November 29, Day 332 - Proverbs 29:1-9; 2 Peter 2; Daniel 3:13-30; Daniel 4:1-18
In Proverbs 29:1-9, we find nine proverbs, the truths of which are easily testable. For example, in verse 2, we read that “people rejoice in the presence of righteousness, but when the wicked rule, people groan.” Wicked leaders try to impose their own burdens of evil behavior on their subjects and that to their extreme detriment. The result? People “groan;” they suffer. We see this today in our own nation; people are living with and suffering under massive financial pressures and economic inflation which our wicked leaders have forced upon us against our wills, and we “groan.” In verse 4, we see the same truth: “by justice a king gives a country stability, but those who are greedy for bribes tear it down.” Today, here in the USA, we are living witnesses to the truth of this statement and all those truths found in this [and every] chapter of God’s Word.
In 2 Peter 2, Peter draws our attention to similar truths. He writes, “false prophets introduce destructive heresies … and bring the truth into disrepute” (verses 1-2). Why? Because they are greedy (verse 3). Peter illustrates from the Old Testament examples of Noah and Lot, two righteous men (verses 5-7), whom God is able to protect and “rescue from ungodliness” (verse 9). He wants to rescue us from evil as well. In the rest of this chapter, Peter accurately describes the depraved conditions that characterize the world in which we live: “carousing in broad daylight; eyes full of adultery; experts in greed; mouthing empty, boastful words; slaves of depravity” (verses 13-19). These conditions prevail in our present culture today.
In Daniel 3:13 - 4:18, we see Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo’s shared, incredible faith raised to the level of action. Willing to die for what they believe, they respectfully stand up to the king (i.e., we notice that they address him by his title and as his “Majesty,” verses 16-17), but they refuse to buckle to any falsehood - the worship of a god who isn’t a god at all. They know that the true God’s deliverance for them is certain: He will deliver them either from the fiery furnace or from the king. Here, we see that it is God’s will for them to go through this fire, but God protects and preserves them through it as a testimony of truth to Nebuchadnezzar, his court, and his world. For His divine purposes, God is moving in the life of this king; later in chapter 4, we [will] see how God will begin to bring this “king of kings” (cf., Dan 2:37) to his knees and ultimately recognize that God is truly the One and only God of all gods. Stay tuned …
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