God Exalts His Servants

This last stanza says this,

I will boast ever only in the Lord my God,

is to glory by God and to be satisfied with Him forever.

And so for those of us who are believers,

those of us who call ourselves followers of Christ,

this really is the objective.

The objective that our life is lived to the glory of God.

And so what happens is,

if God's glory is our objective,

regardless of what happens to us,

then we consider it to be good.

As we've been working our way through the book of Daniel,

we find ourselves this morning in Daniel chapter 6.

Daniel 6 · chapter mention

And I would encourage you to open up your Bibles,

if you would please, to Daniel 6.

If you're using the pew Bibles, that's on page 743.

We continue to follow this story in the life of Daniel,

and we're kind of coming to the end of this narrative section in Daniel,

and we're going to be wrapping up this study, this series,

next week as we finish Daniel chapter 6.

Daniel 6 · chapter mention

But this morning what we're going to find

is that Daniel wears this truth,

that he boasts ever only in the Lord.

And because of that,

whatever happens to Daniel,

Daniel sees as good.

Whether he's in positions of authority,

positions of title,

positions of prominence,

positions of influence,

or whether he's in the background.

Daniel is convinced in his heart

that whatever God decides for him

is good for him

because he's living for the sake of God's glory.

We come to this last chapter

in the narrative sections of Daniel,

and we find another transition,

a major shift has taken place

where up until this point,

Babylon, the empire of Babylon,

has really been in the front,

has been in the forefront of our attention.

And now all of a sudden,

this massive shift has taken place,

and another kingdom will come,

and another king will take the throne.

Cyrus is now on the scene.

This media Persian empire will come into view.

And we'll continue to see that

while kingdoms come and go,

somehow God's servant

as a representative of the eternal kingdom of God

will remain.

We're going to see this lasting quality

of the kingdom of God that is present.

Daniel, we saw it promoted

under the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar.

In Daniel chapter 2, 48, it says,

Daniel 2 · chapter mention

he was given to be ruler

over the whole province of Babylon

and chief prefect

over all the wise men of Babylon.

Then Daniel kind of fades into the background,

and for 23 years,

he's kind of anonymous,

and then Belshazzar finally needs

some help in his desperate time

of interpreting a writing on the wall.

Daniel is called up,

and for the next couple of hours,

he's promoted to be number three

in the Media Persian Empire,

third ruler in the kingdom.

Now, here we are in Daniel chapter 6.

Daniel 6 · chapter mention

He's promoted again.

We're going to find that he will be

the chief civil official

over the entire kingdom,

the entire empire of Media Persia.

What was Daniel's secret to success?

What in the world did Daniel do?

What was his strategy

to keep finding himself

at the very top of the list

of officials who are just under the king,

providing this authority

and oversight over the entire region,

over the entire empire?

How does he keep finding himself

in these places?

Well, if you were to follow

the strategy of culture,

we would find ourselves,

and Daniel would find himself

looking out for number one,

that he would do whatever it would take

to get himself into positions of authority,

whatever it takes to get ahead.

You have to care about yourself.

The ends justify the means.

You've heard the phrases,

it's a dog-eat-dog world,

or nice guys finish last,

or if you want something,

then you've got to go for it.

That's what our culture would say.

But this isn't the practice

that we find so infused

into Daniel's normal way of living.

Rather, it's the spirit of this age,

the spirit of this world

that is captured in a poem

that you may be familiar with

called Invictus

that was written by

William Ernest Henley

who lived in the late 1800s.

And he's writing this poem

as one who's experienced

great adversity in his life,

and he speaks in this final stanza

about standing before the judgment seat

in heaven,

this straight and narrow gate,

the book of life is read,

and listen to what he says

in this final stanza

of this poem Invictus.

It matters not how straight the gate,

how charged with punishments the scroll.

I am the master of my fate.

I am the captain of my soul.

The future is yours for the taking.

Just grab it by the horns

and you can have it.

It's a truth that our,

or it's one of those things

that our culture would like us to believe,

and perhaps a strategy

that many of us have even employed

in our own practices

throughout life

and seeking to get and gain attention

and promotion

in the various places we find ourselves.

Daniel seems to be unconcerned

about power,

position,

or title,

or prominence.

Daniel seems to be completely engaged

and secure

in God's plan for his life.

He's trusting in God

and we see this flourishing

of excellence,

of character in Daniel.

