Happy Tuesday before Thanksgiving!!! Even before we dive into our turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie, the questions already loom..."Will you survive Black Friday? (press "pause", did you know that the day after Thanksgiving is an official Holiday in 22 states?!! "Is Day After Thanksgiving a Public Holiday?" - timeanddate.com, okay, you can push "play" now!) Will your Cyber Monday bargain shopping be a success? One wonders why retailers can't offer these prices year-round. Well, you see friend it all starts with the minimum wage...but I digress. Happy Thanksgiving!!!
We want to welcome you to what we hope will be the newest of Holiday traditions for you and your family!!! The "Tuesday Before Thanksgiving" moniker is a little wordy, so we'll just call our celebration of today...Pondering Tuesday!
That's right! Welcome to Pondering Tuesday, the day where you consider and possibly reconsider what you will do to yourself (will you eat too much?), your finances (will you spend too much?), and your general mental state (will you stress too much?) over the last 5 days. While most places don't close for Pondering Tuesday, they very well should as the process of assessment could potentially be very time-consuming. And besides, Christmas decorations went up on Halloween, so why not have another special day in November!!!
Don't get me wrong, many of you will probably do a wonderful job of planning your post Pondering Tuesday and have nothing perhaps to consider. If that is the case, kick back, put on your Dean Martin Making Spirits Bright record, and savor the smartness that you enjoy.
If perhaps, your Pondering Tuesday happens to be less than Dean Martinish, well you are in good company. Thousands around the world are joining you as you now ponder..."What am I about to do?". So take heart dear friend and celebrate Pondering Tuesday with the encouragement that you are not alone in the feelings you are having right now. Calm down. Turkey helps you relax and sleep right? Resist that temptation to head out tonight on a plane...no need for red tail lights heading for Spain...
"Daniel" was written in 1973. This year saw many heroic veterans of the Vietnam Conflict returning to the United States. Some were receiving a welcome unbecoming of our great nation while others were lauded as heroes in their hometowns. Unlike so many of the protest songs in the lead-up to this time, today we feature the fresh perspective regarding human dignity and kindness that should have been the hallmark of our hearts and thoughts as our boys came home.
"Daniel" was inspired by one of those returning veterans. He had been wounded in Vietnam. His story was featured in a news magazine of the time. He was received warmly by his hometown in Texas but just wanted to get out of the spotlight and get back to the simplicity of his life, putting the war behind him. Bernie Taupin, Elton John's songwriting partner, was inspired by the story and wanted to put to music an expression of sympathy for those who were returning home from the contentious conflict.
"Daniel" was well received by the public. It peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, just behind "My Love" by Paul McCartney & Wings (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Silly Love Songs", Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Band On The Run", Tuesday's Musical Notes -"Let 'Em In", Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Listen To What The Man Said" ) The Adult Contemporary Chart was another matter as "Daniel" fared some better hitting #1 and remaining there for 2 weeks.
Most notable covers of "Daniel" include the Wilson Phillips 1991 arrangement from the Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Bernie Taupin and Elton John release, and the 2018 inclusion of "Daniel" on the album Revamp: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin by Sam Smith.
In May of 2018, "Daniel" went Platinum having sold over 2,000,000 copies since its release. It seems that the song "Daniel" has become elevated significantly in the compendium of Elton John's recordings.
We happen to know of another Daniel who suffered the pain and anguish of war but overcame to see himself a rising star in the face of the rulers who had taken him and his kinsmen captive.
Israel, the Northern Kingdom, and Judah, the Southern Kingdom, made up the divided nation of God's people after terrible leadership and rebellion resulted in a split, and eventual discipline doled out by God. We've covered in some detail the messages of prophets who served in both kingdoms. Their hope was that the people would turn from their sin and idolatry and turn back to God because of the future they saw. This was not to be the case for either Kingdom and eventually Israel and then Judah fell to the Babylonians. Check out the Tuesday's Musical Notes archives in the upper left for a complete overview of the prophets we've covered and the visions with which they warned the people.
In the early moments of the Babylonian overrun of the nation of Judah (circa 605 B.C.), a group of Hebrews was captured as prisoners of war and in their defeat taken to Babylon. Among them were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. These were good-looking young men some of which had royal ancestry. They were chosen by Ashpenaz, chief official to the king, to be educated for service in the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
We wish to take the next few weeks to explore What happens over the 12 chapters of the prophetical book of Daniel and unpack as much as possible from some of the most well-known stories from the Biblical narrative.
