On Wednesday afternoon, April 27, Carol and I received word by phone that our longtime friend David Wilkerson had been killed in an automobile accident. Brother Dave’s wife, Gwen, was seriously injured and is in an East Texas hospital.
I first met David Wilkerson in 1964 when he interviewed me to be a summer worker at Teen Challenge in San Francisco. Three years later Carol and I were married and living in Denver, working to lay the foundation for what would become Denver Teen Challenge. I invited Brother Dave, as we affectionately called him, to come and speak at a public rally; he accepted the invitation and we had a great meeting. While he was with us in Denver, he invited Carol and me to move to New York and work with him in his fledgling crusade ministry and within a few weeks, we were in Massapequa, Long Island, living in a small apartment over the crusade office.
For the next eight years I served as the Crusade Director of David Wilkerson Youth Crusades and travelled with Brother Dave throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and Brazil. It was a powerful time of ministry! The Wilkerson crusades were very, very fruitful and thousands of young people came to faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. This was a powerful time in the church, as the Jesus Movement had developed and the Charismatic Movement was in full swing. David Wilkerson’s ministry was being used mightily in crusades but he also was speaking into the Jesus Movement and Charismatic Movement. In addition, his books were among the best sellers in the history of Christendom and the movie of “The Cross and the Switchblade” was released. It was an incredible time to be serving the Lord and ministering alongside a man like David Wilkerson.
Few men have impacted me as David Wilkerson did. About a week ago the Lord directed my attention to a verse in Acts: “For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers…” (13:36). I pondered the verse in order to understand as fully as possible what was being said and also what meaning it had for me. Yesterday when we took the phone call about David Wilkerson’s death, I quickly understood this verse in a totally different way.
• I know few men who have served their generation so obediently, according to the will and purpose of God, as David Wilkerson.
• I know few men as passionate about declaring the whole counsel of God, no matter what the consequences, as David Wilkerson.
• I know few men who by God’s grace built such enduring ministries as David Wilkerson.
• I know few men who have left such a model of integrity and fidelity as David Wilkerson.
• I know few men who were truly men of prayer and students of the Word as David Wilkerson.
• David Wilkerson was a man of God!
Carol and I were blessed to call Brother Dave, Gwen and the family our friends for nearly forty-five years. Brother Dave participated in the dedication of both of our daughters to the Lord as babies. We were blessed to be able to visit with David and Gwen many times throughout the years, both in Texas and New York City.
I last spoke to Brother Dave early in the year when I was deep in the dark valley of cancer and its treatment. We talked by phone for ten or fifteen minutes and his words were so encouraging to me. He seemed to sense that I was struggling to fully trust, and as we concluded the call I can still hear him say, “You can trust Him, David. You can trust all His promises, all of them.”
Thank you, Brother Dave, for showing us how to live as men and women of God. You showed us how “to serve our own generation by the will of God.”
Your legacy lives on and we have and will continue to be enriched by your example of faithfully serving. Thank you!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
UNLIKELY CHAMPIONS!
King Saul’s army was desperate for a breakthrough (see 1Samuel 17). They were caught in a Vietnam/Afghanistan-like quagmire. For forty days they had been in the Valley of Elah facing the Philistines and for forty days the armies had faced each other without a significant battle—it was a classic standoff!
Every day the two armies lined up on their respective sides of the valley and taunted each other. And every day the Philistines sent out their champion, Goliath, who ridiculed and vulgarly insulted the Jews—and what a splendid champion the Philistines had! Standing over nine feet tall and dressed in gleaming brass armor, Goliath was terrifyingly magnificent, a battle-hardened killing machine. Every day he broke from the ranks of the Philistine army and walked alone into the combat zone. Just the sight of him was enough to frighten the average soldier, who had to be thinking, “Who could ever fight this man? He’s bigger than life!”
