Conflict & Courage

O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, ... and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. Nehemiah 1:11.  {CC 262.1}        Nehemiah, one of the Hebrew exiles, occupied a position of influence and honor in the Persian court. As cupbearer to the king he was admitted freely to the royal presence. . . . Throu...

Chap. 255 - God Their Protector      For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him. Ezra 8:22.  {CC 261.1}     &nbsp...

Ezra ... prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it. Ezra 7:10.  {CC 259.1}        Born of the sons of Aaron, Ezra had been given a priestly training; and in addition to this he had acquired a familiarity with the writings of the magicians, the astrologers, and the wise men of the Medo-Persian realm. But he was not satisfied with his spiritual condition. He longed to be in full h...

For who hath despised the day of small things? Zechariah 4:10.  {CC 258.1}        In rebuilding the house of the Lord, Zerubbabel had labored in the face of manifold difficulties. From the beginning, adversaries had "weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and  troubled them in building," "and made them to cease by force and power." But the Lord had inter...

That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, thy foundation shall be laid. Isaiah 44:28.  {CC 257.1}        The Lord has resources. His hand is on the machinery. When the time came for His temple to be rebuilt, He moved upon Cyrus as His agent to discern the prophecies concerning Himself, and to  grant...

And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and  supplications with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: and I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession. Daniel 9:3, 4.  {CC 256.1}        Burdened in behalf of Israel, Daniel studied anew the prophecies of Jeremiah. They were very plain--so plain that he understood by these testimonies recorded in books "the number of the years,...

 Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee. Daniel 6:16.  {CC 255.1}        Daniel was high in command. The accusing host of evil angels stirred up the presidents and princes to envy and jealousy. . . . These agents of Satan sought to make his faithfulnes...

 Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. Daniel 6:4.  {CC 254.1}        Daniel, the prime minister of the greatest of earthly kingdoms, was at the same time a prophet of God, rece...

 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the  inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? Daniel 4:35.  {CC 253.1}        The last dream which God gave to Nebuchadnezzar, and the  experience of the king in connection...

Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. Daniel 3:17.  {CC 252.1}        The Lord did not forget His own. As His witnesses were cast into the furnace, the Saviour revealed Himself to them in person, and together they walked in the midst of the fire. In the presence of the Lord of heat and cold, the flames lost the...

     There is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Daniel 2:28.  {CC 251.1}        Daniel sought the Lord when the decree went forth to slay all the wise men of the kingdom of Babylon because they could not relate or interpret a dream which had gone from the king's mind. Nebuchadnezzar demanded not only the interpreta...

Chap. 244 - Under God's Control      Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: and he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding. Daniel 2:20,21.  {CC 250.1}        Beh...

But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. 1 Corinthians 9:27.  {CC 249.1}        As God called Daniel to witness for Him in Babylon, so He calls us to be His witnesses in the world today. In the smallest as well as the largest affairs of life, He desires us to reveal to men the principles of His ki...

Them that honour me, I will honour. 1 Samuel 2:30.  {CC 248.1}        In the experience of Daniel and his companions we have an instance of the triumph of principle over temptation to indulge the appetite. It shows us that through religious principle young men may triumph over the lusts of the flesh, and remain true to God's requirements, even though it costs them a great sacrifice.  {CC 248.2}  ...

Only the Lord give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest keep the law of the Lord thy God. 1 Chronicles 22:12.  {CC 247.1}        In acquiring the wisdom of the Babylonians, Daniel and his companions were far more successful than their fellow students; but their learning did not come by chance. . . . They placed t...

As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom. Daniel 1:17.  {CC 246.1}        Daniel and his companions enjoyed the benefits of correct training and education in early life, but these advantages alone would not have made them what they were. The time came when they must act for themselves--when their future depended upon their own course. Then they decid...

And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Revelation 12:17.  {CC 245.1}        Through Esther the queen the Lord accomplished a mighty deliverance for His people. At a time when it seemed that no power could save them, Esther and the women associated with her, by fasting an...

When the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded . . . to bring Vashti the queen before the king with the crown royal, to shew the people and the princes her beauty: for she was fair to look on. Esther 1:10, 11.  {CC 243.1}        When this command came from the king, Vashti did not carry out his orders, because she knew that wine had been freely used, and that Ahasuerus was under the...

 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. Habakkuk 2:4.  {CC 242.1}        At the time Josiah began to rule, and for many years before, the truehearted in Judah were questioning whether God's promises to ancient Israel could ever be fulfilled. . . .  {CC 242.2}        These anxious questionings were voiced by the prophet Habakkuk. Viewing the...

Then said he, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All that is in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them. Isaiah 39:4.  {CC 241.1}        The visit of the ambassadors to Hezekiah was a test of his gratitude and devotion. . . . Had Hezekiah improved the opportunity given him to bear witness to the power, the goodness, the com...

I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. 2 Kings 20:3.  {CC 240.1}        In the midst of his prosperous reign King Hezekiah was suddenly stricken with a fatal malady. "Sick unto death," his case was beyond the power of man to help. And the last vestige of hope seemed...

    With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah, king of Judah. 2 Chronicles 32:8.  {CC 239.1}        Hezekiah, in the earlier years of his reign, had continued to pay tribute to Assyria, in harmony with the agreement entered into...

And Jeremiah said unto the house of the Rechabites, . . . Because ye have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, . . . therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me for ever. Jeremiah 35:18, 19.  {CC 238.1}        God commanded Jeremiah to gather the Rechabites into the house of the Lo...

     It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:26.  {CC 237.1}        Among those who had hoped for a permanent spiritual revival as the result of the reformation under Josiah was Jeremiah, called of God to the prophetic office while still a youth. . . .  {CC 237.2}        In the youthful Jeremiah, God saw one who would be true to his tru...

Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God. Psalm 68:31.  {CC 236.1}       Throughout his ministry Isaiah bore a plain testimony concerning God's purpose for the heathen. Other prophets had made mention of the divine plan, but their language was not always understood. To Isaiah it was given to make very plain to Judah the truth that among the Israel of God...