The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Mark 2:23-28, “And it came about that He was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while picking the heads of grain.

24 And the Pharisees were saying to Him, ‘See here, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?’

25 “And He said to them, ‘Have you never read what David did when he was in need and became hungry, he and his companions:

26 how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he gave it also to those who were with him?’

27 “And He was saying to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.

28 ‘Consequently, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.’”

(As we look at these verses, we must remember that the Book of Mark was written to the Romans. Matthew was written to the Jews; Luke, to the Greeks; and John to the Church.)

A group of us boys used to hike in the woods every Saturday. It was common for us to eat as we walked. Especially was that so when we were hungry. The disciples of Jesus were

walking through fields of grain, and being hungry, they plucked some grain and ate it.

The Pharisees were always looking for something they could criticize. They were religious to a fault. Pick, pick, pick. Everything was subject to their hypercritical attitude. I can remember talking with a young person about the Bible. Everything I said brought a conde-scending reply: “Chapter and verse! Chapter and verse!” He had no argument against what I believed; he only repeated those words over and over again.

The Pharisees challenged Jesus’ disciples for plucking grain and eating it on the Sabbath.

Actually, what they were doing was sanctioned by Scripture (see Deut. 23:25); it was the eating on the Sabbath the Pharisees were quibbling about. They failed (perhaps purposely) to note that Moses said nothing about the Sabbath in the Deuteronomic passage. The Pharisees were noted for always “adding to” what was said in Scripture.

Jesus reminded them of the time when David and he men were hungry and David got consecrated bread from the priest (1 Sam. 21:1ff) and gave some to his men. Then, He added, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” The Sabbath was established by the LORD to be a benefit to mankind. It was a time of rest, both physically and mentally. It was a time for relaxation and refreshment. And the consequence was (and is) that “the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

In the New Testament, the Sabbath (the seventh day) was replaced by Sunday (the first day). How do you behave on Sunday? If you have any doubts as to how the LORD blesses those who keep Sunday as a day of rest and worship, you need to remember that Chic-fil-A is the third largest fast-food restaurant in America –and they never open on Sunday! Moreover, the LORD is in control of everything! He is the LORD over all!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Matthew 25:21, “His Master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your Lord.’”

Today’s Letter is taking a new direction. My oldest, living cousin is 90-years old. He is a

Christian, a Navy veteran, and like me, he lost his Christian wife a few months ago. He

sent this link to me, and I was moved to share it with you. But, before I do, I want to ask,

Do you have a “Life Objective”?

Before you reply, retrieve and watch this short video. It has a message of genuine Truth,

shared by a Navy pilot. Just relax and enjoy it.

“To seek, trust, and gloify God through humble service and continual prayer.

To raise up qualified disciples as quickly as possible, so that some day I might

hear God say, ‘Well done, My good and faithful servant.’” – Steve Scheibner

Amen, Steve! May the LORD build that Holy Fire within all of us; and may we live

faithfully as we move closer and closer to that Day.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Daniel 6:16, “Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and cast into the lions’ den. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you.”

Did you ever say something you wished you hadn’t, but couldn’t take it back? Did you ever do something you wished you hadn’t, but couldn’t reverse the damage it had done? If so, you will understand King Darius’ delimma.

He allowed the men in his service to trick him with flattering words, while simultaneously laying a trap for Daniel. Darius had agreed and signed into law as silly proclamation that said no one in his kingdom could ask a petition of anyone except Darius himself for a period of 30 days!

Yes, Darius was tricked, but Daniel was the victim. Those evil men knew that Daniel prayed to the LORD three specific times every day. They laid a trap for him and then tattled to the king. The result? The result was that Daniel was legally (although not morally) condemned to death in the lions’ den!

“Discoveries among the ruins of Babylon have shown that the mode

of punishment by throwing offenders against the laws to lions was actually

practiced there, and these discoveries may be classed among the numerous

instances in which modern investigations have tended to confirm the statements

in the Bible.”

If you’ve ever engaged in something only to find out later that you had been misled, you have some notion of how Darius must have felt. Too late he learned what he had done!

And every effort he exerted to deliver Daniel proved fruitless. All Darius could do was to try and encourage Daniel by saying, “Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you.” That was a pretty empty encouragement from Darius’ point of view. But Daniel had a faith of which Darius had no clue!

King Darius couldn’t sleep all night. Daniel rested quite well. Yet, no one knew what had happened until Darius raced to the lions’ den and cried out with a lamentable voice – a voice full of anxiety, a voice of grief: “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you constantly serve, been able to deliver you from the lions?”

“Then Daniel spoke to the king, ‘O king, live forever! 22 My God sent His angel

and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found

innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime’”

(Dan. 6:21-22).

Had everything ended there, it would have been a glorious conclusion to this whole messy thing. But there is more. It was customary in ancient times to believe (right or not) that a wrong perpetrated by person in point of fact included all of his family. Thus, the entire families of those men who wronged Daniel, were themselves thrown to the lions. This time there was no protective angel.

“…and they had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered

them and crushed all their bones” (v. 24).