Goliath didn’t just pose and flaunt his stature and weapons but he mocked the Jews and called them children and dogs! He took it one step further and taunted them with, “Let’s make this mano a mano (one-on-one, hand-to-hand combat).” His challenge was, “Choose a champion from among you and the two of us will fight. If he wins, we will be your servants! If I win, you will be our servants!”
Try to imagine the despair that must have settled on the Israelites as day after day they were insulted and taunted! No champion arose from their midst, not even Saul or any of his personal guard; they were all intimidated by the overpowering spectacle of Goliath. His terrifying challenges and the awful majesty of his size and power rendered the Jews completely impotent!
I believe that, in large measure, the church of today has been intimidated by a Goliath and rendered impotent. The church in the U.S. and Canada is so mired in complacency that bigness is equated with breakthrough and blessing. There is little hunger for more of God in the church! Jesus speaks to the church and says, “You are like lukewarm water…. You say, I am rich, I have everything…and you don’t realize you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked…. If you hear my voice and open the door…I will come in” (see Revelation 3:16-20 NIV).
The Jews were desperate for a breakthrough or they would lose it all. But a breakthrough came for Israel and I believe one is coming for us, too. However, I am not sure we are ready for the kind of breakthrough God provided for Israel in the Valley of Elah.
Into this despair-riddled situation came an unlikely candidate for champion, a young shepherd boy! Yes, shepherds were tough, resilient men but the enemy here was a life-long, bigger-than-life-itself, battle-hardened warrior. And to this monster they were going to send a boy? An unlikely choice for a hero!
Then there was the matter of his weaponry. The boy didn’t use a sword or a spear; he didn’t even have either. Instead, he brought a sling! A sling? Talk about an unlikely weapon for a potential champion to fight with!
And then there were David’s tactics. First, he appeared totally unprepared for this conflict; he had no armor and no stones to use in his sling. In fact, he refused to wear armor and simply picked up several stones as he went out to meet Goliath. Then he did the most unlikely thing. Instead of walking out like champions do, taunting their enemy, showing their weapons, flexing their muscles, David did exactly the opposite. He ran straight at Goliath—a very implausible tactic!
I am sure there was bewilderment in the ranks of the Jewish soldiers as they watched this drama unfold. When they saw David prepare the sling and saw him “fire” at Goliath, I am certain they stood in total disbelief at what they were seeing. For a moment after David “fired,” nothing visible happened and I think that many of the army of Saul were prepared for the terrible sight of one of their own being cruelly cut to pieces by an enraged enemy. But then one of the Jewish soldiers noticed a spot appear in the middle of Goliath’s forehead, and a trickle of blood began to run down into his eyes. As they watched, the giant’s knees slowly buckled and the rest, as they say, is history.
An unlikely champion, with questionable weapons and dubious tactics brought about an unbelievable breakthrough. The church of today needs a breakthrough and I believe it is going to happen—and soon. I believe we are going to see unlikely champions arise that will lead the church into battle and to great victory.
I don’t believe these champions are going to come from the ranks of the stars of Christian television or from among “celebrity Christians.” In quiet corners, out of the sight of everybody but God, are men and women who, by the Holy Spirit, are being prepared for battle. These yet unknown champions have found a place of intimate communion with our Father; they are aggressive consumers of the Word of God and they are quietly learning the lessions of faith and victory. Someday soon, when the fullness of time has come, the Father will send them to take supplies (encouragement) to their brethren and the breakthrough will begin!
Every day the two armies lined up on their respective sides of the valley and taunted each other. And every day the Philistines sent out their champion, Goliath, who ridiculed and vulgarly insulted the Jews—and what a splendid champion the Philistines had! Standing over nine feet tall and dressed in gleaming brass armor, Goliath was terrifyingly magnificent, a battle-hardened killing machine. Every day he broke from the ranks of the Philistine army and walked alone into the combat zone. Just the sight of him was enough to frighten the average soldier, who had to be thinking, “Who could ever fight this man? He’s bigger than life!”
