Marked By God: Part 5

Marked By God: Part 5 || Day 2

Daniel 1:1-21

"During the third year of King Jehoiakim’s reign in Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. The Lord gave him victory over King Jehoiakim of Judah and permitted him to take some of the sacred objects from the Temple of God. So Nebuchadnezzar took them back to the land of Babylonia and placed them in the treasure-house of his god. Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief of staff, to bring to the palace some of the young men of Judah’s royal family and other noble families, who had been brought to Babylon as captives. “Select only strong, healthy, and good-looking young men,” he said. “Make sure they are well versed in every branch of learning, are gifted with knowledge and good judgment, and are suited to serve in the royal palace. Train these young men in the language and literature of Babylon.” The king assigned them a daily ration of food and wine from his own kitchens. They were to be trained for three years, and then they would enter the royal service. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were four of the young men chosen, all from the tribe of Judah. The chief of staff renamed them with these Babylonian names: Daniel was called Belteshazzar. Hananiah was called Shadrach. Mishael was called Meshach. Azariah was called Abednego. But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods. Now God had given the chief of staff both respect and affection for Daniel. But he responded, “I am afraid of my Lord the king, who has ordered that you eat this food and wine. If you become pale and thin compared to the other youths your age, I am afraid the king will have me beheaded.” Daniel spoke with the attendant who had been appointed by the chief of staff to look after Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. “Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water,” Daniel said. “At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king’s food. Then make your decision in light of what you see.” The attendant agreed to Daniel’s suggestion and tested them for ten days. At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king. So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the food and wine provided for the others. God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams. When the training period ordered by the king was completed, the chief of staff brought all the young men to King Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and no one impressed him as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the royal service. Whenever the king consulted them in any matter requiring wisdom and balanced judgment, he found them ten times more capable than any of the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom. Daniel remained in the royal service until the first year of the reign of King Cyrus."

Marked people understand that revelation problems are opportunities for promotion.

In Daniel chapter 2 we read about the king having a dream. The dream was so disturbing to him that he begins to desperately seek out the interpretation. He calls for his magicians, his wisemen, and others that he has under his reign to tell him what the dream was and to tell him what it means. Regardless of who he calls on, no one can give him the dream he had, much less the interpretation of the dream.

The king gets angry because no one can tell him his dream and the interpretation of his dream. Therefore, he issued a decree that all the wisemen should be put to death. Men come to Daniel’s house to execute him, and he inquires of what the problem is. Daniel sends them back to the king and says I will come to you and tell you the dream and the interpretation of it. Give me some time to consult my God.

Daniel and his friends pray, and God gives Daniel the dream and the interpretation of the dream. The next day Daniel stands before the king and gives him his dream and interprets it for him. When the king realizes that Daniel has interpreted his dream and told him his dream, he promotes Daniel and his friends in the kingdom.

You see Church, there was a revelation problem in the land. Because of this revelation problem people were about to lose their lives. Instead of Daniel becoming full of fear, he calls on God and becomes full of faith. He realizes the whole reason there is a revelation problem in the land is so that he can be promoted in the land.

Many people's lives are spared in the land because Daniel gets a revelation from God.