“… the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” (Daniel 11:32, NKJV)
I have always loved this verse…and it has taken me many years…and now I finally get it. I memorized the verse as it is written above. However, I left off a small but very important word.
BUT. “… but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” (Daniel 11:32, NKJV) That little adversative changes the entire meaning of Daniel’s phrase. It is a change in direction.
In context, Daniel is describing godless kings waging war, political intrigue and graft, and the defilement of the temple. To top it off, many of God’s people joined in the sin… BUT – not all of them. Those that truly know God stood their ground and fought back with great strength, carrying out great exploits in the process.
That’s one of the things I love most about this OT book. Daniel was a captive in Babylon, but he refused to defile himself with non-Kosher Babylonian food. When he was told not to pray to God or be executed, Daniel prayed openly, three times a day. He was arrested and thrown in the lion’s den. When Daniel’s friends refused to bow down to a golden idol, they were thrown in the fiery furnace.
Part of what it means to “know your God” is say enough is enough…to go against the prevailing current of society…and to trust God. Sometimes you have to trust him in the lion’s den or the fiery furnace.
But God will give you the strength, and you’ll do great exploits!
