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God Will Preserve The Righteous (1)

By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi
20 December 2015   |   2:55 am
MANY are the trials, troubles, persecutions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him out of them all. Daniel’s persecutors were in the full grip of envy, jealousy and hatred.
Pastor Kumuyi

Pastor Kumuyi

MANY are the trials, troubles, persecutions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him out of them all. Daniel’s persecutors were in the full grip of envy, jealousy and hatred. Whenever a man is blessed and promoted by the Lord to a place of honour and greater usefulness, envious and jealous men quickly rise up to pull him down. It seems there’s always a price to pay for promotion and greater usefulness. God had lifted up Daniel to a strategic place of prominence and influence and those around him immediately began to plot how they might bring him down. God had put Daniel where He wanted him to be and He had also put the others where He wanted them to be. King Darius recognised Daniel’s ability, wisdom, skill, understanding and spiritual insight. The ungodly presidents and princes were not satisfied with their lot and they burned with envy, rage, jealousy and bitterness against Daniel. And even though he had done them no wrong, they wanted him dead!

In their jealousy and hatred, they sought to find fault in Daniel’s life and administration. There was no error or fault found in this faithful man. They could not find anything he did that he should not have done (sins of commission) or anything he did not do that he should have done (sins of omission). How could anybody so hate such a man as Daniel to want to get rid of him at all costs? They themselves confessed that there was nothing to condemn him for. Yet, they conspired to cast him alive into a den of lions!

Always remember this: not everyone accused of sin or crime by the world is guilty before God. Joseph was not guilty, but he was imprisoned. David was not guilty but jealous rage in Saul wanted him dead. Mordecai was not guilty, but the pride of Haman wanted to hang him on the gallows. Jeremiah was not guilty but the people said, “This man is worthy to die.” Peter was not guilty but Herod sought to put him to death. Paul was not guilty but the multitude said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live.” And Daniel was not guilty but those who made themselves his enemies, without any justifiable reason, conspired to throw him into the lions’ den. Beware of envy: it can lead to bitterness, hatred, sin, death and damnation in hell.

“Daniel prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime”. Daniel did not pray because of the decree, he had always been committed to the devotional life of prayer. He was brought to Babylon at the age of (about) 17. He lived in Babylon through the 70-year period of the Babylonian empire (Jeremiah 25:12). Daniel was already about 87 years of age, when Darius took the kingdom at the age of 62. Daniel had committed himself to a devotional life of prayer before Darius, the king, was born. The new decree could not stop Daniel from praying. Daniel was accused of not regarding the king (Daniel 6: 13) but his enemies should be accused of not regarding Daniel and the God of Daniel, their Creator. He was also accused of not regarding the decree, which the King had signed, but they should be accused of not regarding the law of the King of kings.

“Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself”, and not with Daniel. Now, the king awoke to the truth of the whole plot. Flattery has exalted him to the position of a god, but reality abased him to the level of a fool! He sought to deliver Daniel but he could not do it. His own decree was stronger than him; his own edict had sealed the death of the most trust-worthy servant of the king. If men would so regard the decrees of earthly kings that they could not change them, how much more should we regard “the decree of the Most High” (Daniel 4: 24) and “the doctrine of Christ” (2 John 9). If the king could not change a one-month decree of an earthly kingdom to favour his most preferred subject, should any of us change God’s eternal decree or doctrine to favour or excuse anyone?

Further Readings: Daniel 6: 11-28; 3: 8-12; Esther 3:4-8; Psalm 94: 20,21; Jeremiah 38: 4-6; Acts 5: 27-33; Psalms 34:12-22; 91: 11-16; 3: 15,17, 28, 29; Jeremiah 32:27; Luke 1: 37; Psalm 34:7; Acts 12: 7-11; 27: 23-25; Hebrews 11:33; 7:25; 2 Timothy 4: 17,18; Deuteronomy 19: 18-20; Esther 7:10; Psalms 9: 15-17; 7: 15,16; 57:6; Proverbs 28:10; Deuteronomy 24: 16; 2 Chronicles 25: 4; Ezekiel 18: 4,20.

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