Matthew 7:21-23, 25:31ff, Romans 8, John 3: Who is Jesus?

Presented to Alberni Valley Ministerial Community Men’s Breakfast, 09 May 2026 and TSA AV Ministries, 10 May 2026 by Major Michael Ramsay 

  

As almost everyone is aware now, we will be moving. The Salvation Army has posted us the Burnaby, BC. Our last Sunday here will be June 28th.  I will miss everyone in this community. When I was able to speak at the recent Lenten services, I was chatted about some things that were near and dear to my heart – real social justice issues – so today I thought that I would just speak about who is Jesus? Can I have people just call out some of the titles and roles that we ascribe to Jesus? Today I want to chat about 3 or 4 of these a bit: Lord, Saviour, Son of God, and King (Messiah/Christ). 

 

Jesus is our Lord 

We call Jesus Lord. What does ‘lord’ mean? In today’s language, how do we use the word? We know the House of Lords? That is the senate in the UK. When the UK was a Superpower, the House of Lords had hereditary lords making decisions. Lords typically would be people who owned land. In our language today we still have landlords. When we call Jesus ‘lord’, we are drawing on this image; so, what is a landlord? A landlord owns the building you are in; you are expected to pay him rent and follow the rental agreement or he can evict you. 

 

Jesus is our landlord. He owns the earth and everything in it and He has given us some very specific responsibilities as part of our rental agreements –or, as we call them in the Bible, covenants- that we are bound by. Jesus is our Lord. We need to live up to our rental agreement. 

 

Jesus says, Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, [land]Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ 

 

I find it interesting that according to Matthew, Jesus tells us that prophesying in Jesus’ Name, driving out demons in His Name, and performing Miracles in His Name is NOT proof of our salvation. People are doing these things today who may not have Jesus as their landlord. Matthew tells us what Jesus says is evidence of salvation later in book. Jesus is our Lord. 

 

Jesus is the Son of God and Jesus is God 

Jesus is God’s son and as part of that is God Himself. I like the way the Bible speaks of us as co-heirs with Christ. Just as Julius Caesar adopted Augustus Caesar and he inherited his kingdom; so, you and I have been adopted as co-heirs with Christ and will inherit the Kingdom of God (Romans 8:17). 

 

Jesus however is the only sired, the only begotten Son of God (John 3:16); therefore he is the only ‘person’ who is actually God. He was born God – and, of course, He was God before He was even born (John 1:1).  

Doctrines 2 and 3 of The Salvation Army affirm that: 

2. ... there are three persons in the Godhead-the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, undivided in essence and co-equal in power and glory. 

3. .. in the person of Jesus Christ the Divine and human natures are united, so that He is truly and properly God and truly and properly man.  

Jesus is our Saviour 

What does/did/will Jesus save us from? Hell? Eternal separation from God? The eternal consequences of our sins? Anything else? Is being saved about more than simply going to heaven? The New Testament / Covenant / Residential Tenancy Act says, “yes, it is.” Jesus has not merely saved us from the consequences of sin; He has also saved us from the necessity of sin. Just like an alcoholic can be free from the reality of drinking even as the temptation may always be there; so too regarding Christians and sin. In the NT letters believers aren’t referred to as Christians. We are referred to as ‘saints’; The word for ‘saints’ literally means to be holy, to be like God. In a letter from Peter (1 Peter 1:16), we are reminded that God tells us to “be holy as I [God] am holy” (Leviticus 19:2). Salvation means that we can be holy. Jesus is our Saviour. He died to save us from sin and that salvation/holiness we can experience this very day, and it will continue forever even into the new heaven and the new earth.  

The Salvation Army, of which I am an Officer, affirms in its 7th through 10th doctrines, that... 

7. repentance toward God, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and regeneration by the Holy Spirit are necessary to salvation. 

8. we are justified by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and that he that believeth hath the witness in himself. 

9. continuance in a state of salvation depends upon continued obedient faith in Christ. 

10. it is the privilege of all believers to be wholly sanctified, and that their whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23,24)

 

Jesus is King / Christ / Messiah 

 

Matthew, whom we quoted about Jesus as Lord, tells us in Chapter 7 what does not prove that we are Christ’s followers: prophecy, miracles, casting out demons in His Name; in Chapter 25, referring to Jesus as King, he tells us what does prove that we are saved: 

 

25:34ff: “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 

  40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ 

 

The people who do this are rewarded but they are also saved; for those who call Jesus King but who do not do this, God says. Verse 41, “‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” 

 

Jesus is our king; what is a king? Similar to the Landlord that we spoke about, the King (or the Crown) may own everything. They are responsible. In Canada, when you are charged in court, it is “the Crown versus so-and-so". In Canada, if a service is public (for the benefit of the people), rather than (private) to make money, it may be a ‘crown corporation.’ Kings of old, like some countries’ Presidents now, could even pardon people who were convicted of crimes. How much is that like Jesus? We are all guilty of sin, but Jesus offers us the pardon of salvation. The King historically is the boss; the person in charge; the person who has authority over us and power even over our very lives. The Monarch of Canada used to have a lot of power. Even before we were a country, the King permitted the HBC to manage all the lands flowing out of the Hudson Bay. That is much of the land that grew into our country. The ancestors of the King of Canada used to be absolute monarchs, responsible for our very lives. Now King Charles III is mostly just a figure head... my question for us is: Is Jesus still our absolute monarch or has he just become a figurehead in our lives? I am going to finish with a story about a king... 

James V, the King of Scotland used to go around the country disguised as a common person. That is because he wanted to meet the everyday people of the country not just the rich and powerful. He wanted to see how the normal people lived. 

 

One day he was dressed in very old clothes and was going by a place known as Cramond Brig, when he is attacked by robbers who don’t know who he is. There is a fierce struggle and he is nearly overcome when, at just the right moment, a poor farm worker - Jock Howieson - hears the commotion and comes to the disguised king’s aid. 

