"If the LORD delights in a person's way, He makes their steps firm; though they stumble, they will not fall, for the LORD upholds them with His hand." (Psalm 37:23,24)

WEDNESDAY 22 January 2025 “Daniel & Joseph” (Daniel 2:45-49 & Genesis 41:37-46)

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Hello, my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,
 
My guess is people all over the world are watching closely to see what the new American President, in partnership with a Republican majority Congress, (both Senate and House) will accomplish in the first week of their leadership in America. Has there ever been an American Washington leadership group who has been under more scrutiny than those in leadership now?
 
Over the past several days we’ve been looking closely at a remarkable event which occurred about 2600 years ago but has significant implications for our day and the future yet out ahead of our generation! There is yet more we need to see in that throne room in Babylon as King Nebuchadnezzar, the most powerful man in the world at that time, is being briefed by a young Jewish captive named Daniel. Let’s rejoin them as Daniel recorded this event in Daniel 2 in the Bible.
 
 
Now I have several times described King Nebuchadnezzar as the most powerful man in the world at that time, as he was sovereign over the Babylonian Kingdom which dominated most of the known world from 605bc till 538bc. While not nearly as long as several other world dominating empires down through history, the sovereignty of King Nebuchadnezzar for the 44 years he reigned, was unquestioned by anyone! That is why what happened next in that throne room with Daniel and the King is almost hard to imagine!
 
Daniel concluded his explanation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream with these words: “The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true, and its interpretation is trustworthy.” (Daniel 2:45b) I imagine by now King Nebuchadnezzar could hardly catch his breath. His eyes were wide in amazement, perhaps his mouth hanging open, and his mind hardly able to absorb all Daniel had explained to the King. 
 
Daniel’s own written record of what happened next is almost beyond belief: “Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to Daniel. The king said to Daniel, ‘Surely your God is God of all gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.” (Daniel 2:46,47) Can you even imagine this scene my friends?
 
Whoever else was present in the King’s throne room that day must have been astonished! I doubt the official scribes made any note of it in their official records. No one would ever believe the great King Nebuchadnezzar, sovereign over the Babylonian empire, had actually not just bowed but laid prostrate on the ground in front of Jewish captive Daniel and declared Daniel’s Jewish God to be the supreme God over all gods! 
 
Once his majesty, King Nebuchadnezzar, got up off the floor and seated himself on his royal throne, he took executive action which changed Daniel’s life, for the rest of his life. Daniel’s record reads: “Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. The king made Daniel ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed Daniel in charge of all its wise men. Moreover, at Daniel’s request, the king appointed Sadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained in the royal court.” (Daniel 2:48,49) It’s almost beyond belief isn’t it my friends? 
 
It is so similar to what happened to Joseph in the Pharaoh of Egypt’s throne room when Joseph interpreted the Pharaoh’s dreams, isn’t it? (Gen. 41:38-44) My ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends, do you see what God was doing with both Joseph and Daniel at very strategic times in world history? 
 
Both Joseph and Daniel were young Jewish captives, forcibly taken hundreds of miles away from their homeland. Both were taken to the most powerful city in the world in their day; and both ended up standing before the most powerful man in the world in their day. Both had resolved to remain faithful to God in all ways and both were anointed by God with wisdom and miraculous insight into dreams which needed interpretation.
 
Do we see, my friends, that God, at two very strategic times in global  history, found two young Jewish men whom God could trust to do exactly what God told them to do and through them the two most powerful men in the world experienced an encounter with Almighty God! Do you also see that through these two experiences God was able to inject into the highest level of government, in the most powerful throne room in the world, men who would seek God, pass along God’s wisdom to the Kings of their day and fulfill their remarkable government leadership responsibilities with integrity, honoring God each day! 
 
For the rest of his life Joseph remained advisor to the Pharaoh’s in Egypt and for the rest of his life Daniel remained advisor to the Emperors of the Babylonian empire and the Persian empire which followed. We know Joseph was 30 years old when he was appointed by the Pharaoh to his high position (Gen. 41:46) and he remained highly honored until his death at age 110.  (Gen.  50:22-26) While we don’t know exactly how old Daniel was when he was elevated to his high position by King Nebuchadnezzar, we presume Daniel was not yet 20 years old, and we don’t have an age for Daniel’s death but we know he was still advising Kings in the reign of King Cyrus when Daniel was about 80 yrs old! As we continue our study of Daniel’s life, we’ll be amazed to see what God did through those ensuing decades! 
 
As we pause today, I hope you’ll join me in praying not only for the new Executive leadership in Washington DC, but all those being placed in key leadership roles by this new administration, including the Ambassadors being sent out to the world. I’m especially encouraged to see former Governor Huckabee as the new American Ambassador to Israel. From what I know he is a follower of Jesus, a man who loves and seeks to honor God’s Word with his life and his leadership. He is a man who loves Israel and has been there many, many times and he’s a man of prayer. Might Ambassador Huckabee, like Daniel and Joseph before him, be a man of God who can be a highly respected advisor to the Israeli government at a very precarious time in human history?
 
Here’s another worship song to help us reflect on the potential we all have as followers of Jesus my friends, IF we trust Him with all our Tomorrows! Do you? Will your 2025 be a strategic year in God’s hands?

 

 
Today’s Scripture: Daniel 2:45-49 & Genesis 41:37-46. 
Choose below to read or listen.
Daniel 2:45-49​​
Genesis 41:37-46​​
 
 
 Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
 

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Pastor Doug Anderson      
Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

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