Why Truth Matters.

In our study of the book of Daniel, we have been exposed to the questionable figure, Darius the Mede. One writer, H.H. Rowley, put it this way: “Darius the Mede cannot be identified with any king, and he is generally seen today as a literary fiction” (Rowley, H.H., 1935). As a believer in Jesus Christ, this is alarming. Why? Because we believe all of the Bible to be truth. Jesus said, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). In the Word of God listed in Daniel 5 and Daniel 6, a king by the name of Darius the Mede is mentioned. But many in academia dismiss him as a real person; they call him a fictitious mentioning. Should I sound the alarm? Dare I start marching against academia and slandering any naysayers?

Well, I don’t worry for several reasons. I do still believe that all of the Bible is truth! The Bible speaks incessantly about its veracity. Isaiah 40:8 is one example: “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” 1 Peter 1:23 is another: “ For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” The Bible is not going away. Do a google search for “enduring Word of God” or “eternal Word of God” and you might get a link something like this one: https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Eternal-Truth.

It is verse after verse of truth being displayed in the Bible; the whole of the Bible is truth and we can rest assured that it is truth. One biblical scholar, Amy Orr-Ewing, wrote a great book on that topic in her book Why Trust the Bible?: Answers to Ten Tough Questions (Orr-Ewing, Amy. InterVarsity Press. 2020). She makes some very practical and logical connections to why you and I can trust what God says in His word.

But I would like to take you to a real-life practical insight: again and again the truth of the Bible has been recognized by those humble enough to acknowledge truth. Here is one example: Belshazzar. Belshazzar appears in Daniel chapter 5; there was a period of time where historians scoffed (Ferdinand Hitzig for example - 1850) at the Bible’s reference to this figure, stating that he was a figment of duped minds and simplistic thought. Those detractors have had to swallow hard due to an archeological find from 1854.

In that year, some small clay cylinders came to light in the ruins of an ancient Babylonian city - Ur (southern Iraq). These were documents concerning King Nabonidus and they included a prayer for his eldest son: “Bel-sar-ussur.” “Bel-sar-ussur” spells out Belshazzar. This is the Belshazzar spoken of in the book of Daniel. The Word of our God lasts forever; the Word of God is truth.

Now we clearly know that Belshazzar was an historical figure and the Word of God was not shy about including his name in that document of truth. In fact, the Bible proved to be normative in the realm of truth and Ferdinand had to eat crow.

Critics come and go; the Word of the Lord stands [true] forever (Isaiah 40:8) .

So how do we reconcile “Darius the Mede” in the book of Daniel? One, lack of historical recognition does not mean that he did not exist. Two, recognize that Satan will do all he can to distract us from the truth (it is eternal life saving) and he will work to alarm us, scare us, distract us from the Bible’s life giving words of truth. He knows the powerful word of God speaks life into our weary, darkened souls. He knows that the truth of God awakens us from hellish slumber. He has seen six millennia of person after person being awakened by that whispering truth. The very Word of God causes dead hearts to come alive. Don’t let Satan’s distractive, short-sighted detractors take away your focus on THE Truth of God!

As a Bible-believing follower of Jesus, we take all of the Word of God as truth, from Genesis to Revelation. The Word of the Lord will last forever. The flowers fade, the grass withers, but the word of our God stands forever. Kings have tried to burn the scroll that contained the Words of God (Jeremiah), unbelievers and believers alike will distort and twist the Word of God. But it stands above all other words as the Living and enduring truth; the Word of God is living and active (Hebrews 4:12-13).

Because of its potency, so many have attacked it. Why? It reveals the flaws and spin of human minds and hearts. It shows that all humans, conceived and born into this world, are products of the very first sin of rebellion perpetrated by Adam and Eve. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. It’s very nature is to expose this cancerous deformity that will take us down to the pit of hell. God never wanted that end for us and therefore must tell us truth: all have sinned (Romans 3:23)!

And I prefer to quote the verse after Romans 3:23 because it helps us to breathe a sigh of relief: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24). God loves sharing gifts; this one is the greatest gift you can ever receive. In it you have received the forgiveness necessary to take you from hell to heaven. In this forgiveness gift of grace, you see displayed the intense love of God, to draw you close and never let you go.