Open—David So
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Turn with me to Genesis chapter 47.
It's not a common verse we're about to read.
Genesis chapter 47, verse 29.
And the time June I that Israel must.
Die.
I'm going to stop there with that verse.
It is the word, in that I caught my attention for the last many weeks. Is the word must. It's interesting, isn't it? By this juncture, Israel or Jacob was getting pretty old, but yet the word of God said it was time that Israel must die. If you look at the Darby translation, he would say that he he.
Should die Now I know we can use today's phrase it is appointed into man wants to die, but I.
Perhaps I stand corrected and some I thought, but I just want to share with how I enjoyed this part.
That what is it really saying is that he is being punished to die. I'm not sure if that is the right thought. You know, one thing interesting about Israel or Jacob in the name of Jacob was that I relate to him. He's a schemer and I think many of us can relate to that. Maybe I'm just offering that as a suggestion. I don't have any.
Definitive thought on it.
Is the Lord saying?
Jacob.
Don't try any harder, you're going to die.
You're not going to get out of this one.
I don't know.
That Israel must die.
Now it's not my thought to go through the life of Jacob. There are many things we can speak on about Jacob, but it's just the thought that there is a time appointed for us too. We sang in this hymn 209. We do we really believe that the Lord has set aside a time for you, for me?
It wasn't, it was a few years ago. I remember a brother said something about he was reaching his three score and 10. That was an interesting turning point. And I suppose I can echo that. And now I'm starting to feel that it doesn't mean that we're going to pass away at 3 score and 10. But it's sort of like a interesting turning point, isn't it? As I look around the room, there are many well past three score and 10, and some are perhaps halfway there. But here we sang this hymn. Do we believe what?
Our times are in thy hand.
And what we truly say, Father, we wish them there. What do we wish in His hand? Our life, our soul, our all. We live entirely to thy care, but during our lifespan.
Whether it's long or short, the Lord allowed that to happen, doesn't he? That we are all left here for reason?
I was thinking of Moses. You know, Moses, he said when he died, his eyes weren't even damn I, I can tell now that my, I need glasses to see. I need hearing aid to hear. I need a lot of other things. I take medications to be able to stay alive. You know, I use a respirator at night to be able to breathe. What we can say or Caleb could say, I can still go to war at 80.
And Lord set the Moses.
That was the time. It's interesting isn't it? Wasn't because he was no longer physically able, but that was the Lords time. His work was completed. You think of Eli, Elijah, Elijah there he said, Lord, take my life now. Jezebel is all over me. Take my life now.
What did the Lord say? No, I'm not done yet, not with you. It's a little bit more work to be done.
How was your life in a sense? Now I know we don't have a lot of time. I'd like to leave room for others to.
I like to go to the book of Daniel. I've been really enjoying it and is perhaps some of us on the Sunday afternoon California Zoom call being on it. But either way, it's good to turn to scriptures and the reason I use Daniel. There are many we can use example of. We could pick Joseph if we want to. We could have gone through the life of Jacob.
00:05:06
Like I said, Joseph, you know, Joseph is a good example.
From SF it went from bad to worse to almost better, and then to terrible before he received his glorious portion. But Daniel, we don't often look at that. Daniel, we associate it with the lion's den. With Daniel, we associate it with faith. I like to look at it just perhaps from the application side, not from the prophetic side. And I may not even read.
The first is there but in chapter 1 of Daniel just re couple verses here. In the 3rd chapter 1 beginning of verse one, in the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar.
King of Babylon and to Jerusalem, and besieged it, verse 2. I think this is very important in the beginning of the verse, and the Lord gave.
Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hand.
You know, we read this and we go, wow, this terrible king Nebuchadnezzar came and took over Judah, which is true, but what does it tell us in Scripture? The Lord gave Jehoiakim to the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar was simply a rod of correction.
For the children of Israel, In fact, the Lord said, don't worry about Nebuchadnezzar. I think we learned that in Jeremiah. The Lord will punish Nebuchadnezzar for his deed.
But this is in regard to the sin of the people of Judah. But what's interesting is we we talk about trials while we said let not your heart be troubled. And the comment was made, we all have different trials and difficulties.
What about Daniel?
Daniel was the Prince.
Taking captive.
Is that bad? When you are used to a royal life now you become a captive, a slave?
I see young men, many young men here and I got to be careful how you use these words. Not only was she taking captive.
He was made a eunuch.
Man made him a eunuch. He's no longer a boy or man.
How do you feel?
Do you think that situation was bad?
I think it's any young man, any man for that matter. That's a terrible punishment, isn't it?
And if that's not enough, if you go into the book of Deuteronomy, it said for Moabite.
They're not to come into the presence of the Lord for generation, but you read to it, it says for a eunuch, even man made them a eunuch.
