Daily Bible Devotionals

“When the Lord first spoke to Hosea, He said this to him: Go and marry a promiscuous wife and have children of promiscuity, for the land is committing blatant acts of promiscuity by abandoning the Lord.” Hosea 1:2 (HCSB)

The story of the prophet Hosea is disturbing for many followers of Jesus. The modern Messianic community has very little understanding of “Calling.” Our operational theology has almost no room for the idea that God would call righteous men and women to actions that would result in our suffering and humility. That is because it is hard for us to imagine there are times when our suffering may have nothing to do with our sin, that it may be a product of God’s Grace.  

Hosea was a prophet, so there is no indication that he was willfully sinning against the Lord. Could it be that God would call Hosea to suffer, not to punish his sinfulness, but to reward his righteousness? Had Hosea earned the trust of the Lord in that He would lead Hosea into a situation that a less-faithful person could not endure? What does that mean to us? Are we so preoccupied with protecting our reputation and trying to market God’s image in a positive light that we cannot follow God’s call into uncomfortable or unsavory situations?

God had a message for Israel, and it was going to take a special messenger to deliver it. God’s chosen venue to relay His message was through an unholy and promiscuous marriage. God’s messenger needed to trust Him through any situation. If this story has been written (at least in part) to encourage us to trust God even when it goes against social and cultural norms, then how was Hosea able to answer God’s call?

Hopefully, we are all aware of how Jesus trusted the Father, enduring even death by the cross. So, we are also familiar with how Jesus was raised from the grave and is alive today! The apostle Paul is another example of someone given a “calling” that most of us would never choose. Let’s consider some of Paul’s statements.  

“For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— you have heard, haven’t you, about the administration of God’s grace that He gave to me for you?” Ephesians 3:1-2 (HCSB)

“So then I ask you not to be discouraged over my afflictions on your behalf, for they are for your glory.” Ephesians 3:13 (HCSB)

“For it has been given to you on Christ’s behalf not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him, having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I have.” Philippians 1:29 (HCSB)

As we explore the book of Hosea, let’s pray the Lord will open our hearts to His calling wherever and however He leads.

“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.’ So these governors and satraps thronged before the king, and said thus to him: ‘King Darius, live forever! All the governors of the kingdom, the administrators and satraps, the counselors and advisors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions.’” Daniel 6:5-7 (NKJV)

Today’s chapter is one of the best-known Bible stories. What child, whether Christian or Jewish, has not heard the story of Daniel in the lion’s den? Just the thought of it makes me crave goldfish crackers! But within the story of Daniel’s deliverance are other important narratives. I chose today’s passage because I wanted to highlight the method that Daniel’s enemies used to trap him. Daniel was a man of such upright character and sought to please the Lord to the extent that he was blameless, according to both the Torah of God and the laws of the Medes and Persians. So, the only way Daniel could be brought down was to make worshipping God a crime. I love Daniel’s response to the King’s decree.

“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days. Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.” Daniel 6:10-11 (NKJV)

I would like to believe Daniel remembered Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the Lord’s Temple and that he was faithfully praying following Solomon’s words.

“May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, this place of which you said, ‘My Name shall be there,’ so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place.” 1 Kings 8:29 (NIV)

Years ago, I wrote a song titled “If Loving God Was a Crime.” The song was based on today’s chapter and posed the question: If loving God were against the law, would there be enough evidence to convict you? At the time, it seemed a bit far-fetched and futuristic, but these days, I wonder how much longer it will be before the song’s message becomes less of a personal challenge and more of a rebel anthem! It is becoming increasingly difficult to follow God and remain an upright “politically correct” American citizen. If you don’t believe me, try articulating the Bible’s teaching in the classroom or workplace on issues like abortion, homosexuality, or creation. And do I even have to mention what believers in places like China or the Muslim nations must endure? (Heb 11:32-38)

Daniel’s example is a challenge for us all. We must choose rightly between the worldly, culturally approved “wide path” or the righteous “narrow path” of the Lord. It’s not always easy, but we should live to honor the God who never leaves or forsakes us.

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Daniel 5. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he said, ‘Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?’ Even as the words were on his lips, a voice came from heaven, ‘This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes.’” Daniel 4:29-32 (NIV)

As Nebuchadnezzar was collecting the “best of the best” intellects from the conquered nations, he would have done well to have sought out this proverb from among the Judean leaders.

“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18 (NIV)

In a scenario opposite of Job’s, Nebuchadnezzar was the antithesis of humility and blamelessness. It is easy to prophesy (or at least hope for) the downfall of a proud man. But what about his restoration? We serve a God who not only judges; He also forgives. That is, His justice (at least up to His final judgment) is intended to bring people to repentance. That was Nebuchadnezzar’s response, to repent and give glory and honor to God.

“And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, 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?'" Daniel 4:34-35 (NKJV)

Notice that Nebuchadnezzar’s understanding came back when he “looked up,” seeking the Lord. Often, we endure hardship by looking down and concentrating on our circumstances. Restoration begins by worshipping the One who alone can affect the kind of change that can affect our circumstances, even down to influencing the esteem and opinions of others.

