Daniel 6:8-28 ~
8Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
9Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.
10Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his Elohim, as he did aforetime.
11Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his Elohim.
12Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king's decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any mighty one or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
13Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day.
14Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him.
15Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed.
16Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy Elohim whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.
17And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.
18Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him.
19Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.
20And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living Elohim, is thy Elohim, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?
21Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.
22My Elohim hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
23Then was the king exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his Elohim.
24And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den.
25Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.
26I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the Elohim of Daniel: for he is the living Elohim, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end.
27He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.
28So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
That’s quite a rewarding end. Not just that his life was saved, but that he was a witness for Yahweh. And by the king writing that decree, he caused others to serve Him also. So that’s quite a benefit there.
Daniel 3 ~
1Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
2Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
3Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
4Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages,
5That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:
6And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
7Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
8Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.
9They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.
10Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:
11And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
12There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy elohim, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
13Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.
14Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my elohim, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
15Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that Elohim that shall deliver you out of my hands?
16Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17If it be so, our Elohim whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy elohim, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
19Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
20And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
21Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
22Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
23And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
24Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
25He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of Elohim.
26Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high Elohim, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.
27And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.
28Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the Elohim of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any elohim, except their own Elohim.
29Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the Elohim of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other Elohim that can deliver after this sort.
30Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.
Sounds like a similar ending. That’s a real good example. We all know what fire can do. Fire can be a blessing in some respects, but we also know that it can be very destructive. If I had to make a choice in life where I was going to face fire..... just facing fire like that is a very serious choice - whether you’re going to stand by Yahweh or against Him. We know He’s not going to deliver us if we stand against Him.
Hadassah (Esther) 1:10-22 ~
10On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven chamberlains that served in the presence of Ahasuerus the king,
11To bring Vashti the queen before the king with the crown royal, to shew the people and the princes her beauty: for she was fair to look on.
12But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king's commandment by his chamberlains: therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him.
13Then the king said to the wise men, which knew the times, (for so was the king's manner toward all that knew law and judgment:
14And the next unto him was Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, which saw the king's face, and which sat the first in the kingdom;)
15What shall we do unto the queen Vashti according to law, because she hath not performed the commandment of the king Ahasuerus by the chamberlains?
16And Memucan answered before the king and the princes, Vashti the queen hath not done wrong to the king only, but also to all the princes, and to all the people that are in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus.
17For this deed of the queen shall come abroad unto all women, so that they shall despise their husbands in their eyes, when it shall be reported, The king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she came not.
18Likewise shall the ladies of Persia and Media say this day unto all the king's princes, which have heard of the deed of the queen. Thus shall there arise too much contempt and wrath.
19If it please the king, let there go a royal commandment from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered, That Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she.
20And when the king's decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his empire, (for it is great,) all the wives shall give to their husbands honour, both to great and small.
21And the saying pleased the king and the princes; and the king did according to the word of Memucan:
22For he sent letters into all the king's provinces, into every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language, that every man should bear rule in his own house, and that it should be published according to the language of every people.
Would it be good to display / flaunt your beauty? Was Vashti saying "No" to something that was wrong? Ahaseurus was making a drunken request (1:7-8, 10-11). Was this a righteous request? If a wife is asked to do something unrighteous, what should she do? Did Vashti make the right choice to say "No"? We can’t be positive, but this is something to think about.
Brother Andrew Gabriel Roth shares the following:
"The Aramaic idiom used in Esther of 'come to me
with your crown' literally means, 'come to me with your crown--AND NOTHING
ELSE.' In other words the king was asking Vashti to parade around naked in
front of his assembled guests. In the Persian empire, it was very common
to have slave girls, entertainers or concubines do this. Even occasionally
a minor wife might be expected to do this, but NOT a queen or primary
wife. Vashti knew this was a scandalous request and was correct in saying
no even at risking her life.
"Now this Persian king is interesting
because, following in the traditions of his ancestors as Esther says, he could
not countermand directly an edict or admit fault in anything he said or
commanded in writing. However, he COULD manifest his internal regrets and make
amends by subtly undermining his own orders. This the king does when he
can't pull back the enxtermination order on the Jews. But he does arm the
Jews to cause their enemies to think better of attacking them.
