Make haste, O God, to deliver me! O Lord, make haste to help me! 2 Let them be put to shame and confusion who seek my life! Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor who delight in my hurt! 3 Let them turn back because of their shame who say, “Aha, Aha!”
 
4 May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! May those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!” 5 But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay!
 
Meditation
Christians live in an already/ not yet kingdom. Jesus is already king of everything but has not yet fully consummated His kingdom. Jesus has already defeated death but death is not yet totally evicted from life. Jesus has already removed the penalty and power of sin but not yet fully removed the presence of sin. We must trust God’s sovereign grace as we wait for the full consummation of the Kingdom- Lord come quickly!
 
Psalm 70 is taken directly from Psalm 40:13-17 and highlights the tension of an already/ net yet deliverance. Psalm 40 is a song of deliverance beginning with, “I waited patiently for the Lord, he inclined and heard my cry…” Today’s repeated portion is a prayer focusing on the waiting for complete deliverance beginning in petition, “make haste to deliver me! Make haste to help me…” (1).  God has rescued. God will rescue. We must trust His sovereign grace and supreme timing.
 
The pressure of a fallen world and problems of the enemy are real (2-3) but the true enemy is defeated. Jesus is on the throne and He is making all things new (Revelation 21:1-6). All who seek the Lord in the tension will be glad. Those who love the salvation of our God will worship- “God is great!”
 
God is our help and deliverer (5) who has saved us and will return to ultimately save His people. God is faithful and you can trust Him. Rejoice in His rescue and be at peace knowing He will come again!
 
Richly Dwelling
-Do you see the tension of the already/ not yet reality of the Lord’s rescue? How do you navigate this tension?
 
- Psalm 70 is a song of worship sung for a memorial offering, worshipping God for His past faithfulness and deepening our trust in Him for the future. Take time to worship the Lord for His faithfulness displayed most clearly in Christ.
 
-The Psalmist invites us to seek the Lord and be glad, even when difficulties of life press in and fractures from our fallen world seem to dominate. How can you seek the Lord and celebrate His salvation, His already rescue in Christ?
 
Key Verse
4 May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! May those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!”

“And you, son of man, take a brick and lay it before you, and engrave on it a city, even Jerusalem. 2 And put siege works against it, and build a siege wall against it, and cast up a mound against it. Set camps also against it, and plant battering rams against it all around. 3 And you, take an iron griddle, and place it as an iron wall between you and the city; and set your face toward it, and let it be in a state of siege, and press the siege against it. This is a sign for the house of Israel.
4 “Then lie on your left side, and place the punishment of the house of Israel upon it. For the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their punishment. 5 For I assign to you a number of days, 390 days, equal to the number of the years of their punishment. So long shall you bear the punishment of the house of Israel. 6 And when you have completed these, you shall lie down a second time, but on your right side, and bear the punishment of the house of Judah. Forty days I assign you, a day for each year. 7 And you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem, with your arm bared, and you shall prophesy against the city.8 And behold, I will place cords upon you, so that you cannot turn from one side to the other, till you have completed the days of your siege.
9 “And you, take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and emmer,[b] and put them into a single vessel and make your bread from them. During the number of days that you lie on your side, 390 days, you shall eat it. 10 And your food that you eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day; from day to day you shall eat it. 11 And water you shall drink by measure, the sixth part of a hin; from day to day you shall drink. 12 And you shall eat it as a barley cake, baking it in their sight on human dung.” 13 And the Lord said, “Thus shall the people of Israel eat their bread unclean, among the nations where I will drive them.” 14 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I have never defiled myself.[f] From my youth up till now I have never eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has tainted meat come into my mouth.”15 Then he said to me, “See, I assign to you cow's dung instead of human dung, on which you may prepare your bread.” 16 Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, behold, I will break the supply of bread in Jerusalem. They shall eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and they shall drink water by measure and in dismay. 17 I will do this that they may lack bread and water, and look at one another in dismay, and rot away because of their punishment.

Meditation
Jesus Christ is the ultimate sin bearer for all who believe. Jesus suffered severely so we can be free completely. Do you trust God’s amazing love?
 
