God s Holy Spirit in the Old Testament Part 10

Transcription

1 God s Holy Spirit in the Old Testament Part 10 By John Plunkett December 3, 2011 As an introduction, I would like to tell you that back in 2008, on the Feast of Pentecost, I began a series of Bible studies on this topic: God s Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. I have continued with it over the last three years. We might think that the Holy Spirit is not mentioned very much in the Old Testament. So far, however, I have covered Holy Spirit scriptures in Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Job, Nehemiah, Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and we started into the book of Daniel last time. I would like to continue with that study today, and move on to Part 10. Although many brethren will not have heard Parts 1 to 9, I have tried to design it so that each part works well as a stand-alone message. If you are interested in listening to any of the previous nine parts, I have made them available on our Building Bridges website: In Part 9, we found that there are seven mentions of God s Holy Spirit in the book of Daniel. We started studying Daniel 4, and we got up to Daniel 19. I will quickly review the three Holy Spirit verses that we looked at last time in Daniel 4: Daniel 4:8a And then Daniel came in. His (Babylonian) name is Belteshazzar, named after my god, The term my god in this particular case refers to one of Nebuchadnezzar s heathen gods. Daniel 4:8b-9 in him is the Spirit of the Holy God, and I told the dream before him, saying: "Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation. We went through Nebuchadnezzar s account of this dream last time. Daniel 4:18 "This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, declare its interpretation, since all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, for the Spirit of the Holy God is in you."

2 These were the three scriptures that we have covered already. Let me now give you a synopsis of what we have learned, so far, in Daniel 4. First of all, we read about Nebuchadnezzar s second dream. We know that this dream really frightened him. We know that only God, who inspired that dream, could tell its meaning. And He did tell that meaning through Daniel. In the dream Nebuchadnezzar saw a huge tree which reached to the heavens, and was visible worldwide. The fruit of that tree was enough to feed the whole world. All of a sudden some beings referred to as heavenly angelic watchers, and holy ones, came down and they commanded this tree to be cut down. The leaves were stripped from the tree, and the fruit of the tree was scattered. All of the animals and birds that had formerly taken shelter in the tree were sent away. A huge stump of the tree was left. Can you imagine the size of that stump? It was bound with an iron and bronze band. That stump became wet with dew. Then in the dream, as sometimes happens in our dreams, things suddenly changed! The stump changed to a man. The man s heart was changed to that of a wild beast. He grazed with animals for seven years. At this point we have not been told what it all means. The purpose of all of this is clearly given by God, through Daniel, beginning in verse 17. This thread runs all of the way through today s sermon, as you will see. Daniel 4:17 This decision is by the decree of the watchers, and the sentence by the word of the holy ones, in order that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of men. We know that Nebuchadnezzar had all of his astrologers and wise men come in; but they were unable to interpret the dream. But from Nebuchadnezzar s experience with his first dream, back in Daniel 2, he knew that Daniel could interpret this second one. How did Nebuchadnezzar know? God gave Nebuchadnezzar the ability to recognize that God s Spirit was dwelling in Daniel, and also that Daniel was empowered by God s Holy Spirit. Continuing in Daniel 4, Daniel now begins God s explanation of Nebuchadnezzar s second dream, which God had inspired and caused. Daniel 4:20-22 The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong, whose height reached to the heavens and which could be seen by all the earth, whose leaves were lovely and its fruit abundant, in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of the heaven had their home it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong; for your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, and your dominion to the end of the earth. info@sabbathcog.net Page 2 of 14