 

Now Jock, the poor labourer, who works on this portion of the King’s land, Cramond Brig, unawares takes the undercover king home and gives him a dinner of broth and Jock - as the king is recouping – naturally asks the man who he is. 

 

The King responds ‘I’m a good man of Edinburgh.’ 

 

‘And where do you live in that city and where do you work?’ 

 

‘Well,’ says James, ‘I live at the palace and I work there too.’ 

 

‘The palace, is it? I’d like to see the palace; if I could see the King, I’d tell him a thing or two…’ 

 

‘About what?’ asks the man. 

 

‘I’d tell him that I should own this land that I am on. I work it every day and he never comes here & gets his hands dirty working this land.’ 

 

 ‘You’re right enough’, says the man. ‘You come tomorrow to the palace at Holy Rood and I’ll show you around. Come at two.’ 

 

So the next day at two o’clock, Jock Howieson, is washed, dressed and at the palace to meet his new friend at the back door. The good man, whom Jock had saved the day before, shows him around the kitchen, the dining room, the bedrooms – the whole palace. Then, at last, the two of them come to the great rooms of the State. 

 

‘Do you want to see the King?’ the man asks Jock. 

 

‘Oh yes indeed’, says Jock, ‘I do. I do want to see the King.’ 

So they enter the great hall and as they come in, men bow and ladies curtsey. It is really quite a thing to see.  So Jock whispers to his friend, ‘How will I know who the king is?’ 

 

‘He’s the only one who keeps his hat on’ 

 

Jock says, ‘But… there’s only us two with our hats…’ and Jock immediately takes off his hat as he realises that James is indeed the King of Scotland. 

 

And so it is with us today. Jesus is King (as He is God, Lord and Saviour). He is walking around with each of us showing us His domain here on earth and just waiting for us to take off our hats as we realise that indeed Jesus is King. If there are any of us here today who have not taken off our hats and laid them before the Lord, I invite us to do just that – acknowledge the truth that Jesus Christ is King. And as we realise that may always serve Him as the absolute monarch in our life and never just a figure head. 

 

Let us pray. 

 

 

John 20: So that You May Believe

Presented to The Salvation Army Alberni Valley Ministries, Resurrection (Easter) Sunday, 17 April 2022 and 01 April 2026 by Captain (Major) Michael Ramsay 

This is the 2026 version; to view the 2022 version click here: https://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2022/04/john-20-so-that-you-may-believe.html

 

Many things happened in our Resurrection Day text. Here we have the first preacher of the Gospel, the Good News that Jesus rose from the grave. This woman, Mary Magdalen is the first Christian teacher / preacher / proclaimer of the resurrection. She doesn’t quite get it all yet. But she proclaims what she sees to Peter and another person, presumably John. 

 

Next in our Resurrection Day text, after they hear the Good News John and Peter run to the tomb as fast as they can, I assume, to see for themselves! John gets there first and stops at the door, examining the scene and taking the whole thing in. Peter – like a child or younger sibling – comes running up behind him, roars past John, who is stopped at the tomb then seems to call out: “I win! I was here first. I won!” 

 

They take it all in. They see Jesus’ burial clothes lying there – but Jesus is gone. It says John saw all of this and believed but he did not understand. Then the disciples just went home. I can only imagine. What else could they do? …if they don’t understand? They know Jesus is gone and maybe they will know he has raised from the dead but they don’t quite understand, why? How? What next? Where is He? What is happening? They don’t understand 

 

Now it seems that Mary had gone back out to show them the tomb and, of course, the boys went running off ahead. When she gets there Mary stays outside the tomb even after the boys leave. She’s crying, and crying, and crying. So much is going on. She loves Jesus every bit as much as the boys do. I imagine she is completely overwhelmed by the immensity of it all. She bends over to look in the tomb herself again and she sees two angels where Jesus’ would have been laying. 

 

They turn to her -I don’t imagine she recognizes them as angels yet but maybe she does – and they ask her, ‘why are you crying?’ She answers them and then she turns around and when she does, she sees Jesus. But she doesn’t recognize Him at first – understandably: she is crying – she is probably trying to avoid eye contact. And anyway, when is the last time you went to visit someone’s grave and they tapped you on the shoulder and started speaking with you? No wonder she doesn’t recognize Him immediately. 

 

Jesus also asks her ‘why are you crying’? Why is everybody asking her this? You’d think everyone would know why someone would be crying at a graveside, really! Especially if the tombstone and everything was in place but person you went to see wasn’t there anymore. But Jesus does ask her, ‘why are you crying?’ 

 

She thinks He is the gardener; so, He asks, ‘who are you looking for?’ I imagine He is just waiting for her to look up and see who He is or even stop crying a bit, take a breath, and listen to His voice. I imagine that is why He keeps speaking to her like this: ‘why are you crying?’ ‘Who are you looking for?’ So she will stop and pay attention. She talks to Him like He is the gardener, probably looking away and the He eventually just says, ‘Mary!’ and then she recognizes Him. 

 

She cries out to Him and I imagine she tries to hug him but Jesus says, “remember to social distance”, “No touchie”. No, that’s not what this means. He says, don’t detain me, I still have to go see My Father, Our Father, My God, Our God. 

 

Mary then begins to understand a little bit about what the boys didn’t’ understand and she runs off to tell them that she saw Jesus. Mary for the second time in our text is playing the part of the first evangelist: sharing the Good News of Jesus being raised from the dead and telling of her interaction and relationship with the resurrected Christ! 

 

That evening many of the disciples are gathered together. They are concerned. They lock all of the doors – in light of everything that has been happening and what they know and do not yet understand, they are afraid of the Jewish leaders. 

 

Picture this with me then. They are trying not to be noticed. They are afraid. They are hiding. The doors are locked. And then in the middle of the room, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “peace be with you”. I picture a similar scene as when He was speaking with Mary earlier. I wonder how long He was standing in their midst before they actually heard, listened to, and recognized Him. After however long, He then shows His hands and His side, with the wounds from His crucifixion. Everyone there is excited! No Kidding! When is the last time you went to someone’s funeral and they showed up at the lunch afterwards?! …showing you the scars from how they died. 

