Under siege, government takeover, economic collapse, gender issues, defiled food supply, slave labor, immigration, competing visions, and uncertain futures. How do we live in and through this?! These are not new problems. The book of Daniel gives us the hope and future where we are all invited to discover The God of Daniel.
Name something that you have remained determined to do? Why?
Lord we thank you that you are The God of Daniel. You have a plan that you have been carrying out since the beginning of time. We like the people in Daniel’s day are living in captivity waiting for you to restore us to the promised land. Help us to learn from you and each other. May we represent you regardless of what is Handed Over to us and be Determined and Remain so that others might see that you are The God of Daniel. Amen
Remember where we are in the story. God has raised up the nation of Babylon to discipline his children for their idolatry and punish the nations (especially Assyria) for their treatment of His children. God has been warning for generations through many prophets that this would happen. He has told his people they should surrender to Babylon. After Nebuchadnezzar’s siege of Jerusalem and the few people that surrendered, Daniel with many other young men of the royal family of David have been exiled to Babylon. They are now slaves, have been made eunuchs, and are now trying to figure out how to follow their God Yahweh.
At fxchurch we talk about the differences between… Promised Land theology- IDEA: We currently live in the promised land that we are trying to keep or a promised land that we are trying to create on earth through our works. Wilderness Theology- IDEA: We are just wandering around living until we die and the next generation takes over so there isn’t much we can do but complain and wait. Captivity Theology- IDEA: We are captives, strangers, and aliens waiting on and telling others about our coming King, His kingdom that He is building, and how to get ready for the promised land He will bring on a new earth with new bodies. We are captives until He comes to get us. (Philippians 3:18-20, John 17:14-18, 1 Peter 2:9-13, Romans 7:21-24)
How does this testimony in Daniel along with Jeremiah’s prophesy help us to better know how to make determinations and remain faithful in the circumstances of captivity?
There are many diets that God asked people to follow throughout scripture. The bible starts with a plant diet with one forbidden food (Gen 2), moves to telling Noah to eat animals (Gen 9:3), provides miracle food (manna) and water (Ex 16-17), gives rules to which animals to eat in the promised land (Lv 11, Deut 14), makes all animals clean after the resurrection (Acts 10:11-16), calls for continual prayer and fasting, and ends with a heavenly diet (Rev 22).