3 So God, through Daniel, revealed to Nebuchadnezzar that this huge tree, in his dream, symbolized him Nebuchadnezzar! It was not just the man himself; but also, his human glory, his strength, his greatness, and his rulership over the entire known world of that time. Daniel 4:23 And inasmuch as the king saw a watcher (N.B. a single one), a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its stump and roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze in the tender grass of the field; let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him graze with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him ; this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: Daniel has not given him the interpretation yet; but he has repeated to him what the dream was and he is soon going to tell him what the interpretation is. Look at those last few words here, which has come upon the lord the king. We see that the receiver of God s decree, which was delivered by the watchers, was Nebuchadnezzar himself, and not his enemies as Daniel had hoped. As a reminder of Daniel s hopes in this regard, let us take a quick look back at verse 19: Daniel 4:19 Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonished for a time, and his thoughts troubled him. So the king spoke, and said, "Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation trouble you." Belteshazzar answered and said, "My lord, may the dream concern those who hate you, and its interpretation concern your enemies! Was this wishful thinking by Daniel? Maybe it was. But it is important to note that Daniel had a godly respect for Nebuchadnezzar s office; even a proper love and friendship for Nebuchadnezzar himself. Again, there is a reminder here that God is the one that sets up human rulers, and He wants His children you and me to maintain a proper respect for our human leaders. This thread goes through these scriptures and this sermon. We will see it again now, as we continue, and as the interpretation begins: Daniel 4:24-26 This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses. And inasmuch as they gave the command to leave the stump and roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be assured to you, after you come to know that Heaven rules. info@sabbathcog.net Page 3 of 14

4 The stump and roots of the tree were a guarantee from God that Nebuchadnezzar s kingdom would still be there for him to return to and to govern after his seven years of punishment as a wild animal. Here is a question. Who are they? The word is repeated over and over again in verses 25 and 26. The answer is: the watchers. We read in verse 13 and 23 about, a singular watcher or holy one, who came down from heaven and commanded the chopping down of the tree, etc. In verse 17, 25 and 26, we read of multiple watchers. The singular watcher was, perhaps, a spokesperson or a spokes-watcher, if you will. He was the one who spoke the decree; the others were the ones that carried out the conditions of the decree. And just what were the conditions of the decree? The watchers would drive the vain, proud Nebuchadnezzar from his comfortable, magnificent palace. Not just that; they would drive him from all association with any human being. He would be exposed to the elements like a wild animal. Try to imagine it even with our comparatively basic living style! But he was a king, an emperor! Try to imagine that he would no longer dine sumptuously on the finest culinary fare available to his royal court; that now, for seven years, his food would be mere grass! Why would God cause the watchers to do this to Nebuchadnezzar? Here again is the answer from verse 25: Daniel 4:25...till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses. But Nebuchadnezzar already knew this! He knew that God was the One who gives and takes away rulership and power. God had told him so previously through Daniel. He had also proved it with wonderful signs and dreams. Daniel 4:27 Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity." Here we see Daniel making a great effort to influence Nebuchadnezzar to repent, to break off from his iniquities, to strive to be righteous, and to be merciful to the poor. It appears from the writing here that Daniel s sincerest desire was to steer Nebuchadnezzar away from certain calamity. This indicates that the two had become friends. Maybe even God Himself had come to love Nebuchadnezzar to a certain extent as well. Despite his many sins and imperfections, God seems to have been using Nebuchadnezzar in a very special way in order to teach some lessons to the ancient Jews and to us, as well by his errors and his repentance. Also, God seems to have given Nebuchadnezzar a certain limited amount of knowledge about Himself, and even about His Holy Spirit. info@sabbathcog.net Page 4 of 14

5 If Nebuchadnezzar would have repented, could he have had some influence to change the negative outcome of this prophecy? The lesson of the book of Jonah indicates that, yes! Repentance can, and does very much, change God s actions. That is a whole sermon in itself! In the long run, we all reap what we sow. Let us read four verses on this, from four different authors: Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Job 4:8 Even as I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same. It does not matter when it was preached; this concept is exactly the same. We have been told this by the Apostle Paul and Job; now we go back to Proverbs to see what Solomon says about it: Proverbs 22:8 fail. He who sows iniquity will reap sorrow, and the rod of his anger will The above three verses explain exactly what happened to Nebuchadnezzar. He would not repent, so he reaped what he sowed. But what could the outcome have been if Nebuchadnezzar would have taken God s advice through Daniel? In the book of Psalms we see the other side of the coin: Psalm 126:5 Those who sow in tears (in this case, tears of repentance) shall reap in joy. Despite Nebuchadnezzar s many sins, if he would have heeded Daniel s advice and stopped sowing vanity and iniquity, he would have avoided seven years of wretchedness and he would not have had to reap seven horrible years as a wild animal. Again, please try to think what he went through. He lost seven whole years of his life! I do not know how long Nebuchadnezzar lived, but just say, for instance, that he lived for seventy years. Seven years was ten percent of his whole life one whole tenth of a persons life! Think back seven years in your life. Think back to December 2004 and think of all of the things you have done and enjoyed since then. Seven Feasts of Tabernacles; seven sets of Holy Days; weddings; children; grandchildren! Imagine if you had missed all of those experiences, and were not around for them. If Nebuchadnezzar would have sown humility he would have reaped blessings and joy; but we know, alas, that he did not repent and the resultant prophesied trouble did come upon him: info@sabbathcog.net Page 5 of 14

