Open Windows

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."

 

The narrative that covers the above scenario is found in Daniel 6:1-17.  Daniel, as a young man, was captured and sent to Babylon during the conquest of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar in 605 B.C. Many years have passed, Persia has conquered Babylon  with Daniel now finding himself serving in the court of Darius the Mede.

As with the officials in the Babylonian court, the officials in the Persian court are jealous of Daniel.  He is wise, faithful, possesses no signs of corruption, is a possessor of an extraordinary spirit, and above all is about to be appointed with authority over the entire court. This man stands out as a righteous and faithful man.  He is an embarrassment to the members of the court.  So what does one do with such a man?  Why kill him of course!

 

As many of us know, the members of the court remind the king that it is in his authority to generate an injunction and by the law of the Medes and Persians be bound by its conditions.  Not even the king himself can revoke that document.  The narrative continues:

 

Then these commissioners and satraps came by agreement to the king and spoke to him as follows: "King Darius live forever!  All the commissioners...have consulted together that the king should establish a statute and enforce an injunction that anyone who make a petition to any god or man besides you, O king...shall be cast into the lions' den. Therefore King Darius signed the document, that is, the injunction. 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.

 

What a remarkable response was made by this seasoned veteran of God!  Daniel  knew, yet he left his windows open.  Have you ever deliberated over that part of the passage?  I have not until this time around.  What kind of a man would leave the windows open knowing that he had enemies that were awaiting, with patience and directed zeal, the possibility of observing him disobeying the very commandment of the king himself?  Loyalty to God, and/or arrogance are the two scenarios that come to mind.  Knowing about the nature of Daniel, we will assume that loyalty and not arrogance was his motive.  What kind of a man, indeed!

 

 Let's fast-forward 2500 years to the present time and consider this response as a metaphor for our lives today.  Would you leave your "windows open" if  you  were pressed to choose between loyalty to a Caesar-like person or to choose manifest loyalty to the Gospel message and to the God of that message?  Would the cultural conditions of a godless world at such a time cause you to "close your windows"? Under modern conditions it seems that such a state is more than possible.  The world community is in flux.  The godless are becoming more bold in their desire to have license to sin and rebel. However, somebody is in the way.  That remnant-like portion of the world Christian community that remains faithful to Christ and His Gospel message will be in the way.  It will be required of us that we be Spiritually wise, be faithful, possess no signs of corruption, but possess that extraordinary Spirit that caused us to be born again from above. In short we will be an embarrassment to the world court and we will have to be dealt with.  Will we leave our windows open at such a time?

What kind of a man was this Daniel, and what kind of a man, or woman will we be required to be when such conditions surround us?  What dominated my thoughts concerning Daniel's response was that he was not only intellectually loyal to God, but, more importantly, he was experientially loyal to God. This is no small condition.  Intellectual knowledge of the Word of God, and of the God who was revealed in that Word, may not always be sufficient to pass the test when we have our faith put under duress. When Daniel's state of mind and subsequent courage was discussed in a recent bible  study of the text, a brother-in-Christ immediately alluded to the courage of the two priests that were required to cross the Jordon river in flood stage (Joshua 3:13-17).  They did not fail the test.  What was similar to Daniel was the fact that their faith in God and in their loyalty to God had been tested under conditions of duress for forty years of wandering in desert places.  They had been tested and were found to be approved.  Like Daniel, they were transformed into faithful servants of God and to the Torah of God.  It's who they were, not just what they did.  So too was Daniel.  He was a tested servant living in a foreign land whose love, loyalty and affection to Torah and God transformed him into a man who left his windows open for all the world to see.



 

If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it has hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

- John 15:18-19-

We live in a comfortable America.  How sad. 

 

 

 

 



Provoking Selfexamination

Who is the man who fears the LORD?

He will instruct him in the way he should choose.

His soul will abide in prosperity,

And his descendants will inherit the land.

The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him.

And He will make them know His covenant.

(Ps. 25:12-14)

Upon reading through the Psalms this morning, this passage stood out enough that I set it aside to be pondered upon. Upon doing so my attention was deflected away somewhat from the fruit that this fortunate individual was producing unto that mind-set that was causing such blessed fruit to be produced.  Why was this person "being instructed", "abiding in prosperity" "having secrets revealed" and having His "covenants made known"? 

Why obviously he, or she, feared God; a subject not often dealt with within our community since the default mind-set of our community is almost always to interpret that to mean reverential respect.   One can superficially believe that he or she respects God.  One can continue to live a superficial life doing so without the demand for self introspection or repentance being required. To fear God, however, implies more than a superficial life that allows one to default to a mind set that does not deal with eternal matters. Accountability is implied when one fears God.  Spurgeon commented on this passage with this powerful admonition;  one that I will keep forever,  teach on forever, and preach on forever. "Let the question provoke self examination" he shouts  with his pen.  Spurgeon then concludes with these sobering words:  "Gospel privileges are not for every pretender.  Art thou of the seed royal or no"? (The Treasury of David, seven-volumes, I, p. 445) Can one fear this great God and love Him with reverential respect at the same time? The thought comes to mind of the child who hears the dreaded words from mom: "just wait until your father comes home"  Does the child love dad and fear his soon return at the same time?  Most assuredly he or she does.

It seems as though we have far too often used that Hebrew verb (yare) to substitute a slumber-like euphemism of reverence in the place of a sobering and thought-provoking admonition to actually fear God.  It is not suggested here that one should fear God as one would fear a tyrant.  Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.  He took it all upon Himself; we have been redeemed by the most powerful act of love to ever have been exercised in human history!  Yet - it seems to me that a staggering sense of sobriety is required of those of us who proclaim His great name. 

Let us consider that every man, woman, or child who has ever lived upon this planet will spend eternity somewhere.  One should ponder the implications of that word "eternity".  We live in perilous times beloved; times that may be Biblical.  If Biblical, then a great apostasy awaits the planet (Mt.24:9-10). Those who call themselves Christians will be sifted during times of testing.  One remains faithful and is called-out unto His presence and the other becomes apostate,  is placed under the ban and is cast into outer darkness.  If the end of the age is not near, and His coming is far away, then one lives-out his or her life in the sobering belief that this is a great God Who will demand an accounting of his or her life.  Such a person will also be called-out unto His presence. For those who live out their lives by default and do not self-examine and who lightly esteem the One Who redeemed His beloved ones, there awaits the same fate as those who became apostate when under trial and the casting-out into that outer darkness awaits them - or so it seems to me.

And to the angel of the church of Laodicea write

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot, I would that you were cold or hot.  So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth.

(Rev. 3:15-16)

 



Sobering words by a great God.  Are we of the seed royal, or not?  A little introspection may be suggested here.  I can think of only two eternal states of being for the Human race:  Those who belong, and those who don't.  FEAR GOD  -  eternity awaits.