts to Him, asking for help to remain true to Him, and also to help others be true to Him as well. This is our calling, and this is how we can be totally pleasing to God.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Daniel 7:3

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Daniel 7:3

“And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another. ” – Daniel 7:3  

As we move forward from chapter six to seven, we shift our focus from history to prophecy. Chronologically, Chapter seven belongs between the fifth and sixth chapters, and why it appears after six is unknown. However, seeing it this way, we can see the incredible dream this was.

First, we read in verse one. “In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a dream and visions in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he wrote the dream down and related the following summary of it.” Daniel 7:1. This brings out the actual order because Belshazzar ruled for two years, having been killed at the beginning of his third year. Having had this dream, when he woke up he felt compelled to write it down, therefore he wrote everything he saw.

And essentially, what he saw was a picture of four great kingdoms, symbolized by four beasts that he saw in his dream. “Daniel said, I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another.” Daniel 7:2-3. This sea here probably refers s to the Mediterranean Sea, and it was called the great sea as opposed to the Sea of Galilee or the Dead Sea.  It is stirred up by four winds of heaven, which denotes that out of strife these kingdoms came.  And from these four winds came four beasts.

Now, Daniel did not understand what he saw, and was actually distressed and alarmed. So, in his dream he asked one there what this meant. And this is what he was told. “These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth. But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.” Daniel 7:17-18.  These four beasts/kingdoms were first, the Babylonian empire, the current power. After a time, it would be defeated by the second beast, Medo-Persians, which would be defeated by the Greek/Macedon empire, which would be defeated by the Roman Empire.

However, though these four kingdoms were very powerful, there would be another. “But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.” And this kingdom will be one that never ends and will be a kingdom full of God’s people, those who have truly accepted the truth of the gospel, believing it and making it the most important thing in their lives; their heart’s filled with the Holy Spirit.

And the beautiful thing here is that all these things happened just as was told to Daniel in his dream. And this is because our Great God knows all things. In fact, He knew this would happen from before creation. “Remember this, and be assured; Recall it to mind, you transgressors. Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’; Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man of My purpose from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it.” Isaiah 46:8-11.

And this truth should give us extraordinary peace, for God knows everything about us; what we have done, what we are doing, and what we will do. And He knows what has happened to us, what is happening to us, and what will happen to us. There is nothing He does not know. And because of this, we can trust Him completely. God loves us and will take care of us when we place our trust in Him. He brought Daniel and his three friends through every trial that came upon them. We should place our absolute confidence in Him just as they did. And when we do, we shall see things we could never have imagined and be safe through every trial that will come upon us.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Daniel 6:27

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Daniel 6:27

“Then these men said, “He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.” – Daniel 6:27

The leaders of the Persians went before King Darius and got him to sign an injunction to make it illegal to petition any god or man other than Darius. “All the commissioners of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the high officials and the governors have consulted together that the king should establish a statute and enforce an injunction that anyone who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, shall be cast into the lions’ den. Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document so that it may not be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked. Therefore King Darius signed the document, that is, the injunction.” Daniel 6:7-9.

Daniel heard of the document and that it was signed by Darius, but he continued going to God three times a day on the roof of his house. And these commissioners and satraps observed him continuing and brought it up to the king. “Then they approached and spoke before the king about the king’s injunction, Did you not sign an injunction that any man who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, is to be cast into the lions’ den? The king answered and said, The statement is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked. Then they answered and spoke before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the injunction which you signed, but keeps making his petition three times a day.” Daniel 6:12-13.

Now the king was upset that he had signed the injunction, but there was nothing he could do, for the ‘signed injunction’ was irreversible. Therefore, “Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and cast into the lions’ den. The king spoke and said to Daniel, Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you.” Daniel 6:16. With a heavy heart he obligated to fulfil this conspiracy by the satraps and commissioners. But notice what he tells Daniel when putting him in the lion’s den. “Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you.” This statement, in itself, does not imply the recognition of Daniel’s God as supreme. The historical Darius had a highly personal devotion to Ahura Mazda, who was “his god” in a way that has been compared to the God of Abraham. He regarded himself as being under the special protection of his god and could reasonably be supposed to allow that Daniel had a similar relationship with the God he worshiped. Jerome supposes that the king was so confident because he had heard the story of the three young men. Then the king sealed the opening with his signet ring.