6 Daniel 4:28-29 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of the twelve months he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. Does this mean that God gave Nebuchadnezzar a whole year to repent? Or, perhaps Nebuchadnezzar did listen to Daniel and tried to behave himself for a year! Obviously, one of these possibilities was true and came to pass, because God did not bring down the judgment immediately after the dream and its interpretation; but rather, after twelve months. So then what happened? Daniel 4:30 The king spoke, saying, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?" Uh-Oh! Nebuchadnezzar should have known better. It was almost like he was testing God, perhaps saying, Surely God would not follow through on that warning He gave me last year! Or, perhaps he thought that a whole year had gone by and maybe God had somehow forgotten His warning. But no: Daniel 4:31-32 While the word was still in the king s mouth, a voice fell from heaven: "King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times (years) shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses." There it is again the lesson that we read over and over again: until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses. Again, Nebuchadnezzar should have known better. Back in Daniel 2, at the time of his first dream, God clearly told Nebuchadnezzar, through Daniel, the origin of his Nebuchadnezzar s power and conquests that God was the One who gave it to him. Also, there were other intervening events, like the one with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the fiery furnace, which should have convinced Nebuchadnezzar of God s power over world affairs and the rulership of nations. Daniel 4:33 That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles feathers and his nails like birds claws. info@sabbathcog.net Page 6 of 14

7 Again, please try to imagine the discomfort and the gross degradation of this king this emperor. His kingdom and his empire were suddenly taken from him and he was driven from all human society. I often read this and I wonder why he did not die of exposure or pneumonia. He was still a human being. Did God have an angel look after him preventing his death? When we go into Daniel 5, we will see a strong implication that the watchers were assigned to feed and take care of him for these seven years. God kept His promise that Nebuchadnezzar s punishment would be temporary: Daniel 4:34a And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar was apparently narrating this part of the book of Daniel Daniel 4:34b-35 lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: for His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, "What have You done?" Now that is more like it! I am sure that God and Daniel probably said something of this sort too. Daniel 4:36 At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and splendor returned to me. My counselors and nobles resorted to me, I was restored to my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me. By this, we can think that God may have given Nebuchadnezzar some extra measure of majesty perhaps because he eventually reacted appropriately to God s chastisement. Daniel 4:37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down. As we have seen, Nebuchadnezzar could have avoided the seven years of misery if only he had listened to, and obeyed, God s advice through Daniel eight years earlier. We often read about Solomon and wonder if he repented of what he did. Similarly, I wonder if Nebuchadnezzar had a good ending; if he continued to worship God for the rest of his life. One day we will know. info@sabbathcog.net Page 7 of 14

8 Can we learn from Nebuchadnezzar s bad examples? Can we learn from them by exalting God, and not exalting ourselves in any way? That is the end of Daniel chapter 4. The bottom line with that chapter is that Nebuchadnezzar recognized God s Holy Spirit; that he came to recognize the power of God s Spirit; that God put His Spirit in Daniel; that Daniel was empowered by God s Holy Spirit; and also, of course, that God is the One who gives all rulership and power in heaven and on earth. This important concept continues into Daniel chapter 5. In Daniel 5, we can find three mentions of God s Holy Spirit. The years have gone by; Nebuchadnezzar is out; Belshazzar is in; but Daniel is still around! All three mentions of God s Holy Spirit refer to it dwelling within Daniel. We will begin in verse 1. As I am sure you know the story very well, we will not read all of it: Daniel 5:1-2, 4-5 Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone. In the same hour the fingers of a man s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. I wonder if that lampstand was the one that was taken from the Temple in Jerusalem. If so, it may be quite significant. In the Temple and in the Tabernacle, what was opposite the lampstand? The table of showbread. There probably is some significance in that; but we do not have time to get into it in more detail today Daniel 5:7, 8, 10a The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spoke, saying to the wise men of Babylon, "Whoever reads this writing, and tells me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck; and he shall be the third ruler in the kingdom." Now all the king s wise men came, but they could not read the writing, or make known to the king its interpretation The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came to the banquet hall. info@sabbathcog.net Page 8 of 14

