The Grands Letter

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.”

Dear Grands,

Daniel 6:15, “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.”

King Darius had been tricked. Evil men in his administration had persuaded him to sign a senseless decree saying that anyone who made a petition (offered a prayer) to any god other than to the king, for forty days, would be destroyed in a den of raging, hungry lions.

If you are a Christian, you can virtually count on being “set up” for some ignominious act by some who claim to be your friends. Thus, Daniel appeared to be in deep, life-threatening trouble! What could he do to avoid death by the lions? He could do absolutely nothing! His only hope was in knowing the One who could.

Daniel had already pled his case before the Supreme Ruler of the Universe:

Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house

(now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he

continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks

before his God, as he had been doing previously (Dan. 6:10).

You know. we say that we believe in prayer, but we all-too-often elect to use everything at our disposal except prayer as a means of deliverance from difficulties. King Darius tried with all his might to deliver Daniel, but there was nothing he could do. The law he had signed sealed Daniel’s fate. Yet, he spoke encouragingly to Daniel when he said, “Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you.”

I suppose there a thousand things the LORD could have done to spare Daniel. Perhaps He was testing Daniel’s faith. Remember those three friends, Shadrack, Meshack and Abed-nego, who were delivered from that excessively-heated fiery furnace? Perhaps Daniel was looking back at their deliverence and gaining faith to believe he would be delivered. What-ever might be said, the LORD is always in control. He controls the timing of the events. He had created the lions, so even they were under His control.

You know who was miserable beyond words? King Darius! He didn’t sleep! Daniel did!

Rose Marie used to sing a little song when things went wrong and I was worried:

Cheer up, ye saints of God,

There’s nothing to worry about;

Nothing to make you feel afraid,

Nothing to make you doubt.

Remember Jesus never fails,

So, why not trust Him and shout?

You’ll be sorry you worried at all tomorrow morning.

It was true for Daniel, and it was true for me. It’s true for you, too. But you have to trust Him.

I have had surgery on my eyes, surgery on my hand, surgery on my neck –and each time I trusted the surgeon. How could I not trust the Great Physician? How can you not, also?

I love you all and pray for you daily.

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 6:3-7, “Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself among the commissioners and satraps because he possessed an extraordinary spirit, and the king planned to appoint him over the entire kingdom.

4 Then the commissioners and satraps began trying to find a ground of accusation against Daniel in regard to government affairs; but they could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him.

5 Then these men said, ‘We shall not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the law of his God.’

6 Then these commissioners and satraps came by agreement to the king and spoke to him as follows: ‘King Darius, live forever!’

7 ‘All the commissioners of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the high officials and the governors have consulted together that the king should establish a statute and enforce an injunction that anyone who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, shall be cast into the lions’ den.’”

Jealousy often leads to rage! When you excel in something others cannot, they get mad!

Daniel had distinguished himself by revealing to King Darius the meaning of the words that were written on the wall by the finger of a man. Daniel is now the third ruler of the kingdom.

Those who were Daniel’s enemies tried again and again to find something wrong in his life –something for which they could accuse him before the king. But the determination Daniel

possessed as a young man was still uppermost in his heart and life. He lived so righteously that his harshed critics could find no wrong in him. These jealous men finally concluded they could find nothing wrong with Daniel unless they found something wrong with his God.

Thus, they contrived to lie and deceive the king. First, they “buttered him up” by saying, “King Darius, live forever!” It was another clever way of saying, “King Darius, you’re the greatest!” Most kings are powerful –at least for a time—but they are often not very smart.

Darius should have seen this coming. “We’ve agreed,” they said, “that there should be a law that says no one can ask anything of anyone except you for 30 days.” Do you see the flaw in that? Why just 30 days? Why not, three months, or a year, or forever? Why just 30 days? If we can see the flaw in that petition, why couldn’t Daniel’s adversaries and the king see it? Still, Darius took the bate. And things took a very bad turn for Daniel.

Has anyone ever tried to pull something like this on you? Stop and think before you do or say anything. Assess the motives of those who are against you and your stand for God. Stay close to the LORD. Continue to pray and glorify Him. He can handle what you cannot.

The account of Daniel will continue….

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 5:1-6, “Belshazzar the king held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand.

2 When Belshazzar tasted the wine, he gave orders to bring the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, in order that the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them.

3 Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God which was in Jerusalem; and the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines drank from them.

4 They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

5 Suddenly the fingers of a man’s hand emerged and began writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the back of the hand that did the writing.

6 Then the king’s face grew pale, and his thoughts alarmed him; and his hip joints went slack, and his knees began knocking together…”

Suppose you were in the employ of a company that required you to count the day’s receipts. How would you feel if the CEO of the company entered the room and found you counting money received for the day?

Suppose you were in the employ of a company that required someone else to count the day’s receipts. How would you feel if the CEO of the company entered the room and found you counting money received for the day?

If you’ve ever been in that second position, you have a good idea how Belshazzar felt when the fingers of a man’s hand started writing a message on the wall. The LORD was the CEO, and Belshazzar had been caught doing things he had not right to do. Keep that in mind when your tempted to drink alcoholic drinks. People who drink eventually find them-selves doing things they would never have done had they stayed sober.

The “hand of the LORD” is mentioned 38 times in the Bible. All but three of those 38 are in the Old Testament; and only once of the three times is it the hand of judgment (Acts 13:11).

The true and simple message of the six verses above is don’t impair yourself with drugs of any sort so that you’ll not violate the strict, but wholesome, Words of God’s love in the Bible.

There was also a message in those words that Belshazzar witnessed. It was a message of judgment –judgment upon him and upon all his kingdom. In fact, judgment fell upon Belshazzar that very night. So, always be sober! Always remember that God is watching you! Always live so that your life brings glory to the LORD! Daniel lived like that, and the LORD honored and blessed him for his dedication to his LORD. He will do that for you!

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.”