 

He says again to them ‘peace be with you’ – I imagine this is after the commotion has died down a bit and everyone has had their turn touching Him and greeting Him.  ‘Peace be with you’ He says, Verses 21-23, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And then he breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit.” 

 

Now this is very important: On that first day of the week, right at the resurrection, Verse 22, we have the Advent of the Holy Spirit infilling people in the New Testament! Not forty days later in Acts Chapter 2. Acts Chapter 2 is about something entirely different. But also this, of course, isn’t the first time the Holy Spirt shows up in the Bible – He was present at creation – and before. He is there at Jesus’ baptism. He is there in John Chapter One. Here, in John Chapter Twenty, on this the resurrection day, Jesus breathes and His Holy Spirit fills the disciples. They are filled with the Holy Ghost. 

 

Now then Thomas, for some reason, wasn’t with them. They tell him the whole story but he doesn’t buy it. He thinks they are pranking him or something! So he says unless I see and touch Him too, I don’t believe you! 

 

Now Jesus is nice enough to accommodate him. Later they are all in the same house, with the doors locked again – and this time Thomas is with them when Jesus shows up and says, “Peace be with you”. Jesus asks him to touch His wounds, His scars. Immediately Thomas worships Jesus. Jesus then goes on to perform many more miracles and signs and He does this again and again for his disciples. So why does Jesus do all this? Why does John or whomever, and the other Gospel writers, record all this? Verse 31: …These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His Name. 

 

And that is my hope for each of us here. May we know so that we believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God and as we really are all sent, may we be evangelists like Mary and the other disciples so that others who have not yet seen Jesus may yet believe and so that they and we may all have life in His Name. For now and evermore. Amen. 

Matthew 25:1-13, Psalm 146: Lanterns

Presented to the Alberni Valley Ministerial Lenten Service, 01 March 2026, at Arrowsmith Baptist Church by Major Michael Ramsay

The topics I chose from our Lenten list for today are “God has rescued us from the Dominion of Darkness”; “He has Freed Us from the Power of Sin”; the Kingdom of God is at hand. Do we believe that? Do we live that?

 

In theology we use the term ‘prolepsis’ to refer to the time when the Kingdom of God begins, which is now, the time between the resurrection of Christ and His return at the eschaton. This is the time in which we are living and as Christians it is our responsibility to be willing instruments of God to display what it means that He has rescued us from the Dominion of Darkness; He has Freed Us from the Power of Sin, that the Kingdom of God is at hand. But do we even actually believe that He has already done this? And if He has why does it not seem that the Sin and Darkness still reign?

 

We know the parable of the bridesmaids (holy ones) in the Bible who needed to keep their lanterns lit – because lit lanterns were to be there when the Bridegroom Jesus returns? That is us now. In the darkness of our world, do we have our lanterns lit? He has already rescued us from the Dominion of Darkness; He has already freed us from the Power of Sin, are we living like it – or are we sitting in the darkness, with our lanterns out, like those who aren’t part of His Kingdom

 

The Bible repeatedly tells us what a holy people, sanctified nations, the Church looks like, what we as Christians will be working towards in our country, our world, our city and our congregations, if indeed we are Christians. Psalm 146, among many other passages, declares what God’s Kingdom is like and what His servants, if they are serving Him, will work towards.

 

5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the Lord their God.

6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth,

the sea, and everything in them—

he remains faithful forever.

7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed

and gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets prisoners free,

8     the Lord gives sight to the blind,

the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,

the Lord loves the righteous.

9 The Lord watches over the foreigner

and sustains the fatherless and the widow,

but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

10 The Lord reigns forever,

your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the Lord.

 

If we are His people, He will do this through us. If we are citizens of His Kingdom, then that my friend is what we will do. if indeed He has rescued us from the Dominion of Darkness; freed us from the Power of Sin, and if the Kingdom of God is at hand, like Jesus claims. Jesus, Luke, Isaiah, the Bible speaks about a salvation society as one where the sick are healed, the captives are free, the hungry are fed, the lonely are visited, the perpetrator is forgiven, relationships are healed. Isaiah 2:4 speaks of Salvation as where:

 

He (The Lord) will judge between the nations

and will settle disputes for many peoples.

They will beat their swords into plowshares

and their spears into pruning hooks.

Nation will not take up sword against nation,

nor will they train for war anymore.

 

In our world, in our country, in our province, in our city there is still conflict, abuse, addiction, poverty, homelessness, murder, mental illness, hate, violence, unforgiveness... darkness…and we still pick up our swords. But He has rescued us from the Dominion of Darkness; He has freed us from the Power of Sin, the Kingdom of God is at hand now! Jesus said (recorded in Luke 4, citing Isaiah 61:4) that the time is now! What if we didn’t have to wait until we die, or until Christ returns, to experience a world without all of this? What if Christ was right and he wasn’t lying to us? What if the Kingdom of God is actually at hand? What if the Church (and our churches) is actually the body of Christ and what if we actually do this? - feed the hungry, free the prisoners, etc.?

 

It has been said that poverty isn’t a matter of scarcity: God has provided more than enough for the whole world; poverty is a matter of distribution. Countries, organizations, and people with resources simply do not share. I understand that the payroll of the NY Yankees alone could feed and clothe the world – how many sports teams are there in Canada and the US alone? Baseball? Hockey? Football? I often watch the games with my daughter … Is that what we choose instead of feeding a starving child?

 

Swords and Plowshares: America is seemingly always at war with someone and Canda is whenever they tell us to be. They just invaded Venezuela, are threatening Greenland and Cuba and are positioned to attack Iran again. I read an article about a bombing of Iran a few months ago. It was a very small American attack – nothing like Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya. etc. They only used four planes: each plane cost one billion dollars, the missiles they launched each cost 1 million dollars. How many American children could they feed, shelter and educate for that? Not even considering the money they (we) are spending killing people in Palestine and the Ukraine War.

