11 February 2020 | On Sunday, 11 February 2020, about 80 people with roots in the Southern Asia Division of Seventh-day Adventists (SUD) met in Silver Spring, MD to discuss their concerns about the management of the Seventh-day Adventist church in India. The meeting was held in a rented room in the Transfiguration Episcopal church […] Source: https://atoday.org/indian-sdas-meet-in-dc-area-to-discuss-leadership-integrity/
Sabbath School Study: “From the Lions’ Den to the Angel’s Den”
Sabbath School Study: “From the Lions’ Den to the Angel’s Den” Lesson Study: Pr. Samuel Masih February 15, 2020 Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9yxlL4FyiE
Worship: “The Pursuit Of Happiness”
Worship: "The Pursuit Of Happiness" Message: Regie Samuel
Worship Service: February 15, 2020
“From the Lions’ Den to the Angel’s Den” Lesson Study: Pr. Samuel Masih Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtRjLw31kFo
Vespers: “We Would See Jesus”
Vespers: "We Would See Jesus"
Message: Rolland Manuel
Vespers: February 14, 2020 Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaWyu_cKzF0
Wednesday: In the Lions’ Den
Read Daniel 6:11-23. What does the king say to Daniel that reveals just how powerful a faithful witness Daniel is to God?
The conspirators soon spot Daniel praying — that is, doing exactly what the decree has forbidden. And as they bring the accusation before the king, they refer to Daniel in a demeaning way: “that Daniel, who is one of the captives from Judah” (Dan. 6:13, NKJV). In their eyes, one of the chief officers of the empire, the king’s favorite, is no more than “a captive”.
Image © Providence Collection at GoodSalt.com
In addition, they pit Daniel against the king by saying that Daniel “does not show due regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed” (NKJV). Now the king realizes he has been entrapped by signing the decree. The text says that “he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him” (Dan. 6:14, NKJV). But there is nothing he can do to save the prophet from the prescribed punishment. The irrevocable law of the Medes and Persians must be applied to the letter. Thus the king, however reluctantly, issues the command to throw Daniel to the lions. But in doing so Darius expresses some glimmering hope, which sounds like a prayer: “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you” (Dan. 6:16, NKJV).
The biblical text does not say what Daniel does among the lions, but one can assume he is praying. And God honors Daniel’s faith by sending His angel to protect him. In the morning, Daniel remains unharmed and ready to resume his activities in the government. Commenting on this episode, Ellen G. White says: “God did not prevent Daniel’s enemies from casting him into the lions’ den; He permitted evil angels and wicked men thus far to accomplish their purpose; but it was that He might make the deliverance of His servant more marked, and the defeat of the enemies of truth and righteousness more complete”. — Prophets and Kings, pages 543, 544.
| Though this story has a happy ending (at least for Daniel), what about those accounts, even those in the Bible (see, for instance, Mark 6:14-29), that don’t end in deliverance here? How are we to understand them? |
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