Daniel is so committed to God

and he rests in the fact

that God will instrumentally

put Daniel at the right place

in the right time.

This is the theme

that consistently we see

throughout the scripture.

This is the way for success

of the leaders

who follow after God.

Humility and faithfulness

is the key to usefulness.

Humility and faithfulness

is the key to usefulness.

Remember Abraham.

It's said of Abraham

in Deuteronomy chapter 7,

Deuteronomy 7 · chapter mention

I didn't choose him

because he was the greatest

of all the peoples.

I chose him

because he was the fewest.

I chose him

to allow my glory

to shine

through his weakness.

And Joseph,

who was sold into slavery

and then rose

within the ranks

of Potiphar's house

and then he's thrown

into prison

and he rises

within the ranks

of that prison cell

and then he's elevated

to be the second

in charge

of all of Egypt.

Moses,

who,

when he takes

the reins

and he pushes through

and he seeks

to have his own way,

well,

what happens to Moses?

Well,

he gets kicked out of Egypt.

He gets sent into Midian.

He's in the backside

of a desert

in isolation

until finally,

after 40 years,

the lesson has been

cemented in his heart.

this lesson of humility,

this lesson of needing

to be faithful to God

and then finally,

God can put him

to work in usefulness

to lead his people

out of Egypt.

How about David,

the shepherd boy,

who is the last

among even his brothers

of being chosen,

forgotten,

but growing in humility

and faith.

Then we turn

to the New Testament

and we see

John the Baptist,

the man who was clothed

in camel's hair,

ate locusts

and wild honey

and was out

in the wilderness,

isolated,

alone.

How about Mary?

How can we forget

God's servant,

Mary?

Humble servant

who is faithful

to the Lord.

Do to me

as what seems good

in your sight,

she says

to the angel Gabriel.

Or the apostles

who are uneducated men,

part of the riffraff

of society,

chosen by Christ

to be useful for him.

We see this theme

in 2 Timothy 2,

2 Timothy 2:20

verses 20 and 21,

where Paul writes

to Timothy and says,

Now in a great house

there are not only

vessels of gold

and silver,

but also of wood

and clay,

some for honorable use,

some for dishonorable.

Therefore,

if anyone cleanses

himself

from what is dishonorable,

he will be a vessel

for honorable use,

set apart as holy,

useful to the master

of the house,

ready for every good work.

You see that?

In order to be useful,

in order for God

to put you into work,

in order for God

to call you up

and to place you

into his service,

there needs to be

this quality

of obedience

and righteousness

and purity

of heart,

at least pursuing

that as a pattern

of your life,

a desire to put off

what is dishonorable,

to put on what is honorable

before God

and then,

when you are ready

for every good work,

you can guarantee

that God will put you

to work.

Do we trust in God

to put us

in the right place

at the right time?

or are we the master

of our fate,

the captain

of our soul?

What will it be?

As we've looked

at the story of Daniel,

we've seen a man

who is so committed

to dwelling in submission

to God

and faithfulness to him

and trusting

in God's providence

to put him

in the right place

at the right time.

This morning,

we turn to Daniel chapter 6

Daniel 6 · chapter mention

and we have

this transitional statement

at the end

of Daniel chapter 5

Daniel 5 · chapter mention

where we find

that very night,

Belshazzar,

the Chaldean king,

was killed

and Darius the Mede

received the kingdom

being about 62 years old.

Records from history

would indicate

that Cyrus the Great

would invade

the empire of Babylon

and achieve a major victory

on October 10,

539 B.C.

A victory in the city

of Sippar.

Two days later,

his commander

would ride into Babylon

on October 12

and would take the city

without a fight.

This would happen

because the armies

of Persia

would divert

the Euphrates River

and would be able

to walk under

the walls of the city

and take the city

without a fight

while all the generals

were partying

with the king

and blowing their minds

in drunkenness.

The armies of Persia

would walk

under the walls

and without even a fight

would take the city.

The Nabonidus Chronicle

would help us understand

that on October 29,

Cyrus the Great himself

would march

into the city

and he would be met

by a group

of individual citizens

of Babylon

who would actually

celebrate his arrival

and receive him

as their king.

The clear message

throughout the book

of Daniel

is that God

raises up rulers

and puts rulers down.

Nebuchadnezzar himself

will say in Daniel

Daniel 4:35

chapter 4,

verse 35,

he says,

all the inhabitants

of the earth

are accounted

as nothing.

