Author: Rick Henderson

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 9:23-27 (day seven)  

“to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness” vs 24.

There was no Plan B.

From the beginning of time, God had a plan: to end sin and bring righteousness. We get glimpses of this plan throughout the Old Testament. God would forgive the sins of His people, they would be restored to righteousness, but the righteousness would not last. The people would always turn back into their sinful ways. This was not the solution, but it pointed us towards the problem. Man cannot make an end of sin. Man cannot bring righteousness. Only God can, so God became man and ended sin, atoned iniquity, and brought an everlasting righteousness, but He wasn’t done yet! He gave us His Spirit that we might be emissaries for Him. He has equipped man to bring everlasting righteousness to other men through the Spirit living in us.

Repent, Witness, Disciple. This is the church. This was His plan from the very beginning. This is Plan A. There is no Plan B.

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 9:1-23 (day seven)

“for you are highly esteemed” 9:23 NASB

or In the ESV, “for you are greatly loved.”

Isn’t that what we all want to know and feel? That we are greatly loved? We desire that! We desire to hear that from family. We desire to hear that from friends. We desire to hear those words in a similar capacity from employers and peers. We desire to hear that from God. We may look at Daniel in admiration and say, “God could never say that about me.” But there is nothing further from the truth!

God says that to all of us. We are His creation and He has created us perfectly. We are greatly loved. The reason we don’t believe that is because this sinful broken world has infiltrated our mind and convinced us we aren’t perfect and are incapable of being loved, but the truth is the closer you get to God, the more time you spend dwelling in Him, the more clearly you will hear the words of our Lord saying, “You are greatly loved!”

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 8:1-27 (day seven) 

“then the holy place will be properly restored.” vs 14

Abandoned. Neglected. Ignored. Generation after generation of Israelites had perpetually turned their back on God. Had God finally turned His back on them? Had the mercy of God finally reached His capacity for forgiveness?They were in captivity, in a foreign land, under the control of a powerful regime and hope was fleeting.

It was a bleak time in Israel’s history, but Daniel reinstates hope.  Hope that restoration is coming. Hope that the tribulation will end. Daniel is assured in this apocalyptic vision of the sovereignty of God. God is working through all these things. He has not abandoned His people. He has not ignored nor neglected them. He is bringing restoration. He is bringing hope through the tribulation.

“And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint,” Romans 5:3-5.

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 7:1-28 (day seven)

“One like a Son of Man was coming […] And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom,” Daniel 7:13-14. 

“The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him.” Mark 9:31

You can hear the disciples’ thoughts as Jesus says these words. This isn’t how Daniel said it was going to go! He was supposed to come on clouds and restore Israel back into prevalence. You can see the frustration of the Pharisees. This can’t be the “Son of Man” who is given dominion over the Earth.

He is not what was expected, but He is what was needed. Even today, Jesus doesn’t always work in the way we expect Him to work, but He always works in the way that is needed. It is easy to get caught into our own wants and desires, but if we truly learn from Daniel we will begin to think and pray differently. No longer will we ask for God to change our circumstances, rather we will ask God to use our circumstances to show His glory.

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

He is Risen!

Daniel 6:17 “A stone was brought and laid over the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing would be changed in regard to Daniel.”

Darius and the satraps thought they had sealed Daniel’s fate. They made sure that no one was going in or out of the lions den. But God had other plans!

Matthew 27:66 “And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone.”

Pilate and the pharisees thought they had sealed Jesus’ fate. They made sure that no one was going in or out of the tomb. But God had other plans!

Ephesians 2:1 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins.”

Satan and the demons thought they had sealed our fate. They made sure that we could not reach heaven. But God had other plans!

The same Power that saved Daniel from the mouth of the lions and raised Christ from the dead, is the same Power that personally gives each of us new life!

He is Risen Indeed!!

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

“That same night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain.” vs 30

This was not a Seal Team 6 type of operation where a small band of militants swoop in unannounced and eliminate their target. This was a full out war to take over the kingdom. In order for this to have happened that same night, the Persians would have been camped just outside the walls of Babylon preparing for battle while the “king” was throwing a party inside his palace. Whether it be a false sense of security in the strength of Babylon or an attempt at pleasure prior to destruction, Belshazzar was not leading his people well.

God has entrusted each of us with leadership. You may not think of yourself as a leader, but you lead families, coworkers, businesses, classrooms, etc.  In a day where an enemy of fear and uncertainty are camped outside our walls, how are you leading your people? How are you instilling hope and courage?

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

“Therefore […] break away now from your sins by doing righteousness and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor.” vs 27

He had the advice. He knew what to do. All King Nebuchadnezzar had to do was repent and humble himself before the Lord. Instead, he attempted to raise himself up to the level of God and boast in his own accomplishments. He did not realize his errors until he had hit rock bottom. Once he finally realized his insignificance, he was able to humble himself and acknowledge that God was in control.

We know the advice. We know what to do. Even more than Nebuchadnezzar, we have all the tools and information to know that it is God who is in control, but we still seek our own power and our own accomplishments for selfish gain. We often wait until it is too late to set our pride aside. Repentance is freeing. Don’t wait until you hit rock bottom. We need to be a repentant people.

Repent. Witness. Disciple. Even in quarantine!

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

“[…] nor had the smell of fire even come upon them.” vs 27

If you have ever sat around a camp fire, you know that it is impossible to avoid the smell of smoke. It saturates your clothes, your hair, and even your skin. It requires a full on cleaning to get that smell out. Yet, this was no camp fire nor a bon fire for that matter. This was a fire that killed those who even got near, and still, they didn’t even smell like smoke. It was as if they were never there to begin with.

This shows the comprehensiveness of God’s protection on these young men in a direct answer to the question of the king, “what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?” To a man who considered himself a god, God showed off His true power by not only delivering these young men safely but protecting them from every aspect of the fire.

God saves us in the same way. He removes our sin and cleanses even the stench of what was once there. It is as if it was never there to begin with. “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12. 

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

“ And Daniel made request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego over the administration of the province of Babylon.” vs. 49.

Daniel’s first order of business when he gets into power is to request a promotion for his fellow Israelite companions. It may seem like a ploy for his friends to benefit off of Daniel’s success, but Daniel knows the importance of these three men. They were with him from the very beginning. They were there to stand with Daniel as he denied the king’s food. They were there to pray with Daniel when he promised the king an interpretation. They were crucial to Daniel’s success, and Daniel recognizes this.

We are stronger when we are together. We are stronger when we come alongside and encourage one another. We are stronger with community. This is what the church was designed to do.

Even on a day when it may seem like we are separated, we are still together. Our community is bigger than the walls of our building. Today we stand together to worship and pray with our families in our homes. All across this city and across this nation, we stand together to praise the King who is on the Throne. Our community is still together!

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

Yahweh is making war with pagan gods. Just like He did in Egypt. Just like He did in Canaan. God had allowed the Israelites to be taken into captivity, but He was not abandoning them! On the contrary, He was using their displacement to make it known that Yahweh is the One True God. Look at what the Chaldeans said after the king asked them to tell him the dream, “there is no one else who could declare it to the king except gods, whose dwelling place is not with mortal flesh.” Now look at Daniel’s response, “there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.” Not only is He the One True God who could know this dream, but He actually reveals His knowledge to mortals. Omniscient yet intimate. Omnipotent yet personal. This is not another god. This is The God, and He is making Himself known to the world.