The Learner\u2019s Aid\u2014Dan_1:20<\/p>\n
God is a good paymaster. Give what we may to Him of faith, or work, or trust, or love, or zeal, He gives back again with large interest\u2014good measure, and pressed down, and shaken together, and running over\u2014 ten, twenty, thirty, sixty, or a hundred fold, in whatever we need most from Him.<\/p>\n
The history of Daniel strikingly proves this; and it may be clearly seen even in that early portion of his history with which we are now engaged.<\/p>\n
He entered the palace of the proud heathen king, into whose hand Judah had been given for her faithlessness, with full purpose of heart to preserve his integrity, and to keep his soul undefiled from the various temptations which, in such a place, there was much to fear would assail him. With such a purpose before him\u2014in carrying which out he might reckon upon treatment hard for the young to bear, not only from the officers of the palace, but from his own less scrupulous and less pious companions\u2014the sneers, the shrugs, the taunts, which fall so keenly upon the raw sensitiveness of the youthful spirit\u2014the thing most essential to smooth his path was the favor and kindness of the chief of the eunuchs. And this he gained immediately.\u2014And how? God gave it to him. See with what emphasis and force of expression this is intimated\u2014\u201cGod had brought Daniel into favor and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.\u201d Not only favor, but tender love\u2014such love as that with which a father regards his son. Daniel knew that to please God was the best way to please Ashpenaz; not that Ashpenaz cared about Daniel\u2019s pleasing God, but because God, being pleased with his purposes and desires to be true to Him, could, if it were needful, incline the heart of Ashpenaz favorably towards him. Daniel was a diligent and thoughtful student of the holy books; and he had no doubt read and pondered over the text, \u201cThe king\u2019s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will\u201d\u2014(Pro_21:1). The whole career of Daniel evinces his deep conviction of this truth. He knew also another truth, although it had not then been written, \u201cWho is there that shall harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?\u201d<\/p>\n
The \u201ctender love\u201d of Ashpenaz, which the Lord had thus bestowed upon his servant, was a very important acquisition. None could dare to treat harshly, few would venture even to flout at, one who stood so well with that formidable personage.<\/p>\n
But more than this was needed. Daniel was in a school\u2014he was under a course of instruction, on his proficiency in which his future course of life, his honor, his station, and his usefulness, were made to depend. No favor of the chief eunuch could carry him creditably through the laborious and exacting studies required, or bring him victoriously through that severe trial to which his attainments would in the end be subjected, along with many able competitors, and in the presence of the princes and sages of the realm.<\/p>\n
To learn the language of the Chaldeans, closely related as it was to the Hebrew, could have been no difficult task to a youth of his abilities; but to acquire proficiency in the unfamiliar learning and science for which the Babylonians were distinguished, was a sterner task. For a foreigner to acquit himself creditably in these studies, needed that he should<\/p>\n
\u201cScorn delights, and live laborious days;\u201d<\/p>\n
but that he should acquire positive distinction, and eclipse even the natives in their own line of study, required, the world would say, rare genius\u2014shining and peculiar parts. Daniel and his friends knew that it required something more. They knew what was wanted, and they knew where to seek it. They needed aid from God, and He gave it freely to them. \u201cAs for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom.\u201d By this means, still more than by the patronage of Ashpenaz, they were enabled to command the respect of their fellow-students; and when the time of trial came, envy was crushed, and detraction silenced, by the signal and glorious success of these four youths, who had trusted in God; for then, \u201cin all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.\u201d <\/p>\n
There seems to us something full of overlooked instruction in this. We count it reasonable to look to the Lord for our daily bread\u2014to apply to Him for aid and guidance in the trials and emergencies of life. But how few are they who seek for the same aid from Him, and feel the same dependence upon Him, in matters of the intellect\u2014in learning, in study, in thought! But why not? Is the nourishing and strengthening of the mind of less importance than that of the body? Are mental labors, trials, and achievements of less consequence, or of less enduring effects upon ourselves and others, than those of the body, or than the movements of outward conduct? The reverse is the truth. Then, has God limited himself to one class of operations for our benefit; and is not rather his high encouragement and aid equally ready for all, and preferably ready for the most important? It is very reasonable and becoming\u2014it is very necessary\u2014that when we go forth into the toil and business of the day, or when our affairs present perplexing difficulties, we should cast ourselves upon the Lord\u2019s protection, and look to Him for counsel and guidance. But is it\u2014can it be\u2014less needful, that when we sit down to read, to write, to study, to think, we should lift up our hearts trustingly to Him, and cry\u2014<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat in me is dark<\/p>\n
Illumine, what is low raise and support?\u201d<\/p>\n
God can and will do this for us; and it would please him well to be asked to do it. Let us believe that to pray earnestly, is to study well; and let us be sure that He will refuse nothing that we seek, in singleness of heart, only for his service and his glory. How many difficulties that seem insuperable would be smoothed; how many blessed thoughts might be suggested\u2014how many forgotten things brought to mind\u2014how many wearinesses refreshed\u2014if we trusted more to God, and less to ourselves, in the exercise of such gifts as he may have committed to us, and in the supply of such as we want. Take the instance of the acquisition of a language. What a weariness it is to many\u2014how bewildering are often the difficulties, \u2014how exhausting the tax upon the memory and judgment\u2014and how often are not some tempted to lean hopelessly over the grammar and lexicon in sheer despair? Is there no help? Yes, there is prayer. Languages are now needful in sundry departments of God\u2019s service; and is it to be believed that He who once bestowed the gift of tongues miraculously, to fit his servants for their work, has altogether ceased his aid? Let him who has to supply by the labor of years the absence of that gift, believe that it is still in a great measure open to his earnest prayer; and that the Lord, whom he means to serve, is as able as He is willing to impart all the endowments that may be needful\u2014not to supersede his labor, but to make his labor easy, and his burden light.<\/p>\n
Autor: JOHN KITTO<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Learner\u2019s Aid\u2014Dan_1:20 God is a good paymaster. Give what we may to Him of faith, or work, or trust, or love, or zeal, He gives back again with large interest\u2014good measure, and pressed down, and shaken together, and running over\u2014 ten, twenty, thirty, sixty, or a hundred fold, in whatever we need most from … Continue reading ““608. THE LEARNER\u2019S AID\u2014DANIEL 1:20””<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16960","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16960","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16960"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16960\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16960"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16960"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16960"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}