Children test parents. Criminals test law-enforcement. Teachers test students. Manufacturers test products. Nations test each other. Sports teams test other sports teams. And so on.
Why shouldn't Christians expect God to test the strength of our discipleship? Whatever we think, God will test our faith, our commitment, our knowledge, our perseverance. Yesterday's blog focused on Joseph, son of Jacob's test by Adversity. Consider now Daniels's test by prosperity, taken to Babylon in Nebuchadnezzar's first exile of young high-class Hebrew adults from Jerusalem, Daniel 1:3-5. He faced the decision many confront when removed from their former to another state of existence, even one better than the former but an alien society that challenged one's former convictions, offering great privileges under new permissiveness. Daniel determined that his parallel Babylonian prosperity didn't mean equal values between Hebrew monotheism and Babylonian polytheism. Wherever he found himself in royalty, he remained a devoted Mosaic disciple. The first of other tests settled the issue. Living for ten days on vegetables and water began a lifetime of observing and celebrating the requirements of Moses. Living in luxury in Israel could have brought a crisis of faith when carried away to Babylon's version of the same. Was THAT any way to treat a faithful disciple? Instead, Daniel continued the belief and behavior begun in Israel, as a bark-to-core Hebrew, wherever he found himself, even in a society encouraging surrender of old values too strict for his new life. Daniel's choice proved the reality of God's warning to the Israelites in the wilderness, Deuteronomy 6:10-12. Read it to see: God foresaw his people forgetting him when prospering physically, financially and agriculturally. That's interesting: no such warning came from God, questioning him in poverty, though our society sees a direct correlation between poverty and crime, the depth of the former leading to growth in the latter. In his infinite wisdom God understood the deceitfulness of prosperity. That it encouraged egotism in humanity, self-congratulation in achievements, independence from spiritual values, growth of soul-satisfying goals at the expense of spirit-energizing faith. All of which characterize America today. None of which will survive the fires of judgment. For whatever burns in the Great Incineration to come MOCKS all who trust what pacifies the soul while starving God's spirit within each person. Fini
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