Goliath didn’t just pose and flaunt his stature and weapons but he mocked the Jews and called them children and dogs! He took it one step further and taunted them with, “Let’s make this mano a mano (one-on-one, hand-to-hand combat).” His challenge was, “Choose a champion from among you and the two of us will fight. If he wins, we will be your servants! If I win, you will be our servants!”
Try to imagine the despair that must have settled on the Israelites as day after day they were insulted and taunted! No champion arose from their midst, not even Saul or any of his personal guard; they were all intimidated by the overpowering spectacle of Goliath. His terrifying challenges and the awful majesty of his size and power rendered the Jews completely impotent!
I believe that, in large measure, the church of today has been intimidated by a Goliath and rendered impotent. The church in the U.S. and Canada is so mired in complacency that bigness is equated with breakthrough and blessing. There is little hunger for more of God in the church! Jesus speaks to the church and says, “You are like lukewarm water…. You say, I am rich, I have everything…and you don’t realize you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked…. If you hear my voice and open the door…I will come in” (see Revelation 3:16-20 NIV).
The Jews were desperate for a breakthrough or they would lose it all. But a breakthrough came for Israel and I believe one is coming for us, too. However, I am not sure we are ready for the kind of breakthrough God provided for Israel in the Valley of Elah.
Into this despair-riddled situation came an unlikely candidate for champion, a young shepherd boy! Yes, shepherds were tough, resilient men but the enemy here was a life-long, bigger-than-life-itself, battle-hardened warrior. And to this monster they were going to send a boy? An unlikely choice for a hero!
Then there was the matter of his weaponry. The boy didn’t use a sword or a spear; he didn’t even have either. Instead, he brought a sling! A sling? Talk about an unlikely weapon for a potential champion to fight with!
And then there were David’s tactics. First, he appeared totally unprepared for this conflict; he had no armor and no stones to use in his sling. In fact, he refused to wear armor and simply picked up several stones as he went out to meet Goliath. Then he did the most unlikely thing. Instead of walking out like champions do, taunting their enemy, showing their weapons, flexing their muscles, David did exactly the opposite. He ran straight at Goliath—a very implausible tactic!
I am sure there was bewilderment in the ranks of the Jewish soldiers as they watched this drama unfold. When they saw David prepare the sling and saw him “fire” at Goliath, I am certain they stood in total disbelief at what they were seeing. For a moment after David “fired,” nothing visible happened and I think that many of the army of Saul were prepared for the terrible sight of one of their own being cruelly cut to pieces by an enraged enemy. But then one of the Jewish soldiers noticed a spot appear in the middle of Goliath’s forehead, and a trickle of blood began to run down into his eyes. As they watched, the giant’s knees slowly buckled and the rest, as they say, is history.
An unlikely champion, with questionable weapons and dubious tactics brought about an unbelievable breakthrough. The church of today needs a breakthrough and I believe it is going to happen—and soon. I believe we are going to see unlikely champions arise that will lead the church into battle and to great victory.
I don’t believe these champions are going to come from the ranks of the stars of Christian television or from among “celebrity Christians.” In quiet corners, out of the sight of everybody but God, are men and women who, by the Holy Spirit, are being prepared for battle. These yet unknown champions have found a place of intimate communion with our Father; they are aggressive consumers of the Word of God and they are quietly learning the lessions of faith and victory. Someday soon, when the fullness of time has come, the Father will send them to take supplies (encouragement) to their brethren and the breakthrough will begin!
Friday, April 15, 2011
IN GOD WE TRUST--OR DO WE?
My trust in God and His purpose for my life has been challenged! In my journey through the valley of cancer over the last six months, I have sometimes questioned and even doubted my faith and trust in my Father.
