Читать книгу Sun Rays - Joshua Livingston - Страница 17

Bel and Daniel

In the time of Cyrus the Persian there was a revered prophet in the land named Daniel. Daniel was known for his faithfulness to the one true God, the creator of heaven and earth. However, Cyrus and his disciples were not believers in this God of the Hebrews, for they placed their devotion at the feet of an idol called Bel.

Bel was a statue made of clay that was encased in brass and it stood alone in its own temple. Every evening, the worshippers of Bel would enter the temple and lay lots of food and wine at its feet and then leave, sealing the door behind them. When the king would go to the temple each morning for his morning prayers, all of the food and wine would be consumed. This was the sign that Bel was the living god.

One day Daniel and the king got into a discussion about who the true and living God really was. Daniel told the story of how he had been thrown into the lions’ den and how his God had shut their mouths and he was spared. Cyrus retorted with the evidence of his daily devotions and how he could see with his own eyes how Bel consumed the food and the wine every night.

Evidently, he was not entirely convinced of his own argument, because eventually Cyrus decided that he had to know the truth—for sure. So he placed a challenge before Daniel, but he was really challenging God. He invited Daniel into the temple of Bel, as he himself would place the food and wine at its feet. He said, “If, in the morning, you find all of this food and wine consumed, you shall be banished from my kingdom. If, not, we shall presume that Bel is a false god, and I will banish its worshippers instead.” So Daniel agreed and stood by as the king laid the food at Bel’s feet; and as the king stood by, Daniel sprinkled ash all over the floor of the temple. When they were both done, they sealed the door and left for the night.

The next morning, Daniel and Cyrus rose early and went to the temple together. When they arrived, the seal was not broken. Cyrus opened the doors and the two entered in. There, they saw all of the food and wine consumed. Cyrus began to laugh, but Daniel simply pointed to the floor.

“Do you not see the footprints and where they lead?”

The king was shocked. Sure enough, the footprints of many men, women, and children—the worshippers of Bel—were plainly visible in the scattered ash; and they all led to a little trap door hidden just behind the altar.