Lesson 45 "If I Perish, I Perish" Daniel 1, 3, 6; Esther
Among the stories in the Old
Testament, those of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and Esther are
some of the favorites. What did Daniel,
Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Esther, and Mordecai have in common? (They all
had the courage to do what was right, even when doing so put their lives at
risk.) What situations have you
encountered where you had to decide whether or not you would stand for what you
knew was right?
Although in the Jewish tradition
Daniel is included in the “writings” Ketuvah (the Jewish Talmud is divided into
the law, the prophets, and the writings), the Savior refers to him as a prophet (Matthew 24:15). The theme in
all three is that no matter how bad things are, eventually your enemies will
pay for what they have done to you. Remain faithful. Alma and Amulek in prison;
Nephi vs. Laman and Lemuel; Nephi and Lehi (sons of Helaman) in prison are
similar but eventually better examples.
Quote:
Dallin H. Oaks “Even as we seek to
be meek and to avoid contention, we must not compromise or dilute our
commitment to the truths we understand. We must not surrender our positions or
our values. The gospel of Jesus Christ and the covenants we have made
inevitably cast us as combatants in the eternal contest between truth and
error. There is no middle ground in that contest.”[1]
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
“Jesus the Christ, who knew
perfectly how to give, set for us the pattern for giving. To those whose hearts
are heavy with loneliness and sorrow, He brings compassion and comfort. To
those whose bodies and minds are afflicted with illness and suffering, He
brings love and healing. To those
whose souls are burdened with sin, He offers hope, forgiveness,
and redemption.”
Daniel
1
On the face of it, it is a privilege
to eat the King’s food and drink his wine while invited to his court. However,
it is food that has been sacrificed to the false idols and as such not
something a Jew should consume. Similarly, the Word of Wisdom is the Lord’s law
of health, but more importantly it is a commandment with blessings. What blessings have come in our lives as a
result of living the Word of Wisdom?
Elder Boyd K. Packer taught: “I have
come to know … that a fundamental purpose of the Word of Wisdom has to do with
revelation. From the time you are very little we teach you to avoid tea,
coffee, liquor, tobacco, narcotics, and anything else that disturbs your health.
… If someone ‘under the influence’ can hardly listen to plain talk, how can
they respond to spiritual promptings that touch their most delicate feelings?
As valuable as the Word of Wisdom is as a law of health, it may be much more
valuable to you spiritually than it is physically” (in Conference Report, Oct.
1979, 28–29; or Ensign, Nov. 1979, 20).
The benefits to Daniel and his
friends, “As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all
learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams”
(Daniel 1:17).
Daniel
3
Very quick reversal from Daniel
being in favor after having interpreted dreams, now because of their refusal to
worship an idol, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are to be thrown into the fiery
furnace.
“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego,
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 thine 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 (Daniel 3:16–18).
Elder Neal A. Maxwell said: “We will [not] always be rescued
from proximate problems, but we will be rescued from everlasting death!
Meanwhile, ultimate hope makes it possible to say the same three words used
centuries ago by three valiant men. They knew God could rescue them from the
fiery furnace if He chose. ‘But if not,’ they said, nevertheless, they would
still serve Him!” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1994, 45; or Ensign, Nov. 1994,
35).
What
does “But if Not” mean to us?
Daniel
5
Writing on the wall. See also Exodus
31, Alma 10 and Ether 3. Also the writing on the Liahona and Joseph reading the
translation of the Book of Mormon.
Daniel
6
King has been tricked into writing a
law that will condemn Daniel who is now in a strong position of power. He is
cast into the lion’s den where he is unhurt, but his enemies are annihilated.
Consequences follow disobedience. This is paralleled in Esther. In both case
the king is friendly but gets tricked by wicked counsel. How far does one go in being subject to kings, etc. (Article of
Faith 12)
Elder L. Tom Perry said: “Not only
did Daniel’s service benefit the king, but because of the faith that Daniel had
in the Lord, it affected an entire land. The king sent forth a proclamation
that all the people of the kingdom should worship the true and living God, the
God that Daniel worshiped. How mighty was the power of the service of one
righteous man, affecting so many, as he served ‘in the world’ in which he
lived! How effective will be the results of our service if we will continue to
serve in our own personal way ‘in the world’ in which we live!” (in Conference
Report, Apr. 1988, 16; or Ensign, May 1988, 15).
Esther
Ahasuerus is Xerxes. Interestingly
Esther does not appear in the Dead Sea Scrolls, probably because there is no
overt reference to God. It is the reason for the Jewish Festival of Purim which
is basically a party. Hamantaschen are made for that festival. [2]
Esther’s Hebrew name is Hadassah which is the name of the big medical system in
Israel today after her. Historically, Haman is an Agagite who are descended
from the Amalekites who were mostly destroyed by David—probably a hereditary
hatred of the Jews. It can be viewed as a foretaste of the persecution of the
Jews for the next two millenia.
“For
such a time as this”—if we accept that we have been reserved to come to earth
at this time, what does that mean to us individually?
James E. Faust, “These are challenging times. I believe your
spirits may have been reserved for these latter days; that you,
like Esther, have come to earth “for such a time as this.” It may be that
your most significant, everlasting achievements will be your righteous
influence on others, that your divine feminine inner beauty and intuition will
find expression in your quiet strength, gentleness, dignity, charm,
graciousness, creativity, sensitivity, radiance, and spirituality. Enhance
these sublime feminine gifts. They will make you appealing and even
irresistible as you serve others as the handmaidens of God.”[3]
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