The Lord is Our Hope - Daniel 1

Introduction

Have you noticed that it seems to be getting a bit harder to live faithfully to God in holiness in our current culture? To continue to love people, but still remain steadfast in the truth of God’s Word? How do we live faithfully to Christ as our culture deteriorates and becomes more hostile to God and His people?

What would you do if you were asked to compromise your integrity and honesty in order to lie to make your company look better? What if you were asked to violate your beliefs by affirming certain beliefs and lifestyles that stand opposed to the standard of God’s Word or lose your job or your reputation? What would we do if we were told that it was illegal to seek to share the gospel with those around us?

Read Daniel 1

Daniel 1 (ESV)

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god. Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king’s palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate, and of the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king. Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.

But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs, and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king.” Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, “Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king’s food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see.” So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days. At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king’s food. So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.

As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. And Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus.

Daniel Chapter one begins by showing us God’s people in the middle of a terrible tragedy. They have lost their home. Many of their children have been taken captive to a foreign land where they will face severe opposition in their faith.

why? Because the world hates God and those who seek to faithfully follow Him. we looked at John 15 in the college Sunday school where Jesus talked about how the world hates him and will hate his followers.

These youth will face an uphill battle as they seek to remain faithful to their God. Some might even ask, “is it worth it to remain faithful?”

Now, while Daniel is used as a role model to show us what it means to live faithfully in holiness in a hostile world, I would like for us to see that Daniel is a book that is not really about Daniel. Daniel is the tool God used, but the book is primarily about God.

Daniel’s name means “God is my judge.” So the title of this series is quite literally, “Daniel” or “God is My Judge.” Daniel’s name is actually going to help provide us with answers as to how Daniel and his friends are going to be able to live in faithfulness to God’s Word. The answer to this question of “how do we remain faithful in a hostile world?” begins with God Himself.

We can remain faithful because our hope is in God.

I. God is Faithful (vv. 1-7)

God is Faithful to His Promises

Daniel 1:2 (ESV)

And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god.

We love to focus on God’s promises of blessings and care. And that is good and right.

But God also gave promises to those who would rebel against His commands. Not too long ago, we walked through the book of Habakkuk, where God told him that God would deal with the wickedness of Judah by sending Babylon to come and take them captive and to destroy their homes.

God gave the same promise to the prophet Jeremiah. And Jeremiah himself saw the fulfillment of this promise. So as we talk about the faithful promises of God, we need to remember that this extends to his promises of discipline for when we sin and rebel against Him.

We might wonder how this fits in with the image of how God is love. How can this be loving towards God’s people to allow them to face such destruction and captivity.

God’s wrath and love go together, hand in hand. To love someone is to desire the best for them. If someone is rebelling against commands that were given for their good, they begin to hurt themselves. When a child puts him/herself at risk, it is right for a parent to discipline their child, to teach them what is right and wrong. To fail to do so would actually be unloving. If God failed to discipline sin and be angry towards sin, He would essentially say, “I don’t care what happens to you. I don’t really love you.” God cannot love us if He does not discipline us. We should celebrate the fact that God is faithful to both His promises of blessings as well as His promises of discipline.

God also promised blessings on those who went into Exile

When Nebuchadnezzar came to capture Jerusalem, there was still a remnant of God’s people left there as well as some who went down to Egypt to escape the disciplining hand of God. We might be tempted to think that God’s blessing remained on those who were left in Jerusalem and that He was punishing those whom He allowed to be taken into captivity. However, Jeremiah 24 records a vision God gave to Jeremiah of two baskets of figs, one good and the other bad.

God is actually reversing our thoughts on blessings and curses. The discipline of God fell upon those who remained in Jerusalem and who went down into Egypt. The blessings of God fell upon those who were taken into Babylon.

We, too, can be tempted to think that God’s blessings are upon those whose lives are filled with ease and comfort. The American church has seen a kind of prosperity and ease that the church as not seen in most of its history. We have called this period of history, Christendom, because the prevailing majority has been those who profess to be Christians.

Now, as Christendom is passing away, and secularism is rising up, we are beginning to feel the pressure of a hostile culture around us. While this is not a comfortable thing for us, it might be that God is getting ready to bless the church in ways we have not seen over the last couple hundred years, at least here in the west. It might seem that we are losing the blessings of God, and yet, as we have seen through much of history, God’s blessings come through hardship.

Why? Because just as Israel was never supposed to see their land as their final home, so we too are not supposed to see this land as our final home. God’s people have always been exiles in a foreign land, waiting for God to take us to our permanent home. It’s when God’s people realize that they are not at home that they begin to be a blessing to the people around them.

