Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon (The Book of Daniel, part 1)

The Bible story of this king teaches us valuable lessons that can be taught at any stage of our lives. When the kingdom of Judah was captured by Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel was in the mix along with other Israelites. Before Daniel was brought on the scene, we can tell that he had wisdom and a high capacity to understand due to the fact that the king asked for the wisest people of Israel and Daniel being one.

The chief of the eunuchs gave Daniel a Babylonian name called Belteshazzar.

Daniel refused to eat and drink of the king's food and wine, saying he would not defile his body with such. Perhaps he thought the food presented by the king was contaminated as it was offered to idols. God gave him favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs. The chief explained to Daniel, saying, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king. However, the servants were tested for 10 days, letting them be given vegetables and water to eat and drink. Here, rather than rebelling, Daniel offered a solution, allowing us to see his growth and humility as a young person. It was observed that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than those who ate the king’s food. For this, God gave him literature, wisdom and all understanding in all visions and dreams

This passage of shows that once we listen and stick to God’s path for our life, He will bless us in ways unimaginable, strengthening us from within without. Daniel was also aware of his body being a temple and did not want to pursue desires outside of God’s design for us. We as world beings also become overly excited and consumed with the excessive things of this world which may unknowingly bring us harm both physically and spiritually. 

Examining Jonah

 

Jonah

We all try to put ourselves In God's shoes, but we cannot fill them, the earth is his footstool after all. We act as the God the world has painted: a vengeful God ready to strike down anyone not measuring up to his standards and is not sympathetic to our fallen nature. There is a real contrast between God and this pharaoh. When anyone has done us wrong, or we hear of individuals who have committed crimes, how fast are we to cast our judgment? The verdict is in, destroy them! We are all guilty of this one way or another and many lost sheep see God this way. Jonah chapter 1 speaks of how Jonah disobeyed God by fleeing to Tarshish on a boat to avoid crying out to Nineveh for their wickedness. God still used his rebellion, however, when he sent a storm the men of the ship were saved because of their fear of God. Notice his love that he would save his creation by the wayside. Jonah then had a one-way trip to Nineveh via fish, curtesy of God. Along the way Jonah made things right with the father before he reached his destination in chapter 2. We've all had those days when we sincerely repent in silence and anguish in the silence of the night. We look for the warmth of the father’s loving embrace and shelter from the cold and empty aftermath of our sin, when we know fully well, we allow it.  When Jonah reaches Nineveh after a three-day journey in chapter 3, he fulfilled his duties by crying out to the city about their overthrowing in forty days. The king did something interesting though. He ordered a fast, both man and beast in hopes that God would turn from his anger. He did not know if God would turn away his anger but repented anyway. That's faith. God did have mercy and spared the city. Now here is a contrast between God and man: Jonah was not happy about the Lord’s mercy and even complained through prayer about it. Complained... through prayer...about his love toward Nineveh. This was his reason for fleeing in the first place. God even asked him if he is right to be angry. God is having a conversation with Jonah about what he has every right to do: show love and mercy toward his creation. Jonah had hoped that Nineveh would be destroyed to the point where he headed for a place outside of the city with a view by means to witness its destruction, he even made a shelter. Now God is going to teach Jonah a lesson: he grows a gourd, a plant big enough to give him shade to give him relief of his grief mind you. Later, destruction of the gourd will come from a worm the next day. It didn't end there, God sent an intense wind from the east and Jonah fainted due to the heat of the sun in chapter 4. Jonah ended up wishing he'd die because of his anger. Again, angry man, loving father. When God asks this time if Jonah had the right to be angry about the gourd, Jonah responded that he did well to be angry. What a conversation between the creator and his creation. God then told Jonah about how he pitied a gourd that was here one day and gone the next that he didn't grow himself and asked if he shouldn't spare the people of Nineveh who did not know any better, even their livestock. Imagine that God has every right to execute judgment on an unrighteous world and he chooses not to out of sheer love, and we would cast it without a second thought and reasons driven by pride.  

Be encouraged to read his word and get to know the one who gave his son to reconcile you onto himself…. Because he wanted to.