DANIEL 6:1-28
2 PETER 3:1-18
PSALM 119:129-152
PROVERBS 28:21-22
DANIEL 6:1-28
Darius the Mede decided to divide the kingdom into 120 provinces, and he appointed a prince to rule over each province. 2 The king also chose Daniel and two others as administrators to supervise the princes and to watch out for the king's interests. 3 Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and princes. Because of his great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire. 4 Then the other administrators and princes began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling his affairs, but they couldn't find anything to criticize. He was faithful and honest and always responsible. 5 So they concluded, " Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the requirements of his religion." 6 So the administrators and princes went to the king and said, " Long live King Darius! 7 We administrators, prefects, princes, advisers, and other officials have unanimously agreed that Your Majesty should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days anyone who prays to anyone, divine or human--except to Your Majesty--will be thrown to the lions. 8 And let Your Majesty issue and sign this law so it cannot be changed, a law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked." 9 So King Darius signed the law. 10 But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. 11 The officials went together to Daniel's house and found him praying and asking for God's help. 12 So they went back to the king and reminded him about his law. " Did you not sign a law that for the next thirty days anyone who prays to anyone, divine or human--except to Your Majesty--will be thrown to the lions?" " Yes," the king replied, " that decision stands; it is a law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked." 13 Then they told the king, " That man Daniel, one of the captives from Judah, is paying no attention to you or your law. He still prays to his God three times a day." 14 Hearing this, the king was very angry with himself for signing the law, and he tried to find a way to save Daniel. He spent the rest of the day looking for a way to get Daniel out of this predicament. 15 In the evening the men went together to the king and said, " Your Majesty knows that according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, no law that the king signs can be changed." 16 So at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him, " May your God, whom you worship continually, rescue you." 17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed the stone with his own royal seal and the seals of his nobles, so that no one could rescue Daniel from the lions. 18 Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night fasting. He refused his usual entertainment and couldn't sleep at all that night. 19 Very early the next morning, the king hurried out to the lions' den. 20 When he got there, he called out in anguish, " Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you worship continually, able to rescue you from the lions?" 21 Daniel answered, " Long live the king! 22 My God sent his angel to shut the lions' mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty." 23 The king was overjoyed and ordered that Daniel be lifted from the den. Not a scratch was found on him because he had trusted in his God. 24 Then the king gave orders to arrest the men who had maliciously accused Daniel. He had them thrown into the lions' den, along with their wives and children. The lions leaped on them and tore them apart before they even hit the floor of the den. 25 Then King Darius sent this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world: " Peace and prosperity to you! 26 " I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God,
and he will endure forever.
His kingdom will never be destroyed,
and his rule will never end.
27 He rescues and saves his people;
he performs miraculous signs and wonders
in the heavens and on earth.
He has rescued Daniel
from the power of the lions."
28 So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
2 PETER 3:1-18
This is my second letter to you, dear friends, and in both of them I [Peter] have tried to stimulate your wholesome thinking and refresh your memory. 2 I want you to remember and understand what the holy prophets said long ago and what our Lord and Savior commanded through your apostles. 3 First, I want to remind you that in the last days there will be scoffers who will laugh at the truth and do every evil thing they desire. 4 This will be their argument: " Jesus promised to come back, did he? Then where is he? Why, as far back as anyone can remember, everything has remained exactly the same since the world was first created." 5 They deliberately forget that God made the heavens by the word of his command, and he brought the earth up from the water and surrounded it with water. 6 Then he used the water to destroy the world with a mighty flood. 7 And God has also commanded that the heavens and the earth will be consumed by fire on the day of judgment, when ungodly people will perish. 8 But you must not forget, dear friends, that a day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. 9 The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and everything in them will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be exposed to judgment. 11 Since everything around us is going to melt away, what holy, godly lives you should be living! 12 You should look forward to that day and hurry it along--the day when God will set the heavens on fire and the elements will melt away in the flames. 13 But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world where everyone is right with God. 14 And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to live a pure and blameless life. And be at peace with God. 15 And remember, the Lord is waiting so that people have time to be saved. This is just as our beloved brother Paul wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him--16 speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters around to mean something quite different from what he meant, just as they do the other parts of Scripture--and the result is disaster for them. 17 I am warning you ahead of time, dear friends, so that you can watch out and not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people. I don't want you to lose your own secure footing. 18 But grow in the special favor and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be all glory and honor, both now and forevermore. Amen.
PSALM 119:129-152
Your [the LORD's] decrees are wonderful.
No wonder I obey them!
130 As your words are taught, they give light;
even the simple can understand them.
131 I open my mouth, panting expectantly,
longing for your commands.
132 Come and show me your mercy,
as you do for all who love your name.
133 Guide my steps by your word,
so I will not be overcome by any evil.
134 Rescue me from the oppression of evil people;
then I can obey your commandments.
135 Look down on me with love;
teach me all your principles.
136 Rivers of tears gush from my eyes
because people disobey your law.
137 O LORD, you are righteous,
and your decisions are fair.
138 Your decrees are perfect;
they are entirely worthy of our trust.
139 I am overwhelmed with rage,
for my enemies have disregarded your words.
140 Your promises have been thoroughly tested;
that is why I love them so much.
141 I am insignificant and despised,
but I don't forget your commandments.
142 Your justice is eternal,
and your law is perfectly true.
143 As pressure and stress bear down on me,
I find joy in your commands.
144 Your decrees are always fair;
help me to understand them, that I may live.
145 I pray with all my heart; answer me, LORD!
I will obey your principles.
146 I cry out to you; save me,
that I may obey your decrees.
147 I rise early, before the sun is up;
I cry out for help and put my hope in your words.
148 I stay awake through the night,
thinking about your promise.
149 In your faithful love, O LORD, hear my cry;
in your justice, save my life.
150 Those lawless people are coming near to attack me;
they live far from your law.
151 But you are near, O LORD,
and all your commands are true.
152 I have known from my earliest days
that your decrees never change.
PROVERBS 28:21-22
Showing partiality is never good, yet some will do wrong for something as small as a piece of bread. A greedy person tries to get rich quick, but it only leads to poverty.
