Hi
Isn’t our God awesome?! Even in the face of opposition, our God is worthy to be praised!
Here’s today’s Holy Nougat
“At last Daniel came in before me, and I told him the dream. (He was named Belteshazzar after my god, and the spirit of the holy gods is in him.)”. Daniel 4:8 NLT
The voice we are hearing is that of the king of Babylon. The brightest star best Israelites have been carried away to serve in the royal court and every effort has been made to ensure they assimilate – even to the extent of a name change!
We recall that names were very significant in those days; much more than in the Western tradition today. So Daniel, whose Hebrew name meant ‘God is my judge’ was renamed ‘Belteshazzar’, (Bel protects my life) which sought to honor one of the Babylonian gods, ‘Bel’. This is noteworthy, as it is Nebuchadnezzar himself who explains this. But then he adds a curious postscript to the renaming phenomenon. Nebuchadnezzar declared that the spirit of the ‘holy’ gods was with Daniel!
Even in exile Daniel remained true to his faith. In the face of bullying, in the face of insurmountable odds, when many others adopted the status quo; Daniel maintained his unique identity and spiritual integrity! What about us? How would/do we fare under such circumstances? What would/do others others see in us? Conformity or spiritual Integrity?
Lord, help us stand for You when the world tries to tell us who and whose we are.
In Christ’s love and grace . . .