The call of Ezekiel gathers substance as he begins to live out the message God appointed him to share. Ezekiel’s interesting drama acts out the siege of Jerusalem, lying in the dirt before a model of Jerusalem. The desperation displayed was a prophesy against rebellious Israel and a sign pointing to what is to come. Central to the message is bearing the punishment for sin.
 
Ezekiel was tasked to lie on his left side for 430 total days- a LONG TIME! signifying the length of punishment for Israel and Judah. The substance reveals God’s hatred for sin and the justice required to satisfy the penalty sin deserves.
 
Desperation during punishment for sin would be difficult “eating bread with anxiety and drinking water in dismay.” God’s people would wonder- Had God abandoned them?
 
Ezekiel’s actions point to the powerful work of Jesus Christ who was abandoned so we can be reunited with our Father. Jesus bore our sin and judgment so those who believe can be free to feast on the Bread of Life in peace. Jesus was defiled so we can be made clean!
 
The amazing love of God is shown through the lengths He has gone to both communicate the message and bear our judgment. Do you trust God’s amazing love?
 
Richly Dwelling
-What are some details of Ezekiel’s actions that stand out to you? Why?
 
-Why is it significant Ezekiel spent so much time bearing judgment? What does this say about God? What does this reveal about our need as sinners?
 
-How does the detailed action of Ezekiel point to the powerful work of Jesus, more deeply revealing God’s love for you? How does this cultivate a heart of obedience?
 
Key Verse
6 And when you have completed these, you shall lie down a second time, but on your right side, and bear the punishment of the house of Judah. Forty days I assign you, a day for each year. 

At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. 2 And Jeroboam said to his wife, “Arise, and disguise yourself, that it not be known that you are the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Behold, Ahijah the prophet is there, who said of me that I should be king over this people. 3 Take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what shall happen to the child.”
4 Jeroboam's wife did so. She arose and went to Shiloh and came to the house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were dim because of his age. 5 And the Lord said to Ahijah, “Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to inquire of you concerning her son, for he is sick. Thus and thus shall you say to her.”
When she came, she pretended to be another woman. 6 But when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another? For I am charged with unbearable news for you. 7 Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: “Because I exalted you from among the people and made you leader over my people Israel 8 and tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, and yet you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me with all his heart, doing only that which was right in my eyes, 9 but you have done evil above all who were before you and have gone and made for yourself other gods and metal images, provoking me to anger, and have cast me behind your back,10 therefore behold, I will bring harm upon the house of Jeroboam and will cut off from Jeroboam every male, both bond and free in Israel, and will burn up the house of Jeroboam, as a man burns up dung until it is all gone.11 Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone who dies in the open country the birds of the heavens shall eat, for the Lord has spoken it.”’12 Arise therefore, go to your house. When your feet enter the city, the child shall die. 13 And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found something pleasing to the Lord, the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam.14 Moreover, the Lord will raise up for himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam today. And henceforth, 15 the Lord will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water, and root up Israel out of this good land that he gave to their fathers and scatter them beyond the Euphrates,[a] because they have made their Asherim, provoking the Lord to anger. 16 And he will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he sinned and made Israel to sin.”
17 Then Jeroboam's wife arose and departed and came to Tirzah. And as she came to the threshold of the house, the child died. 18 And all Israel buried him and mourned for him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Ahijah the prophet.
The Death of Jeroboam19 Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 20 And the time that Jeroboam reigned was twenty-two years. And he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his place.
Rehoboam Reigns in Judah21 Now Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. His mother's name was Naamah the Ammonite.22 And Judah did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins that they committed, more than all that their fathers had done. 23 For they also built for themselves high places and pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree,24 and there were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations that the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.
25 In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. 26 He took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king's house. He took away everything. He also took away all the shields of gold that Solomon had made, 27 and King Rehoboam made in their place shields of bronze, and committed them to the hands of the officers of the guard, who kept the door of the king's house. 28 And as often as the king went into the house of the Lord, the guard carried them and brought them back to the guardroom.
29 Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 30 And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually. 31 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. His mother's name was Naamah the Ammonite. And Abijam his son reigned in his place.