He does according

to his will

among the hosts

of heaven

and among the inhabitants

of the earth

and none can stay

his hand

or say to him,

what have you done?

God is the one

as we see

throughout this book.

God is the one

who raises up leaders

and who puts them down.

You can't chalk it up

to Cyrus' military genius.

You can't chalk it up

to the foolishness

of Belshazzar.

You can chalk it up

to the sovereignty

of God

and speaking his plan

into place

and then working it through.

After all,

it was God

who 60 years earlier

had given a dream

to Nebuchadnezzar.

This dream

of this image,

this head of gold,

these shoulders

of silver

that represented

the media Persian empire.

God himself

had declared

60 years before

exactly what would happen

on this night,

October 12th,

539 B.C.

And then

150 years

before this occasion,

God would actually

name Cyrus

as his servant

in Isaiah chapter 44

Isaiah 44:28

verse 28.

it says,

who says of Cyrus,

he is my shepherd.

He shall fulfill

all my purposes,

saying of Jerusalem,

she shall be built

and of the temple

your foundation

shall be laid.

150 years

before Cyrus

would even emerge

onto the scene,

before Cyrus'

great,

great,

great,

great grandpa

would be in his prime,

God himself

would name Cyrus

through his prophet Isaiah

and said,

he will be

the one.

And he will be the one

not only to emerge

as king,

but he will be the one

to send

the exiles home

and be instrumental

in allowing them

to build the temple.

Again,

God did that.

We find in the next chapter,

Isaiah 45 verse 1,

Isaiah 45:1

thus says the Lord

to his anointed,

to Cyrus,

whose right hand

I have grasped

to subdue nations

before him

and to loose

the belts of kings

to open doors

before him

that gates may not

be closed.

And then in verse 4

it goes on,

for the sake

of my servant Jacob

and Israel

my chosen,

I call you by name.

I name you

though you do not know me.

I am the Lord

and there is no other.

Besides me

there is no God.

I equip you

though you do not know me

that people may know

from the rising of the sun

and from the west

that there is none beside me.

I am the Lord

and there is no other.

There is no other

explanation

for the fact

that Isaiah

was able to name

this distant king

who by the way

the media Persian empire

wasn't even

in the works

at that point.

Here God

names Cyrus

and says exactly

what he will do

through his reign

in allowing the people

of Israel

to come and return

back to Israel

and be instrumental

in establishing

their tabernacle,

their temple.

God is the one

who raises up kings

and puts them down.

God is the one

who raises up

his servants

and uses them

and puts them in place.

He uses them

instrumentally

to accomplish

his purposes.

Do we trust

in the sovereignty

of God?

God is the one

who is the one

who is in the driver's

seat of history.

He is the one

who is the captain

of this history

ship

as it were.

He is the one

who will use

his servant Daniel

instrumentally

time and time again

to point

to his glory

to point

to his power.

So if you're there

with me

in Daniel chapter 6

Daniel 6 · chapter mention

let me read for you

the first three verses.

We're going to begin

to see throughout

our lesson this morning

throughout this passage

that it is God

who exalts Daniel.

It is God

who is the working

force behind

Daniel's promotion.

Daniel chapter 1

Daniel 1:1

verse 1

says this.

6 verse 1

says this.

It pleased Darius

to set over the kingdom

120 satraps

to be throughout

the whole kingdom

and over them

three high officials

of whom Daniel

was one

to whom these satraps

should give account

so the king

might suffer

no loss.

Then this Daniel

became distinguished

above all the other

high officials

and satraps

because an excellent

spirit was in him

and the king

planned to set him

over the whole

kingdom.

God is the one

who exalts

Daniel.

And this first point

this morning is

it's not dependent

on Daniel's

connections.

connections.

Daniel isn't

networking.

Daniel doesn't

have a linked

in account.

Daniel isn't

trying to pull

his connections

or pull the strings

in some way.

Daniel is so

committed to the

timing of God

and God putting

him into place

that Daniel is

completely secure

in God's plan

for his life.

Daniel is trusting

in God to put him

in the right place.

And Daniel's role

in the Babylonian

empire could have

actually been a

liability in the

sense that because

he had connections

and had loyalty

to the empire

of Babylon

he could have

been a threat.

But even in

the face of that

it is Daniel

that we'll see

through our passage

that gets promoted

into this place.

