Author: Danny Panter

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 6:1-28 (day six)

The disciples did not even bother rushing to the tomb the next morning. Jesus was dead, and the tomb was sealed. It was final; hopeless.

But Darius arose in haste to see if Daniel’s God had indeed delivered him from the lions. Even Darius knew that while he, the king, was unable to rescue Daniel, God was able.

Isn’t that the Easter story; the good news?

When there seems to be no way, God is able. When our hands our tied, God is able. When it looks like the enemy has won, God is able. When it looks like death is the victor and the tomb is sealed, God is able.

The disciples would soon discover the able-ness of God for themselves, and they would never be the same.

May we live and rest in the able-ness of God. That’s Gospel kind of living.

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 5:1-31 (day six)

Though sorrow may last for the night, joy comes in the morning! -King David, Psalm 30:5

On the eve of Babylon’s destruction (the Persians just walked into Babylon without a fight) the king had a drunken party with his rich and powerful friends; debaucherous worship of the gods of gold, silver, iron, and wood. Adding fuel to fire they willfully drank and ate from vessels normally used for special offerings in God’s temple in Jerusalem. It was the proverbial fist to heaven, the height of wickedness.

They were partying as if everything was just fine. It wasn’t fine. Nothing was fine. God’s hand of judgment was literally knocking on the front gate.

I certainly don’t think any of us are acting as if everything is “just fine;” we are not oblivious to the suffering existing in our world, especially now in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, but we can forget that human suffering comes at the hands of our own sin, wickedness (personal, national, and global) and brokenness.

As we approach Easter, let us lament our sin and brokenness. Look what it has done.

And then let us rejoice! For we have a God not content to leave us where we are but forgives us and redeems us from our pit!

“What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”– Paul, Romans 7:24-25

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 4:1-37 (day six)

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Psalm 67:4

Why bother telling Nebuchadnezzar’s story at all? I believe God is painting two pictures in these first four chapters, detailing a complex relationship between a king and four faithful Hebrew men. The first is of God’s providence in all of human history; there is no earthly kingdom or king greater than Daniel’s God. The second is of God guiding every nation, tribe and tongue into eternal gladness.

That’s what we begin to see in Nebuchadnezzar’s story, a glimmer of hope for every nation. His story will be their story.

In Babylon God used four Hebrew men, today He uses His church. What they did for Nebuchadnezzar, we now do for the whole world.

“All authority, in heaven and earth, has been given to me. Now go make disciples of every nation…” -Jesus

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 3:1-30 (day six)

²⁹ Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel,³⁰ who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. Mark 10:29-30

Is there a god worthy of dying for? Or worthy of giving up so much? Not in the Babylonian pantheon. Marduk, or any other god, was only as worthy as the gifts he gives. Nebuchadnezzar, nor any other local in Babylon, couldn’t fathom risking so much for seemingly so little.

Just bow down. Keep your beliefs and convictions quietly to yourself. Just for a moment, then stand up and go about your business. It’s not worth possibly losing so much-reputation, the next rung up the ladder, acceptance.

Make no mistake God is an [extraordinary] rewarder of those who seek him! Not because of the gifts he gives (there are many), but because he gives himself. Fellowship is our reward. Knowing him is our eternal treasure. God was Shadrach’s anchor; Meshach’s assurance; Abednego’s confidence.

They loved the giver, more than the gifts he can give.

There is a God worth dying for.

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 2:31-49 (day six)

We can be present for all the wrong reasons. Most of us hum along without much thought of where we are headed. We go about our business in the present, being pulled here and there, because we have little choice. That’s not the kind of presence God intended for Daniel, nor us.

There is a way to live very much in the present fully informed and guided by the future. Even before Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, Daniel knew (although he wouldn’t personally experience it) and believed in God’s promise, that after 70 years of exile, He would restore His people. Much more, the dream painted an even broader future, the full emergence of an everlasting Kingdom. It was his confidence in the secure future of his people that led him to rise above the status quo, avoiding business as usual, by becoming fully engaged in the present.

Ours is no less secure. Jesus has secured our future; it is bright and beautiful and whole and holy. It is this promise, when held onto, that moves us to engage people in the present in the same way Daniel did, not letting moments just sweep us away because life is busy and combustible. But seizing moments, blessing people, and speaking truth. Being truly present and aware.

Your presence could reshape someone’s future. Even those you would least expect. Don’t miss it.

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 2:1-30 (day six)  

The scriptures tell us Daniel spoke with prudence and discretion. Discretion is speaking or behaving in a way that honors or protects the dignity of the one spoken to. I imagine a calm and wise response was the last thing the captain of the king’s guard expected. Fear, anger, and urgency usually produce different results, but not Daniel, not in that moment.

Discretion feels like ancient history these days. We’ve replaced discretion with social media insults and venting.

Solomon wrote, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Proverbs 15:1)

Not sure if Daniel ever read those words of wisdom, but he certainly applied their truth. It begs the question, what lives would be saved if we spoke with the same kind of discretion? What bridges could be built or marriages saved?

Discretion.

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 1:1-21 (day six)

And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand…Daniel 1:2

From the beginning God sets a clear tone. These events in Daniel aren’t the result of a turf war between regional deities, with the God of Judah losing ground. But that is exactly how Nebuchadnezzar would have perceived it:

“Our gods are better than your God.”

The writer is matter of fact, And the Lord gave. This was part of God’s plan the whole time.

Daniel is more relevant than ever. In a world that arrogantly declares, “where is your God?” Daniel is a firm reminder that history is governed by God’s sovereign will; He is its guide. I can’t imagine a greater comfort and hope.