Good morning Friend,
I trust the weekend was exciting. Last week, we began a series on the book of Daniel which started on a very solid note with a guest post titled “Made for More”. So much insights to glean from that golden piece. I encourage you to read through that if you haven’t.
Today, I will begin a didactic approach to the teaching on the book of Daniel. I believe the Book of Daniel is a unique and compelling compendium of Kingdom thoughts and concepts that every believer must get acquainted with. The insights in here are so profound that their applications are relevant across board, spiritual or secular. God uses Daniel and his friends as a canvas upon which he paints an awe-inspiring piece telling a story about His Kingdom and how it works.
I will go very granular, so if you are one averse to teaching, I encourage you to take interest and get baptized into this flow of wisdom issuing from the throne of Grace.
The first half of the book of Daniel (chapters 1–6) contains stories in the third person about the experiences of Daniel and his friends under Kings Nebuchadrezzar II, Belshazzar, Darius I, and Cyrus II; the second half, written mostly in the first person, contains reports of Daniel’s three visions (and one dream).
The objectives of this systematic approach to this teaching series are to;
1. Help build in you a culture of detailed and meditatetive study of the Word
2. Help you see how fascinating and interesting the Word of God can be and indeed is
3. Help you discover insightful treasures that will help bolster your walk with God, your experiences in the Spirit and your interactions in the secular
So let’s do this!
Daniel 1:3-6 (KJV) 3 Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles, 4 young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans. And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king.
The ultimate agenda of the Babylonian government was to progressively improve the empire with the most gifted minds available in the just conquered nation of Israel. Babylon in itself boasted an already impressive and intimidating amount of resources and was by far the world power at the time. Yet, the system would still seek out the best of the newly conquered territory to help propagate an already established and dominant kingdom. There are a few things to learn in these three verses.
1. There is no end to growth: The Babylonian Kingdom were already the fiercest kingdom on the earth yet they would never recline in their pursuit for more… remember what we learned in the last article? We have been made for more. Let us never get complacent with achievements. The enemy of getting better is “good”, but good must never be good enough for us. We were made for more. We can do more, achieve more and become more. We must be consistently seeking opportunities and resources within the environment that God has given us and look to deploy them to enhance our expression of the blessing upon the earth.
2. The Youths are the Future: Babylon was that great because they were consistently seeking out “young men”, whether citizens or foreign to teach, develop and empower to become the leaders of the future. The older ones were deliberately seeking out the young to educate and empower. Any Nation where the Older ones are also looking out for the younger ones, but this time, not to teach, develop and empower, but to stifle, shun and frustrate out of the system will simply eat up their own future.
3. Developing Strength is better than Training Weakness: The Eunuchs were not looking for the mediocre Israelites to train and teach, they were looking for folks who were already firing on all cylinders. Yes, it’s good to develop the weak areas of your life, but never be so consumed with developing a weakness to the degree that you neglect sharpening a strength. The former still leaves you as average no matter how hard you try, while the latter makes you a star. A swimming monkey will be quite mediocre, but no one beats him at climbing. The results you get for developing strength are quicker and easier to turnover and propagate in a system than when you choose to train weakness.
4. Leadership Must Be Ready to Divest Itself into The Future: The king didn’t ask that an inferior meal be served these young men, but the exact same quality of food and drink. The leadership didn’t say the youth could not handle what they were handling, they gave the youth equal opportunities to be able to become exactly like them. No superiority complex, just strategic thinking. This perhaps makes the elders increasingly unnecessary, but that is what true leaders do, because that is the only way to secure the future.
5. 3 years is Enough: No educational system should really run a program for more than 3 years if those 3 years are intensive enough. First year for Familiarization, Second year for Assimilation and the Third Year for Consolidation (FAC). Anything you’re learning for four years or more is either wasting your time, or you’re wasting its time. It’s either you haven’t given yourself wholly to that thing or those in charge of that knowledge just want to waste your time by spreading what can be learned in 3 years in 5 years. Daniel and his friends had only 3 years to learn the complex culture, language and technology of Babylon and they came out better than their contemporaries. Even God gave that tree 3 years maximum to produce fruit or it would be cut off. If you haven’t started yielding results after learning something for three years, reassess your commitment, perhaps you need another focus.
6. The End of your Development is Service: One would think once they were done learning and becoming stars, then they will receive a medal or an award of some sort and start commanding and receiving service, but no, the end of their learning experience was more service. You never outgrow service. You are seeking to be the best so you can serve more with the best you have acquired, because human beings (the highest expression of God upon the earth only deserve the best). That is what must fuel your passion to be the best; SERVICE.
Daniel 1:6b … so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king.
God is the ultimate king and we must be ever ready to serve Him with the gifts He has blessed us with.
I hope these nuggets blessed your heart. Do well to share with friends and let me know you were blessed in the comments below. God bless your heart.
