I don't know if any of you have ever studied Daniel before, or have done this study, but it is soooo good! I have never studied Daniel in depth before. In this study, we are "taking it apart". I am learning so much. I love especially when the bible and the history books come together. We are studying about the Babylonians, and the Babylonian kings - and when Babylon fell - when the Medes and Persians invaded Babylon and took control.
On a personal level, we are studying about how the world we live in right now has a very "Babylonian" mentality. How we live in an over indulgent culture, with its priorities on beauty and brains and choices and self-will. How it really is difficult to live in this culture without being indoctrinated into it's way of thinking.
One paragraph in particular struck me this week (as did many). We compared Daniel with Caleb (in the old testament). How it says in Numbers 14:24, that Caleb had a different spirit than those around him - one that followed God wholeheartedly.
It reads: "Caleb and Daniel stuck out like sore thumbs. Neither one of them joined the carnal or unbelieving masses in their responses toward God. They refused to blend in. The magnetic draw of Caleb and Daniel's cultures failed to overtake them. They never assimilated. Neither did they settle into the lowest common denominator of devotion practiced by their closest friends or kin. We get caught into that trap sometimes. We abide in our subgroups by unspoken codes dictating how far we'll go in our devotion to God. Anyone who goes overboard or takes it too seriously is considered eccentric, not extraordinary. For some, the flow of the world can be easier to resist than the flow of Christian mediocrity."
Oh how I want God to be able to say of me that I followed Him wholeheartedly.
We move onto Chapter 6 this week in Daniel - and now we enter the part about prophecy and eschatology (end time events). I am excited to see what is ahead, but sad to move on from this very applicable first half.
One thing is for sure, Daniel reads better than any TV show - for sure. So interesting. I have already learned so much about the dangers of pride and living a life of integrity in a Babylon-like society.
I encourage anyone who has never read or studied this book before - to do so. Slowly, and let it all sink in. You won't be sorry!
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