This is what we see in Israel. Amidst their freedom, they bring shame and reproach upon the name of Yahweh for how they adopt the practices of the foreign gods. However, here in Babylon, Daniel and his friends, and perhaps others, begin to live lives of faithfulness in hardship and become a blessing to the land of Babylon and Persia. Daniel was able to serve under four kings and to show them who His God really is because of the faithfulness in hardship he displayed. God was faithfully blessing those in exile!

However, we might ask, “Where is God?” when Babylon seems to win

Babylon intentionally takes the children of the nobles and royalty, because they are already going to have a higher education than many of the other families. And because they are young, they are going to be the most moldable and impressionable. Babylon is going to do what it can to change these worshippers of Yahweh to worshippers of their false gods.

Why? Because the world around us hates our God.

Please notice, the world does not necessarily hate those who claim to be Christian. To be Christian is simply to adopt one of the many religious claims that are available. What the world hates are those who not only claim to be Christian, but those who actually follow Christ. Because the world hates Christ, the world hates those who, by faith, adjust their lives to follow Him. So the world is going to do what it can to change the lives of those who follow after Him.

Babylon indoctrinates through education (language and literature) - v. 4

Daniel 1:4 (ESV)

youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king’s palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.

This is not a new tactic. If you want to change the philosophy of the next generation, begin teaching them what you want to believe while they are still in the classroom. Even today, we see the indoctrination of children to adopt the philosophy of our culture around us.

Babylon indoctrinates through worship (changing names) - v. 7

Daniel 1:7 (ESV)

And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.

Babylon wants the Jews to forget the God they have followed. So what do they do? They change the names of these Jewish boys.

Daniel means “God is my Judge”, Belteshazzar means, “May Bel protect his life.”

Hannaniah means “Yahweh is gracious”, Shadrach means, “Aku is exalted.”

Mishael means, “Who is what God is?”, Meshach means, “Who is what Aku is?”

Azariah means, “Yahweh is my helper,” Abednego means “The servant of Nebo”

In changing these names, Babylon is hoping to wipe out the memory of their God from their minds. Instead of hearing “God is my Judge,” Daniel will hear, “May Bel protect his life.”

By seeking to change their identity, Babylon is hoping to slowly erode their faith in Yahweh and help them to adopt a faith in one of their many gods. This is why questions of identity are so prevalent even in our culture today. You will end up worshipping in whatever it is you place your identity.

Daniel and his friends are faced with a decision to compromise their beliefs and convictions with the King’s food.

We are not told why this is wrong. We assume that the food was unclean and went against the dietary laws of God, which very could be why they could not eat it. It could also be that the food was clean according to the law, but that it was sacrificed to idols, so it became unclean in that way. Or it might be that eating the food would be to give allegiance to King Nebuchadnezzar instead of to God. Whatever the reason is, we see that the issue is deeper than simply the food, it is a matter of commitment to God.

A small decision with big consequences

This might seem to be a small decision, and it is a small decision based upon the choices they will have to make later on in the book.

However, small decisions lead to bigger decisions and bigger consequences

Listen, there are many choices in life that seem like small minor choices. We can say, “Oh it won’t matter if we skip church this Sunday...” for whatever reason it might be. We aren’t saved by going to church, and you’re right. Just like the boys weren’t saved by the food they ate or didn’t eat. Or we might say, it won’t matter if I tell a little white lie to protect someone’s feelings, or to keep myself out of a little bit of trouble. It’s not like it’s a major issue. However, what happens as we begin to compromise on these smaller issues? It begins to affect our decision making in the larger issues.

Don’t compromise on the little issues, because it will begin to affect us on the bigger issues. Daniel and his friends are going to have to make some very big choices in the chapters that follow and their ability to stay committed to the Lord started with their ability to stay committed in these smaller decisions.

Parents and Grandparents, help your children stay committed to the Lord in their lives while they are young!

And it should be mentioned the role of families and the church in preparing children and teenagers to learn to know and love the Lord.

Names - Parents gave these names to these young men to remind them of who God is

The role of God’s Word - When these young men were born, Josiah was king and had found the book of the Law and implemented God’s Word in the life of the people.

There was obviously a huge impact on how the community embraced God’s Word when these young men were children that affected them even in these first decisions.

Proverbs 22:6 (ESV)

Train up a child in the way he should go;

even when he is old he will not depart from it.