 

They (we) would rather spend money killing other people’s children than providing the needed care and education to save their (our) own children. It seems that they (we) would rather their (our) children die in poverty than pass up the opportunity to kill their (our) enemies’ children. Jesus says we will forgive our enemies; Isaiah says God’s nations will beat swords into ploughshares. Jesus has rescued us from the Dominion of Darkness; He has freed us from the power of Sin, the Kingdom of God is at hand! So why are we instead beating ploughshares into swords. I pick on the US because I read the article about them and they are the world’s only remaining superpower: Israel, Britain, France, China, Russia, India, Canada, etc., etc. etc.… it all applies. Our countries: if we are sheep nations rather than goat nations, if we are saved, we will beat our swords into ploughshares and we will put more effort into saving people than we do in killing them. Afterall, He has rescued us from the Dominion of Darkness; He has freed us from the Power of Sin, the Kingdom of God is at hand – but are we part of the Kingdom of God or do we prefer this Dominion of darkness? Do we serve Him or do we still serve darkness and sin?

 

Psalm 146:7 says, “The Lord sets the prisoners free”; you can also see this sentiment in Zechariah 9:11, Psalm 68:6, Psalm 102:20, Isaiah 42:7 and elsewhere. Jesus, as recorded in Luke, quotes Isaiah 42 letting people know that the time to set the prisoners free, if we believe that Jesus is Lord and His Kingdom is at hand, is now. I think this is important. I think we do need to do what the Bible tells us to do. I was reading one African Liberation Theologian’s essay (I believe it was Bongajalo Goba) in Hammering Swords into Plowshares, a book dedicated to the Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He said that one main difference between capitalist western churches and the Universal Christian Church is that western churches either spiritualize everything (for example: God doesn’t’ really want us to let people out of jail, that is just a metaphor for something else…maybe being free from our personal bad habits) or they try to say that the things that God tells us to do as a society are only in the future and God will do it later; it is not our responsibility (we shouldn’t try to give sight to the blind now; we shouldn’t end hunger or homelessness now – even though we can!- God will do that when Jesus returns). But the real Church including the churches in the third world, realizes that when God tells us to make it so that no one is hungry; no one is lonely; no one is homeless; no one is thirsty, and no one is in prison; He is telling us to do it now! The is no excuse: He has rescued us from the Dominion of Darkness; He has Freed Us from the Power of Sin, the Kingdom of God is at hand – so we should act like it. We are not supposed to go on propping up systems that are opposed to the expressed will of God and just say “oh well, when we all get to heaven we will all be okay” -both me who has so much and my neighbour who doesn’t. When we all get to heaven what a day of rejoicing that will be.

 

I have been really convicted and cut to the quick with the sentiment I shared at the Summer Rain festival in the Summer: Jesus speaks about a salvation society as one where the sick are healed, the captives are freed, the hungry are fed, the lonely are visited, the perpetrator is forgiven, relationships are healed. In our world, in our country, in our province, in our city there is still conflict, abuse, addiction, poverty, homelessness, murder, mental illness, hate, violence, unforgiveness… Really, what if we didn’t have to wait until we die to experience a world without all of this? What if Christ was right and he wasn’t lying to us? What if the Kingdom of God is actually at hand? What if the Church (and our churches) is actually the body of Christ and what if we actually do as he has commanded us? 

 

In 2025, I read the books Wrongfully Convicted by Canadian lawyer and Founder of Innocence Canada, Kent Roach and Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson, an American lawyer who has spent his career working with death row inmates. The horrors that people suffer behind bars in the USA are as bad as you imagine and even worse. Think of the TV shows you have seen and then place yourself or your loved ones in the place of the prisoners being abused by prisoners or guards, or judges, or whomever. When I studied Restorative Justice from Simon Fraser University more than a decade ago, we read stories of inmates who were actually lost in American prisons – it came time to release them and they had no idea where they were.

 

I have a story relating to that – when I was just a new Salvation Army Officer, I was appointed to the small town of Nipawin, Saskatchewan. One Sunday a congregation member asked me if I could go see another congregation member, Zerah. “Sure” I said. “He is in cells” they said. Apparently, shortly before we had arrived to town Zerah had gone on an arson spree, lighting the town on fire. I spent the next weeks and months meeting Zerah whenever he was in town for the circuit court. In between court dates they would ship him off to prisons in Prince Albert or Regina – his court cases were in Nipawin, Carrot River, or Tisdale. I would meet him in whatever community courthouse the circuit court was meeting on that day of the week.

 

One time I was in the court room in Carrot River and they called Zerah’s name to stand before the judge. No answer. They called it again. No answer. The judge said, “We will need to issue a warrant for his arrest for not showing up for court.” At this point I popped up from my seat and awkwardly raised my hand. I was in uniform; he asked me, “do you know where Zerah is?” “Yes. He is in prison in PA” I said. Everyone in the courtroom laughed. I didn’t. The judge didn’t. “Then we better not issue a warrant for his arrest” the judge said as he instructed the bailiff to try to find Zerah and figure out how they lost him in the system. Eventually they did find Zerah in prison; but can you imagine if I wasn’t there? This warrant issued from the bench would be on his record. They lost Zerah in prison.

 

Did you know that quite a few people in U.S. jails, federal and state prisons have never even been convicted of a crime? What percentage of people in US jails do you think have never been convicted of a crime? These stats are before the current ICE storm btw. 80%! 80% of people suffering all that they are suffering in prison have never been convicted of an offence and some of them never will be and some of them will have their convictions overturned on appeal. I didn’t find the stats for Canada but, from experience, I wouldn’t be surprised if they are similar.

 

A member of our church in Toronto when he immigrated to Canada from Dubai about 15 years ago, they held him and his sister in jail until they processed them – I am not sure how many months they were in jail. He was separated from his sister (she was put in a different jail). I wound up going to the consulate with him to figure out a whole bunch of things – this is Canada.