Meditation
God fully sees you and He fully loves you. We do not need to hide from God in our shame and rebellion, only coming to God when we have a need. God is light and He sees our rebellion. God is love and welcomes us to repent. If we do not repent we will likewise perish (Luke 13:3).
 
Jeroboam practiced evil and his heart did not trust the Lord (13:33-34). When his son became sick he sent his wife in disguise to hear the word of the Lord concerning his son’s health. God was not deceived and His word exposed Jeroboam’s wife. Jeroboam did not repent, his son died, and he lost the kingdom “according to the word of the Lord.”
 
God saw Jeroboam’s heart through his rebellion. God is not one of many powers we send an ambassador to try and manipulate to get our way. God wants our hearts in personal relationship. He sees our sin and invites us to repent and turn to Him.
 
Jeroboam tragically lost his son and then his kingdom, never coming out of hiding. God wants you and I to come out of hiding, to repent, and return to Him. Our Father sent His Son to die so that we can find forgiveness and experience the fullness of His kingdom. If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive and to purify us from our unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).  God fully sees you and He fully loves you. Come out of hiding and trust His grace.
 
Richly Dwelling
-Do you think God would have honored repentance of Jeroboam if he had turned his heart to the Lord?
 
-Where do you identify with Jeroboam, rebelling and hiding from God as you try to manipulate Him for your purposes?
 
-God’s grace is big enough to forgive all our sins- return to Him. Repent, come out of hiding, and trust His love. Watch His grace restore and renew as you experience the blessings of His kingdom.
 
Key Verse
6 But when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another? For I am charged with unbearable news for you.

And God spoke all these words, saying,
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
13 “You shall not murder.
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
15 “You shall not steal.
16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.”
18 Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off 19 and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.”20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” 21 The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.
Laws About Altars22 And the Lord said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven. 23 You shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold. 24 An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you.25 If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones, for if you wield your tool on it you profane it.26 And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.’
 
Meditation
God’s love for you is displayed in His jealousy for you. God gave all of Himself to have all of you for intimate relationship with Him.
 
Relationship is the foundation of the Ten Commandments: “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (2). God redeems for relationship and offers His steadfast love to His people. He is “jealous” when our love is given to other gods (5-6).
 
Like my wedding ring, the Sabbath is a sign of our exclusive belonging to the Lord (Exodus 31:16), telling the world our most important relationship is not with work, technology, or money.
 
From His steadfast love God gives the law to protect us, “that we may not sin” (20). This is why Paul could declare his delight in God’s law (Romans 7:22) even though he struggled to obey the law.
 
It is for freedom that God redeemed Israel and for freedom that Christ has set us free! We do not submit to God’s law as if the commandments are a ladder to climb to Heaven. The revelation of God’s laws are grace, what Calvin calls “the perfect pattern of righteousness,” when understood in the context of relationship.
 
When we are grounded in grace, grateful for what God has done, we will grow in our relationship with God through His law. “To love me is to obey me,” says Jesus (John 14: 15).  And Jesus’ love transforms duty into delight.
 
Richly Dwelling
-How do you see God’s law- duty or delight? Why?
 
-What difference does it make that God gave His law in the context of relationship, after the Abrahamic covenant?
 
-How can you see the Divine design of God’s law as a perfect pattern of righteousness for your life? Be specific in areas where you can delightfully obey.
 
Key Verse
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
The Parable of the Ten Minas
11 As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. 12 He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return.13 Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’ 14 But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ 15 When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. 16 The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ 17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ 18 And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’19 And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’20 Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; 21 for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ 24 And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ 25 And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ 26 ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 27 But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’”
The Triumphal Entry
28 And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”
Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem
41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it,42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side 44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
45 And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, 46 saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”
47 And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him, 48 but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.

Meditation
We grow in grace when we are grounded in the gospel. Jesus transplants believers into His Kingdom (Colossians 1:12-14) so they can sink roots deep into gospel soil. Growth springs up by the power of the Spirit and is evidenced by gospel generosity and gratitude.
 
