September 30: REMEMBER WHERE YOU COME FROM…
But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. Daniel 11:38
The original Hebrew here is singular—in His place—referring to God. Instead of the special honor (Hebrew kabed) that is due to God, the king of the North directs this kind of honor elsewhere; he has forgotten his Creator, the God of his fathers (v.37).
A subtle but emphatic allusion here, readily recognizable to the Hebrew mind, is the connection between the fourth and the fifth commandments in the Decalogue. The fourth commandment, regarding the Sabbath, is explained as the seventh day reminder of Creation: For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it (Exodus 20:11). The fifth commandment, Honor your father and your mother… (v.12) employs the same Hebrew word, kabed, that is a unique kind of honor. The connection, which is provided in the literary structure of the Decalogue, shows that they are linked in spirit, appealing to each of us to remember our roots, where we come from, namely the Creator and our parents. These two commandments are uniquely expressed in the affirmative mode. The next book of the Pentateuch brings it home again: You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy. Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and keep My Sabbaths: I am the LORD your God (Leviticus 3:2-3).
…he shall honor a god of fortresses… The plural here correctly indicates multiple pagan strongholds on the earth. It is expressed to contrast with the one heavenly sanctuary fortress (Daniel 11:31; Hebrews 8:2). This is another revelation of syncretism with foreign gods. It points to the fallen church’s pagan and polytheistic trends which accompany the propensity to compromise with earthly powers and popular preferences. The Hebrew noun eloah (little “g” god), also used in Deuteronomy 32:17, resonates with foreign, alien god(s). The king of the North accommodates all of the foreign gods and sanctuaries.
a god which his fathers did not know… The prophetic statement here shows that the mainstream New Testament church will be fraught with a record uncannily similar to the failures of ancient Israel: falling again and again into idolatry and false worship! The syncretism and compromise of the church with paganism is under a very thin veneer of supposed acknowledgement of God. But there are characteristics He is believed to possess that more accurately reflect the character of the archenemy, whose main desire is to receive the special honor—kabed—due to God. The similarity between the king of the North and Belshazzar is unmistakable…
But you [Nebuchadnezzar’s] son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified. Daniel 5:22-23
Precious stones and pleasant things… The use of items made especially for the worship of God is especially appealing to Satan. The Hebrew word khamudot (pleasant things associated with the Jerusalem sanctuary) is used to reinforce the idea of Satan’s usurpation of the things of God. See 1 Chronicles 29:2; 2 Chronicles 36:7; Isaiah 54:11-12; Daniel 1:2