 

I spoke to my friends in Stony Mountain Penitentiary when I was there for two years. They told me that the prison organized the wings by gangs: the Indian Posse had one wing, the Hells Angels another. They set the rules. They told me that you never make eye contact with anyone. It was hard not to be part of a gang. We put people who have never been convicted of a crime through this and more in Canada – we almost make them join a gang and/or get abused in prison. And then they can lose you in this system, like they did Zerah. Can you imagine if it was the day of your release and no one knew where you were to release you?

 

In 2023, in Canada, 61 people died in custody.  According to StatsCan, from 2017-2020 there were 169 deaths in our prisons: there were 20 suicides, 11 confirmed homicides, 19 drug overdoses and many other natural and suspicious deaths. In 2019 alone in the USA 143 were murdered while in the care of the State.

 

But God has rescued us from the Dominion of Darkness; He has Freed Us from the Power of Sin, the Kingdom of God is at hand. We, the Church, are called to free the prisoners; we, the Church, are supposed to be good stewards of the money God entrusts us with as well. The estimated total court spending in Canada for 2014 was $1,614,017,311. That is not even including the incarceration and other costs! We could provide everyone the mental health and addiction support they need in this country for that amount of money. The average hotel cost across this country is $211.00 per night. The daily average cost of keeping someone in prison here is $326.00 per night which works out to $9780.00 per month. We could afford to put everyone in a hotel and give them the mental health and addiction help they need for less than putting them in prison – and there are lots of safer cheaper ways to contain someone. The average rental cost in Canada is $2200 / month which works out to $74 a day (as opposed to the $326 /day that it costs to put someone in a cage!); the average mortgage in Canada (including Vancouver, etc.) is just $2100 a month which works out to just $70 a day. We can feed and house people for a lot cheaper than that – with all the supports to keep themselves and others safe too! So why do we lock people in prisons? It doesn’t help them. It doesn’t help us! – oh and btw I read that over 70% of those in Canadian prisons are diagnosed with mental health conditions.

 

Instead of locking someone up to be tortured in the cages we call prisons, we could send them somewhere safe and secure for the mental health and addiction support they need – for a lot cheaper! This would help them and reduce or eliminate recidivism, keeping society safe – we just choose not to! Derek, one of our regular friends at the Army and the Bread of Life, every time he gets out of jail he is healthy-ish, well fed and not visibly fighting his demons for a week or so – but when they toss him out of prison they toss him out on the street with no support; so his own mental health demons torment him so much until he hurts himself and others in unimaginable ways and then winds up back behind bars where he suffers everything that one suffers there. That doesn’t make society safe. That doesn’t make Derick safe.

 

That doesn’t need to be the case. My friend Zerah was eventually sentenced to mental health care and weekly injections for his schizophrenia instead of jail and he was able to contribute to society. Why don’t we help everyone who needs help like that? Why do we torture people like we do Derrick instead? Why? Just because Zerah ‘lucked out’ and had a compassionate judge? Because he had a TSA Officer with him the whole time? We are called to set the captives free. There is no reason for anyone to be tortured in a cage, let alone the 80% of the people we are doing this to who have never been convicted of a crime, 70% of whom have mental health issues. How can we punish people with mental health and addiction issues for acting in manners consistent with their mental health and addiction issues?

 

Of the over 35 million people in Canada today, 35 485 of us are locked in cages, prisons. There are homeless people right here on the streets of our town today. In BC addiction is more in your face than anywhere else in Canada. I did not see as many people on the streets in Regent Park, Toronto, Canada’s first ghetto, as I did in front of the OPS here when I first arrived.

 

Matthew 25:31ff says that the sheep nations, the ones that are saved are ones who feed the hungry, water the thirsty, visit the lonely, sick and imprisoned, house the unhoused stranger…. God has rescued us from the Dominion of Darkness; He has Freed Us from the Power of Sin, the Kingdom of God is at hand; so are we sharing His light? Are we a saved nation or do we have unhoused, hungry, lonely people in prison and on the streets? Do we care? Are we the church doing our part? Are we members of the Kingdom of God fighting to overthrow the powers, principalities and systems of this world? Or are we the bridesmaids whose lamps have gone out long ago?

 

Who here professes Christ as our saviour? When we look at Matthew 25:31ff – even the goat nations that don’t go to spend eternity with our Lord do that! Matthew 7 says that not everyone who calls Jesus Lord is saved. Salvation is more than that. I read a poem that was shared at a ‘poor persons conference’ in Albergue years ago. Here is a modified excerpt:

 

I was hungry

and you formed a … club

and discussed my hunger.

Thank you.

 

I was imprisoned

And you crept off quietly

To your chapel in the cellar

And prayed for my release

[Thank you]

 

I was sick

And you knelt

and thanked God

for your health

[Thank you]

 

I was homeless

And you preached to me

Of the spiritual shelter of

The love of God

[Thank you]

 

I was lonely

and you left me alone

to pray for me.

[Thank you]

 

You seem so holy;

So close to God

But I’m still very hungry

And lonely

And cold…

 

Theologian Albert Nolan asks, “How can one speak about the church as the body of the crucified Jesus of Nazareth when church people are so healthy, well-fed and have no broken bones?”  Are we complicit with the systems of this world or are we fighting to expand the Kingdom of God? What can we do? How can you and I at least, beat our swords into ploughshares? How can you and I, at least, act like sheep? First, we must advocate for real change! (to de-commodify our nation and the world for starters) Then we must do it!

 

Now there is a glimmer of hope. This Thursday, as every Thursday, there was a prayer meeting at the Bread of Life Centre. Friends who eat with us there, friends who sleep there, friends who live and visit us there – they pray. You should see the tears. You should hear the testimonies. The Spirit is moving (preaching Good News through the poor); God is transforming lives.

 

I saw a Christian friend, cleaning weeds from the sidewalk downtown this week; Nathan is leading community dinners and eating regularly at the soup kitchen with us. He has even joined us at the shelter for a time. John, Carol, Sally and others are part of Neighbourlink Read and Feed Society reading to children and feeding them in the schools. Pastor Bruce at the Elim team are making meals and serving them from the food truck each and every week for years. People from Arrowsmith are opening a Christian recovery centre in town. Volunteer chaplains for the Legion, the fire departments and/or the RCMP are here. This is Kingdom of God stuff! This is what it looks like when we are saved!