The king goes back to his palace and was sleepless. “Then the king went off to his palace and spent the night fasting, and no entertainment was brought before him; and his sleep fled from him. Then the king arose with the dawn, at the break of day, and went in haste to the lions’ den.” Daniel 6:18-19. He wanted to see Daniel alive and well but had no confidence this was the case. When he got there, he cried out with a troubled voice, saying “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you constantly serve, been able to deliver you from the lions?” Daniel 6:20. And then Daniel answered. “O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime.” Daniel 6:21-22.

Now the king was pleased and had him brought out and Darius did not see any injuries on him. The author gives the reason as “because he had trusted in his God.” Daniel 6:23b. Now, Darius was please about Daniel, but not those men who caused this to happen. “The king then gave orders, and they brought those men who had maliciously accused Daniel, and they cast them, their children, and their wives into the lions’ den; and they had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.” Daniel 6:24. This was a horrible thing to do, especially with the wives and children who probably had no part in this. However, this was Darius’ decision.

Darius then wrote a decree to all the people who lived in all the land. “May your peace abound! I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel; For He is the living God and enduring forever, And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, And His dominion will be forever. He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.” Daniel 6:25b-27. Darius wrote a decree that probably surprised many in his kingdom. That the people were to fear and tremble before Daniel’s God because ‘He is the living God and enduring forever, And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, And His dominion will be forever. He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.”

And we Christian’s serve this same God who delivered Daniel from the lions, who were definitely hungry which was shown by what they did to those who were thrown in afterwards. And He is able and willing to protect us from the harm that this world wants to perpetrate on us as well. The world hates us and would not be against us being taken out. However, no matter what the world wants to do, just as the commissioners and satraps wanted, we will be protected by Him who ‘is the living God and enduring forever, whose dominion will be forever, who delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, and who also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.” That being our faithful and loving God.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Daniel 6:5

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Daniel 6:5

“Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the law of his God.” – Daniel 6:5   

Now Darius, after defeating Belshazzar and Babylon overall, appointed 120 Satraps over his kingdom. Satrap is a word that means ‘protector of the kingdom.’ Because of the Persian Empire’s vast size (the largest empire the world had known), it was divided into many smaller territories, and the satraps spoken of here evidently denote lesser officials who ruled over these smaller areas. Now Daniel was, by the Satraps and the king himself, thought highly of. “Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself among the commissioners and satraps because he possessed an extraordinary spirit, and the king planned to appoint him over the entire kingdom.” Daniel 6:3.

After some time had passed, the commissioners and the Satraps were trying to find some fault in what he did. However, they could find nothing. “Then the commissioners and satraps began trying to find a ground of accusation against Daniel in regard to government affairs; but they could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him. Then these men said, We shall not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the law of his God.” Daniel 6:4-5. Since they could not find anything against Daniel regarding his government dealings, they decide to take another course by looking at his religious dealings.

So they went to Darius with a recommendation. “King Darius, live forever! All the commissioners of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the high officials and the governors have consulted together that the king should establish a statute and enforce an injunction that anyone who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, shall be cast into the lions’ den. Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document so that it may not be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked.” Daniel 6:8-9. So, Darius signed the document, and thus the injunction.

Now, when Daniel heard about this, he made no changes in his devotion to God. “Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously.” Daniel 6:10. He saw what was designed, but he knew whom he served. It was not any other gods but the True God, Yahweh. As a point of interest, when the Jews were in distant countries in prayer, they turned their faces towards Jerusalem; and when in Jerusalem, they turned their faces towards the temple.

Now it was obvious they were watching Daniel closely, for “these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God.” Daniel 6:11. It would have been ok if he had gone before the gods of the Medes and Persians, but because he went before his God, that had him trapped. So they approached the king and asked him to agree that he had signed the petition outlawing going to any god but theirs. He responded with, “The statement is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked.” Daniel 6:12b. Then these men responded. “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the injunction which you signed, but keeps making his petition three times a day.” Daniel 6:13. What broke the injunction was his prayers to his God rather than their gods.

