Judges 7:2

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Judges 7:2

“And the LORD said to Gideon, the people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, lest Israel become boastful, saying, ‘My own power has delivered me.'” – Judges 7:2  

In the Book of Judges, we see many times when God’s people went against God’s ways. One of those times God gave them over to Midian for seven years. “And the power of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of Midian the sons of Israel made for themselves the dens which were in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds.” Judges 6:2. And they kept them weak by destroying their crops. “So they would camp against them and destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel as well as no sheep, ox, or donkey. For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, they would come in like locusts for number, both they and their camels were innumerable; and they came into the land to devastate it.“ Judges 6:4-5. After a time, they went to God for help. “So Israel was brought very low because of Midian, and the sons of Israel cried to the LORD.” Judges 6:6.

God then calls Gideon. “And the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, “The LORD is with you, O valiant warrior.” Judges 6:12. But Gideon answered the angel saying, “O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian. And the LORD looked at him and said, Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you? And he said to Him, O Lord, how shall I deliver Israel? Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house. But the LORD said to him, Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man.” Judges 6:13-16. Gideon saw himself as not worthy and incapable of being a warrior. And note God’s response to Gideon’s humility, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man.”

Then the Lord comes to Gideon and says, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, lest Israel become boastful, saying, My own power has delivered me.” Judges 7:2. At first, God says there were too many people, and they would take the credit which was deserved by God alone. So God says, “Now therefore come, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, Whoever is afraid and trembling, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead. So 22,000 people returned, but 10,000 remained.” Judges 7:3. God then tells Gideon again there were too many men. “Then the LORD said to Gideon, The people are still too many; bring them down to the water and I will test them for you there. Therefore it shall be that he of whom I say to you, This one shall go with you, he shall go with you; but every one of whom I say to you, This one shall not go with you, he shall not go. So he brought the people down to the water. And the LORD said to Gideon, You shall separate everyone who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, as well as everyone who kneels to drink.” Judges 7:4-5. Now, after all this, there were 300 men selected to go out. “Now the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was 300 men; but all the rest of the people kneeled to drink water. And the LORD said to Gideon, I will deliver you with the 300 men who lapped and will give the Midianites into your hands; so let all the other people go, each man to his home.” Judges 7:6-7. And the three hundred, led by Gideon, blew 300 trumpets. “And when they blew 300 trumpets, the LORD set the sword of one against another even throughout the whole army; and the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the edge of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.” Judges 7:22. 

There were around 135,000 men of Midian whom Gideon, with 300 men, went up against. And they did not chase the Midian army, but the Midian soldiers ran away because of the fear put in them by God.  And we have nothing to fear as well. Moses told Israel, “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6.  And Jesus spoke to His disciples saying, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27. And no matter what comes our way, “But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,” 1 Peter 3:14. God assured Gideon that he had no reason to fear the enemy, but with 300 men He would defeat the entire army of Midian. Always remember what Paul said to the Roman Christians. “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31. If God is on our side, which He is, then we have nothing to fear. He can do anything for us, even if it looks impossible. And this is what Gideon saw, and how he defeated and army of over 130,000 with but 300 on his side.

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

Judges 2:3

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Judges 2:3

“Therefore, I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they shall become as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.'” – Judges 2:3  

Today we will start looking at the Book of Judges and some key and important ideas found there. In Chapter one, we see that Israel had experienced the great faithfulness of God who, through Moses, led them from Egypt, and made them His people. In him they conquered Canaan, a noble country. Also, they had the promise of the divine word that God would never forsake them, that the truth on which He had up to this point built up their life and nationality would endure, even if they did not completely obey Him. “Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, nor will I so abhor them as to destroy them, breaking My covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God.” Leviticus 26:44.

Reason enough had been given them to fulfill everything prescribed by God through Moses, whether great or small, difficult, or pleasant, whether it gave or took away. They had every reason for being completely with God, whether they waged war or enjoyed the fruits of victory. So, were they totally with Him? Could they be with Him after battling the inhabitants of Canaan as we see occurred in chapter one?  Unfortunately, it appears they did not. God lays out their failure to them. “Now the angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land which I have sworn to your fathers; and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you, and as for you, you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed Me; what is this you have done?” Judges 2:1-2. Note the last part of verse two. ‘But you have not obeyed Me; what is this you have done?’

God sent the Angel of the Lord to Bochim, where His people were and told them all He had done; ‘I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land which I have sworn to your fathers, and I said I will never break My covenant with you.” He was clear here. He had brought them out of Egypt and brought them to the land He had promised them. He is declaring He kept all His promises to them. And He asked of them to make no covenants with the people in the land He was giving them. This they did not follow, and the basic idea of the message was that God would in all ways keep His promise; but they, by their flagrant and repeated breaches of their covenant with Him, had forfeited all claim to the stated benefits. Having disobeyed the will of God by voluntarily courting the society of idolaters and placing themselves in the way of temptation, He left them to suffer the punishment of their misdeeds. 