Darius seeks to

establish his rule

over this new

kingdom.

and he establishes

it through these

120 satraps.

A satrap is kind

of like a governor

who is able to

wield considerable

amount of power.

During the Babylonian

rule satraps

we've seen them

before in the

book of Daniel

but satraps

under Nebuchadnezzar's

rule had kind

of a dual

responsibility

of overseeing

not only the

civilian life

but also

military affairs.

But under

Persian rule

and especially

under King Cyrus'

power

the authority

of satraps

was kind of

narrowed

to focus

on civilian

affairs.

And these

satraps

were set

over the

kingdom

to be

throughout

the entire

kingdom

we see

in verse 1.

About 50

years later

during the

media Persian

empire

we read

in the book

of Esther

Esther 1:1

chapter 1

verse 1

now in the

days of Ahasuerus

the Ahasuerus

who reigned

from India

to Ethiopia

over 127

provinces.

This is the

same kingdom

that we're

speaking about

only now

that 50

years have

transpired

there's more

land in

control.

But at the

height of

the media

Persian empire

2.1

million

square miles

were within

their domain.

2.1

million

square miles.

This graphic

will show you

it stretched

from the

Balkans

in Egypt

west

to the

Indus

valley.

It included

West Asia

and parts

of Africa.

At its

peak

the media

Persian

empire

oversaw

44%

of the

world's

population.

Almost

50%

of the

world's

population

were under

the control

of the media

Persian

empire.

These

provinces

which were

127

during

Ahasuerus'

reign

and likely

around

120

during

Cyrus'

reign

would

exercise

authority

over these

either small

like countries

or regions

or large

states.

These high

officials

which were

also designated

kind of

governors

or presidents

three of

them would

oversee

these

satraps.

And the

purpose of

this administrative

structure is

found for us

in verse

2.

Notice

so that

the king

might suffer

no loss.

This will

be important

for us

next week.

So that

the king

might suffer

no loss.

Essentially

might suffer

no loss

in relationship

to revenue

but also

civilian affairs

and civil

obedience

and showing

concern for

the welfare

of the people.

Whatever

leadership

needed to be

exercised

in this

vast empire

in a civilian

kind of

way

these

presidents

or governors

or officials

or satraps

were in

charge

of ensuring

the peace

and stability

of this

empire.

The Persian

kingdom was

known for

its humanitarian

face.

History would

even suggest

that the

people of

Babylon

actually

celebrated

the coming

of Cyrus

the Great

and proclaimed

himself

king

of Babylon.

Cyrus

Cylinder

portrays

the victorious

Cyrus

as pleasing

the Babylonian

god

Marduk

and it

deliberately

shows

Cyrus

that he

improved

the lives

of the

citizens.

He

repatriated

displaced

people

meaning

those who

had been

transported

from other

countries

he sent

them back

and he

restored

the temples

in cult

sanctuaries.

King Cyrus

was a notable

ruler

a well-celebrated

ruler.

We see

Daniel rising

to power

not because

of his

connections

but we

find in

verse 3

it was

because

of Daniel's

distinctive

character

his distinctive

!

character is

what we see

here in

verse 3

notice

So how

does Daniel

keep finding

his way

to the top?