Now, I will finish chapter six next time, but what I wrote here brings out an important point that we also must follow. Daniel, upon hearing of this decree, chose not to follow it because first, he would not stop going to his God and giving Him glory as well as lifting up his requests to God. And secondly, he would give no credence to their gods for they were false gods and he would never go to anyone but the true God. And as we get closer to the time Jesus returns, more and more Christians will be ridiculed for worshipping and praying to God Almighty, but they will not complain about worship to other things. Moses warns against Idolatry. “When the LORD your God cuts off before you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, beware that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise? You shall not behave thus toward the LORD your God, for every abominable act which the LORD hates they have done for their gods; for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.” Deuteronomy 12:29-31.

When it becomes illegal to worship our God, the true God, we must be as Daniel was and continue worshipping Him and ignore the false gods that will be presented to us. He is worthy of this, and it is laid out above by Moses. If we, as Christians, give in to what they tell us and honor these false gods, we will be denying Him, and thus will be walking away from our faith. If we do what He desires, our eternal future will be glorious.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Daniel 5:25

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Daniel 5:25

“Now this is the inscription that was written out: ‘MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.'” – Daniel 5:25  

Chapter five gives an account of the end of Babylon as a kingdom. After the death of Nebuchadnezzar, there were a series of kings who sat on the throne. The first was the son of Nebuchadnezzar. Amel-Marduk. He lasted around a year and was followed by Neriglissar, Nebuchadnezzar’s son-in-law, who reigned for around six years. After his death, his son Labashi-Marduk took the throne. His reign was very short, lasting only one to three months, until Belshazzar, the son of Nabonidus led a coup resulting in the death of Labashi- Marduk and declaring Nabonidus as king. However, Nabonidus was not as interested in being king as he was in Babylonian history, therefore, as he was out doing research, he pronounced his son Belshazzar as ruler over Babylon.

Now, Belshazzar held a great feast, not knowing this would be the last day of his reign. “Belshazzar the king held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand.” Daniel 5:1.  Everything was going OK until he made a fatal mistake. “When Belshazzar tasted the wine, he gave orders to bring the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, in order that the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them.” Daniel 5:2. The mistake he made was using the gold and silver vessels take from the Temple in Jerusalem. And worse yet, “They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone.” Daniel 5:4. His arrogance became so great during his drunkenness that he praised his gods while drinking from the cups of the true God.

The king then noticed an inscription being written by a hand on the wall which frightened him. He brought in the wise men of Babylon to read and interpret it, but they could not. Belshazzar then became even more frightened. Then the queen entered the banquet hall and said,  “O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts alarm you or your face be pale. There is a man in your kingdom in whom is a spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, illumination, insight, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, your father the king, appointed him chief of the magicians, conjurers, Chaldeans, and diviners.” Daniel 5:10b-11. The man she was referring to was Daniel, and she said that he will declare the interpretation. She offered him gifts, plus authority as the third ruler in the kingdom if he would. However, Daniel answered her, “Keep your gifts for yourself, or give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the inscription to the king and make the interpretation known to him.” Daniel 5:17.

And here is the interpretation. He first tells them what happened to Nebuchadrezzar in the previous chapter. “O king, the Most High God granted sovereignty, grandeur, glory, and majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your father. And because of the grandeur which He bestowed on him, all the peoples, nations, and men of every language feared and trembled before him; whomever he wished he killed, and whomever he wished he spared alive; and whomever he wished he elevated, and whomever he wished he humbled. But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit became so proud that he behaved arrogantly, he was deposed from his royal throne, and his glory was taken away from him. He was also driven away from mankind, and his heart was made like that of beasts, and his dwelling place was with the wild donkeys. He was given grass to eat like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he recognized that the Most High God is ruler over the realm of mankind, and that He sets over it whomever He wishes.” Daniel 5:18-21.  

