Daniel

https://odb.org/2024/07/29/the-unseen-king

Daniel was exiled in Babylon as a teenager like many Israelites at that time, after Jerusalem and Judah were overrun by the Babylonians. History repeated itself – like the patriarch Joseph, Daniel became advisers to kings of ancient civilisations, in his case, Babylon and Persia. Daniel was an adviser to 3 kings – Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, and Darius. It showcases the amazing power and providence of God that an exiled immigrant may rise to the position of adviser of a superpower’s king and not only one but 3 kings!

The other significance of the book of Daniel lies in chapter 10. In Daniel 10:10-19, we see the often quoted narrative of an angel (believed to be the archangel Gabriel) speaking to Daniel the prophet and telling him that he was delayed by 21 days by the prince of the Persian kingdom (meaning a territorial spirit of the highest order) and that he only managed to overcome the Persian principality with the assistance of Michael, another archangel. Although there are smattering accounts of angelic appearances in the bible, this is one of the few that described the spiritual warfare in the heavenlies between demonic and angelic forces. However, as the bible’s principal message is to proclaim to the world God’s loving and covenant relationship with Israel and by extension us Gentiles too, less emphasis is placed on celestial beings. So we only know the names of a few like archangels Michael and Gabriel.

The message this morning is that as much as we can only see the natural and tangible side of things, remember and be reminded that as Paul taught us before, our battle is not against flesh and blood:

Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV) For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Sometimes, things occur on earth because of the cosmic warfare by celestial beings, and thus, we must always pray for our spiritual warriors in the heavenlies so that God’s will may be done here on earth as it is in heaven. We can do our part for God’s work in our midst by setting aside time to pray. Pray in general and then in specifics as we are led by the Holy Spirit.

Have a good week ahead, everyone! May the LORD our God bless us with wisdom and discernment to deal with our challenges at work, and may Christ bless the work of our hands as we strive to give glory to God in all that we do. May the Holy Spirit guide and lead us to be a part of the work and move of the LORD in our midst, wherever we are! Amen!