We made it! Yesterday ended our 21 Days of Sacrifice... 21 days for some, 40 days for others... we have been on a time of fasting. Most people chose to do the Daniel fast which is mostly vegetables and fruit and water. During the first week our Pastor asked that we have a media fast as well. That can be challenging to say the least. I will say though... it was during that phase that the Lord woke me up with the word "oblation" (I blogged about this earlier... that I would be posting later). I thought it must be a medical term because I have been having all kinds of medical issues during this fast. I’ve been to the doctor and thought this must be a term he mentioned to me. When I got into prayer that morning, I felt a little guilty for doing so (since we were on a media fast) but I took my phone and decided to google the word “oblation”. It said: “an offering ,a term, particularly in ecclesiastical usage, for a solemn offering or presentation to God.”
I thought… wow! This is a Bible word… ok… maybe you are trying to tell me something, Lord! So I got out my concordance and began to try to find what He was saying. I first found
Leviticus 2:12 “As for the oblation of the firstfruits, ye shall offer them unto the LORD…”
I recognized this verse and He has already dealt with me about this before… giving Him the first, the best, of not only my resources but of my time and efforts. That didn’t seem like all He was saying though. I continued searching.
And lo and behold, I found Daniel! How fitting… we are on the Daniel fast so why wouldn’t God lead me right to the horses mouth!
So here we go… here are some lessons I learned from Daniel that started with a simple word, “oblation”…
The last few verses I found were in the book of Daniel. Daniel 2:46 says: “Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him.”
So here we have Daniel… offering himself first of all, interpreting the dream as God had commanded him… if you’ll remember the King had a disturbing dream and there was no one to interpret. He then wanted to kill all the wise men of Babylon. But in the midst of Babylon… in the midst of the worldliness… there was a man named Daniel who was not conformed to Babylon… he was not partaking of the things of the king and his worldly kingdom… let’s back up to
chapter 1:8 “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.”
Lesson #1… Don’t try to fit into the culture around you. You are who He has called you to be. You are not to be identified by this world and its way of thinking. Don’t compromise your convictions and consecrations when things get rough and pressure to fit in becomes great.
Daniel 1:12-13,15 "Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants. And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat."
The “pulse” translates as “vegetables”… I’m no Bible scholar but I know that the Israelites had very strict dietary laws. Daniel didn’t even want the temptation to be in front of them that the meat might be one he wasn’t supposed to partake of. He wanted to stay as far away from sin as he could.
Lesson #2… Avoid even the appearance of sin or evil or the very temptation of such.
I Thessalonians 5:2 “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”
Notice that this separation from Babylon had rewards… verse 17 of chapter 1 says that God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.”
Lesson #3…God reveals himself to those who set themselves apart from this world and desire to be identified with Him. Why are we so afraid of being identified with Him?
Going back to chapter 2… the king had disturbing dreams and there was no one to interpret. They all wanted him to tell them the dream and they would interpret. The kings words were: “…The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill. But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.”
Not too much pressure! They weren’t able to do this… they told him that there was no man able to do that… it was then that the king desired to kill all the wise men of Babylon. Daniel found out and went to the king… presented himself… made himself available to be used by God… sometimes that’s the biggest hinderance.
Lesson #4…God wants to do so much in us and through us but we aren’t making ourselves available. We are sitting back waiting for some big thing to come knock us on the head. You have to DO!
In verse 16 “Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.”
Lesson #5… Be bold and confident that you WILL hear from God. Speak it. Believe it and wait for it to happen!
...MORE TO COME...
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