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The Meaning of the Gospel by Esther Swyer
written about 1970
Daniel 6
What is the meaning of the
gospel? What is the "gospel"? What is the purpose of the gospel?
Read Daniel 6 --Note the
sequence of events. verse 3 - Daniel was
preferred because of his "excellent" spirit. The result was jealousy in
verse 4.
In verses 5-7 they couldn't find any fault in him, so
they set a trap for him, by making up a law which they knew he wouldn't be
able to obey. Then when Daniel broke that law, the king who had preferred
him had no choice but to condemn him to the lion's pit---in
verses 13-16.
In verse 17 the den was sealed with the stone and the
king's signet, to prevent escape or rescue in any way. Verse 18-
notice the king's anguish, and how he dealt with it.
Verse 20 - Notice the hope in the king's question, and Daniel's answer in verse 22.
Verse 23 - notice
that Daniel suffered no hurt because he believed God. Then the king's
response - What does verse 24 remind you of ? (Read the Book of
Esther).
In verses 25-28 we see the results of Daniel's deliverance
- The greatness and goodness of God was spread all over the land by the
king himself, and his people learned about the Living God as a Saviour,
and a Deliverer, as a Faithful God, and a Powerful One who works signs
and wonders.
There are two ways of paralleling this story - with us and Jesus, and with the missionaries and the people they go to.
Let's look at some similarities:
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The presidents could find nothing wrong with Daniel himself, so they looked for something connected with the law of his God -verse 5. Neither could the Pharisees find anything wrong with Jesus, so they looked for something connected with "their" laws, which He had broken because He was subject to a higher one, just as Daniel was.
-
Compare Darius and Pilate -- Both were distressed because they knew the wrongness of the accusations and the righteousness of the accused. But neither could do anything about it.
-
Compare Daniel and us - Daniel was helpless to escape from the lion's den. We are helpless to escape from the snares of Satan. Both he and we must depend on God to deliver us.
Why was Daniel helpless? Because his heart was set on God - on obedience to God. He could have saved himself from the den of lions if he had chosen to go against his God. In this sense he too gave his life. Also he was helpless because he was in a foreign land, and under the dominion of a foreign king.
We are helpless because we are under the dominion of Satan before we are converted, and after conversion we are living as foreigners in another land, and except where the laws conflict with God's law, we are subject to its dominion.
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When a missionary goes to a foreign land, he must submit to the laws of the land except where they require unfaithfulness to his God. A missionary will also find himself in a "lion's den" simply because he is invading the enemy's territory, and daring to trust God for His protection while there.
Let's think again about the meaning of the gospel. The gospel means "good news". About what? God's salvation - from what? For who? How do we find out about it?
Darius' kingdom would not have known how great God was if Daniel had not been put in the lion's den, and become the vehicle for making it known. Suppose Daniel had been a coward? Suppose Jesus had backed away from the cross--------?
The people in other lands
are helpless unless the Lord sends help. As a result of the missionaries'
work the knowledge of the grace, goodness, love and protection
of God is spread far and wide, and many are saved. What if no one
went? What happens when we fail to trust God? How does our failure
sometimes affect others? What does the gospel mean to us besides salvation
from sin?
The purpose of the gospel ---what is it? Are we fulfilling its
purpose for us - for others? How can we do so? One question leads to
another -- How much do we think about these things? -- How often do we
allow God's Spirit to lead our thoughts? How many answers do we find?
Again - What is the meaning of the gospel? And how much does it mean to us? Does it mean enough for us to brave the lion's den, if need be?
about the author
Esther Swyer was born in
Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia. The eldest of eight children
she married at twenty-one and promptly had six children. She
became a Christian in October of 1958 at the age of twenty-five
and was baptised in December of that year. She began teaching a
Sunday School class of a dozen nine to ten year olds
in 1961 or 1962 and has been
teaching various age groups ever since.
Esther began teaching adults and leading Bible studies sometime in the seventies. She became involved in WMS in the late sixties and held various positions over the years, then in the early to mid-seventies she started serving on the Association Council. On top of all that she was involved for many years in ladies retreats serving as small groups director for around twenty years. Currently Esther is president of the WMS on the Association level, treasurer of her church, adult ladies class teacher, and is completing her third year as a church deacon.
Her first marriage ended after twenty-two years. She re-married thirteen years later in December 1988 and was widowed in June of 2000. She has eighteen grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Esther has just published a book about her spiritual journey.