May 30, 1948 STANDING BY ONE'S CONVICTIONS Daniel 1:8-20
Helps for the Children Honoring God’s House (Ezra 3:10-13; Psalm 84:1, 2; Ezekiel 37:26-28; 44:15; 16, 23, 24, 30) Memory Verse: “ Serve the Lord with gladness: Come before his presence with singing” (Psalm 100:2). The house of God, the beautiful tem ple, had been destroyed. When the Israelites returned from the strange land into which their enemies had taken them; they wanted to rebuild God’s house. The day that the builders laid the foundation for the temple, the priests put on their sacred robes, took their trumpets, and took turns singing praises and giving thanks unto God, “ Because he is good, for his mercy en- dureth [lasts] for ever.” All of the peo ple were so happy on this joyful day that they shouted aloud. Some of the older men wept when they remembered the first temple which their enemies had destroyed. One of God’s servants wrote about his love for the house of God, saying, “My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord.” All through the years Christians have loved the house of God. While it is pos sible to worship God anywhere, His children are commanded to meet to gether regularly in His house. Real Christians are joyful when they can go to their Lord’s house. Just as God’s people in Ezra’s day revered God’s house and joyfully brought their gifts to make it a beau tiful place of worship, so Christian boys and girls of today should love the house of God. Joyfully they should bring their tithes and offerings to make His house beautiful and to enable others to tell the story of salvation. From the love of their hearts they may obey God’s Word: “ Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing,” for their love for their Saviour will show in their love for His place of worship. Q U I Z Over 500 Bible questions and answers, including 20 “ Hard” questions, and “ Interesting Bible Facts,” with added feature of new Gospel music. Creates never-failing interest among members of the home circle in Bible study. 32 pages, only 25c. Order your copy TODAY G O S P E L M U S I C P U B L I S H E R S P. O. Box 409 Glendale, Calif. LANTERN SLIDES p® Glass slides, 2" x 2" and 3^4" x 4" from your films and snapshots. The exclusive service for mission aries and Christian workers world-wide, from whom many appreciative letters have been re ceived. Colored slides. Either size. Reasonably priced. No lists. Phone CLeveland 6-6129. C. WHITFIELD SIMS 6176 Myosotis St. Los Angeles 42, Calif. P H I L K E R F ’ S B I B L E
The children of God should not serve Him primarily because of the honors they will receive from Him, but God does reward those who are utterly devoted to Him and who do. not compromise with the world, the flesh and the devil in their service. This fact is brought out in the experience of the four Hebrew children. Note how God blessed them. They were given to understand the secrets of God. They were “ ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers” of the king’s realm “in all matters of wisdom and understanding” (v. 20). In First Corinthians 2:14 we are told that “ the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolish ness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually dis cerned.” And this is true also, as sug gested by our lesson, that the closer men follow God’s will, the more of the secrets of God will be revealed to them. Memory verse: “ Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile him self” (Daniel 1:8). Has “the crowd” ever decided to do something or to go somewhere that you as a Christian felt was not right ? Out wardly the others may have laughed at you if you refused to join them, but really each one admired you in his heart for your courage to do the right thing. A coward always goes with the crowd. Only a real Christ-like fellow or girl can have the courage to say “No” when tempted to do wrong. Daniel, God’s servant in the Old Tes tament, dared to stand alone. He and his friends were captive in a strange land. Rather than obey the king and eat and drink those things that would harm their bodies, they decided in their hearts that they would not defile themselves. For ten days Daniel and his friends were allowed to eat as they desired. At the end of that time, they were healthier than those who had eaten the king’s food. Even in wisdom these four godly men. were ten times better than the king’s men. No one forced Daniel and his friends to choose the right rather than the wrong. Because of their love for their God they chose to keep their bodies' healthy and pure. Christian boys and girls have many opportunities to dare to stand alone. Only the Lord Jesus can give to them the courage to say “No” when the crowd says “ Yes.” Each day at home, at school, and at play choices must be made be tween right and wrong in actions and words and thoughts. Like Daniel, through your Lord’s strength, will you dare to purpose in your heart to not defile your self? T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S Helps for the Children Dare to Stand Alone (Daniel 1:8, 9, 14-20)
Pointers on the Lesson The first chapter of Daniel introduces us to the hero of the book. He Was one of several Jewish young men who had been carried to Babylon prior to the wholesale transportation of the people of the kingdom of Judah. These young men were placed in the royal palace to learn the ways of the Babylonians. They were provided with royal food and drink and given heathen names. The king’s plan was to transform these young men into Babylonians with their pagan be liefs and practices. But the king had not reckoned with their convictions. The first word in this week’s lesson is but, and it is highly significant. The king had a program for Daniel and his com panions BUT it ran crosswise with the latter’s faith. Therefore it could not be put into operation. Daniel’s Purpose (v. 8a) The king’s plan for these. Jewish youths was for them to eat and drink rations which had been previously dedi cated to the idols of Babylon. Now these young men could not help it that this provision had been made for them. BUT they could refuse to partake of it, and that is exactly what they did. They were like the apostles of a later day who said, “ We ought to obey God rather than men.” Evidently these young men did not agree with the thought of the modern proverb, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” So Daniel, representing all of these Jewish youths, “ purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself.” He determined to be true to God, to sremain clean, to cling to his convictions. No wonder God loved him and that of him it is written in verse 21, “And Daniel continued.” Daniel’s Request (vv. 8b-16) Convinced that they ought not partake of the tainted provisions of the king, Daniel sought a solution to their diffi culty. God provided that way. Usually when the child of God is face to face with a problem that could easily entail compromise, if there is the earnest de sire to do God’s will, the Lord will make plain the right way. Daniel requested that they might substitute a vegetable diet, in no wise connected with idol wor ship, in place of the regular diet pre viously prescribed. God directed that the request should be granted (v. 9) with the result that the “ pulse” diet made the countenances of the Hebrews “ fairer and fatter” than those who ate the king’s meat (v. 15). God’s way is always best. It may not seem so at the time and may include some real opposition, yet in the end it will issue in ’true blessing. God’s Approval (vv. 17-20) It stands out crystal clear in the Scriptures that God delights to honor those who put Him first in their lives.
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