When the doctors told me that I had a malignant growth on my neck and throat, I was faced with the frailness of my own humanity, and my trust in the Lord was about to be assaulted. In the first weeks as I was grappling with the prognosis of the cancer and deciding how to proceed, some of Job’s comforters came to say hello. One of Job’s friends suggested that perhaps I wasn’t walking in faith because if I really had faith, there was no way I wouldn’t be healed; another informed me that some people just don’t want to be healed.
Not long after the comforters’ visits, I was on the phone with an old friend, a very strong man of God. We talked about the illness I was going through and he had some very kind words of encouragement. As we were finishing the conversation, he said, “You can trust Him, David. You can trust His promises, all of them.” My friend didn’t know, except by the Holy Spirit, some of the ways my faith and trust were being challenged but his words were right to the point and were a tremendous encouragement to me.
I am learning to walk at a more solid level of trust than ever before. Believe me, I have a long way to go but I’m growing in my trust in Him. The bright side of a challenge is that it will drive you to seek the Lord; the dark side of a challenge is that you will allow it to distance you from God and His purposes in your life.
In Job, which, frankly, is not one of my favorite books of the Bible, the author says in response to his comforters, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (13:15). How could Job say that? Could I say that? How can anyone say, “God, if You kill me, I will still trust You”?
The Hebrew word for trust used in Job 13:15 means to wait, to tarry in expectation, to steadfastly expect. The first place this Hebrew word is used in Scripture is in Genesis 8:10: “Noah waited,” meaning he trusted and unwaveringly expected to see God’s mercy, His salvation, His rescue. Noah’s ark was floating on top of the greatest deluge the world had ever seen and there was no land in sight, yet he steadfastly expected that God would rescue him…and God did!
The rock-solid trust that Job and Noah displayed was also expressed by Daniel’s friends when they were given the choice of bowing down to Nebuchadnezzar’s image or being thrown into a fiery furnace (Daniel 3). Daniel’s friends responded, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” (Daniel 3:17-18 NIV). Now that’s trust!
I am most vulnerable to moments of despair and lack of trust when I am tired both physically and emotionally. Add sickness and pain to that and you have a wide-open entrance point for doubt and fear. It is at those moments that I have chosen to trust Him and to express it through worship.
How do you worship when it seems that hell is breaking loose all around and the circumstances you are facing are just overwhelming? In my experience, very simply, I would begin to thank and praise Him for saving me, for the wonderful family and friends that I have, for the countless times He has blessed me, for His love, for His Word, for His promises. I thanked Him for every blessing of my life that I could think of.
As I would, by faith, worship and praise Him, I would often sense His nearness, and the darkness and confusion of anxiety, doubt and fear would begin to dissipate. Faith and trust please the Lord and He inhabits the praises of His people.
Why worship at a time like this? Because true worship is an expression of trust and faith. Worship is a faith declaration that God is sovereign, that Jesus Christ is the Lord of my life, the Lord over my circumstances—and I trust Him! Hebrews 11: 21 says, “By faith Jacob, when he was dying…worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.” The last act of this dying man was to show his trust and confidence in His God through worship. I believe Jacob remembered that most of his encounters with the Lord had come when he was in worship and his desire was to leave this life worshiping—in the Lord’s presence!
Worshiping people are trusting people. When we praise and worship Him, we are enthroning Him as the lord/king of our life. Because worship is our choice, we are declaring that His rule is supreme in our life!
When the doctors told me that I had a malignant growth on my neck and throat, I was faced with the frailness of my own humanity, and my trust in the Lord was about to be assaulted. In the first weeks as I was grappling with the prognosis of the cancer and deciding how to proceed, some of Job’s comforters came to say hello. One of Job’s friends suggested that perhaps I wasn’t walking in faith because if I really had faith, there was no way I wouldn’t be healed; another informed me that some people just don’t want to be healed.