"In much the same way, I think the Persian king regretted his
drunken request to dishonor Vashti. But after such a public spectacle from
sending her away and selecting her replacement, he could not restore her.
Even so, he DID show his apologies by giving Esther more latitude. He could have
killed her when she came unannounced as was written in his law, but he chose to
hear her out instead and, because it was in private, he knew he could get away
with bending his own rules." (Andrew Gabriel Roth, www.aramaicnttruth.org, www.tushiyah.org, www.ruachqadim.com, www.thepathtolife.com)
Genesis 39 ~
1And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither.
2And Yahweh was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
3And his master saw that Yahweh was with him, and that Yahweh made all that he did to prosper in his hand.
4And Joseph found favor in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.
5And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that Yahweh blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of Yahweh was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.
6And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured.
7And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.
8But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand;
9There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against Yahweh?
10And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.
11And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within.
12And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.
13And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth,
14That she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice:
15And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled, and got him out.
16And she laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home.
17And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me:
18And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out.
19And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled.
20And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.
21But Yahweh was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
22And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.
23The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because Yahweh was with him, and that which he did, Yahweh made it to prosper.
Halleluyah. Scripture says that Yahweh allows temptation to come, but He also gives ways of escape. (1 Cor. 10:13) So He did that even back in Genesis.
We should try to avoid situations like this one.
Joseph had to suffer negative consequences. But a blessing came out of it anyway. Sometimes the blessing takes a while to come, but it will come. In unideal situations, we need to remain steadfast, faithful, and true, and He will deliver us one way or the other.
Job 2 ~
1Again there was a day when the sons of Elohim came to present themselves before Yahweh, and Satan came also among them to present himself before Yahweh.
2And Yahweh said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered Yahweh, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
3And Yahweh said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth Elohim, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.
4And Satan answered Yahweh, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
5But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.
6And Yahweh said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.
7So went Satan forth from the presence of Yahweh, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.
8And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.
9Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse Elohim, and die.
10But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of Elohim, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.
11Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him.
12And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.
13So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.
Yahweh was allowing trials to test Job’s faith. His wife was not standing by him in the beginning stages there, and was trying to get him to curse Yahweh, but he did not hearken to her. (See verse 10.)
1 Maccabees 2:19-22 ~
19Then Mattithyah answered and spake with a loud voice: "Though all nations that are under the king’s dominion obey him, and fall away every one from the religion of their fathers, and give consent to his commandments,
20Yet will I, and my sons, and my brethren, walk in the covenant of our fathers.
21Yahweh forbid that we should forsake the Law and the ordinances;
22We will not hearken to the king’s words, to go from our religion, either on the right hand or on the left.
At this point, pretty much everyone was hearkening to the king. Yahweh’s people had to make a decision: Will we stand for Yahweh or fall for the king? They decided to stand up and fight against sin.
Matthew 4:1-11 ~
1Then was Yahshua led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
3And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of Yahweh, command that these stones be made bread.
4But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of Yahweh.
5Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
6And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of Yahweh, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7Yahshua said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt Yahweh thy Elohim.
8Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the splendor of them;
9And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10Then saith Yahshua unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship Yahweh thy Elohim, and him only shalt thou serve.
11Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
So here we have the Messiyah Himself being tested by the devil to bow down and serve him and worship him. Is that what He came to do? Of course not.
When we come to follow Yahshua, we need to choose to serve Him. He will give us ways to escape.
There hath no temptation taken you but that which is common to man, but Yahweh is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able, but will, with the temptation, also give you a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
The devil will flee from us, as he did from Yahshua.
Submit yourselves therefore to Elohim. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)
Lots of times, good things will come out of trying situations, if we make the right choices.
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love Yahweh, to them who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
Joshua 24:15 ~ AND IF IT SEEM EVIL UNTO YOU TO SERVE YAHWEH, CHOOSE YOU THIS DAY WHOM YE WILL SERVE........ BUT AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE YAHWEH!
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