|
A
Place for Truth |
||||
|
Read Daniel 1:1-21 Introduction
As Christians, we all feel and experience the challenges of being the people of God in the midst of pagan culture. Have you ever been oppressed or persecuted as the people of God by your culture? What was your response? There is a temptation to respond by withdrawing ourselves to our own private religious world, and there is also the temptation of becoming like the world. Wisdom from God taught Daniel that neither was the right way- - neither withdrawing from, or becoming like the world was wise. It was just in the midst of the world, that Daniel learned wisdom and knowledge from God and ended up very wise and shining like the brightness of the firmament in a pagan land. Daniel believed by faith, that in spite of powerful and pagan nations, God's Kingdom endured forever and the wisdom of God is greater than man's wisdom - even greater than the wisdom of the Babylonians. God's wisdom is truth. God's wisdom is shown to us throughout the Book of Daniel and I pray that you will appreciate God's wisdom in Daniel's Babylonian Education found in chapter one of Daniel. May this book of Scripture teach us all wisdom to be wise as Christians in our world and culture! Sermon
Now, Nebuchadnezzar was allowed to take the vessels of the House of God and submit them to Marduk, his own deity. In the ANE, this was symbolic of one people and their gods enslaving the conquered peoples and their god, as you may remember when the Philistines took the Ark of the Covenant and submitted it to their god Dagon. Nebuchadnezzar thought he had won the battle against God's people- - and even against God himself! Keep this in mind. But despite what Nebuchadnezzar thinks about the glory of his kingdom, God is providentially up to something, about which we will have to wait until later in the story to find out! After the setting of our story in verses 1-2, the plot begins in verses 3-7 with King Nebuchadnezzar ordering Ashpenaz, the chief official (or eunuch) in the palace to bring to him some Hebrew youths so that they could educate them in the ways of Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar ordered this so that he could strategically assimilate some Hebrew youths for service. Daniel was taken from the nobility of Judah - -those of great influence and power! Nebuchadnezzar was making Babylonians out of the Royal Race of Judah, he was not so interested in the "common country folk" of Israel- - but of the influential in Judah; that is, King's and their sons, priests and their sons, and prophets and their sons! We must understand, Nebuchadnezzar's Kingdom had come- - now it was his goal to ensure his will would be done! Think about it; this was an ingenious move on his part as a worldly ruler. Nebuchadnezzar's thinking would be summed up thus: "Make them like ourselves, make them Babylonians and use their strengths to build our great city," then they will never again be a threat in the future to the power and glory of Babylon. This action assures not only faithfulness to the way of Babylon and thus the King, but this is the cultural annihilation of a people's identity. Removing a person's identity not only affects the individual, but the person's heritage after them, long after they have died. Can you see this ingenuity on King Nebuchadnezzar's part? In some ways, annihilation of identity is a more severe and subtle tool of destruction than imprisonment and death. Concerning Daniel and the people of God, it was most important for them to know who they were, and to remember their identity as the people of God even in the midst of this religious and cultural assimilation.