Not long after the comforters’ visits, I was on the phone with an old friend, a very strong man of God. We talked about the illness I was going through and he had some very kind words of encouragement. As we were finishing the conversation, he said, “You can trust Him, David. You can trust His promises, all of them.” My friend didn’t know, except by the Holy Spirit, some of the ways my faith and trust were being challenged but his words were right to the point and were a tremendous encouragement to me.
I am learning to walk at a more solid level of trust than ever before. Believe me, I have a long way to go but I’m growing in my trust in Him. The bright side of a challenge is that it will drive you to seek the Lord; the dark side of a challenge is that you will allow it to distance you from God and His purposes in your life.
In Job, which, frankly, is not one of my favorite books of the Bible, the author says in response to his comforters, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (13:15). How could Job say that? Could I say that? How can anyone say, “God, if You kill me, I will still trust You”?
The Hebrew word for trust used in Job 13:15 means to wait, to tarry in expectation, to steadfastly expect. The first place this Hebrew word is used in Scripture is in Genesis 8:10: “Noah waited,” meaning he trusted and unwaveringly expected to see God’s mercy, His salvation, His rescue. Noah’s ark was floating on top of the greatest deluge the world had ever seen and there was no land in sight, yet he steadfastly expected that God would rescue him…and God did!
The rock-solid trust that Job and Noah displayed was also expressed by Daniel’s friends when they were given the choice of bowing down to Nebuchadnezzar’s image or being thrown into a fiery furnace (Daniel 3). Daniel’s friends responded, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” (Daniel 3:17-18 NIV). Now that’s trust!
I am most vulnerable to moments of despair and lack of trust when I am tired both physically and emotionally. Add sickness and pain to that and you have a wide-open entrance point for doubt and fear. It is at those moments that I have chosen to trust Him and to express it through worship.
How do you worship when it seems that hell is breaking loose all around and the circumstances you are facing are just overwhelming? In my experience, very simply, I would begin to thank and praise Him for saving me, for the wonderful family and friends that I have, for the countless times He has blessed me, for His love, for His Word, for His promises. I thanked Him for every blessing of my life that I could think of.
As I would, by faith, worship and praise Him, I would often sense His nearness, and the darkness and confusion of anxiety, doubt and fear would begin to dissipate. Faith and trust please the Lord and He inhabits the praises of His people.
Why worship at a time like this? Because true worship is an expression of trust and faith. Worship is a faith declaration that God is sovereign, that Jesus Christ is the Lord of my life, the Lord over my circumstances—and I trust Him! Hebrews 11: 21 says, “By faith Jacob, when he was dying…worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.” The last act of this dying man was to show his trust and confidence in His God through worship. I believe Jacob remembered that most of his encounters with the Lord had come when he was in worship and his desire was to leave this life worshiping—in the Lord’s presence!
Worshiping people are trusting people. When we praise and worship Him, we are enthroning Him as the lord/king of our life. Because worship is our choice, we are declaring that His rule is supreme in our life!
Friday, April 8, 2011
RECLAIMING A FOUR-LETTER WORD
It is very possible for a word with a rich history of significance to become so worn in its usage that it becomes essentially meaningless. In our contemporary language, words are often used so frequently and without much thought that they can lose much of their intended meaning and weight. It is a problem for us to apply the contemporary meaning of words to scripture without first making sure what the writer was intending when he wrote the scripture we are reading.
One of the words that, in contemporary usage, has lost much of its meaning is the word hope. We will make a statement like, “I hope that works out for you.” What is the meaning here? Most likely the intent of the person, at best, is, “I don’t really know how this will work out but I’m wishing for the best!” Someone else will say to a departing friend, “I hope to see you soon.” Meaning, “Have a nice day; we probably won’t see each other again soon.” These are simply ambiguous statements whose meanings have been worn down by time and careless use.
