Men Who Had A Purpose
1. Daniel Purposed In His Heart
2. Daniel Purposed In His Heart Not To Defile Himself With The King’s Meat
3. Shadrach, Meshach, And Abednego Purposed That They Would Not Bow To The Golden Image
4. Daniel Purposed In His Heart To Be Faithful In Prayer
5. Noah Purposed That He Would Believe God And Save His Family
6. Joshua Purposed That He Would Serve The Lord
7. David Purposed That He Would Stand And Fight For The Cause
8. Abraham Purposed That He Would Go Where God Wanted Him To Go, And Do What God Asked Him To Do
1. Daniel Purposed In His Heart
I enjoy reading the book of Daniel. From the very first chapter we find exciting stories about Daniel and his friends who were taken captive into Babylon. They were in a foreign land with people who spoke a different language and worshiped false gods. Demands were made on them, but they purposed in their heart not to defile themselves. As we approach Father’s Day, I want to look at Daniel and some other men in the Bible who purposed in their heart to stand true to God.
2. Daniel Purposed In His Heart Not To Defile Himself With The King’s Meat
We find out a lot about Daniel and his companions in the first few verses of the book of Daniel. It was a time of war. These young men were either of the king’s seed, or princes. They were wise and were chosen to learn the ways and language of the Chaldeans. They were given certain meat and wine which was against their upbringing, and they purposed not to defile themselves with it. Read the first chapter of Daniel and see how God helped them rise above their sad circumstances because they stayed true to God.
“1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.
2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.
3 And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes;
4 Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.
5 And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.
6 Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:
7 Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego.
8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
9 Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.
10 And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king.
11 Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,
12 Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.
13 Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.
14 So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days.
15 And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat.
16 Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat, and the wine that they should drink; and gave them pulse.
17 As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.
18 Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.
19 And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king.
20 And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.
21 And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus.” (Daniel 1:1-21)
3. Shadrach, Meshach, And Abednego Purposed That They Would Not Bow To The Golden Image
We are moving on to chapter 3 of the book of Daniel. King Nebuchadnezzar built an image of gold that was 90 feet high and 9 feet wide. He demanded that all the people in his realm bow and worship the image when the music played. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego purposed in their heart that they would not bow and worship the golden image.
“13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.
14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” (Daniel 3:13-18)
The king was so angry he told them to heat up the furnace 7 times hotter. He commanded the most mighty men of his army to cast them into the burning furnace. It was so hot it killed the men who threw them in. God delivered these men because of their faith in Him.
“23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.
27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.” (Daniel 3:23-30)
4. Daniel Purposed In His Heart To Be Faithful In Prayer
Chapter 5 of Daniel tells about King Belshazzar and the hand writing on the wall. At the end of the chapter Belshazzar was slain and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom.
“3 Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.
4 Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.
5 Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.” (Daniel 6:3-5)
All the presidents, governors, and princes told King Darius to make a royal decree that whosoever asked a petition of any God or man for 30 days, except to ask of the king, should be cast into the den of lions. The king signed the decree under the law which could not be changed. But, Daniel purposed in his heart that he would stay faithful to his God. God delivered Daniel from the mouths of the lions.
“10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
11 Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.
12 Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king's decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
13 Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day.
14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him.
15 Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed.
16 Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.
17 And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.
18 Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him.
19 Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.
20 And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?
21 Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.
22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
23 Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.
24 And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den.” (Daniel 6:10-24)
5. Noah Purposed That He Would Believe God And Save His Family
During the days of Noah people on the earth had grown exceedingly wicked.
“5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” (Genesis 6:5-8)
God told Noah to build an ark because He would bring a flood to the earth. Noah and his three sons worked to build the ark and gathered males and females of all the kinds of animals and birds. They also had to gather food for the animals and people on the ark. “Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.” (Genesis 6:22) Peter tells us that Noah was “a preacher of righteousness”, but the people would not listen. (II Peter 2:5) Only Noah and his wife, and their three sons and their wives went aboard the ark and were saved.
“11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
13 In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;
14 They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort.
15 And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.
16 And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.” (Genesis 7:11-16)
God kept Noah and his family and the animals on the ark safe. After the water dried up God set a rainbow in the sky as a token of His promise that He would never destroy the earth by flood again.
6. Joshua Purposed That He Would Serve The Lord
Moses was a great leader who stood before Pharaoh and proclaimed the plagues on Egypt, and then led the Children of Israel into the Promised Land. After his death, Joshua fought the battles of the Lord and led the Israelites into the land of Canaan. It may have been hard for Joshua to take the place of such a great leader. But, Joshua purposed in his heart that he would serve the Lord. “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15) This is the last chapter of the book of Joshua. He had served the Lord faithfully, and he was determined to finish right. In just a few verses we read that he died. “And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old.” (Joshua 24:29) Joshua, the servant of the Lord, was faithful till the end. Let’s purpose in our heart to serve the Lord continually and finish right!
7. David Purposed That He Would Stand And Fight For The Cause
David was a young shepherd boy and was out tending the sheep when his father called him to take some food and see how his brothers were doing. They were in Saul’s army, fighting a battle against the Philistines. Goliath was the champion of the Philistines and he was about 9 1/2 feet tall, clothed in protective armor.
“8 And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.
9 If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.
10 And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.” (I Samuel 17:8-10)
David saw and heard the challenge of Goliath when he arrived at the camp of Israel.
“26 And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?
27 And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him.
28 And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.
29 And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?” (I Samuel 17:26-29)
David was a young boy, but he purposed to stand for the cause of right and fight against the giant. With a sling and a stone and his faith in God, he won the battle against Goliath. The battle against sin of this world is raging. We need to purpose in our heart to stand and fight for the cause of Christ!
8. Abraham Purposed That He Would Go Where God Wanted Him To Go, And Do What God Asked Him To Do
We are closing this theme about men in the Bible who purposed in their heart to serve God, with Abraham. We can read the story of how Abraham followed God from Genesis 17 to Genesis 25. We even read of Abraham in the New Testament. “Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” (Galatians 3:6) James 2:23 tells us that Abraham was called the “Friend of God.” We see the faith of Abraham in Hebrews 11. He purposed to go where God wanted him to go, even though he didn’t know where he was going. He purposed to do what God wanted him to do, even when God asked him to offer his son. God saw the faith of Abraham and provided a ram for the offering.
“8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
11 Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.
12 Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.
13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.” (Hebrews 11:8-19)