 

When I was in the Cypress Heath region, people were dying in the hospital without the congregations or their pastors even knowing they were there. People were not getting any support. The Lord used His people to set up a chaplaincy program where a pastor would everyday visit everyone in the hospital and reach out to the pastors of the other churches when their congregation members were in the hospital.

 

When I was in Southwest Saskatchewan it was put on hearts, the number of people going to prison over and over again – and the number of victims of crime who never had the opportunity to face their accuser and never had the opportunity to be free of unforgiveness. Before my time, God used TSA set up restorative justice there where the victim and offender were able to see each other, the victim would be able to have their questions answered and the victim would be given the opportunity to be freed from unforgiveness which can kill us all.

 

During my time there, God used His people to set up a transition through incarceration program where we sat with the offender (and victim) in court, kept in touch with them in prison, set them up with a place to stay, a job, a social group that was different than the one they had when they went into prison. Of all the people we sat with only one person ever re-offended. Societies can be changed. God does transform lives and He will transform the world. God has rescued us from the Dominion of Darkness; He has Freed Us from the Power of Sin, the Kingdom of God is at hand! (We do need to get rid of prisons altogether! In the Kingdom of God people aren’t locked in cages!)

 

Since I have been in town here, I have seen God use ministerial to save the Bread of Life Centre and use His people to set up the shelter at there, providing food and shelter 24 hours a day, seven days a week through staff, volunteers, and community partners (including the ministerial association and various churches) past and present. (We do need to provide supportive housing; there is no homelessness in the Kingdom of God)

 

I have seen God rescue human-trafficked individuals from town here – whisked them away to the TSA in Victoria where they can be helped and saved temporally and hopefully eternally.

 

God has rescued us all from the Dominion of Darkness; He has Freed Us from the Power of Sin, the Kingdom of God is at hand. My friends, this is what the kingdom of God looks like; this is what Salvation looks like. It is people being transformed as they come to know our Lord and Saviour; it is societies being transformed as they come to follow our Lord and Saviour. Are you a part of God’s transformative church in our society? Do you want to be? Do you want to help those in need through your congregation? You can. Do you want to offer food and prayer to people on the food truck? You can. Do you want to serve people at the food bank or the soup kitchen? You can. Do you want to lead a Bible Study somewhere: your church, your home, at the shelter, the Bread of Life? You can. If service, study, or hospitality are not your gifts… maybe you would like to organize an event? Maybe God has given you two coats and you can donate one to the Thrift Store - so that it can either be given to someone in need, or sold to someone in need so that they can have the dignity of selecting and purchasing it themselves, and/or sold to generate funds for services to those in need? Maybe you don’t think that you have anything to offer but maybe beyond your tithes to your local congregation, God is leading you to feed the hungry in your own community in some way. There are a million ways or more to serve and be used by God to transform our whole society into a salvation society where everyone is welcome to participate! Pray! He will tell you how He can use you to serve. After all, He has rescued us from the Dominion of Darkness; He has Freed Us from the Power of Sin, the Kingdom of God is at hand!

 

I often think of Randall from my time in Toronto. He is blind. I think he grew up in quite an abusive home. He lived in 220 Oak, the worst building in one of the worst areas of Toronto. Randall is a soldier in our Salvation Army. Randall played music. He was a blind man carrying a tuba (or baritone) on his back, his white cane in his hand, finding his way on subways, busses, and through the roughest most crime ridden areas of Toronto by himself to play music at churches, funerals, Christmas kettles, anywhere he went he shared the gospel in music. And every Friday morning at 7am he would join me and others as we walked around regent park and prayed for people living in the neighbourhood that was once North America’s first ghetto. This is Salvation and it begins now and continues on forever. I have friends of mine from my time serving at Stoney Mountain Penitentiary in Winnipeg who, even though they were behind bars, led people to a saving relationship with our Lord who then brought that Salvation they found behind bars to the outside world – He for now and forever set the captives free! God can use each and everyone of us to change this world, to grow His Kingdom!

 

Most of our employees at The Salvation Army are what in contemporary vernacular we call ‘piers’ or people with ‘lived experience’ – most of us come from backgrounds of addiction, abuse, homelessness. I can’t tell you the number of people we have working with us right now who have their first ever jobs and they are in their 30s 40s and 20s, parents, people who God is using to do wonderful, amazing things.

 

God will transform Our world – He promises whole new heavens and a whole new earth. The question for us is will we be a part of it? Are we a part of it? He wants us to be. And many of us here are serving God through Breakfast clubs, street outreach, community meals, cleaning sidewalks, reading to children, other service projects, through our congregations or some other way as the Lord leads.

 

This is good for He has rescued us from the Dominion of Darkness; He has Freed Us from the Power of Sin, the Kingdom of God is at hand; So, let us ask to the Lord where and how He would like each of us to live out our salvation, to be a part of His Kingdom? Let us ask Him how He can use each of us to point our neighbour to salvation both now and forever? As the Lord is leading you to help out in your church, go talk to your pastor today while it is still on your heart. As the Lord is leading you to help at the soup kitchen, shelter, foodbank, food truck, or other ways, you are welcome to chat with me today. As we all share the Gospel of Christ in word and deed, then the Lord can and will save us all and He will use even us to transform our society into His Kingdom, to make our whole world anew because He has already rescued us from the Dominion of Darkness; He has freed us from the Power of Sin, the Kingdom of God is at hand

 

Let us pray

Daniel 6: Darius’ Lions’ Share of Salvation

Presented to The Salvation Army Alberni Valley Ministries, 15 February 2026 by Major Michael Ramsay

 

We have been reading through the Book of Daniel and thus far going through chapter by chapter. Therefore, if you have been to church over the previous five weeks you would have read and studied the first five and now 6 chapters with us.