In Romans 5:1-6, Paul is taking the Roman church through an explanation of his understanding of how God works in the life of a believer. Paul says, “Tribulation works patience, patience works experience, experience brings forth hope.” This is a very important explanation on Paul’s part of how God brings forth growth and maturity in the life of the believer. If we are not careful, however, the whole sequence fizzles if we apply the contemporary meaning of the word hope which is ambiguous. In contemporary language, Paul would end up saying something like, “ Tribulation works patience, patience brings forth experience and experience brings forth, well, not very much, maybe a little something!”
In the original language the word hope means, “A confident expectation based on the certainty of God’s Word, His promises.” Hope is never inferior to faith but is an extension of faith. Faith is the present possession of grace; hope is the confidence in grace’s future accomplishments. In other words, when we use the word “hope” we are saying “as God has worked in my life in the past, I know He will work in the future.”
Back to Romans 5 for a moment. When we apply the correct definition of hope in the paragraph above, then it gives Paul’s statement a whole new energy. Instead of finishing with a whimper, it finishes with a shout of faith and triumph. Paul is saying, “I know that God is working in my life and the growth that I have seen will be matched and surpassed by what He has in store for me for the future. I am a work in progress and the best is yet to come!”
Paul associated hope with unshakeable confidence (Romans 4:18), with rejoicing (Romans 5:2) and with love (1 Cor. 13:7). God gives us the power to hope through the Holy Spirit’s indwelling us. The hope that God gives thrives and is strengthened in trials and tough, seemingly impossible situations.
“Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, …., contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.” (Romans 4:16-22)
Hope is a great and powerful word. It is a word to be savored and enjoyed! To have hope is to have the confidence of knowing that God who has “graced” my life in the past will continue to do so in the future. You can trust Him on that!
Have a great, hope-filled day!
One of the words that, in contemporary usage, has lost much of its meaning is the word hope. We will make a statement like, “I hope that works out for you.” What is the meaning here? Most likely the intent of the person, at best, is, “I don’t really know how this will work out but I’m wishing for the best!” Someone else will say to a departing friend, “I hope to see you soon.” Meaning, “Have a nice day; we probably won’t see each other again soon.” These are simply ambiguous statements whose meanings have been worn down by time and careless use.
In Romans 5:1-6, Paul is taking the Roman church through an explanation of his understanding of how God works in the life of a believer. Paul says, “Tribulation works patience, patience works experience, experience brings forth hope.” This is a very important explanation on Paul’s part of how God brings forth growth and maturity in the life of the believer. If we are not careful, however, the whole sequence fizzles if we apply the contemporary meaning of the word hope which is ambiguous. In contemporary language, Paul would end up saying something like, “ Tribulation works patience, patience brings forth experience and experience brings forth, well, not very much, maybe a little something!”
In the original language the word hope means, “A confident expectation based on the certainty of God’s Word, His promises.” Hope is never inferior to faith but is an extension of faith. Faith is the present possession of grace; hope is the confidence in grace’s future accomplishments. In other words, when we use the word “hope” we are saying “as God has worked in my life in the past, I know He will work in the future.”
Back to Romans 5 for a moment. When we apply the correct definition of hope in the paragraph above, then it gives Paul’s statement a whole new energy. Instead of finishing with a whimper, it finishes with a shout of faith and triumph. Paul is saying, “I know that God is working in my life and the growth that I have seen will be matched and surpassed by what He has in store for me for the future. I am a work in progress and the best is yet to come!”
Paul associated hope with unshakeable confidence (Romans 4:18), with rejoicing (Romans 5:2) and with love (1 Cor. 13:7). God gives us the power to hope through the Holy Spirit’s indwelling us. The hope that God gives thrives and is strengthened in trials and tough, seemingly impossible situations.
“Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, …., contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.” (Romans 4:16-22)
Hope is a great and powerful word. It is a word to be savored and enjoyed! To have hope is to have the confidence of knowing that God who has “graced” my life in the past will continue to do so in the future. You can trust Him on that!
Have a great, hope-filled day!