While this is not necessarily a guaranteed promise, there is wisdom here because the more we train our children now, the greater the chance they will stay with the Lord when they are older. Or even if they do stray, there’s a greater chance that God can bring to mind the things they learned when they were young to bring them back to Him later.

We must keep an attitude of gentleness and humility as we stand upon our convictions

This does not mean that we compromise our convictions

But we will never change someone’s mind by our anger and judgment

There must be respect of those in authority, even those with whom we disagree

We can submit to those in authority without blindly obeying every command. We submit either through obedience or through submission to the consequences when we cannot obey.

We see that God’s faithful presence was with Daniel and his friends as they remained faithful to God

We see that God is with them because God miraculously gave them favor by making them healthier than their fellow servants and by giving them favor with the king in appearance and in learning!

II. God is Our Judge

Why were Daniel and his friends able to remain faithful to God in these trying and difficult circumstances? Why did they not just throw their hands up and say God has abandoned us and left us alone so now we just have to go along with this new culture.

I think the answer lies within Daniel’s name, and we will be returning to this idea throughout the next several weeks.

This is where they found the hope to continue to live lives of faithfulness, even as the surrounding culture pressed in on them and made it hard to do so.

Daniel’s name means, “God is My Judge.” Now, when we think of a judge we think of someone who passes a sentence upon a criminal. However, the Israelites judges were a mixture of judges, kings, and saviors.

A. He rightly judges and disciplines

The Biblical idea of a judge does do this. A biblical judge looks at a situation and declares when God’s people have stepped out of line and declares what God will do in judgment upon them.

Part of the the Hebrew judges and prophets jobs were to warn the people when they were living in disobedience and to tell of the consequences that would happen as a result of those actions.

The idea of God being judge carries with it the idea that God justly and rightly convicts and condemns rebellion against Him.

This is a good thing because it shows us that God loves us and is working for our good. He is not content to let us go our own way and to live in rebellion against Him. He will bring about discipline and punishment in order to bring His people back into a right relationship with Himself.

Here Daniel and his friends that God’s holiness and His right to judge seriously as they seek to be holy.

Over and over, God commands His people to be holy because God Himself is Holy. If we are created in his image, then we are called to reflect God in His holiness.

Leviticus 20:7 ESV

Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God.

Daniel and his friends know they cannot defile themselves with the king’s food because God is holy and they are called to be holy as well. God being Judge reminds them of the seriousness of obeying His commands.

B. He justly rules

During the time of the judges, the people of Israel did not have a physical king. They had God as their king. But God also gave them judges to periodically rule over them, to guide them into truth and holiness.

We will see this truth revealed throughout the book of Daniel that God is also King of all kings. They know that God rightly and justly rules and that whatever our human kings may do to us, we answer primarily to God and so do our kings and rulers. So while we might have to suffer the consequences for a time for being unable to obey some laws of our land, we know and trust that God’s rule oversees all and that we owe our allegiance to Him alone.

C. He graciously saves

Last, the judges were saviors. God would raise up a judge to go into a situation where His people were suffering the consequences of their sin and the judge would come to the rescue and deliver them from oppression.

Daniel and His friends know that as God is our Judge, He is also the Savior and that the prevailing culture will not have the final say over their souls. They may be able to hurt the body, but they cannot kill the soul. So they live in faithfulness to the One who rules, judges, and saves them from their enemies.

Not only that, they also know that God is King over the other nations and has the right to judge the nations for their rebellion against God. But they also know that if they reflect God’s holiness, then they can be a blessing to the nations as they point them to the God who can save. Think of the testimony they were able to present to Babylon because of their faith in the God who saves. In exile, they are fulfilling the promise God made to Abraham that through his offspring the other nations would be blessed.

D. Jesus is Our Judge!

I hope what we can see here is the Gospel being displayed for us. Jesus promised us that the world would hate us because it hated Him. The hostility of the world should not surprise us. In fact, it should not anger us as much as fill us with compassion towards those who are so opposed to the One who Created them and gave Himself up for them.

You and I can commit to lives lives of faithful holiness, not because of our bravery or courage, but because we have Jesus, who is our Judge, King, and Savior.

Jesus is our Judge, the one who declares what is right and wrong. He is the One who convicts and leads into righteousness.

Jesus is our King, the One we ultimately answer to. We know that just as Jesus came to earth the first time, He is coming again as the victorious king to set up his eternal kingdom which will overcome all other kingdoms. We need not fear what human kings might do as we submit to Christ as King!

And Jesus is our Savior, the One who has already saved us from the eternal punishment of our sin and has brought us into the presence of the Father.

Romans 8:31–39 (ESV)

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;

we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Conclusion