 

The first four chapters were ultimately about King Nebuchadnezzar’s salvation and included a couple of dreams and the famous Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego in the fiery furnace story. Last week there was one chapter dedicated to one of Nebuchadnezzar’s successors, King Belshazzar. We read the story of the writing on the wall and the fall of the Neo-Babylonian / Chaldean Empire. Also in Chapter 5 we are introduced to a new king – Daniel's third he served under, King Darius the Mede. Chapter 5:30-31: “That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.”

 

This is where today’s story picks up... but maybe we should have a sidebar first, before we read the chapter. I was looking up where the different kings are mentioned in the Bible and in history. Nebuchadnezzar is mentioned a lot and Ezra-Nehemiah takes place at the time of Cyrus, who is the next king under whom Daniel will serve. King Darius the Mede, however, isn’t mentioned anywhere other than the book of Daniel – either in the Bible or in history as far as we know. There was a Persian King known as ‘Darius the Great’ who is very famous in history – but he wasn’t around until after Cyrus. Darius the Mede, however, is before Cyrus. I followed that rabbit hole a little bit and came up with two ideas (of the very many out there) that I found interesting. One, ‘Darius the Mede’ could still have existed; he may just be lost to history for now. (I won’t go into that too much) and two, maybe ‘Darius the Mede’ is ‘Cyrus the Great’ or a ruler under Cyrus. Daniel 6:28 can actually be translated as “So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, that is, in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.”

 

Another question, besides ‘who is Darius the Mede?’ that I found interesting is the question, ‘who are the Medes and the Persians?’ Do we know this? We know the Persian Empire. They fought against the Greeks a lot – Xerxes, Darius, Cyrus. We remember Xerxes from the book of Esther. The Persians and the Medes are two different groups of Iranians who are very closely related. Just like Tseshaht and Hupacasath are two different groups of Nuu-chah-nulth People (also Tla-o-qui-aht and Ahousaht); so the Medes and Persians are two nations of Iranians. Iran and the Iranian people, of course, still exists today in the same general area. Alright... to the scriptures... Babylon has fallen, the Iranians have taken over, and Darius is in charge. Reading from 6:1-5:

 

It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, 2 with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. 3 Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4 At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. 5 Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”

 

Daniel is a high-ranking government employee. But he is somehow able to keep working for many years in various administrations. He was Nebuchadnezzar’s right-hand person and third in command (albeit newly appointed and very short-lived) for Belshazzar and now he is one of three top administrators for Darius. His fellow administrators don’t like Daniel for some reason: it could be prejudice, because he isn’t an Iranian but the Medo-Persians / Iranians did work well with the foreigners in their ranks and according to the books of Ezra-Nehemiah (which take place around this same time), the Hebrews seem to even have had a somewhat favoured position in the empire – but that can go back and forth – we also know the similar story of Esther, Haman and Mordechai which took place in the Persian Empire as well. 

 

It could be that his co-workers just didn’t like him. It could be that he was old and crochety – certainly Chapter 5 can be read that way. It could be that the other officials were jealous. It could be because he was the boss’ favourite, It could be a bunch of things but for whatever reason, Daniel was that one co-worker who nobody seemed to like – accept the boss. Anyway, he was about to be promoted and his co-workers did not like it at all. They tried to find something that he was doing that was not quite right so they could rat him out but Daniel was a stickler for the rules. Verse 5: Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.” Verse 6ff:

 

So these administrators and satraps went as a group to the king and said: “May King Darius live forever! 7 The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den. 8 Now, Your Majesty, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” 9 So King Darius put the decree in writing.

 

There are a few things here. Obviously, this group was intentionally being tricky. They knew Daniel prayed to YHWH so they tricked the King into making it a capital offence to pray to anyone accept the King. There could be a few reasons that the king may go for that. He may think that he is a god or he may be so vain that he thinks that everything should be about him. These are possible motives but the fact that this is only for a month, not forever leads one to believe that it is something other than just that. If he actually wanted everyone to worship him and him alone he could have decreed it from now on instead of just for a time. I would imagine that there certainly was a certain amount of hubris in his command but it seems that it was as much about establishing his authority as anything else – similar to Nebuchadnezzar’s statue. He had newly conquered a lot of his kingdom and wanted to make sure that everyone was loyal to him. Anyway, the plotters flattered the king into doing what they wanted. 

 

They were tricky too: look at Verse 7: the plotters tell the king that “The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed ...[with their request]” This was obviously untrue because Daniel was 1/3rd of the administrators and he didn’t agree. Some of his colleagues /workmates thought that they could trick their boss into getting rid of his favourite employee. (Honestly, I don’t know how they could think that would go well for them.) But – they did it. Part 1 of their plan is complete: They convinced the King to agree to throw anyone to the lions who is caught praying to anyone other than the king. He fell for it. 

 

Now, the moment of truth – how well do they know Daniel? Will he take the bait. We should note here that there is no religious law or practice that we know of now that states that Daniel had to pray to God three times a day; there is no command in the Bible that says that he needs to pray towards Jerusalem every day. It is just something he does in his personal devotions – it is not mandated by religious law or Judean tradition; it is just something he does; so, will he keep praying to YHWH after the law is published – and can they prove it; or will he be sneaky like deceiving people who smuggle Bibles into foreign countries today or who have secret Church meetings? Will he be tricky or will he be bold for the gospel? They are waiting. What will Daniel do? Verse 10-12a:

 

10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. 11 Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. 12 So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: “Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human being except to you, Your Majesty, would be thrown into the lions’ den?”

 

When there is trouble, the first thing Daniel does is go home and pray. That makes sense. It says he goes home, into his house, and he goes to a room upstairs. The windows in that room face Jerusalem. He went to that room and knelt down to pray three times a day, as he had always done. Now the plotters – I don’t know how many of them there are. Are there just his 2 hitherto equals or are there others as well? It says there is a group of them so I imagine that a group is more than two people - The plotters, go as a group and sure enough they catch him praying; so, as was their plan, they run to the king and remind him of the law and that it can’t be changed and that anyone who breaks that law is to be thrown to the Lions. 6:12-14:

 

The king answered, “The decree stands—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.”

