THURSDAY, APRIL 12
Daniel 2:25-28
1 Corinthians 10:19-20

“… I would not that ye should
have fellowship with devils.”

ONLY THE GOD OF HEAVEN REVEALS MYSTERIES

Daniel (together with his three friends) was the only man in the court of Babylon who could rightfully claim access to supernatural power. But he exercised tremendous care, as a godly Jew, not to claim any of the glory to himself for such access. Thus, when Nebuchadnezzar directly asked him, “Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?” (Dan 2:26). Daniel answered, “… there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known … what shall be in the latter days …” (Dan 2:28). Over a thousand years earlier Joseph, in the court of Pharaoh, had assumed a similar posture of genuine spiritual humility: “It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace” (Gen 41:16).

When Cornelius fell at Peter’s feet, the Apostle raised him up, saying, “Stand up; I myself also am a man” (Acts 10:26). Paul and Barnabas were horrified when the pagans at Lystra began to worship them as messengers from heaven, and tore their robes in protest: “Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you …” (Acts 14:15). Paul later stated to the proud Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 12:7 that it was because of “the abundance of the revelations” God had granted to him as an Apostle that God also gave him “a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.”

We, too, are in serious danger. To the extent that we, as God’s people today, have the deep inner assurance of the possession of divine truth within the pages of holy Scripture, to that same extent we may fall into Satan’s trap of thinking of ourselves as intrinsically worthy or superior. That is why the Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 3:6 warned churches against putting “a novice” into positions of authority “lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.”

THOUGHT: Am I seeking after the righteous way?
PRAYER: O Lord, grant me the desire to fulfil all the righteous demands of Thy Word, the Bible.