Once again, moral rightness triumphs over immoral schemes. What does all of this mean

to your life? “Shall not the Judge of all the Earth do right? (Gen. 18:25). Absolutely! And we should always live so as to glorify Him!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Daniel 3:11, “…whoever does not fall down and worship (the image) shall be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.”

It seems to be the nature of self-exalting rulers to establish images of various kinds in their own honor. In ancient times it was much easier for pagan rulers to command their subjects to bow before these images. Those who refused, for whatever reason, subjected themselves to whatever heinous punishment suited the king. In ancient Babylon, and under King Nebuchadnezzar, that punishment was death in a fiery furnace.

One writer stated it like this:

“The furnace was probably a furnace used commercially as a lime-kiln, or brick-kiln.

Eastern potentates of that day were accustomed to practice methods of cruel punishment

for the slightest disobedience to their commands. Refusal to do homage to the image,

since it was erected by the king and for his glory, would be regarded as equivalent to

treason to the state. Whatever the king approved of, they all approved of. There is no

stability of principle in the ungodly.”

Another writer noted,

“A traveler of some three centuries ago (1671-77) by the name of Chardin went to the

territory of Persia and noted that two furnaces of fire were kept burning for a month for

consuming those who overcharged for food.”

Hananiah (“Beloved of the LORD”); Mishael (“Who is as God”); and Azariah (“the LORD is my help”) all determined not to fall down and do homage to the statue or to the king. And while it is interesting to note that no mention was made of Daniel during this time, there is no credible reason to believe that he would have taken any other stand than that taken by his Jewish companions.

The three Jewish lads took a positive stand against the king and his edict. Listen to their boldness:

“O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter.

17 “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing

fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 “But even if He does not, let it be

known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden

image that you have set up” (Dan. 3:16-18).

Ultimately, the lads were cast fully clothed into the fiery furnace! If you wonder just how hot the furnace was, verse 22 states, “because the king’s command was urgent and the furnace had been made extremely hot, the flame of the fire slew those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego” for the purpose of casting them into the furnace.

One interesting point is that those scheduled for destruction, lived, while those participating in the lads’ intended destruction, died themselves in the flames. That reminds me of Haman in the Book of Esther. He plotted against Mordecai, but ultimately died on the very gallows he prepared for Mordecai.

Nebuchadnezzar actually visualized the LORD’s control. He saw four men walking in the midst of the fire! And when the three lads were released, the fire “had no effect on the bodies of these men, nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their trousers damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them” (Dan. 3:26-27).

Never be afraid to follow the LORD’s instructions! Be afraid not to! He is always in control.

“…do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. Today Teri and I visited the nurses who so lovingly cared for Rose Marie. Even Dr. Schaefer,

her hemotologist, came out to greet us. There is no doubt that she made a lasting, Christlike impression on all of them. Please pray for Nurse Ruth Miner’s husband, who today underwent surgery similar to that of Rose Marie. Ruth and her husband are Christians.

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Daniel 1:6-7, “Now among them from the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.

7 Then the commander of the officials assigned new names to them; and to Daniel he assigned the name Belteshazzar, to Hananiah Shadrach, to Mishael Meshach, and to Azariah Abed-nego.”

It was Shakespeare who wrote,

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.” Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

Everyone –well, almost everyone has a name. You have a family (last) name, and you have a Christian (first) name. Does it really matter what your name is? It certainly does!

Your name is the basic identification of who you are. Over the past decade or two, many young people have wanted to be known only by their Christian or “first” name. They said that gave them personal identification. (It may have been that their parents wanted it that way, and the youths pretended it was their idea.) In any event, names are important.

Names have historical meanings, too; that is, a name made famous by an historical personality. For example, the name Lincoln may be an historical link to Abraham Lincoln, the 16TH President of the United States. If that were your family name, I’m sure it would be of great value to you.

When Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem for the third time (587 B.C.), he carried away Daniel and his three friends: Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Being Jews, each of them possessed Jewish names, and their names had meaning. Daniel means “God is my Judge”; Hananiah means “Beloved of the LORD”; Mishael means “Who is as God”; and Azariah means “the LORD is my help.” Nebuchadnezzar couldn’t have Jewish lads living in Babylon with meanings like that, so he changed their names.

Daniel became Belteshazzar, which means “Bel’s Prince,” identifying him with one of Nebuchadnezzar’s gods. Hananiah was named Shadrach, Rak being the name of the sungod, and meaning “Illumined by the sungod.” Mishael was renamed Meshach, meaning “who is like Venus,” still another pagan goddess. And Azariah was re-named Abednego, meaning “the servant of Nego, a false god.

There is no indication in the entire book of Daniel, that Daniel or his friends ever resisted their new names. However, they never lived according to them. They lived as honest, Jewish lads, standing always for the LORD and resisting affiliation with the evils of their captors.

When we yield our lives to Jesus Christ, we take on the name “Christian.” We vow to live according to His Word and His ways. When we relax from being Christians, we take on the look and life of the unsaved. We dishonor our LORD Jesus Christ and all for which He stands. The world then views us as with them instead of with Him. Be faithful in carrying the Name of Christ, even more faithful than carrying the Flag of your beloved country. What’s in a name? Everything! Be careful how you wear it.

I love each of you and pray for you every day!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”