Not because

of positioning

himself for

success

not because

of compromising

his convictions

not because

of

convincing

resume

or pulling

the right

strings

in his

network

or selling

out his

opponents

Daniel was

one who

was aligned

to his

God

we see

this

distinctive

character

an excellent

spirit

was in

him

it was

clear

that Daniel

was different

from the

others

because

Daniel's

humility

and

faithfulness

positioned

him for

usefulness

his humility

his faithfulness

positioned him

for usefulness

Daniel had a

posture

of service

you've heard

the phrase

nice guys

finish last

well they

haven't met

Daniel

Daniel was

distinguished

this is a

word in

the Aramaic

that describes

the intensive

reflexive

aspect of

this condition

this character

meaning

this was

something that

Daniel strove

hard at

this was

something that

he worked

very hard

to refine

his character

he was

introspective

in growing

in relationship

to God

his character

to being

refined

this word

distinguished

is having

a reputation

of excellence

it's to be

preferred

it's to show

oneself

prominent

Daniel

distinguished

himself

among the

others

because of

his

exceptional

qualities

his spirit

or his

good attitude

his abilities

he was

obviously

in touch

with the

gods

and of

course

in touch

with

the

God

of

heaven

God

put him

right

where

he

wanted

and Darius

would

recognize

this

everything

that

Daniel

does

in managing

this business

or managing

this empire

these responsibilities

that he has

demonstrates

one of

skill

Daniel's

work ethic

is unmatched

the efficiency

of his team

the way

he conducts

his business

the decisions

that he makes

his effectiveness

the unified

spirit of those

that he's working

with

his attention

to detail

his genuine

concern for people

his understanding

his recall

of conversations

his ability

to know policies

and how to get

things done

all the things

that you would

expect

in a manager

of a major

business

Daniel brought

to the table

in excess

Daniel was

skilled

in every way

even

at age

80

85

Daniel

was mentally

sharp

he seemed

to have

endless

energy

an ability

to manage

large amounts

of data

to gain

the respect

of brilliant

and sophisticated

leaders

he made

decisions

definitively

he was able

to stir

the confidence

of his team

to be seen

as a

people's

man

Daniel

has gone

the distance

because of

his character

in pursuing

the things

of the Lord

and Daniel

became distinguished

above all the

other high officials

because

an excellent

spirit

was in him

understand this

it was Daniel's

character

that positioned

him

for this

role of

leadership

God

put him

into place

because he

saw in Daniel

one

who loved

him

who obeyed

him

who was

faithful

so God

in the one

who can

raise up

leaders

and put

them down

instrumentally

puts Daniel

in his place

in this place

of a leadership

and position

of influence

so the king

planned to set

him over

all the kingdom

we see

in verse

three

now

when God

puts

his man

in place

we often

find

there are

enemies

that come

to seek

to destroy

God's

plans

and we

turn to

verse four

that's exactly

where we find

God's enemies

plot

to destroy

Daniel

God's enemies

plot to destroy

Daniel

notice in verse

four

then the high

officials

and sat

traps

sought to

find a

ground

for complaint

against

Daniel

with regard

to the

kingdom

but they

could find

no ground

for complaint

or any

fault

because he

was faithful

and no error

or fault

was found

in him

then these

men said

we shall

not find

any ground

for complaint

against Daniel

against this

Daniel

unless we

find it

in connection

with the law

of his God

this word

sought to find

is again

intensive

in action

and it

conveys this

ongoing

strategy

of seeking

to uncover

whatever they

can to

expose Daniel

as one

who is

unfit

for this

position

for us

who are

now living

in this

in an

election

year

we can

understand

a little

bit

about

this

tactic

for the

candidates

who are

running

everything

is scrutinized

in order

to find

a way

to discredit

to undermine

to expose

to call

into question

so that

every word

every decision

every conversation

every interaction

with others

every judgment

every result

of leadership

every suspicion

of integrity

is called

into question

did he take

a bribe

did he change

his position

has his life

included any

indiscretion

has he broken

or twisted

any of the

rules

no doubt

no stone

was uncovered

to explore

and investigate

Daniel's life

records

that were

checked

interactions

were evaluated

and for 120

governors

who had

unrestricted

access

to all

of the

paperwork

you can bet

they checked

it all

and yet

the result

is no ground

for complaint

was found

in Daniel

no fault

because

he was faithful

and again

this word

faithful

is a word

that's in

this continuous

action

of Daniel

who is

demonstrating

a character

of life

that is so

committed

and faithful

no error

or fault

was found

in him

here he is

at age 90

we begun

to see

Daniel

at the beginning

of this book

as a young

teenager

and through

the course

of his life

the integrity

has demonstrated

a commitment

to God

at every

stage of life

and here he is

towards the end

here he is

towards the finish

line

as it were

and the

legacy of his

life has

demonstrated

a commitment

to God

in every

course

so that in

Daniel chapter

Daniel 6 · chapter mention

6 5

they say

we shall

not find

any ground

for complaint

unless

we find it

in connection

with the law