But then comes the following. “Yet you, his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this, but you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see, hear, or understand. But the God in whose hand are your life-breath and your ways, you have not glorified.” Daniel 5:22-23. He tells Belshazzar that he does not humbled himself before the true God but has exalted himself against him. And he used the articles from the holy temple to drink the wine in their parties honoring the false gods. Then he gives them the interpretation of the writing on the wall. “Then the hand was sent from Him, and this inscription was written out. Now this is the inscription that was written out: ‘MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.’ This is the interpretation of the message: ‘MENE’. God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it.” ‘TEKEL’. you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient. ‘PERES’, your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.” Daniel 5:24-28. And then, the end of the Kingdom of Babylon came that very night. “That same night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain. So Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two.” Daniel 5:30-31.

God brought an end to the greatest kingdom that had existed up to that time in a single night. The end of Babylon came in no great battle, almost without a murmur. The Babylonians were so disaffected by the policies of Nabonidus that they had little will to fight. A Babylonian general, Gobryas, defected to the Persians, and began insurgency against Babylon. In a desperate attempt to rally support, Nabonidus attempted to reinstate the worship of Marduk, and brought the gods of the outlying provinces to Babylon to inspire the people. But the effort backfired, because it did nothing but further anger and demoralize the people from whom the gods had been taken. Two days later, on approximately October 12, 539 B.C., Ugbaru’s troops were able to enter Babylon without a battle. Herodotus describes how the Persians diverted the River Euphrates into a canal upriver so that the water level dropped “to the height of the middle of a man’s thigh,” which thus rendered the flood defenses useless and enabled the invaders to march through the riverbed to enter by night.

God’s will is certain. Honor Him as God Almighty and do not place anyone or anything before Him. In doing so, you will please Him and He will be with you always.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Daniel 4:37

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Daniel 4:37

“Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise, exalt, and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.” – Daniel 4:37  

This VOTD is a bit longer than most, but necessary to understand what it means. This verse is the conclusion of the story of Nebuchadnezzar. Up to this vision he pretty much did whatever he wanted. He raided and conquered countries and kingdoms, including Israel, Egypt, and various others. He created a false god and required everyone to worship it and the other gods of  Babylon upon penalty of death. He was considered the most powerful king who had reigned in Babylon, and by many the most powerful in all history.  He was also devout regarding the gods of Babylon and served them as expected. However, the true God had another plan for him. He used Nebuchadnezzar to give a public proclamation to all the people. And it begins and ends with him acknowledging God, Jehovah, as the true God of all heaven and earth.

He starts this proclamation by giving praise to God. “Nebuchadnezzar the king to all the peoples, nations, and men of every language that live in all the earth: May your peace abound! It has seemed good to me to declare the signs and wonders which the Most High God has done for me. How great are His signs, And how mighty are His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And His dominion is from generation to generation.” Daniel 4:1-3. He wants to declare before he gets to his story that the Most High God is greater than anyone or anything that exists. This shows how effective it was in turning his eyes and heart to the true God. Then the story starts. “I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and flourishing in my palace. I saw a dream and it made me fearful; and these fantasies as I lay on my bed and the visions in my mind kept alarming me.” Daniel 4:4-5. This vision troubled him, so he called for all the wise men to come and tell him what it meant. But as before, they did not know. “So I gave orders to bring into my presence all the wise men of Babylon, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. Then the magicians, the conjurers, the Chaldeans, and the diviners came in, and I related the dream to them; but they could not make its interpretation known to me.” Daniel 4:6-7.

Then Daniel comes in and he tells him the dream. “Now these were the visions in my mind as I lay on my bed: I was looking, and behold, there was a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. The tree grew large and became strong, And its height reached to the sky, And it was visible to the end of the whole earth. Its foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, And in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, And the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches, And all living creatures fed themselves from it. I was looking in the visions in my mind as I lay on my bed, and behold, an angelic watcher, a holy one, descended from heaven. He shouted out and spoke as follows: “Chop down the tree and cut off its branches, Strip off its foliage and scatter its fruit; Let the beasts flee from under it, And the birds from its branches. Yet leave the stump with its roots in the ground, But with a band of iron and bronze around it In the new grass of the field; And let him be drenched with the dew of heaven And let him share with the beasts in the grass of the earth. Let his mind be changed from that of a man, And let a beast’s mind be given to him, And let seven periods of time pass over him. This sentence is by the decree of the angelic watchers, And the decision is a command of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, And bestows it on whom He wishes, And sets over it the lowliest of men. This is the dream which I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, tell me its interpretation, inasmuch as none of the wise men of my kingdom is able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, for a spirit of the holy gods is in you.” Daniel 4:9-18. 