These youths
showed great promise for working for the glory of Babylon! They
were chosen from the "best of Judah". Look at verses 3-4: Verse 4 says that the king's official was to teach them: "the language and literature of the Babylonians….they were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king's service", verse 5 teaches us. This curriculum was to include the Babylonian teaching on the occult, magic, the Babylonian deities, and everything else that would have made them excellent citizens of Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom. To separate these men geographically away from their home was not enough. They had to be made intellectually different; their identity must be changed! They were not to be merely sojourners or exiles, but good and outstanding citizens of the Kingdom of Babylon. What the king wanted to do was to remove any identity that they brought with them that would have made them unable to serve his demands. Yes, from one perspective, this was ingenious of King Nebuchadnezzar! He had a bold new plan for the annihilation of one kingdom of people and the furtherance of his own kingdom, by assimilating the defeated kingdom. You must understand here that there are two purposes trying to be accomplished: the purpose of God and the purpose of King Nebuchadnezzar. The question that you ought to be asking is: "Whose purpose, whose goal will accomplished?" Were the people of God to remain distinct and the seed of Israel continue, or was Nebuchadnezzar to "create" as it were, his own people despite God's purposes? More importantly, would God's redemption be able to be accomplished in spite of Nebuchadnezzar's strength and power? The first step of this cultural assimilation was a name change. This was extremely important and we want to understand why the youths accepted this change without resistance. Although an extremely important "first step" in assimilation, it was not important enough to resist- - yet. There is a true element and portrayal of Hebrew wisdom being enacted here. That is, Daniel was living by his memorization of the Book of Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes! God's ways must be followed- - but wisely in this world! Extermination for the Hebrew youths would not be the wisest route for them to take! Wisdom gives discernment when there are not easy answers, and we see Daniel living by God's wisdom here. The four youths had to follow closely and shrewdly as they attempted to stand and preserve their identity - -in spite of the tests and temptations of the Babylonians. Here is an example of God's wisdom being practiced in a culture which prides itself on knowledge- -but lacked true God-given wisdom! Do you know how to use wisdom and discernment in the midst of a pagan environment? Do you withdraw from every request made of you by a pagan or secular environment, or do you pray and seek God's wisdom so that you can remain a light in the world, without "hiding it under a bowl"? Do you seek easy answers and methods by just separating from the culture and world, or by giving in and becoming like the culture, or have you learned to use wisdom so that you can truly be "in the world and not of it"? Look at verse
6: It is significant that these were from Judah. You might remember, that it was from Judah the line of the seed of Abraham and David would continue. Judah was important because of the covenantal promises made to Abraham and David. Now the seed, or the offspring, the heritage of Judah would be assimilated. Judah's citizens and seed were to become Babylonians- - may it never be! Messiah was to come from Judah's seed and Messiah was to come and destroy all the nations such as Babylon that oppressed God's people. How could Messiah be from the line of the Babylonians? Not only had King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the geographical area of Judah, including the Temple where God dwelled, but now he will attempt to destroy the people of Judah's identity. King Nebuchadnezzar reigned sovereignly over Babylon- - YHWH might call the shots in Israel, but Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon; or so he thought! The names of the Hebrew youths who are being assimilated are first mentioned in verse 6. All four of the Hebrew youths have been named after YHWH, the God of Israel- -But with the name change- -it is to make them true Babylonians named after Babylonian gods (who are no gods at all). Their names are Daniel (meaning: God will Judge or Vindicate ), Hananiah (which means: Yahweh has been gracious), Mishael (which means: Who is what God is), and Azariah (which means: Yahweh has helped). What were their new Babylonian names to be? Daniel's identity and name was changed to Belteshazzar (which is taken from Bel, the god of Babylon, rather than YHWH or El). Hananiah's name was changed to Shadrach, Mishael's name was changed to Meshach, and finally Azariah's name was changed to Abednego. You must not miss the importance and the power of this name change. Let me offer you an example. When you mention these four youths when speaking of the Book of Daniel, do you remember "Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah" or do have you often referred to them as: "Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego"? If you are honest, I think most of us would call them by their Babylonian names, except maybe for Daniel because we know the name of his book and prophecy. You see the power of a name change, even the people of God remember these four in Babylonian language. The name change was obviously accepted without much struggle, but wait- -there is a limit to what these four will allow. Look at verse 8, "But Daniel…" and the plot thickens! "But Daniel"- - this is a frightening