“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. 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.” Daniel 4:36-37 (NKJV)

Daniel is the only Biblical book with sections written by a Gentile. As in the book of Jonah, Daniel exposes that God has always accepted Gentiles who worship Him rightly.

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, ‘Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to give you an answer to this question. If the God we serve exists, then He can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and He can rescue us from the power of You, the king. But even if He does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.’” Daniel 3:16-18 (HCSB)

As a child, I learned about all the heroes of the Bible: David, Samson, Daniel, Noah, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These were men and women (and sometimes boys and girls) whose faith led them to overcome impossible odds because their God was bigger than any situation the world could trap them in. The book of Hebrews recounts many of those great faith victories.

“And what more can I say? Time is too short for me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the raging of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength after being weak, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead they were raised to life again.” Hebrews 11:32-35a (HCSB)

That was a pretty impressive advertisement for faithfulness, and it was only the end of a long list of faith champions. But just after telling their stories - the ones we all want to emulate - the writer of Hebrews describes another group of faithful followers.

“Some men were tortured, not accepting release, so that they might gain a better resurrection, and others experienced mockings and scourgings, as well as bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they died by the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, destitute, afflicted, mistreated. The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts, mountains, caves, and in holes in the ground. All these were approved through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, so that they would not be made perfect without us.” Hebrews 11:35b-40 (HCSB)

We may not know what the future holds (even the earthly outcomes of our day-to-day faithfulness), but we know Who holds the future. That is, we seek an eternal kingdom, which makes whatever hardship we must endure in this life worth it. We don’t look to our circumstances to determine whether we will be faithful; we look to our faith to determine how we will respond to our circumstances.

Notice Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not know whether God would rescue them. Neither we nor the “heroes of the faith” did. They knew God could rescue them if He desired. He had already saved them from the blazing fires of burning besieged Jerusalem! Still, the object of their faith was God Himself, not His deliverance. If you are struggling, hold on!! Either in this life or the next, God will deliver His faithful children, those whose hope is in Messiah.

“Then Daniel responded with tact and discretion to Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon. He asked Arioch, the king’s officer, “Why is the decree from the king so harsh?” Then Arioch explained the situation to Daniel. So Daniel went and asked the king to give him some time, so that he could give the king the interpretation. Then Daniel went to his house and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah about the matter, urging them to ask the God of heaven for mercy concerning this mystery, so Daniel and his friends would not be killed with the rest of Babylon’s wise men. The mystery was then revealed to Daniel in a vision at night, and Daniel praised the God of heaven…” Daniel 2:14-19 (HCSB)

In the business management world, there is a saying: Maximize your strengths and manage your weaknesses. Good leaders understand they can’t do everything, and they know the importance of having a good team. They know how to delegate tasks outside their strengths so they don’t find themselves bogged down doing things they aren’t good at. From this, we can reason that the purpose of community is to make our weaknesses ineffective. That is, in a healthy community, we only have to operate on our strengths because someone else’s strength is covering our weaknesses.

“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:12 (HCSB)

We learned yesterday that Daniel was skilled in interpreting dreams and visions. This ability was a gift from the Lord, but Daniel was not about to take the Lord’s blessings for granted. Knowing that lives were at stake, Daniel rallied his three friends and enlisted them to pray on his behalf. Daniel was not a lone ranger. He did not simply rely on his “giftedness”; he understood the importance of a strong spiritual community and the power of prayer. Daniel knew the problem needed a level of discernment that could only be reached by the counsel of God-seeking men.

Today’s passage is also a challenge to us. Do you attempt to face life’s trials alone, perhaps too afraid to share your weaknesses with others? Or do you lean into the community of believers the Lord has given you? Because of Daniel’s willingness to share his situation with other strong believers, the Lord gave him an insight into the humanly impossible. Remember: We may not know what the future holds, but we know Who holds the future. Daniel sought the Lord, and the unseeable was revealed.

“In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god.” Daniel 1:1-2 (NKJV)

Those of us who have surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus are at war. Like it or not. And the warfare we are “born again” into is a spiritual war. (Ephesians 6:12) We are relentlessly pursued by an enemy that makes itself known in three forms: The World, the Flesh, and the Devil. (Ephesians 2:1-3) And exactly what do we possess that the enemy wants to steal (by re-appropriation) or to utterly destroy? 1) Our identity as a people, 2) Our places of worship and their articles, 3) Our manhood (or womanhood) /gender identity, 4) Our intellect/language, 5) Our names/purpose, 6) Our diet, the very sustenance of our existence. (Mark 4:4) We see the Church-at-large attacked in these ways in our day, and we see all of those areas of life being attacked in the very first few paragraphs of the book of Daniel.

“Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles, young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans.”  Daniel 1:3-4 (NKJV)

"And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king.” Daniel 1:5 (NKJV)

“Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names: he gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abed-Nego.”  Daniel 1:6-7 (NKJV)

“But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs.” Daniel 1:8-9 (NKJV)

So, how can we defend ourselves against such a spiritual onslaught? Moreover, how can we move beyond reactionary measures and attack-the-attacker, as it were? We must armor up! (Ephesians 6:10-18) And we must swing the sword of God’s Word!! How did Daniel & Co find the faithful fortitude to stand for the Lord? They believed the Word of the Lord. (Jeremiah 29:1-11) And the Lord proved Himself faithful to His Word! With what armor have you clothed yourself? What Word do you swing?