Now Daniel was appalled by what he heard, and this was seen by the king. But the king told him not to be alarmed. Then Daniel responded, “My lord, if only the dream applied to those who hate you, and its interpretation to your adversaries!” Daniel 4:19b. Daniel was not perplexed, he heard from God what it meant, and it was nowhere near what he expected. He starts by explaining what he saw. “The tree that you saw, which became large and grew strong, whose height reached to the sky and was visible to all the earth, and whose foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt and in whose branches the birds of the sky lodged; it is you, O king; for you have become great and grown strong, and your majesty has become great and reached to the sky and your dominion to the end of the earth. And in that the king saw an angelic watcher, a holy one, descending from heaven and saying, “Chop down the tree and destroy it; yet leave the stump with its roots in the ground, but with a band of iron and bronze around it in the new grass of the field, and let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him share with the beasts of the field until seven periods of time pass over him.” Daniel 4:20-23. Daniel has told the king the dream’s interpretation, but that God had also declared a decree upon him. “that you be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place be with the beasts of the field, and you be given grass to eat like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven; and seven periods of time will pass over you, until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes. And in that it was commanded to leave the stump with the roots of the tree, your kingdom will be assured to you after you recognize that it is Heaven that rules.” Daniel 4:25-26. Daniel then advises the king “Therefore, O king, may my advice be pleasing to you: break away now from your sins by doing righteousness, and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a prolonging of your prosperity.” Daniel 4:27.

Now unfortunately, he did not take Daniel’s advice. “All this happened to Nebuchadnezzar the king. Twelve months later he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon. The king reflected and said, ‘Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?’ While the word was in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty has been removed from you.” Daniel 4:28-31. While the king was still bragging about himself, a voice from heaven pronounced judgment upon him. Evidently this was an audible announcement, at least to the king. The voice, probably of an angel, declared that heaven had decreed his judgment. It was as good as done. Nebuchadnezzar would live with the wild animals and eat grass like the cattle for seven periods, probably seven years, until he finally repented of his pride and gave glory to God. And immediately the sentence was carried out.

Then after a long period, his punishment was over when he raise his eyes toward heaven. “But at the end of that period I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward 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. And all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, What hast Thou done?” Daniel 4:34-35. When God brought him back to normal, he praise God and gave all glory to Him. And he ended with the following. “Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise, exalt, and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.” Daniel 4:37. And he was referring to himself as an example of someone walking in their pride regarding themselves.

Nebuchadnezzar definitely had an encounter with God, and his praise appeared sincere. This brings up the question, was this experience equivalent to salvation or did it fall short of saving faith? I believe that the king had a genuine salvation experience; but many others think the king’s faith fell short. We cannot be completely sure, but the language of the text suggests that Nebuchadnezzar did in fact have a saving encounter with the true God. I believe, because of his encounter with Daniel and the other three young men, he saw reality regarding their God, and God carried it out by bringing his belief to completion. Anyone who comes to God will not be pushed away. And as Daniel, along with  Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego lived out their faith and helped convince Nebuchadnezzar regarding the truth, we may be able to do the same by simply living the Christian life as it should be. Remember, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp, and put it under the peck-measure, but on the lampstand; and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Daniel 3:21

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Daniel 3:21

“Then these men were tied up in their trousers, their coats, their caps, and their other clothes, and were cast into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire.” – Daniel 3:21   

This verse speaks of the punishment of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego because they refused to bow before the gods of Babylon. This was a decree that was put forth by Nebuchadnezzar. “Then the herald loudly proclaimed: To you the command is given, O peoples, nations, and men of every language, that at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up. But whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.” Daniel 3:4-6. This was the edict the people were required to follow; when the music is heard all were to fall down and worship the golden image, their god, that passed by.

