Key Text: Exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come (1 Timothy 4:7 – 8).
The Old Testament Book of Daniel is considered to be one of the four Major Prophets of Christianity. The impression is given in Daniel, Chapter 1, that he was born in the Southern Kingdom of Judah of a high-ranking family of the Tribe of Judah. The text in chapter 1 indicates that when Nebuchadnezzar, monarch of the Babylonian Empire, conquered the Southern Kingdom, Daniel was included in the group deported to Babylon. The Apocryphal Ecclesiasticus writes, “Let us now praise famous men, and our fathers that begat us…” And according to the text, Daniel was one of four young captives of “good birth and high intelligence” and the others were Hananiah, Mishael, and Azarriah – who were selected to be trained for service in the Babylonian court. The four were renamed, respectively, Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego vv 6 – 7. Daniel’s strict adherence to the Mosaic Law (dietary regulations of Leviticus 11) led him to ask the chief eunuch in charge of them for permission to prepare his own food ”that he might not defile himself” v 8, a request that was granted. Daniel also considered the possibility that their food may have been dedicated to the gods of the Babylonians and that the rich foods from the king’s table may not have been as nourishing as the menu he was proposing. The period of training in the “the learning and tongue of the Chaldeans” (the court language) ended in the third year. At the end of the three years of training all the youths were brought in for personal inspection by the king. The king discovered that not only were Daniel and his friends the best of the group, but were distinguished in learning. God did not fail to do His part. God gave them “knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.” The business of being religious is a matter of continuance, which speaks to the underlying character of Daniel.
Paul addressed Timothy about bishops, pastors, and lay persons in the church “going into training” for religious life. Paul instructs the church to “exercise thyself rather unto godliness” v 7. Most ridiculous and profane were writings stuffed with the most ridiculous and profane fable that ever disgraced the human intellect. Then Paul alludes to the gymnastics exercise among the Greeks which were intended as a preparation for their contests at the public games. Just as an athlete trains for a contest, building up his body by nourishing food and strenuous exercise, so the contender for the Christian cause must keep himself spiritually fit. He must be nourished on the words of faith and of good doctrine. The Christian must feed his mind and spirit on the Word of God as a steady diet (Timothy 4:6-8) in order to receive “a good report of them” (1Timothy 3:7). Finally, Paul gives his affirmation: “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:13-14). AMEN!
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