of his God

Daniel's

humility

and faithfulness

established him

or set him

up for usefulness

and now here

it begins

to preserve

him

the defamation

the shame

that they sought

to bring on

Daniel

was preserved

because of

integrity

because of a

commitment

to follow

after the Lord

so faithful

he was

as an official

so dependable

so precise

so skilled

so thorough

and yet so

committed

and devoted

to worship

and trust

and obedience

to God

the only way

they're going

to ruin

Daniel

is to bring

him down

in relation

to his

consistent

faithful

example

in following

after

the God

of heaven

so we find

in verses

69

their manipulative

decree

we find

their plan

is now coming

to fruition

notice

then these

high officials

and satraps

came by

agreement

to the king

and said to him

oh king

Darius

live forever

all the high

officials of the

kingdom

the prefects

and the satraps

the counselors

and the governors

are agreed

that the king

should establish

an ordinance

and enforce

an injunction

that whoever

makes petition

to any god

or man

for 30 days

except to you

oh king

shall be cast

into the den

of lions

now oh king

establish the injunction

and sign the document

so that it cannot

be changed

according to the law

of the Medes

and the Persians

which cannot be

revoked

therefore king

Darius

signed the document

and the injunction

right there

at the beginning

they came

by agreement

this Aramaic

word agreement

is actually

a word

that means

to tumult

or to be

tumultuous

or to be

thronging

and essentially

it provides

this idea

that they're

coming as a mob

they're amped up

they're agitated

you can tell

they are

really revved up

about this

injunction

and they're

coming

by agreement

to try

to take

Daniel down

they make

this

they offer

this

decree

or this

suggestion

that

for the next

30 days

anyone who

makes a petition

to any other

god

should suffer

some consequences

this word

to make a request

really alludes

to what a priest

would do

and kind of

being a mediator

as it were

for worship

so across

the kingdom

the idea

would be

that anyone

whatever god

that they are

worshiping

would come

and present

to Cyrus

or to Darius

here

would present

kind of

their petitions

before him

and he would

act as a mediator

to their gods

one commentator

says thus

Darius

was not

proclaiming

himself

to be god

during this

30 day period

but was acting

as a mediator

for the gods

of all the nations

subject

to him

as a means

of proving

loyalty

in this

transition

of power

it was a logical

step to take

much like what

Nebuchadnezzar did

at the very beginning

of his reign

in setting up

the golden image

and kind of

asking

all of the

officials

of the land

to come

and to pledge

their allegiance

their loyalty

in this show

of worship

there before

the image

so these men

come before

the king

they act

as this

representative

body

it kind of

brings

some force

this collective

opinion

as it were

they're appealing

to his sense

of leadership

of course

it made sense

nationally

for him

to do this

they also

appealed

to his pride

it made sense

to him

personally

kind of

buttered him

up

as it were

and they

carefully

set a brief

window

which makes

it seem

as a reasonable

request

it convinced

him

that the

consequences

should be

severe

that

whoever

breaks

this law

this decree

would be

cast

into the

lion's den

and finally

they cement

it with

this document

this recommendation

for an

unbreakable

ordinance

or a decree

and it seems

that they come

prepared

notice verse 8

now oh king

establish this

injunction

and sign

the document

so that it

cannot be

changed

it seems

as though

the document

had been

written

it seems

as though

they came

prepared

they're ready

for this

immediate

response

this knee-jerk

response

from the king

all the paperwork

is ready

and the king

before he knew

it signs

this decree

now how

will Daniel

respond

how will

Daniel's

character

his submission

and faithfulness

to God

how will

it play out

well we see

that in verses

10 to 13

where we see

God's servant

in action

now in the

remaining parts

of our

of our text

actually moving

to verse 16

notice verse 10

it says this

when Daniel

knew

that the document

had been signed

he went to his

house

where he had

windows in his

upper chamber

open towards

Jerusalem

he got down

on his knees

three times

a day

and prayed

and gave

thanks

before his

God

as he had

done

previously

Daniel

is a man

of action

Daniel

heard

and prayed

here in

verse 10

a man

of action

who heard

and prayed

Daniel

is one

who seems

to always

know

the right

thing

to do

next

he is

one

who is

driven

by this

sense

of conviction

there seems

to be

this certainty

there seems

to be

this decisiveness

he always

seems to be

clear headed

and exactly

know

what's next

the document

is signed

and it seems

without hesitation

Daniel

is on his

way

this impulse

of his

life

in going

home

to pray

this was

not

an act

of defiance

this was

not a

statement

of civil

disobedience

this was

not a

show

of protest

notice

this is

something

that he

had done

previously

this is

something

that had

been built

in to

the rhythm

of his

life

this expression

of constant

worship

before the

Lord

this custom

of turning

to God

in prayer

turning his

face towards

Jerusalem

as Solomon

during the

dedication

of the

temple

had encouraged

those who

were experiencing

discipline

repeatedly

he says

Solomon

throughout his

prayer

in 2nd

Chronicles