13 Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, Your Majesty, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.” 14 When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.

15 Then the men went as a group to King Darius and said to him, “Remember, Your Majesty, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed.”

 

I find it interesting that when they tell on Daniel – remember that Daniel is one of the 3 top administrators in the kingdom and he is being promoted to number 2 behind only the King – sort of like Darius’ Prime Minister - and his fellow ruling elites refer to him as “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, [who] pays no attention to you.” This reminds me what we are hearing about in the USA today with ICE. Or in Japan: their Prime Minister just won an election with a platform of keeping the foreigners out and possibly limiting / not letting them practice their religion or cultural traditions. Or – it is Olympics time – remember the Paris Olympics? Not only did they seemingly mock God, Christians and Christianity in their opening ceremonies, but they also banned Muslim women athletes from wearing the hijab let alone the niqab or burqa. In Canada too we have just tightened our restrictions on people from other countries being able to live and work here – and Canada's Quebec Law/Bill 21 does not allow the turban, the hijab, the crucifix, or other symbols of religious worship for anyone who is a government employee like Daniel was. The group’s deriding comment about Daniel is that he is a foreigner and they attack him via his religious worship. Much like is happening today in Canada, the USA, and other western and even eastern countries.

 

The king isn’t concerned about that. He made Daniel number 2 in his Kingdom: Daniel in Babylon after Israel falls is again reminiscent of Joseph in Egypt before Israel was founded. The king is very hesitant to kill Daniel and so at sundown it appears that the whole group (however large it is) that wants Daniel gone, goes to the king to remind him of his duty –because of their country’s version of Quebec’s Bill 21- to throw Daniel to the lions, vv. 16-19:

 

16 So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”

17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed. 18 Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.

19 At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. 20 When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?”

 

I find this very interesting. The king obviously does not want to lose Daniel. Lots of people want Daniel out of the way, but the king is not passive in this story. He actively wants Daniel to somehow survive. He has hope that somehow Daniel might make it. He can’t sleep at all that night. He doesn’t want to eat. He doesn’t want to watch anything or do anything. He just wants it to be tomorrow to find out what will happen. You know what it is like when the die is cast, there is nothing you can do but pray and hope. Maybe it is like when you have written an exam and everything is riding on your mark and you have to wait to find out how you did, or you wrote a proposal, or applied for a job and you don’t know what happened; or maybe there has been an accident and you don’t know if your family member was in the accident or not and you are just praying that she is okay. My father-in-law was a politician. They would fight a whole campaign and then on election night after the polls were closed just sit glued to the TV to see the results coming in. There is nothing more that can be done. You just watch and pray that not only your team wins but that you survive. You are not defeated. 

 

The example of powerlessness and waiting that strikes fear in my heart still when it comes to my mind is when I was in grade six. Of course there was no internet when I was in Grade 6 – and I didn’t do my homework one day, I forgot – and here it is Wednesday night and the school library is closed and Thursday, the following morning, the teacher will ask for a random group of students to present their assignments – and like I said there is no internet and no way for me to do my homework before tomorrow. So I prayed that I would not be in the group that is picked to present the next day. I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t want to do anything. I just needed to find out my fate. I think this is what it is like for Darius. He has tried to think of something that he can do to save his friend and/or prized employee but he can’t. All he can do is wait through the night – hoping.

 

As he seals Daniel in the lion’s den he says, Verse 16, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!” And then after the sleepless night, Verse19-23, 

 

At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. 20 When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?” 

21 Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! 22 My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”

23 The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

 

The King is relieved; the king is overjoyed. God had saved Daniel from the lions as he saved his companions from the furnace many years before. God protected him. The king is relieved. He is overjoyed. He had hope; he had faith – he did race to the den of lions as fast as he could, as early as he could. He was hoping – I am reminded of the Disciple John, on Easter morning, when he ran faster than anyone and arrived at the empty tomb. As one might expect to see the lifeless body of Jesus, one might expect to see the lifeless body of Daniel – but each were alive! John said, he believed but he still did not understand! Remember too in the Gospels, the centurion who came to Jesus asking him to save his little girl who passed away– I imagine that before King Darius knew Daniel was alive, he hoping would have felt the same as the centurion expressed, “I believe, help my unbelief.” These are Darius’ feelings. He then experiences the miraculous salvation of YHWH: He is overjoyed. Verse 24:

 

24 At the king’s command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

 

This is interesting. The king who was so concerned about the laws of the Medes and the Persians that he signed the assumed execution of his trusted official, his friend because it was the law, he here quickly decides that not only should all his friend’s accusers die but so should their families – and apparently God agrees because they all seem to have died quickly - before they even hit the ground. The officials, however many of them there were, took quite a chance (because apparently this outcome was always a possibility) and it cost not only them but also their whole families their lives. I do wonder how many lions there were and how hungry or angry they were. I do wonder how many people died that day – 10 officials and all of their wives and kids? 50 officials and all their families? 120? I don’t know but their gamble didn’t pay off and the stakes were very high. They gambled that they could defeat Daniel by tricking the king, but even though they successfully tricked the king, God defeated them and the king was keen to see that they experienced the consequences.

 

God saved Daniel in a miraculous way just as King Darius hoped beyond hope and maybe didn’t even quite dare to believe. This brings us to the point of this chapter, as Darius speaks up on his version of a Testimony Sunday for all the hear, verses 25-28:

 

25 Then King Darius wrote to all the nations and peoples of every language in all the earth:

“May you prosper greatly!

26 “I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.

“For He is the living God

and He endures forever;

His kingdom will not be destroyed,

His dominion will never end.

27 He rescues and He saves;

He performs signs and wonders

in the heavens and on the 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.

 

As YHWH rescued Daniel, and as He revealed Himself King Darius so too He reveals Himself to you and I and He can rescue us from everything that concerns us today!

 

Let us pray

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