thing to read. King Nebuchadnezzar is one of the most powerful men in the entire world at this time, you do not "but" King Nebuchadnezzar! To resist him would be futile: death or suicide might be a better path to take, but not for these four! In spite of this, the courageous Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, so he asked permission from the royal official, so that he might avoid defiling himself in this way, as the end of verse 8 teaches. This does not teach that Daniel was too religious or proud to associate with Babylonian things. What you do want to understand about Daniel's avoidance of the food and wine, we will take up later in our story. For the moment, we see here Daniel's submission, but also his courage in resisting such a mighty king and ruler as the great Nebuchadnezzar. You see that Daniel wisely appeals to the king, while drawing the lines as to what his conscious will allow him to do. At this point in the narrative, because Daniel has brought objections to King Nebuchadnezzar, you ought to be gripped with anticipation as to how this story's tension will be resolved. But relief comes in verse 9! In verse 9 we read "Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel." This is the first mention of God in the narrative since the historical setting in v. 2, but he has been "behind the scenes" providentially all the time! This relieves some of our tension as to whether Daniel and the youths will survive. More importantly, will the people of God lose their identity in the midst of this crooked and perverse generation of Babylonians? Notice that even though God has granted favor to Daniel, the chief official is afraid of his own lord, the king, he says in verse 10. You can understand the chief official's dilemma. He wants to please his king, he's worked hard to get where he is and he is not going to let some youth from Judah foul up his tenure at the palace. Additionally, he knows the truth about "butting" king Nebuchadezzar- - death! Sure, he likes Daniel and all, but he is in quite a quandary. At the end of verse 10, we have his reasons for being apprehensive about Daniel's request. He says to Daniel: "Why should he [that is, King Nebuchadnezzar] see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you?" The chief official's chief concern is that by feeding Daniel and the youths the royal food and wine, he would be giving them the most healthy meal that they could possibly imagine! These foods have been approved by king himself, they are the finest foods and wines in the land! Nothing but the best of Babylon for the king, and nothing but the best food and wine for those who are to be like the king and serve him in the palace (these youths were to be "made in the image" of King Nebuchadnezzar). Healthy food and good wine will produce the greatest achievement of physical perfection for these young lads. The concern of Daniel in contrast is different from the chief official. While the chief official feared his lord the king - -Daniel fears God alone! The chief official was frightened by man, Daniel had courage and "feared God and honored the king"! Daniel truly understood the wisdom of God and therefore had discernment and the right perspective on things! Daniel even knew ultimately, that the king's heart is directed by his God, according to the Hebrew Proverbs he had memorized! Let us consider the temptation of the food and wine that Daniel resisted. As we consider this, think about how this is a temptation that appeals to the passions and lusts of Daniel and the others. These are very subtle and deceptive "hooks" to get Daniel and his friends one step closer to becoming true Babylonians. Sure the sumptuous food and wine, only the best of Babylon, would have tasted wonderful. This was "four star" cuisine (think of the greatest food buffet your eyes have ever seen! Sure, Daniel could have enjoyed this sumptuous fare- - he could have ate and drank to his heart's content. He could have raised his leg of beast and glass to the God who created all these things; he could have remembered that whether he ate or drank, or whatever he did- - he would do it for the glory of God - -but there was a greater problem. This problem was one of idolatry. The name change Daniel could live with, but the worship of false gods is not an option. Additionally, the partaking of the king's food sacrificed to idols and the sitting of Daniel at the king's table would have placed the youths in a covenantal relationship with King Nebuchadnezzar and his gods. At this time in history, pagan nations offered the first fruits of their foods to their false gods and idols. To partake in the foods was to dine with the deities as it were. In addition, to sit at the King's table was more than a mere privilege. For at this time in the Near East, to sit at the table of the king, symbolized a covenantal relationship (as we read in the Books of Samuel, when Saul's family were invited to David's table, this was more than a mere meal, but a "cutting" of a covenant). Daniel was not against the food and wine, neither against the honor of sitting at the table of a king, he was against what these two things represented. He knew that they were subtle "hooks" to cause him to disobey his God. Daniel chose wisely and the LORD gave him wisdom in order to escape this temptation. Do not misunderstand the narrative, this would have been a great temptation for anyone…especially when the king's servants would have wheeled these delightful meats and wines before their very eyes. The mere appearance and smell of these flavorful foods would have been enough to make even the strongest man's mouth water with anticipation. So we learn the wisdom and spiritual discernment that God gave to Daniel in order to see