They are considered to be unclean. They can't come to the presence of the Lord.
I think that's a work of Satan, that trying to put enough circumstances into your life that you will say I'm not fit for the Lord's work. Have we ever felt that?
Difficult, isn't it? And it wasn't just him, his friends.
Project he'll remain faithful. Now my thought here to go through the faithfulness but to emphasize the circumstances they were put through. Now often when we read the first chapter of the book of Daniel. We are reminded them as young people and I believe they were maybe teenagers. I don't think they were that old and we used it to encourage young people to have a purpose of heart to serve the Lord they did.
Despite of all those difficulties.
Through the Lord's health, they have that purpose of heart. I'm watching my time here now. I like to go forward to chapter.
Five, we know this story, so we are just going to mention it briefly. Chapter 5 is the end of the Babylonian Kingdom. So we read in chapter 5 the writing on the wall, and I'm sure many of you remember that story.
That there were fingers started writing under war saying in verse 25, this is the writing that was written meaning we know the story right? And if you don't read it or talk to some of us here and then we find that Bell Shasha died that night. That was the end of that Kingdom.
00:10:18
Now I want to share with you something.
Some of you in your Bible, if you ever look at it carefully, some not or would have the time and would have the date written next to the chapter. So chapter 5, if you look at it, some of what would tell you it was the year, it would say 538 BC you know that's when it happens. Now keep keep that in mind chapter 6.
If you look at it, that was the same year right after when Doria's came. He was the new ruler on behalf of Cyrus.
538 BC.
Now here's what's interesting When I'm going to have to do some mathematics here. When Daniel was taken captive, it was 606 BC. So how many years have transpired since?
That's hard, isn't it? 606 -, 538? Well, let's cheat. If it's 540 it would be 66 years plus 268 years later.
Why is that important? Later on we read, I think in Chapter 9, Daniel, he said. Daniel read the book of Jeremiah and he realized that the 70 years of captivity is almost over.
Isn't it interesting to know that when we read the word of God we understand more things? This is getting close, so.
This is when he was put into the lion's den. Again, I'm not going into the story. Let's go into Chapter 7.
When we read, I shouldn't say we, I know what I read often. I don't read carefully. There are many things that I don't even notice. We think we know, so we go ahead and read it the way we think we know. This chapter is interesting. It begins to set in the first year of Belshazzar. We just talk about him, right? The king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream.
The first year of Belshazzar. Wait a minute, we just read Belshazzar in chapter 5.
Now let's make it clear he died. So that was the last year. Belshasha is not the first and you can cheat a little bit. You look at your reference, they will say it should say 555 BC. No I should clarify that the closer to us the number go backwards because it go from 600 to to to 5:50 to 400 and so on towards 0. So we have to remember to move your numbers backwards. So 555.
Is the time, but wait a minute.
When was he put into the lion's den?
That was Chapter 6. What year was that?
Five, 3818 years. Am I right on that number before that? Why is that important? 18 years before he was put into the lion's den, he had a vision of the kingdoms of the beasts.
Why so when he was?
When his faith was being tested 1 he was an old man 'cause that was 6068 years later he came as a teenager he would have been well over 80. Lesson #1 is the Lord does not test us only as a young person. We get tested as an older one too, don't we brethren? In fact, I I skipped his three friends. If you look at it, they were middle age man.
Tested them at the Fiery furnace, but here.
I don't know if I'm suggesting it right, but here's Daniel about to be put into the lion's den. But 18 years before that, he was assured with his prophecy of what's to come. What did he do with it?
Just hold your thought.
Chapter 8.
It gave us another little hint. Chapter 7 was the first year Belshazzar's reign. Chapter 8.
In the third year of Belshazzar's reign. More of that.
00:15:00
Dream. Oh, I should say the vision in this case was interpreted.
Daniel was given these visions 18 years, then three years later more as if it were expanded to him.
We we have don't read up that now I'm trying to draw an application for us.
Have we learned prophecy?
Have we learned a word of God and learned that we don't really understand what it all means? And then a few years later we learn more of that? And if you're like me, I would say I still don't know what it really means. But isn't it good to learn that instead of from nowhere? And someone started talking. I have no idea what you're talking about.
Because we need a basis of something.
Now I am going to go ahead to the next chapter chapter.
9.
Now if you remember I said chapter 5 was the year 583818 years back.
It's interesting to see the chronological. Actually, it's not. It's referring to what Daniel have known as like some of us getting older sitting here, we say, you remember 20 years ago we met in Florida. OK, not that we've gone about 20 years, just a way. Sometimes we talk, right? So here in Chapter 9.
He said in the first year of Darius.
When is that the first year of the riots is the last year of El Shasha now as if he was back to that same time of 538. And just for time sake, I want to jump down here is what's interesting. We know about Daniel. Whether he understood what was said or not, we're not told, but it troubled him right through. And you know, brethren, is is interesting sometimes.
