Dec. 6 – Thoughts on Daniel 3-4 & 1 John 5

I always loved the “Where’s Waldo” books when I was a kid.  Finding Waldo in the midst of a crowd of similarly dressed people always gave me such satisfaction.  But once found, I could never un-find him, and so the book was finished and solved.  Reading it again brought no joy.

Finding Jesus in the Old Testament is a bit like a “Where’s Waldo” book.  There are many people throughout the Old Testament, and many of them look a bit like Jesus.  Moses speaks freely with God, Elijah and even moreso Elisha do miracles, the prophets speak in parables, yet none of them IS Jesus.  Yet He is there.  And when you find Him, it is so satisfying.  But unlike the Waldo books, I can read these stories again and again, finding Jesus again and again with the same satisfaction.

He’s there in today’s story.  And in this one, He’s a bit more obvious.  Thrown into the fiery furnace, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are joined by a fourth, “who looks like a son of the gods.”  Found Him!

Remember yesterday when we read that the gods “do not live among humans”?  Well, God does.  And while we might not call this “living among” humans, it is God and He does show up for these three servants.  And from this encounter, Nebuchadnezzer proclaims that nobody is to speak badly of God.  But as usual that doesn’t last long.  A while later, Daniel interprets another dream for him, and a year after that we find him losing his mind for seven “times” because of his arrogance.  And he is restored only after he once again proclaims God as the one true God.

If you look closely, you can see Jesus all over the Old Testament, from creation itself through the prophets and finally in His birth, life, death, and resurrection.  Watch for Him and you will never be disappointed.