Nuggets of Truth

I want be honest with you:  I was not jumping for joy when I heard we were going to study Daniel.  Yes, I know Timothy tells us “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness …” (2 Timothy 3:16 ESV) but deciphering the symbolism, understanding the relationship to ancient history, and trying to understand Daniel’s visions all seemed a bit overwhelming.  Fast forward 12 chapters, several months and my feelings have changed.  Do I understand it all?  No!  But, now I see the nuggets of truth woven throughout the book that have indeed been good for training in righteousness and profitable for teaching.

Nugget #1 – Daniel shows us what Paul tells us in Romans 12:2: “… do not be conformed to this world.”  One of the first things we learn about Daniel is his willingness to remain faithful to the Lord and not give in to the temptations (the king’s food and drink) of his environment.  In chapter 3 he was asked to worship a false god or face a fiery furnace and again he chose to remain faithful to the Lord.  It would be much easier to adopt the “When in Rome, do as the Romans” mindset especially when the alternative is a fiery furnace or a lion’s den but, Daniel shows us that a faithful man of God wants no part of moral or spiritual compromises.  Our experiences may not be as dramatic as Daniel’s but each day we must consciously decide to honor God in all we do and say.

Nugget #2 –  Daniel’s life was full of turmoil:  he was taken hostage, stripped of everything he knew, thrown in a fiery furnace, had to spend the night in a lion’s den and if that wasn’t enough turmoil he was given disturbing visions that made him sick for days.  But what did Daniel do throughout his life?  He turned to God for all his needs and the people around him took note.  Do the people around you see you turning to God in the midst of chaos?  Are you worrying about the next election cycle or remembering God’s word that there’s no authority except that which God has set? (Romans 13:1)

There are so many more nuggets I could write about:  Power of a faithful prayer life, hope that only our Lord can provide and in the end resurrection and the delights of spending eternity with God.  The book of Daniel is complex, challenging and at times violent but through it all we see God’s hand working all things together for those who love the Lord (Romans 8:28).

Brenda Wooff