THE PROCLAMATION

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then King Darius wrote to all the nations and peoples of every language in all the earth:

“May you prosper greatly! I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For He is the living God and He endures forever; His kingdom will not be destroyed, His dominion will never end. He rescues and He saves; He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”

So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Daniel 6:25-28

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As Daniel, Chapter 6 ends, those who wished Daniel harm were gone. They couldn’t meddle in affairs ever again after being fed to the lions for their deceitful scheming.

So what was left after the business of doling out consequences was over?

How about some good old fashioned praising of God, for that’s what we see happening in the closing verses in a proclamation from King Darius. Look again at these words:

Then King Darius wrote to all the nations and peoples of every language in all the earth:

“May you prosper greatly! I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For He is the living God and He endures forever; His kingdom will not be destroyed, His dominion will never end. He rescues and He saves; He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”

So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.  Daniel 6:25-28

Think about all that Darius had witnessed and how miraculous it all had been for him as He watched God reveal Himself in a big way. The king was so overwhelmingly blown away by what he had experienced that he chose to let everyone know about the God who had rescued Daniel, sending word to “all the nations and peoples of every language” on earth. He did this by way of a decree which commanded all of his kingdom to show “fear and reverence” for Daniel’s God.

In other words, there was only to be one God who would be respected and honored in the kingdom and that was the Lord God Almighty. And when we look within Darius’ announcement, we find him calling out primary qualities of God that still define Him today, qualities that we too should proclaim and praise Him for. These include:

1. God is alive.

If God was dead, then Daniel would have died as well but as it was, God was very much alive and engaged in saving His servant. Darius wanted to recognize that truth.

Today, God is still alive and well, still actively coming to the rescue of His servants and delivering them from their dire life circumstances. And like Darius, we should all be acknowledging that truth.

2. God will endure forever.

God was alive in the days of Daniel, He’s alive today, and He will always be alive. Generations may rise and fall but the Lord lives on from everlasting to everlasting.

3. God’s kingdom will never be destroyed.

Every kingdom that man has ever constructed has risen and fallen, failing to stand the test of time before perishing. It will always be that way.

But the Lord’s kingdom is unlike any other kingdom on earth. It has existed since the dawn of creation when God breathed life into everything we know today and it will still exist when the present heavens and earth are no more, destroyed after Jesus returns to judge mankind.

4. God’s dominion will never end.

Those kingdoms that were just mentioned as having risen and fallen saw leaders ascend and descend in power within them. No earthly leader has ever lasted very long but God has ruled and reigned since the very beginning and will do so forever. His dominion is eternal.

5. God rescues.

Think about how many times we find accounts in the Bible where God rescues someone. They are too many to count but we know He was there, right in the midst of things, every time His people found themselves in trouble. The scriptures leave no doubt that God was and is the Great Deliverer.

6. God saves.

Don’t get this mixed up with rescuing because someone can find themselves rescued and still not saved. God, out of His deep love for His people, didn’t wish for any of them to perish and so He allowed His one and only Son Jesus to be sacrificed to atone for the sins of all mankind. Anyone who places their hope and trust in Jesus as Savior will gain salvation but that saving would never have been possible if God had not first ordained it.

7. God performs signs and wonders.

Darius had witnessed this first hand when Daniel spent an entire night in a lion’s den and lived to tell about it. This certainly wasn’t the first time God had performed signs and wonders, and it certainly wasn’t the last. Look at the history of man and you will find God doing miraculous things throughout, making Himself known to creation. And the good news is that He will always be that God, ever amazing people with the incredible works of His hands, ever validating that nothing is impossible when it comes to Him.

Friends, God is great! He always has been and He always will be. It’s time for all of us to follow the lead of Darius and make our own individual proclamations, exclaiming that God is alive and will be so forever, that His kingdom and dominion will endure forever, and that He rescues, saves, and performs miracles.

This is our God. Praise Him and give thanks for He is good!

Amen

In Christ,

Mark
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