Friday, April 1, 2011
HE KNOWS WHAT IS IN THE DARKNESS
When Daniel and his friends were kidnapped and taken to Babylon, they were pushed into a world not of their choosing. It wasn’t unusual for conquering kings to bring talented captives back to their capitals and train them to serve in their government or the military. As their kingdoms expanded, the demand for talent grew and Daniel and his friends were definitely “above average.”
These four young men were very committed to the ways of God that they had learned at home in Judah and were well trained in the religious ways of Judaism. Moving to Babylon did not cause them to adopt the motto, “When in Babylon act like a Babylonian.” They served Jehovah faithfully and more than once proved their willingness to die rather than serve a foreign god.
In the second chapter of Daniel a major crisis came up that put the four Hebrew lives in jeopardy. Because of the wisdom and skill that Daniel and friends had shown, they were considered to be among the “wise men” of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had a nightmare that so frightened him that Scripture says sleep left him (2:1). The king created the crisis himself by demanding that the wise men of the nation not only interpret his nightmare but they also had to tell him what the nightmare was.
The wise men of the nation responded to the king by telling him that what he was asking was impossible and that no king in history had ever made such an unreasonable request (2:10). Nebuchadnezzar may have been slightly crazy at this point and his response to the wise men was, “If you don’t do this, I will kill you and every last member of your family.” And then he issued the orders for the killing to begin (2:13).
Daniel and his friends were not in on this volatile exchange between the king and the wise men but the king’s assassins soon found their way to where the four were. Daniel calmly asked the captain of the killers, “Why is the king acting this way?” and the man responded to him the best he could. Daniel then got permission to go and meet with Nebuchadnezzar where he requested time “to seek mercies from the God of heaven” regarding the troubling nightmare (2:17-18). Apparently the king had respect for Daniel and honored his request for time to pray with his friends.
There is no indication in the Bible has to how long the four prayed but I feel comfortable in saying that the answer did not come quickly. All we are told is that the secret was “revealed to Daniel in a night vision” (2:19). Sounds like an all-night prayer meeting to me!
When the vision came, Daniel began to praise the Lord in these words:
“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
For wisdom and might are His.
And He changes the times and the seasons;
He removes kings and raises up kings;
He gives wisdom to the wise
And knowledge to those who have understanding.
He reveals deep and secret things;
He knows what is in the darkness,
And light dwells with Him.
‘I thank You and praise You,
O God of my fathers;
You have given me wisdom and might,
And have now made known to me what we asked of You,
For You have made known to us the king’s demand.’” (Daniel 2:20-23)
This is a wonderful passage for us to spend time in, especially during the troubling times in which we live. Daniel reminds us that God is in control of all things, including history. He also affirms that God gives understanding to those who seek Him and that He knows the future and reveals secret things to His people.
In the story told in Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar’s nightmare was a seemingly impossible problem for the wise men to solve. But God gave Daniel the complete picture of the dream and its meaning. Nebuchadnezzar saw the figure of a man in his dream, which was a snapshot of world history from the time of the Babylonian empire until the end of time and included an understanding of the major empires of history. Included in the dream was the appearance of a stone that was “cut out” but not by human hands. This stone struck the feet of the image, destroying it entirely, and a wind swept away the debris (2:31-35).
I do not think that what frightened Nebuchadnezzar was the image that he saw in the dream but, rather, the stone that appeared and destroyed the image. I believe the stone threatened the king because he knew that his kingdom was a part of the image and the stone would destroy it. We know that the stone represented the kingdom and power of God (2:44).
Today mankind cannot see into the future. Horoscopes, astrology and fortune-telling are just parlor tricks and they fool people. Only God can see into the future because He lives in eternity and “He knows what is in the darkness.” Seemingly impossible situations that our world now faces in the Middle East and also disasters like the earthquake/tsunami in Japan are not unknown to Him.