The more we know you think we should be happier, but yet.
The consequences of knowing what's to happen to this world bear weights on our hearts too, doesn't it? So here in the 9th chapter, Daniel, what was he doing? We don't know what he did before, but here we learned something interesting of what he did. What is knowledge? Chapter 9, he was praying. And I'm just going to jump down to verse 19 as if we get a chance now to ear drop into Daniel's prayer.
How was he praying? What was he saying to the Lord? Verse 19. Oh Lord.
Here oh Lord, forgive, oh Lord hearken, and do defer, not for thine own sake, Oh my God, for thy city and thy people are called by thy name. And whilst I was speaking and praying.
And confessing my sin.
And the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God.
For the holy mountain of my God. Yeah, I was.
Speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, and so on. We stopped there.
What was Daniel doing?
Praying.
I have to confess.
My prayers, Lord, you got to help me. I'm in trouble. Lord, you got to teach me this and.
How many times have we?
Say to our brethren.
Jerry, I'll pray for you.
And you know what the real truth is when I get home?
I forget.
What was Daniel doing with the prayers? Not only did he pray for the nation, for the people, Look, look at the wordings. Oh, Lord, forgive, oh Lord Hearten. Now let's go back a little bit.
Is there any recorded words of how Daniel has failed?
Do we know of how many times he screwed up? Now if I say that was Jacob will go Oh yeah, I can turn to quite a few places where Jacob missed his path. What do we know about Daniels pathway?
00:20:03
I don't know of any. Maybe someone can correct me on that, but here he prayed to God for the city and for thy people. He didn't even see my people. They are God's people there. He can pray. He said he was praying. A brother mentioned the four components of prayer, so I'm not going to repeat that, but we'll see it here.
At confessing my sin and the sin of my people.
I think that's a wonderful, wonderful thing that he did. What sin did Daniel commit that we know of?
But He made the sin of his people as if his own. Do we own our brethren's problem?
And say we.
I know what I would do Lord, you should see you should see this guy here. I'm not like him. We were just reminded by the prayer of the publican and the other fellow, right? So here he pray for his people, he intercede for his people and he may supplications to God. And here's what's interesting. This is what 18 years later?
Then he find while he was speaking, not while he was doing something or nothing.
The ain't you OK? No, while he was still speaking in his prayer, that Angel Gabriel came and verse 20 And a lot of part of that is that he touched me about the time of evening oblation. That's the time where the burnt offering should be offered up. And he informed me and talked with me and said, Oh Daniel, I now I am now come forth to give the skill.
And understanding.
I think that's precious, isn't it? It takes prayers, it takes intercession for our people. It takes the acknowledgement, the humble place before God, for the people, before God would entrust his people's burden to him. So I'm just going to jump down there. Verse 24, not my desire to go through the 70 weeks, but notice the wording.
70 weeks are determined upon thy people.
Is there 70 weeks upon the whole world? No. In this juncture is telling us is God's punishment to Daniel's people, to the Jewish nation to to the nation of Judah and that tribe of Benjamin, he was revealed all this.
As an encouragement, I made a comment earlier. Sometimes we feel that we learned this. We learned that we have no idea what it means. Young people and I see some older one is smiling at me. Well, for all of us is the word of God. We have to learn.
Precept upon precept is interesting. You look, look on that first day in Isaiah, it's as if it's stuttering. It says precept upon precept, precept upon precept, and.
Here a little, very little when we have the desire to learn the word of God, God reveals things to us and here we learned. Now again for times sake, Daniel really have to learn that our all these kingdoms. He was told these 4 kingdoms 1 after the other, but all that doesn't matter. Those are the Gentiles power that God have entrusted for simplicity's sake. But at the end, what's important for.
Us too to learn is there is going to be an everlasting Kingdom.
We know that despite of all those terrible beasts, a picture of beasts, you know, it's funny, when Nebuchadnezzar saw the image, it was the golden image. When God told Daniel about the four kingdoms, they were reduced and it just beasts. They're wild beasts in God's sight. And God will overcome that because there will be a Kingdom.
That's going to overcome all that. Do we believe that? Do you believe that?
God has given us as if it were the ending. We know how it's going to end. Now. Again, I see a young man here. I will presume some of you like football games.
Can you imagine?
How exciting it would be if I someone said it, you can't go to the game. But I'll tell you what, I'm going to record this big game tonight and I'll let you watch it on the video next week. Would that be very exciting? But yet it's not exciting. But it's nice because you know who won already. He just didn't get to see the play by play and scripture. I'd like to view it as that We know how it is going to end that the Lord.
00:25:23
US is going to reign supreme, there is no question about that. We're just not given the play by play. We're given some events to follow, but that more so we're to walk by faith and not by sight.