And what was this punishment? “Therefore I also said, I will not drive them out before you; but they shall become as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.” Judges 2:3. Back in the Book of Joshua, Joshua tells them he is getting old and would not be able to keep fighting the enemy with them so he tells Israel to continue the work after he is gone. “But you are to cling to the LORD your God, as you have done to this day. For the LORD has driven out great and strong nations from before you; and as for you, no man has stood before you to this day. One of your men puts to flight a thousand, for the LORD your God is He who fights for you, just as He promised you. So take diligent heed to yourselves to love the LORD your God. For if you ever go back and cling to the rest of these nations, these which remain among you, and intermarry with them, so that you associate with them and they with you,.” Joshua 23:8-12. God is telling Israel because they did not obey Him, in that they did not drive them all out but allowed some to stay, He would no longer drive the people out of the land given to them, but they would do it themselves, as He has told them. And they were not just allowing them to stay in the land, but they developed relations with them, which went against what God had told them. And the result of this message was repentance. “And it came about when the angel of the LORD spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, that the people lifted up their voices and wept. So they named that place Bochim; and there they sacrificed to the LORD.” Judges 2:4-5. They then understood they had done wrong and cried out to God with weeping.

And God will speak to us, as Christians, letting us know if we are not following His will or ways. He may do it directly or may speak through another. Either way, we must listen and look deeply within ourselves to see any truth in what we have been told. And if, after examining ourselves, we see it is true, then we must repent of whatever wrong we have done and make whatever changes are necessary to no longer continue in our sin. God wants to help us in our walk with Him, and He will make wrongdoings clear to us, and will forgive us if we repent and ask forgiveness. “Come now, and let us reason together says the LORD, Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool. If you consent and obey, You will eat the best of the land; But if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword. Truly, the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” Isaiah 1:18-20. Let us always take this seriously and make whatever changes are necessary to rid ourselves of sin and cleanse ourselves of all unrighteousness.

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

Daniel 12:13

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Daniel 12:13

“But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age.” – Daniel 12:13

I come now to the end of the Book of Daniel, for the bulk of chapters ten and eleven are prophetic to Daniel, but historical to us. The history is very intriguing, and I have taught it several times in various Bible Studies. However, I want to go to the last chapter and look at a very positive end that closes out this book.

After hearing all the prophecy given to him, this appears to have overwhelmed Daniel. “As for me, I heard but could not understand; so I said, My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?” Daniel 12:8. Going back to the beginning of chapter twelve we read, “Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.”  Daniel 12:1-2. This speaks of a time in our future. We see this because of verse two, “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.” This speaks of the very end of this life, and it gives the difference between those who are true followers of Christ, verses those who are not. And this also refers to those who have already died in this life. And then in verse three we see that those who were wise regarding Christ will shine like the heavens, and those who spread the Word of Christ and brought many to salvation will shine like the stars. And this ‘shining’ will be never ending.

Now, Daniel admits that all he heard he did not understand so he asked, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?” Daniel 12:8b. This is actually a word of encouragement and therefore may legitimately be rendered something like ‘Don’t worry, Daniel’ or ‘You may go in peace.’ Essentially, he is told not to focus on this, cause it will be a secret until the end. This is not a rebuke but simply indicates that the prophet should go on about his life and not be concerned about his lack of knowledge because the vision relates to the far distant future.

He then continues, “Many will be purged, purified, and refined; but the wicked will act wickedly, and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand. And from the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.” Daniel 12:10-11. Many at this time will go through trials and tribulations. It is understood that these trials and tribulations will make believers more holy. “And some of those who have insight will fall, in order to refine, purge, and make them pure, until the end time; because it is still to come at the appointed time.” Daniel 11:35. Now these hard times will end, and this should be seen as an encouraging word to all believers. It will not last forever, for it will end at the appointed time.

It is important to understand that in the end there will be difficult times, because those who deny or reject Christ will hate us who believe and love Him. But God will always be with us through it all. It will be difficult but remember the words of Jesus. “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations on account of My name. And at that time many will fall away and will deliver up one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.” Matthew 24:9-12. Life will get difficult for believers. And we will need to endure much for the cause of Christ. However, He adds this to the end. “But the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved.” Matthew 24:13. However long this time lasts, we must remain strong in the Lord. “How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days!” Daniel 12:12.  It is not clear what 1335 days mean, but this period will be times of trials.

I want to encourage us all to focus on God and the calling He has given us, rather than the tough times to come. Daniel was told, “But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age.” Daniel 12:13. We need to keep living our lives as Christ has called us to; spreading the gospel to those who need to hear it. And if we die before the end, we will enter into a rest and then will rise again. And if we do not die, we can continue our work and become stronger in the Lord, and we will also live in His kingdom forever. Either way, we will live in God’s kingdom forever with no end.

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

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.