Zacchaeus “received (Christ) joyfully,” a faith in Christ that saved Zacchaeus and freed him to begin again. A sign of Zacchaeus sinking his roots into gospel soil is the generosity he showed in paying back four times what he owed, what he had formally stolen. Generosity is present when we grow in grace.
 
The self-righteous questioned Jesus spending time with sinners like Zacchaeus. Jesus challenged their hard hearts with a parable teaching gratefulness for the king’s generosity- evidenced through stewardship, kingdom investment with the king’s resources. Ungrateful hearts have not welcomed the grace of the King and will not share what His love brings.
 
Jesus comes into Jerusalem hailed as king and will later be killed as a criminal. Does Jesus truly rule our heats? Does Jesus need to clear the clutter of the temple of our lives for more fertile gospel soil in our souls?
 
Jesus weeps over people and cities who do not welcome Him into hearts and homes. The love of Jesus cleanses the ecosystem of our soul to nourish relationship with Him so that we can grow in grace. We must trust His love and welcome His word of salvation to be grounded in the gospel, evidenced by generosity and gratefulness.
 
Richly Dwelling
-Which part of Luke 19 stands out to you the most? Why?
 
-Are you generous and grateful? If not, what does this reveal about your understanding of the gospel and where you are sinking your roots?
 
-By grace alone you have been transplanted into the kingdom of Jesus. What are elements in your ecosystem hindering grace saturation- your focus on self-protection, self-promotion, self-righteousness, or inability for true self-examination? Turn to Jesus and trust His grace.
 
Key Verse
8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”

It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; 2 and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. 3 Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4 Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. 5 Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.”
6 Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live forever! 7 All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 8 Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 9 Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction.
10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. 11 Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. 12 Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 13 Then they answered and said before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.”
14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. 15 Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.”
16 Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!”17 And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. 18 Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him.
19 Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. 20 As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” 21 Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! 22 My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” 23 Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. 24 And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.
25 Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. 26 I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,
for he is the living God,
    enduring forever;
his kingdom shall never be destroyed,
    and his dominion shall be to the end.
27 He delivers and rescues;
    he works signs and wonders
    in heaven and on earth,
he who has saved Daniel
    from the power of the lions.”
28 So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

​Meditation
The gospel frees us to have security in God’s sovereign grace. God invites His people to trust His word rather than conform and compromise our faith.
 
The rising star status of Daniel made him a target for ambitious leaders. They trapped Daniel through creating a conflict between Daniel’s primary loyalty to God’s word and the word of the king. Will God’s people trust God’s word when cultural priorities are in conflict with ways of the true King?
 
Daniel prayed regularly during exile because God’s word commanded him to do so. God promised to “maintain the cause” of His people during exile if they repented, turning their hearts to Him and turning toward the temple in prayer (1 Kings 8:46-51). Daniel prayed three times a day, even after the decree was passed. God will preserve His people who put their trust in His word.
 
Daniel’s disobedience to the king’s decree sent him to the lion’s den. God’s faithfulness protected Daniel. God delivered Daniel. The king punished those who trapped Daniel and reversed his decree so everyone in his kingdom would worship Daniel’s god. If God is for us then who can be against us!?!
 
Challenges against God’s word seem to be growing more intense. God’s word offers direct decrees in conflict with decrees from the culture. God’s people must repent, return our hearts to the true King, and trust His word in everything.
 
Richly Dwelling
-Where do you see or experience the greatest tension between the priorities of the culture and the word of the true King?
 
-When reading Daniel’s rescue from the lion’s den freshly, what stands out to you about the protection of God for those who trust in Him?
 
-What specific areas do you need to grow in trusting the word of God over and above the pressures and priorities of our culture? Integrity at work and home? With your finances? Loving your enemies? Be specific.
 
Key Verse
10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. 

Check out THE WEEK'S LINKS HERE for some interesting reading intended to encourage, challenge, point to the creativity of God's image bearers, and offer some hope and fun.