through the subtle temptation, and avoid entering into a covenantal relationship with the foreign gods of Babylon. In verses 12-13, Daniel says: "Please test your servants for ten days; give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see." Basically, Daniel's request is: "You want our outward appearance to fit the physical requirements of your lord, but our LORD can provide that appearance despite our partaking of these sacrificed foods." Daniel is learning that God's wisdom to him gives him also the ability to be obedient despite the fact he will not partake of what normally brought a healthy appearance and fine, physical young man. Daniel is learning the art of the appeal. That demanding anything of a sovereign is neither courageous or wise, but appealing to that noble is the way of God. In fact, the appearance that God would give to them by faith was the appearance that truly was "fit for a king." So the chief official agreed to this test and tested them for ten days. Do you see Daniel's courage here? If he "failed the test", it is probable that the chief official would have had Daniel's head before he offered his own neck to Nebuchadnezzar! In verses 15-16, we learn that at the end of ten days the sons of Judah looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So even though their names were changed and they were taught Babylonian doctrine, they would draw the line and just partake on "poor man's food" and water. Notice in verse 17, This is the second time in the actual narrative that the LORD is mentioned. In verse 9, the LORD granted favor, now in verse 17, the LORD gave the Hebrew youths "knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning". In addition to their assignments in the Babylonian textbooks, the LORD gave them a divine liberal arts education! In the midst of a Babylonian education, even there the LORD is faithful to his people! We can truly appreciate the fact that God was faithful in the midst of captivity, during the education of four young Israelite-Babylonians! Here, we see God himself educates Daniel with true knowledge and wisdom. God himself preserves Daniel from false and worldly knowledge, but he also teaches him wisdom in that education. Not only that, but God will use Daniel's education for the remainder of his ministry and will allow him to be promoted to the position of power under the King of Babylon until Cyrus, King of Persia defeats the Babylonians in the latter part of the 6th century BC (ca. 538/539). Just like Moses who was educated in all the wisdom and knowledge of Egypt many years before him, so Daniel also is gifted with an education in the midst of a perverse generation so as to show forth God's glory in a dark place for the next fifty years of his life! In verses 18-21, we learn that after graduation, the king called for the youths to be brought into his presence. He spoke to all the young graduates, but he found none who were equal in appearance and learning than Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; so they entered the king's service. In fact, the king sought these four to answer his questions in every matter of wisdom and understanding. Where his magicians and enchanters failed to supply the necessary answers, four Hebrews were able to answer "ten times better" according to verse 20. What a great story of God's faithfulness! Even in strange and foreign territory, even in the midst of acculturation and indoctrination, God was faithful to preserve the identity and heritage of four Hebrew youths. How much more is he able to preserve his people in all times in the midst of the same kind of challenges and oppression! When Israel would have read the Book of Daniel after the Exile, they would be under the oppression of yet another nation. Although the people of God had returned geographically to their land after the Exile, they were still under greater, foreign nations and powers. It was an unstable situation for them both culturally and intellectually as a people. The question after the people of God returned from Babylonian captivity, would have been: "Who am I and how do I keep my heritage as an Israelite?" Their identity as the people of God was constantly threatened by surrounding cultures. They were constantly threatened to forget their heritage and to be acculturated and assimilated, particularly during the time of the Greeks! With all of the cultural temptations and trappings, how was the Remnant of Israel going to resist the temptation (subtle or obvious) of becoming like the culture that surrounded them? How were they going to remain an Israelite in more than name, but also in their identity? Is there a difference between the people of God and those of a wicked and perverse generation that rule over them? From the historical story of Daniel, we must not dare to merely think of how we should "dare to be a Daniel." There is much more going on here in light of the rest of redemptive history. We must notice how God is bringing in his Kingdom in the Book of Daniel. (Follow me in a historical review to see God's great providential hand in history): You will remember, God had used Assyria in 722 BC to destroy the Northern Kingdom of Israel; he has used Babylon in 587 BC to destroy the Southern Kingdom of Judah. These were judgments because the people of God failed to live in obedience to God's covenant he had made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt many years before this. As the prophets foretold, the nations have become God's instrument of judgment against a disobedient Israel (cf. Deut. 28). The uncircumcised hearts of the people of God remain unable to keep the covenant God had made with them! This judgment by the nations are part of the curses of Deuteronomy for failure to