Our response to the darkness of the hour we live in should be the same as that of Daniel and his friends: “That they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this….” God will guide us step by step through the uncertainties of our world and our future because “only He knows what is in the darkness” and we are to seek Him and trust Him.
These four young men were very committed to the ways of God that they had learned at home in Judah and were well trained in the religious ways of Judaism. Moving to Babylon did not cause them to adopt the motto, “When in Babylon act like a Babylonian.” They served Jehovah faithfully and more than once proved their willingness to die rather than serve a foreign god.
In the second chapter of Daniel a major crisis came up that put the four Hebrew lives in jeopardy. Because of the wisdom and skill that Daniel and friends had shown, they were considered to be among the “wise men” of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had a nightmare that so frightened him that Scripture says sleep left him (2:1). The king created the crisis himself by demanding that the wise men of the nation not only interpret his nightmare but they also had to tell him what the nightmare was.
The wise men of the nation responded to the king by telling him that what he was asking was impossible and that no king in history had ever made such an unreasonable request (2:10). Nebuchadnezzar may have been slightly crazy at this point and his response to the wise men was, “If you don’t do this, I will kill you and every last member of your family.” And then he issued the orders for the killing to begin (2:13).
Daniel and his friends were not in on this volatile exchange between the king and the wise men but the king’s assassins soon found their way to where the four were. Daniel calmly asked the captain of the killers, “Why is the king acting this way?” and the man responded to him the best he could. Daniel then got permission to go and meet with Nebuchadnezzar where he requested time “to seek mercies from the God of heaven” regarding the troubling nightmare (2:17-18). Apparently the king had respect for Daniel and honored his request for time to pray with his friends.
There is no indication in the Bible has to how long the four prayed but I feel comfortable in saying that the answer did not come quickly. All we are told is that the secret was “revealed to Daniel in a night vision” (2:19). Sounds like an all-night prayer meeting to me!
When the vision came, Daniel began to praise the Lord in these words:
“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
For wisdom and might are His.
And He changes the times and the seasons;
He removes kings and raises up kings;
He gives wisdom to the wise
And knowledge to those who have understanding.
He reveals deep and secret things;
He knows what is in the darkness,
And light dwells with Him.
‘I thank You and praise You,
O God of my fathers;
You have given me wisdom and might,
And have now made known to me what we asked of You,
For You have made known to us the king’s demand.’” (Daniel 2:20-23)
This is a wonderful passage for us to spend time in, especially during the troubling times in which we live. Daniel reminds us that God is in control of all things, including history. He also affirms that God gives understanding to those who seek Him and that He knows the future and reveals secret things to His people.
In the story told in Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar’s nightmare was a seemingly impossible problem for the wise men to solve. But God gave Daniel the complete picture of the dream and its meaning. Nebuchadnezzar saw the figure of a man in his dream, which was a snapshot of world history from the time of the Babylonian empire until the end of time and included an understanding of the major empires of history. Included in the dream was the appearance of a stone that was “cut out” but not by human hands. This stone struck the feet of the image, destroying it entirely, and a wind swept away the debris (2:31-35).
I do not think that what frightened Nebuchadnezzar was the image that he saw in the dream but, rather, the stone that appeared and destroyed the image. I believe the stone threatened the king because he knew that his kingdom was a part of the image and the stone would destroy it. We know that the stone represented the kingdom and power of God (2:44).
Today mankind cannot see into the future. Horoscopes, astrology and fortune-telling are just parlor tricks and they fool people. Only God can see into the future because He lives in eternity and “He knows what is in the darkness.” Seemingly impossible situations that our world now faces in the Middle East and also disasters like the earthquake/tsunami in Japan are not unknown to Him.
Our response to the darkness of the hour we live in should be the same as that of Daniel and his friends: “That they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this….” God will guide us step by step through the uncertainties of our world and our future because “only He knows what is in the darkness” and we are to seek Him and trust Him.
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