Covenanter Witness Vol. 54 - Rparchives.org

seat."
not."
ward."
mercy."
not."
exploits"
perance, his faithfulness and assurance of Divine
aid. Daniel has served as an example to young men
and women for more than 2,500 years. Christ was
preparing him for other tests of faith, purity of life
and worship, and he did not fail when put to the
most severe tests.
"Dare to be a Daniel ;
Dare to stand alone;
Dare to have a purpose firm;
Dare to make it known."
II
Christ Is the Mediator by Whom Prayer
Is Made Effective
Long before Israel was taken into captivity her
people were told that if they
should sin and be taken
captive, if they would repent and pray toward Jeru
salem, God would bring them back to their own land.
When they prayed toward Jerusalem they thought
of the temple, of the sacrifices, of the holy
place and
the mercy seat. These pointed to Christ who was to
offer Himself a sacrifice and show mercy to His peo
ple. Daniel prayed, not once, but three times a day
toward Jerusalem. He was pleading for mercy
through the great Redeemer.
When Daniel and his companions were threat
ened with death if they did not reveal and interpret
the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, they prayed earnestly
and believingly, and God heard and answered, re
vealing not only the interpretation, but the lost
dream to the unreasonable king.
Daniel Sad
As recorded in the tenth chapter in the third
year of Cyrus, Daniel had been a captive for about
seventy-three years. Some of the Jews had already
returned to Palestine. Why Daniel had not returned
we are not told. Tradition affirms that he died in
Shushan and a monument was erected in his mem
ory there.
Daniel had mourned and fasted for three weeks.
Why was he so sad He had not fallen into disfavor
with the king. He had not committed some great sin
and was not mourning
on that account. He was
called by the holy angel, "a man greatly beloved."
There were probably different reasons why he
was sad. His people were having trouble in Jerusalem
as recorded by Ezra. The adversaries of the Jews
wanted to make an alliance with them, and when
their sinster proposition was refused, they troubled
the people of Judah and hired counselors against
them to frustrate their purpose.
By Hiddekel
One day after the period of mourning and fast
ing, Daniel stood by the river Hiddekel, or Tigris,
when a marvelous vision appeared to him. Christ
was giving him encouragement in the midst of his
sorrow. Remember that it was by the river Hiddekel
that the garden of Eden was located,
where man
was placed amidst beauty, ease and perfection. He
was probably thinking, as Milton expressed it:
"Of man's first disobedience, and the fruit
Of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste
Brought death into the world, and all our woe,
With loss of Eden till one greater Man
Restore us, and regain the blissful
He would think of the result of that sin upon man
kind, how it had been transmitted from generation
June 8, 1955
to generation, and how it caused Israel to sin re
sulting in their captivity.
The Time
The time was on the 24th day of the first month
when he as a boy, with his family, would have just
returned from Jerusalem after the observance of
the Passover. He remembered the sacrifices which
pointed to a greater sacrifice, to One who was led
as a sheep to the slaughter, and by whose stripes we
are healed. As he prayed and wept, I can hear him
cry in the words of a prophet whom he may have
known, "O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the
years, in the midst of the years make known: in
wrath remember
Vision of Christ
Christ revealed himself to Daniel in a marvelous
vision, in the tenth chapter, in almost the same man
ner in which He was revealed to John in his loneli
ness on the Isle of Patmos. He saw a man clothed
with linen, wearing a girdle of gold, His body like
beryl, His face like lightning, His eyes as lamps of
fire, His arms and feet like polished brass, and His
voice like that of a great multitude. Christ was re
vealing Himself both as priest and king, in His beau
ty, glory and power. What could better encourage
and strengthen him and the church in view of the
troubles through which they were to pass Daniel
was overpowered with fear, but a hand touched him
and said, "0 Daniel, a man greatly beloved . . . fear
How often has our Lord come to His people in a
trying hour, saying, "Fear He came to Abra
ham in an hour of perplexity, saying, "Fear not,
Abram, I am thy shield and thy exceeding great re
He came to Paul, when threatened with ship
wreck, saying, "Fear not, Paul !" He has come to His
not!"
servants in every age, saying, "Fear
Still Mighty
Christ is still the great High Priest, willing to
save. He is still upon the throne. He has put down
Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius, Alexander and
the Caesars. He has overcome the Charleses, the
Jameses, the Hohenzollerans, and Hitler and He
shall reign until He has put all enemies under his
feet.
Not Discouraged
Do not be discouraged, ye faithful of the Cove
nanter Church in America, or Ireland, or Scotland,
or Syria, or Cyprus, or Japan, or China. He has given
you a banner to be held aloft. Why art thou cast
down, why are ye disquieted, ye Covenanters Trust
in Christ for your cause is His cause.
Jesus encouraged His disciples saying, "Fear
not little flock, it is your Father's good pleasure to
give you the kingdom." Christ assured Daniel that
though his people should pass through exceedingly
trying times, "The people that do know their God
shall be strong and do (11:32).
Palissy, a Huguenot potter, was made a prisoner
of France visited him in the
in the Bastile. The king
dungeon, assuring him that he had a regard for him,
but declaring that if he did not conform to the es
tablished religion he would be forced to leave him in
the hands of his enemies. Palissy replied: "Forced,
sire this is not to speak like a king ; but they who
force you cannot force me. I can die." 357