“And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven!” (Daniel 5:22-23 ESV). Daniel warned Belshazzar, king of Babylon, that he had not learned to honor God and give Him thanks, even though he had witnessed how God had
“Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity” (Daniel 4:27 ESV) After Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s second dream, he boldly added advice that the king repent of sin
“But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter day” (Daniel 2:28 ESV). Daniel introduced Nebuchadnezzer, king of Babylon, to the God of heaven. He made it clear that what the king had asked of his wisemen was an impossible
“But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself” (Daniel 1:8 ESV). Daniel knew what it was like to live out his faith within a foreign culture. Even though
“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy” (Proverbs 28:13 ESV). The first impulse of sinful humanity, as displayed in Adam and Eve, is the desire to conceal sin. For after they transgressed God’s command and ate of the forbidden fruit, they immediately sought to hide
“As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:4-5 ESV). The Church is not a place, but a people. We have not built it, we are being built
“Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors” (Psalm 119:24 ESV). Psalm 119 is an acrostic based on the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. It’s theme is appropriately the Word of God. Every verse is an ode to the Scriptures. In verse 24, the psalmist described the Word as God’s “testimonies” and as his
“And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory.” (Ezekiel 43:2 ESV). The prophet Ezekiel saw a vision of a new Temple, one yet to be built. In this vision,
“You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4 ESV). Who did James accuse of adultery? Wasn’t it those who claimed to be Christians and therefore members of the Bride
“You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. … For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” (James 2:24, 26 ESV). At first glance, this statement about faith from James seems to contradict Paul’s letters to the Romans and