However, there were three that did not worship it, those being the three Hebrews mentioned above being Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. The Chaldeans observed this and brought this before the king. “You yourself, O king, have made a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe, and all kinds of music, is to fall down and worship the golden image. But whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire. There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. These men, O king, have disregarded you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.” Daniel 3:10-12. Now this angered the king that they would not obey what he had commanded. So he called for them to be brought to him. When they get there, the first thing he does is ask them if this was true, and then gave them another opportunity to do what he had commanded.

However, even before the music started, they said to him, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” Daniel 3:16b-18. This obviously ticked off the king who then ordered the furnace heated up seven times more then normal, and then had them bound and thrown in. “Then these men were tied up in their trousers, their coats, their caps, and their other clothes, and were cast into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire. For this reason, because the king’s command was urgent and the furnace had been made extremely hot, the flame of the fire slew those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego.” Daniel 3:21-22.

However, this did not turn out as expected. “Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste; he responded and said to his high officials, Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said to the king, Certainly, O king. He answered and said, Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!” Daniel 3:24-25. He saw the three who were bound and cast into the furnace. However, when he looked in, there were four unbound people, and the fourth was like an angelic being, referred to here as a son of the gods. And there was no harm done to them. “And the satraps, the prefects, the governors and the king’s high officials gathered around and saw in regard to these men that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their trousers damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them.” Daniel 3:27.

God wanted them to maintain their positions for they had not finished the work He had for them to do. Therefore He would allow no harm to come to the. And in the same way, we can trust God that He will do something similar with us if we find ourselves in a time of great trial. He has the capability to protect us from anything man can do to us, and if it is His will He will rescue us from any situation. However, if He is ready to bring us home, then we should gladly say goodbye to this world. “Do not fear them, for the LORD your God is the one fighting for you.” Deuteronomy 3:22. And also, “And the LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8. So in all times, be at peace knowing God will take care of you in any situation.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Daniel 2:19

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Daniel 2:19

“Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.” – Daniel 2:19   

The key event here is that King Nebuchadnezzar had a series of dreams one night that disturbed him to the point he was unable to sleep anymore. They were so troubling that he called in all the magicians, conjurers, sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to help him understand what this dream meant. Along with the magicians, conjurers and sorcerers, there appeared to be a class of soothsayers to the king which were labeled Chaldeans, or there is also the idea that the Chaldeans considered themselves a superior race which Babylon no doubt accepted.

Now God uses dreams to communicate to people, including those who do not follow Him. We see this here as well as in Genesis where He gives two dreams to Pharoah (See Genesis 41). The first spoke of seven good and seven gaunt cows, then another about seven good and seven thin and scorched ears of grain. The difference between these two sets of dreams is that Pharoah told all the magicians and wise men his dreams whereas Nebuchadnezzar would not tell his wise men the dreams but ordered them to tell him what the dream was, and after this tell him what it meant.

Now in both of these events, the king in each case brought together all the magicians and wise men in order to explain the dream. And in both cases they were unable to do so. However, when they listened to God fearing men, with the Egyptians Joseph and the Babylonians Daniel, they were able to receive the answer they were looking for. Joseph brought the correct translation to Pharoah, and Daniel gave, not only the interpretation but the dream as well, to Nebuchadnezzar.

How was both Daniel and Joseph able to give each king what he wanted? They heard from God. In the case of Daniel, “Then Daniel went to his house and informed his friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, about the matter, in order that they might request compassion from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his friends might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.” Daniel 2:17-18. They did not attempt to give their own interpretation of the dream, but they allowed God to give them what He meant by these dreams. In the case of Daniel, “Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a night vision.” Daniel 2:19.  And it was revealed to him because he, along with his three friends, went to God for the answer.

