Prepare For Crunch Time. Part [9] 06/08/2026 (Evening thought)

Matthew 4:2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, if thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 11 Then the devil left him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

[Redemption BK 2 pp 39] Satan suggested to Christ that God would not leave his Son in this condition of want and suffering…. Many Christians in the remnant community believe that the promises of God to us during crunch time will be fulfilled instantaneously, and if they are not delivered on a dime the faith of many will be shaken to its core. To put it bluntly, crunch time will not be a breeze by any means, and therefore we should be managing our expectations prudently.

This is the crisis that Daniel and his 3 companions were facing, and those Hebrew worthies might not be able to explain to others why their decision is the best route to go. Should they bow down by eating what is forbidden? Or should they stand their ground and face possible starvation or death, if Nebuchadnezzar gets ticked off as he is so often prone to do? How would such a decision on the part of the Hebrews be viewed by a logical thinking mind?

In fact, when speaking to the chief cook, Daniel said that he will not “Defile” himself with the king’s food. Now brethren, consider carefully the word defile in  the context. If Daniel is speaking of Nebuchadnezzar’s food as being defiled, then he is implying that the cook is serving inferior food, and with Nebuchadnezzar’s penchant for retribution, no one in their right mind would want to refer to his personal food as defiled.

Daniel 1:5 And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank: so, nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.

May God add His blessing to the study of His word. “Good night” and God bless!

Prepare For Crunch Time. Part [8] 06/07/2026 (Morning thought)

Daniel 1:10 And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king.

If it meant losing the best education in Babylon, and even if it meant that their lives will be endangered, they would not be eating the king’s food. To many persons, a decision like that will seem to be plain stupid, and foolish. Others may reason that the ends justify the means, a statement that comes to us from the very depths of hell. With the Christian, the ends do not always justify the means, if the means include violating the laws of God.

In fact, what the prince of darkness often does is to present a good end, and then offer unlawful means to achieve that good end. Thus, you will see him in the wilderness with Christ, as he tempts Jesus to eat bread, the wrong way. Nothing is wrong with eating bread, but if you have to bow to eat, then the ends cannot justify the means. Thus, Jesus showed us the godly route to take if and when our turn comes around.

To be found faithful, we will have to make a decision, not to violate God’s law or our consciences under any circumstances, no matter how attractive and necessary, the good ends may seem to be. As Jesus weighed the grim choices before Him, and the ways and means being suggested by the prince of darkness, He did what you and I should do in any similar situation. He chooses to die, if it came down to the wire, but under no circumstances would He allow the philosophy of “The end justify the means” to inform or guide His decision making.

Daniel 1:12 Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. 13 Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.

May The Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!