9 When I read this, I think that this must have been some kind of stag party and that there were men only in the Banquet Hall with Belshazzar. We know that the Queen, the other wives and concubines certainly were around, because it talks about them drinking wine out of the temple cups. Perhaps the Queen had not been invited with the men, or maybe she had declined to attend, because we read that she did have some knowledge of Daniel and the true God. Whatever the explanation was, she was not initially in the Banquet Hall. But she crashed the party when the trouble started! Daniel 5:10b The queen spoke, saying, O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your countenance change. Belshazzar s knees were probably knocking together. He was thinking, That s easy for you to say! Daniel 5:11-16 "There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your father your father the king made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. "Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation. "Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke, and said to Daniel, "Are you that Daniel who is one of the captives from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? "I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. "Now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not give the interpretation of the thing. "And I have heard of you, that you can give interpretations and explain enigmas. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom." Look at how Daniel was known. He is a man in captivity and these are a godless, heathen people. But they knew him and they had heard of him. He was known, and he was renowned as a man with excellent spirit yes, the Spirit of the Holy God. That is why he was renowned, and is an example for us. info@sabbathcog.net Page 9 of 14

10 Look at all the benefits that even these heathen people were able to see in Daniel s example of his use of God s Spirit. He had God s Holy Spirit dwelling within him; but he did not just sit there and do nothing with it. He used it! Look at the benefits that they all could see. Again, these were heathen people. They were not God s people. Yet even they recognized that, through God s Holy Spirit, there was a light in Daniel. Obviously it was a spiritual light, and not a physical light. They could see that Daniel had understanding, excellent wisdom, knowledge, the ability to solve riddles, to explain enigmas, and even to interpret dreams. We look around God s church today and we see that even most of our brethren with God s Holy Spirit do not have all of these attributes especially the last three, and certainly not to the same extent that Daniel did. I do not know anybody who can accurately interpret dreams in our day and age. Now let us see Daniel s reply. Please notice how respectful he was to Belshazzar; and let us remember how respectful he had been to Nebuchadnezzar. Apparently, Belshazzar was not nearly as up there with Nebuchadnezzar. Still, look at how respectful Daniel was to him and his office: Daniel 5:18 "O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom and majesty, glory and honor. Daniel reminds Belshazzar that it was God who had given Nebuchadnezzar all that he had. Daniel 5:20-21 "But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. "Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses. Here we read it again, that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses. Daniel 5:22 "But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. These are brave words! info@sabbathcog.net Page 10 of 14

11 Daniel 5:23 "And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know (i.e. these are pieces of metal and wood and there is no Holy Spirit in them); and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified. We all know the ending with the words on the wall: Daniel 5:25 UPHARSIN. "And this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, Daniel gave the meaning, that God had numbered the days of Belshazzar s kingdom and finished it. Belshazzar had been weighed in the balances and been found very much wanting. His kingdom was to be divided and given to the Medes and the Persians. He was not given twelve months as God gave Nebuchadnezzar; that very night Belshazzar was slain. He certainly did not live for ever as his queen had said in her traditional formal greeting to him. God gave his kingdom to Darius the Mede. What are the main lessons for us from Daniel 5? The main lessons are these: 1. No one not even kings, not even emperors can vainly lift themselves up against God. Well, yes, they can and they do; but they will not get away with it in the long run. 2. The Most High God is a hands on God, who rules not just in the Kingdom of God but also in the kingdoms of men. He does not just wind up the world and let it run willy-nilly. 3. God appoints whomever He chooses to rule. Yes, the basest of men, that is true. 4. We need to learn the lessons from Nebuchadnezzar s mistakes and sins. Belshazzar did not learn those lessons and as a result, he paid a heavy penalty. 5. And again we see the example and lesson of Daniel s respect for the royalty and leadership of his time. Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar were kings of Babylon emperors of the Babylonian Empire. What about Israel in all of this? The house of Israel had gone away into captivity and the house of Judah is shown here in captivity in Babylon. What about physical Israel throughout the years both ancient and modern Israel? Did they learn these lessons from Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar? Or did they commit the same sins as Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar that of idolatry and vanity? Yes, they did. Did they receive the same penalties as Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar? Yes, they did! They were ultimately scattered and shattered. info@sabbathcog.net Page 11 of 14