And after God revealed it to Him, they acknowledged His work in this. “Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven; Daniel answered and said, Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, For wisdom and power belong to Him. And it is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men, And knowledge to men of understanding. It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, And the light dwells with Him. To Thee, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, For Thou hast given me wisdom and power; Even now Thou hast made known to me what we requested of Thee, For Thou hast made known to us the king’s matter.” Daniel 2:19b-23. Daniel never endeavored to figure this out on his own. He understood he did not have the wisdom to determine the meaning of the dreams, just as Joseph did. They laid it in God’s hands to guide them to the truth. And when He provided that meaning to Daniel,  he and his friends gave all thanks and the glory to God almighty.

And this is a great picture of how we are to live our lives. God has promised He will be there for us, no matter what need we may have, be that in things, trials, tribulations, or anything else. “And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19. We can trust Him in everything, even those things that seem impossible, such as telling someone a dream that person had along with an accurate interpretation. There is nothing He will not do, unless He has a better way. This is the God we serve, the one who will always do what is best for us. And in this, we can rest and be at peace.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Daniel 1:8

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Daniel 1:8

“But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself.” – Daniel 1:8   

There are going to be times that we are commanded to do something wrong, that does not please the Lord. This is what we see in the Book of Daniel. At this time, Babylon had grown in power to a level that no other kingdom could overtake them, however, they could take over anyone they wanted. Thus, in the third year of Jehoiakim as king of Judah, Babylon besieged Jerusalem and appointed a king to be put in Jehoiakim’s place.  We read in verse two this takeover was a work of God. “And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his god.” Daniel 1:2.  And then in the next verse, we see that King Nebuchadnezzar ordered young men from Israel to be brought to Babylon. “Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his officials, to bring in some of the sons of Israel, including some of the royal family and of the nobles, youths in whom was no defect, who were good-looking, showing intelligence in every branch of wisdom, endowed with understanding, and discerning knowledge, and who had ability for serving in the king’s court; and he ordered him to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.” Daniel 1:3-4. And among these were four young men from Judah; Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah whose names were changed to, in the same order, Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.

Then we read in verse five that they were to be trained and given a daily ration of food. “And the king appointed for them a daily ration from the king’s choice food and from the wine which he drank, and appointed that they should be educated three years, at the end of which they were to enter the king’s personal service.” Daniel 1:5.  However, the food they were assigned would defile them; be a sin for them to eat. The we see in our focus verse, “But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself.” Daniel 1:8. Now Daniel had made the decision he was not going to defile himself with this, but he did not demand anything else, but simply asked permission from the commander of the officials not to require him to eat food that was defiling to him but to give him food acceptable to him and his God. This could cause Daniel problems, but he was trusting God to protect him.

Notice what happened. “Now God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials, and the commander of the officials said to Daniel, I am afraid of my lord the king, who has appointed your food and your drink; for why should he see your faces looking more haggard than the youths who are your own age? Then you would make me forfeit my head to the king.” Daniel 1:10-11. It appears here that the commander was OK with what Daniel requested, but he feared what the king would do to him if he started looking like a starving, malnourished man. Daniel then asked “Please test your servants for ten days, and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance be observed in your presence, and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king’s choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you see.” Daniel 1:12-13.  

What was the result of this test? “And at the end of ten days their appearance seemed better and they were fatter than all the youths who had been eating the king’s choice food. So the overseer continued to withhold their choice food and the wine they were to drink and kept giving them vegetables.” Daniel 1:15-16. And the king liked what he saw. “And the king talked with them, and out of them all not one was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s personal service. And as for every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in all his realm.” Daniel 1:19-20.

We see in these verses Daniel’s faith in God and how he trusted Him to stay true to what was right, even when it could have cost him his life. And I believe God worked through the overseer and the commander of the officials to allow them to turn aside from the food that went against what God had told Israel not to eat. We see this same faith exhibited by Peter and the Apostles when they were in front of the Jewish leadership when they said, “We must obey God rather than men.” Acts 5:29b. And this should be our response when we are ordered to do something that God has declared as unacceptable or is outright sin. Let us trust God in all things and declare as Peter did, ‘We must obey God rather than men.’

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.