abide by the LORD's commandments. But as the name "Daniel" means, God is the ultimate judge! God, in spite of proud and powerful kings such as Nebuchadnezzar and the mighty nation of Babylon, the God of Israel is also at work. God is slowly and subtly undermining and judging these nations as chapters 7-12 of Daniel will later reveal. We learn from the Book of Daniel that God has established Daniel as the "3rd most powerful" in the Kingdom of the Chaldeans because he granted Daniel favor ("3rd most powerful is the position under the King and his son). Against "all the odds" the Great God of the "odds" is providentially preserving his people in the midst of a wicked and perverse generation, in the midst of all attempts at acculturation and indoctrination, God is true and faithful to his word! He is faithful to his people- - the seed of Abraham, because God keeps his promises to his people. And as you may remember, he has done this numerous times before! God will preserve his people in spite of threats to their identity and temptations that surround them in their culture. He preserved the remnant under the most powerful nations in the world, and in spite of all their temptations toward God's people and their force, their identity is preserved as the people of God. The nations are in God's control, how much more those who God loves with an undying love! As the nations would find out, God is judge: As Babylon would find out, Persia and the Medes, as Alexander the Great, the Greeks, and even under Roman oppression, those who were like a beast with great iron teeth! In spite of the power and majesty of all these nations, God ruled them with an iron scepter. So the people of God exist under perpetual oppression after the exile: Persia, the Medes, the Greeks, then the mighty Romans, but they are preserved by the providence of our great God! [Pause] In fact, in the midst of the "glory of Rome," when King Herod ruled over Judea, and Israel still remained subjected and oppressed by pagan nations- -a child is born. Not the typical or even expected deliverer of God's people! This child would be delivered and preserved from death as an infant, at the hands of Herod the Great. He would be born in the most unlikely, most obscure little town some thirty miles south of Jerusalem in Judea. He would live his life in humble conditions, not in a palace like Daniel, but in a town of no reputation. Then this one would die a death under the mighty power of Roman rule- - the most heinous death imaginable, the prolonged death of anguish on a Roman crucifix, the lot of criminals and those who would challenge Rome's rule and authority. Perhaps in the acculturation of the Roman crucifix, where Jesus loses his identity, and becomes a mere common thief and criminal, this would be the end of God's preservation of the seed of Abraham. Perhaps now, the people of God have been entirely wiped out in this one Israelite. NO! God raised this Jesus from the dead and placed all principality and power and authority under his feet!! God raised this Jesus from the dead and seated him at God's right hand and he will judge the world when he returns! Like Daniel, Jesus Christ was submitted to a foreign power; like Daniel, Jesus Christ resisted both the Roman acculturation and the "religious culture" of his day in order to keep God's teaching in the law, but he did it perfectly; like Daniel, God gave Jesus wisdom and authority above all his teachers; like Daniel, Jesus Christ was escalated to a high position, but not in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar, but to the very throne room of God- - God's right hand. Like Daniel, it was Jesus Christ who God used to inaugurate his long expected Kingdom on the earth in the midst of other powerful nations. Jesus Christ overcame death, hell, and the Devil who was behind all of the powerful kingdoms of this world! Like Daniel who would later see the Son of Man coming on the clouds, so Jesus Christ saw himself coming on the clouds to enact ultimate and final judgment! God is faithful, he preserves his people, and he is Judge of all the earth! In fact, in the Book of the Revelation, Jesus Christ destroys all the kingdoms that set itself up against God and his Anointed One, including the Great Harlot of Babylon! Let the church say: "Babylon the Great has fallen!" As the people
of God today, no mater how oppressed and no matter how long God
allows wicked nations to rule; no matter how much our culture subtly
tempts us and tries to make us "in the image" of the world,
remember that God's Kingdom reigns over the world! As Jesus prays in John 17- - and the LORD always hears the prayers of his son: "Father, I pray that you might not take them out of the world, but keep them in the world, and protect them from the evil one." This is our true battle. It is just in the midst of perverse and crooked generations that God brings in his Kingdom- -despite the sins of his people, and the wickedness of pagan nations! For the gospel is for Christians, but also the pagans that God has chosen to make us his church. So let us
not withdraw from the world as the religious hypocrites of Jesus'
day- - neither become like the world as some did during the Exile
to Babylon, but let us be transformed by the renewing of our minds
from God's Wisdom! Remember, we are the disciples of He who ate
and drank with pagan sinners - -and we have Christ's message of
salvation for all the world to hear and obey! Every knee will bow
and confess on the Day Jesus returns, but while we wait, as his
ambassadors, we must implore men to be reconciled to God! Look today
away from yourselves and the problems that surround in your culture,
and look to our gracious and Sovereign God revealed to you in Jesus
Christ. |
||||