So cue up the flashback music and let's go to a faraway land where names are changed to reflect servanthood and visions are interpreted to a mixture of results...
The Book of Daniel relates one of the only stories from the prophets about life after the fall of Jerusalem. While the prophecies of captivity described in our previous prophetical books seemed horrendous, Daniel and his compatriots didn't have it too bad. Due to their rugged good looks and royal associations they were treated well and chosen to be educated in the ways of the royal service of Nebuchadnezzar.
The protagonists of this book endure their identities being stripped and have their names changed to reflect the Chaldean society of which they were now servants. Daniel became Belteshazzar, Hananiah became Shadrach, Mishael became Meshach, and Azariah became Abednego. Yup, those fiery furnace guys by which most folks recognize from the Sunday School and nighttime Bible Story readings. More on them in the next few weeks. Stay tuned, same prophet time, same prophet channel!!!
The first hurdle for our intrepid captives is being given great food. You read that right! They were instructed to eat the rich, choice food of the king as well as partake from selections from the King's wine cellar. Despite the fact that this had to be incredible delicacies of the time, Daniel and the boys attempted to maintain the dietary standards of the law of Moses. The Bible goes so far as to say they felt they would defile themselves by taking the food from the king.
In God's providence, the Hebrews found favor with the commander of the officials who was concerned that Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would not look healthy if they were not eating the prescribed regimen and such lack of ruddiness would cause trouble for him. Daniel suggested a test. The Hebrews would eat only vegetables and drink water for 10 days. After that time, the commander could compare their well-being to that of those who continued to partake of the king's bounty.
What were the results? Right!!! The Hebrew boys were fatter and seemed in better health than the other young men. It doesn't take much to realize that even in their captivity, the hand of God was on them as they submitted everything in their lives, including their diet, to Him. While the commander of the guard had no reason to acquiesce to their request, the Hebrew's character was so impressive that he was willing to accommodate the challenge.
We live in a world that equates one's worth with one's appearance. But what would happen if we were such people of character that even our enemies were willing to accept compromises or challenges from us? What if we were so attractive as people that we served as a magnet to draw folks to God? This is the kind of men Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were. They weren't willing to compromise their standards and defile themselves even for what possibly was the best food they had ever seen. Because of their conviction, they fared better than others in the group that were being trained with them.
A few years back, I had some friends who tried, with mixed results, the Daniel Fast and Daniel Diet that came into some popularity. It featured, as you would imagine, eating only vegetables and drinking water. However, based on what I saw the recipes included in these plans are significantly different than the raw or boiled-in water options that Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego probably ate. Nope, the Hebrews had no butter or seasonings to "Bam! Kick it up a notch!", just the vegetables and water.
If you really are looking for a "program" for health you might consider First Place For Health. Its lifestyle changes not only involve food discipline but include spiritual discipline and encouragement to boot. It really is a great program that Tuesday's Musical Notes can endorse wholeheartedly.
Food stories are also found in the New Testament. Eating certain foods became a sticky issue with some of the folks that Jesus encountered. Their regard for Mosaic and Rabbinical laws (disguising their real goal of attempting to trap Jesus) caused them to question Jesus about food. The Gospel of Jesus according to the disciple Mark, Chapter 7 NASB/AMP/KJV Notice that Jesus said to them that they were defiled by what came OUT of their mouths, not what they put into their bodies.
The disciple Peter also had an experience regarding food. Acts 10 NASB/AMP/KJV Peter's lesson? What God has cleansed should no longer be deemed unholy. While Peter was learning that this pertained to being a fisher of men (Jews versus Gentiles), the overarching principle regarding food here stands as well.
Is this an inconsistency between the Old Testament law and the New Testament revelation of Jesus? Absolutely not. Here is a great article to consider about Christians and the Old Testament law. It is a compelling explanation of Old Testament law versus the New Testament fulfillment of that law. "Why Don’t We Follow All of the Old Testament Laws?", MARCH 30, 2016 BY J.D. Greear - jdreear.com
But at our point of focus in the Bible today, we are under the Mosaic law, and Daniel and his compadres choose to be obedient. So what happens to Daniel, Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego? Well, in the coming weeks, there are probably some stories you have heard, possibly some that you haven't, and a perspective or two that you may not have considered that we will ponder. And it's all wrapped up in a Tuesday's Musical Notes package, that is guaranteed not to defile you in any way. What a great way to celebrate Pondering Tuesday!!!
And now it's time for us to be seen waving goodbye...must be the clouds in our eyes...
'Til Tuesday,
Loving HIM by loving You,
randy
<><
No comments:
Post a Comment