12 What about spiritual Israel the Church of God? Have we learned these lessons from the sins of Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar and the physical houses of Israel and Judah? Some have. Some have not. Some still have not! Do the same sins exist within the Church of God today? Do we have idolatry and vanity in the Church? Yes, we do! What about the penalties? Are they the same? Yes! We have shattering, scattering and downsizing. We really do need to learn these lessons! Now let us take a brief look at Daniel chapter 6. Belshazzar is out. Darius the Mede is in. But once again, Daniel is still around! Daniel 6:1-3 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps (i.e. high-ranking men in their government), to be over the whole kingdom; and over these, three governors, of whom Daniel was one, that the satraps might give account to them, so that the king would suffer no loss. Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm. The king was going to set Daniel, a Jew and a foreigner, over the whole realm of Babylon! That is incredible! Daniel 6:4-5 So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him. Then these men said, "We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God." What an example even with 122 enemies in high places, and only one friend in the king! These enemies recognized that they could not find any charge against him. Why? All of this was the result of the excellent spirit that was in Daniel, and that, of course, was God s Holy Spirit. We all know the rest of the story, how these jealous fellow-leaders tricked King Darius; and how poor Daniel was thrown into the lions den; and how God protected him. We have all known that story since we were little children. But the bottom-line message in all of this for us is that Daniel s reputation was flawless and that his enemies could not find any charge against him. Daniel was faithful to Darius and the laws of the land. Why? Because Daniel was filled with God s Holy Spirit, he was a true child of God, he was filled with God s Holy Spirit which he continued to continually use in practical ways so that it did not stagnate. He used God s Holy Spirit every day. It flowed continually into him, through him, and out of him. info@sabbathcog.net Page 12 of 14

13 Please do not get the idea that Daniel was some kind of toady toward these three kings. We can be sure and we know that this is true that, if any of these three kings commands had violated God s law, God came first with Daniel. Still, through the influence of God s Holy Spirit, Daniel had a proper respect for all of these three kings and emperors. Daniel 6:4 says that he was faithful. Yes, Daniel was faithful to God; but also to his king and country. Even though Babylon was not strictly his country; even though the three kings were his captors; even though they were heathens and very, very imperfect, he was still faithful and respectful to them. Let us bring this into the New Testament era and ask the question, Are these same requirements still in force in God s Church, even today? Romans 13:1-6 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God s ministers attending continually to this very thing. The ministers mentioned here are worldly authorities. Paul is not talking about the Church ministry. Wherever you live, are your government leaders perfect? No! Are they imperfect? Yes they are! Are they godless? Most of them probably are. Still, God does not give us the authority to disrespect, to ridicule, or to bad-mouth them. In fact, He gives us quite the opposite instruction: I Corinthians 5:12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside?... You and I can trip up on the Old English language here. We need to read it and think about it carefully. Paul is talking about the outside and inside relative to God s Church. If we are going to be doing any judging at all, he says that we must be doing it within the Church of God. Continuing: I Corinthians 5:13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore "put away from yourselves the evil person." info@sabbathcog.net Page 13 of 14

14 Only God has the authority to judge those people outside His church in the world, and to judge our government leaders. We do not! Romans 13:7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. Now let us see if the apostle Peter agrees with the apostle Paul in this regard. Of course, the two are linked through God s Holy Spirit: I Peter 2:13-14 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. Again, we might think of Daniel in this regard. Peter is talking about being subject to the laws of man. Of course, if there is any conflict between man s law and God s Law, then Acts 5:29 comes into play: We ought to obey God rather than men. I Peter 2:15-17 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. That final phrase could have been the sub-title to today s sermon: Honour the King! The bottom line once again in Daniel 4, 5 and 6 is that, if we have God s Holy Spirit dwelling in us; if we are children of God through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit as Daniel was, we must have a proper respect for the government authorities that He has set over us. JHP/pp/jhp info@sabbathcog.net Page 14 of 14