“These are the exits of the city: On the north side, which measures 1½ miles, there will be three gates facing north, the gates of the city being named for the tribes of Israel: one, the gate of Reuben; one, the gate of Judah; and one, the gate of Levi. On the east side, which is 1½ miles, there will be three gates: one, the gate of Joseph; one, the gate of Benjamin; and one, the gate of Dan. On the south side, which measures 1½ miles, there will be three gates: one, the gate of Simeon; one, the gate of Issachar; and one, the gate of Zebulun. On the west side, which is 1½ miles, there will be three gates: one, the gate of Gad; one, the gate of Asher; and one, the gate of Naphtali. The perimeter of the city will be six miles, and the name of the city from that day on will be: Yahweh Is There.”  Ezekiel 48:30-35 (HCSB)

In yesterday’s chapter, which began today’s chapter dividing the land of Israel after the exiles' return, we are (again) enlightened to God’s love of Gentiles who choose to follow Him.  Not only are Gentiles to be tolerated, living among the faithful of Israel, but they are also gracefully granted land as an inheritance among the faithful of Jewish descent!

“‘You are to divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. You will allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the foreigners living among you, who have fathered children among you. You will treat them as native-born Israelites; along with you, they will be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. In whatever tribe the foreigner lives, you will assign his inheritance there.’ This is the declaration of the Lord God.”  Ezekiel 47:21-23 (HCSB)

Before Gentile Christians rush to modern-day Israel to claim their “birthright in Messiah” property, let us consider that Ezekiel’s vision closer mirrors the New Jerusalem of the Revelation than the old one we visit on our yearly pilgrimage tours.

“Then one of the seven angels, who had held the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues, came and spoke with me: ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.’ He then carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, arrayed with God’s glory. Her radiance was like a very precious stone, like a jasper stone, bright as crystal. The city had a massive high wall, with 12 gates. Twelve angels were at the gates; the names of the 12 tribes of Israel’s sons were inscribed on the gates. There were three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.”  Revelation 21:9-13 (HCSB)

Given that today’s Ezekiel passage says the names of the patriarchs are written on the EXITS of the prophetic city, we can conclude that people will live outside of the walls of the New Jerusalem, coming in and going out.

“Each day its gates will never close because it will never be night there. They will bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. Nothing profane will ever enter it: no one who does what is vile or false, but only those written in the Lamb’s book of life.”  Revelation 21:25-27 (HCSB)

“Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple and there was water flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the temple faced east. The water was coming down from under the south side of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar.” Ezekiel 47:1 (HCSB)

One fine Thanksgiving Day, my wife noticed that our kitchen floor was warmer in a particular area. Since we did not have heated floors, we quickly deduced that a hot water pipe had burst. If we hadn’t repaired it quickly, we might have fulfilled Ezekiel’s prophecy, for water would flow out from under our home and begin filling our town with its life-giving stuff!

The Bible begins with a description of a river that flowed through the Garden of Eden and broke into four tributaries as it left (Genesis 2:10-14). This is a theme that runs throughout the Bible. The Psalmist speaks of a river “whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells” (Psalm 46:4). Several of the prophets picture something similar: Joel speaks of a fountain that will flow out of the Lord’s house (Joel 3:8), and Zechariah describes “living water” which will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea, and half to the western sea (Zechariah 14:8). Of course, the Bible ends with a description of the New Jerusalem, from which emerges a river flowing from God’s throne (Revelation 22:1-2). The Revelation reference is, in fact, based directly on Ezekiel’s vision in today’s chapter. The interpretation of one affects the understanding of the other.

The river Ezekiel describes emerges from under the Temple threshold and runs (apparently) underground to emerge under the eastern gate, through the city, and into the countryside. After 2,500 yards, the river has become so wide and deep that no man can cross it. This is a big river! Eventually, it empties into the Dead Sea. Along its banks are signs of abundant life and prosperity - essentially, Eden, restored. It is all a picture of the kind of blessing God’s people may expect in the new kingdom: Every provision for every need will be taken care of by the Lord Himself.

The key to understanding the river that flows beneath the Temple is found in John’s gospel. There, Jesus, on the final day of Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles), stands up and proclaims:

“‘If anyone is thirsty, he should come to Me and drink! The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.’ He said this about the Spirit. Those who believed in Jesus were going to receive the Spirit…” John 7:37-39 (HCSB)

Every day of Sukkot, a priest took a golden flask filled with water from the pool of Siloam near Jerusalem, carried it through the Water Gate, went up the ramp to the altar, and poured it out. In one sense, Ezekiel’s prophecy is being fulfilled every time a person chooses to follow Jesus and is given the gift of the Holy Spirit to dwell inside them (1 Corinthians 6:19). In a greater sense, imagine a picture of all believers gathered in the New Jerusalem, all with God’s Spirit flowing from them.