We all look upon Daniel as a man of
faith, so let us inquire what was the secret of his faith.
After Daniel had been cast into the den of lions and the
den had been sealed with the king's own seal, and the
signet of his lord, the king, we read, "went to his
palace, and passed the night in fasting: neither were
instruments of music brought before him; and his sleep
went from him. Then the king arose very early in the
morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. And when
he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto
Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel,
servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest
continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? Then
said Daniel unto the king, O king, live forever. My God
hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that
they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency
was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done
no hurt." Dan. 6:19, 22.
Daniel gave two reasons for God's
sending His angel and shutting the lions' mouths—first,
"before him [God] innocency was found in me";
second, " before thee, O king have I done no
hurt." In order to be innocent before God we must
have our sins forgiven and be living a holy life. We must
be where we know that we are saved and can "assure
our hearts before him." "For if our heart
condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all
things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we
confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive
of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those
things that are pleasing in his sight." 1 John 3
:20-22. In the second place, we must be living at peace,
so far as it lies in us, with all mankind. Then, and not
until then, can we exercise faith in God. It is rather
unpleasant and detrimental to faith, when we are praying
for some favor from God. to have some neglected duty or
committed wrong stand between us and God like a dark
cloud, shutting out the sunlight of His presence. Just
here, however, the weak and doubting need to be careful in
discriminating between sin and the accusations of Satan;
for an accusation, if heeded, will stand as much in our
way as a real neglect of duty.
The three Hebrew children,
Shadrach. Meshach, and Abednego, are also good examples of
faith, and in their conversation with the king of Babylon
before being cast into the fiery furnace is portrayed
another prerequisite to faith. Hear, in the following
Scripture, the awful threats of a frowning monarch, and
see the undaunted boldness and decision of three humble
sons of the Highest:
"Now if ye be ready that at
what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp,
sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music,
ye fall down and worship the image which I have made;
well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same
hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is
that God that shall deliver you out of my hands ?
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the
king, O Nebuchadnezzar we are not careful to answer thee
in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able
to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will
deliver us out of shine hand, O king. But if not, be it
known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods,
nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up."
Dan. 3 :15-18.
Not even the stern countenance of
an enraged king nor yet the fiery furnace heated seven
times hotter than usual could weaken their decision nor
dim their faith. In these bold witnesses for the Lord we
see portrayed the foundation of faith mentioned in a
former chapter. First, they had confidence in the God they
served—so much that they were not careful to answer the
king. Secondly, they believed in His ability. "Our
God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning
fiery furnace." Thirdly, they believed He would do
it. "And he will deliver us out of thy hand, O
king." Fourthly, we note the leading characteristics
of these three men—decision. "But if not [that is,
if it is not His will to deliver us], be it known unto
thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship
the golden image which thou hast set up."
If you would go through every fiery
trial and come out without the smell of fire upon your
garments, make the decision that God is true to His Word,
that He is able to deliver you, and that He will do it.
Lastly, decide, firmly decide, that if it is God's will
for you to die, you will serve no other god nor worship
the golden image set up by men and Satan.
SOURCE OF FAITH
"So then faith cometh by
hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Rom. 10:17.
In order to have faith we must have a promise. How, then,
shall we believe unless we hear ? In the days of the
apostles there was but little chance to hear the promises
of God except from the lips of the ministry, but now, in
Christian lands, we have the blessed privilege of reading
and studying the written Word of God. Having the exceeding
great and precious promises constantly within our reach,
we should of all people have the most faith. God's Word is
the food of the soul. How careful, then, we should be to
daily feast on the bread of eternal life. Nor is it enough
to simply read the words; we should read them and meditate
upon them until their virtue has strengthened our souls
and quickened our faith.
The food that we eat is assimilated
and becomes a part of our being. This is true of our
spiritual as of our natural food. The soul that is
constantly fed on light and chaffy matter can but be lean
and powerless. Many people are feeding their souls with
the light and chaffy thoughts and with the husks of
foolishness and worldliness, and yet wondering why their
faith is so weak and their souls so lean. If the food that
we eat is so important in the building of our physical
strength and the thoughts that we think have so much
influence over the condition of our souls, should we not
at least be as careful in the selection of mental food as
we are in the selection of food for our bodies? If you
wish "to grow up as calves of the stall,"
"to be fat and flourishing to show that the Lord is
upright," you must eat "clean provender which
hath been winnowed with a shovel and with a fan." You
should reject every doctrine, every word, and every
thought that is a hindrance to faith in God. Listening to
unsound doctrine, to sect preachers, and to compromising
discourses, is a detriment and should be avoided by the
faithful. Faith comes by hearing only when hearing is by
the Word of God. Hearing the gospel preached in its purity
is a powerful stimulant to faith, and hence every child of
God should avail himself of every opportunity to hear the
Word preached. "Not forsaking the assembling of
ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but
exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the
day approaching." Hebrews 10 :25.
HOW FAITH WORKS
"For in Jesus Christ neither
circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but
faith which worketh by love." Gal. 5:6. Faith works
by love. When love is out, Faith refuses to work. Faith
will not dwell with Malice or Hatred. He will not work in
their presence. Only those who are willing to dismiss
every element foreign to love can enjoy the workings of
faith. Love is the motor power, the mainspring, that
operates faith. "Though I have all faith, so that I
could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am
nothing."
Unity promotes faith; discord
destroys it. The promise reads, "Again I say unto
you, That if two of you agree on earth as touching
anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of
my Father which is in heaven." Matt. 18:19. Agreement
is not discord, and those who are divided and out of
harmony with one another cannot exercise faith nor claim
the promises of God. On the day of Pentecost, when the
faith of the disciples prevailed and God sent the Holy
Spirit as a rushing mighty wind, "they were all of
one accord in one place."
Acknowledging the good things that
the Lord has done for us is also a means of increasing our
faith. Then, be diligent in testifying to the goodness of
God, "that the communication of thy faith may become
effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which
is in you in Christ Jesus." Philemon 6.
MUSTARD-SEED FAITH
"Another parable put he forth
unto them, saying, The kingdom of God is like to a grain
of mustard-seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:
which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is
grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a
tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the
branches thereof." Matt. 13:31, 32. Mustard has two
notable features—first, the great size of the plant in
comparison with the seed; second, it will not, it is said,
mingle or cross with any other plant. Mustard seed is the
smallest of all seeds producing a wood like plant.
Referring to the size of the
mustard plant, we should not confine it to the mustard of
North America, for in a warm climate and rich soil it is
said to grow to an almost incredible size. This
beautifully illustrates the accomplishments of faith, for
nothing that we possess will accomplish so much in
comparison with its beginning as faith.
The fact that mustard will not
cross with any other plant teaches us that faith will not
mix with the things of this world. As the mustard plant,
though surrounded by weeds and plants of various kinds,
will partake of the nature of none of them; so faith,
though beset on every side by the weeds of worldliness,
doubts, and sins, wil] not mingle nor cross with any of
them, but remains separate and distinct. Those who attempt
to mingle faith and worldliness in the same heart make a
sad failure. The two will not mix.
"If ye have faith as a grain
of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove
hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing
shall be impossible unto you." Matt. 17:20. Pure and
undefiled faith as a grain of mustard seed will remove a
mountain; but a lifeless inactive faith as large as a
mountain cannot remove a mustard seed.
