Daniel Purposed In His Heart

Daniel 1:1-21

“Make Up Your Mind Before You Get To Babylon”

The name “Daniel” means “God is my Judge.”His life and ministry bridge the entire 70 year period of Babylonian captivity, into the Persian-Mede rule.

Authorship: Traditionally it has been held within Judaism and Christianity, that Daniel was and is the author of this book, and it was written between 605-538 BC, and this view went almost completely unchallenged for 1,800 years.

Christ quoted from Daniel (Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14; Luke 22:69), demonstrating Daniel was a real historical person who was used as an instrument of divine revelation, and Christ also assured that the prophecy found within the book described future events.

*Now imagine you as a child, being a teenager (14-16 years of age), hearing threats of enemies coming into Georgia, and then an army, let’s calls them the Assyrian army, comes in and conquers north Georgia, and then another empire, let’s call them Babylonians, comes in and conquers the whole state. And if that wasn’t enough… after experiencing all of that, the enemy comes in and hauls you and your people out of your home, land, comfort, church house, and everything you hold dear into a foreign land and place.

Here we are with 4 Hebrew boys, teenagers, being snatched away from their lovely homes in Jerusalem and they are moved to far away Babylon. Maybe they belonged to the royal family, and several commentators call them noble’s sons.

Verse 3 says that the group of children collected consisted of “children of Israel, some of the king’s descendants, and some of the nobles…” They were good looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, and had the ability to serve in the king’s palace. This was the Babylonian’s custom to take the best of the youths for training in the king’s court.

Now commercial break: What did these children do to get here in this position? In this case, these children were suffering from the sins of their parents, grandparents and so on throughout the nation. The nation refused to repent and obey the Lord, even after God sent His Jeremiah’s to preach and prophesy throughout the land. And because of the sins of the fathers of the nation God handed Israel over to the Babylonians.

Our decisions and actions today do affect our children; they affect our future. Our steps take us somewhere, and they will take our families and our families to come, somewhere… but where?

Long ago God laid our blessings and curses for His people and said choose this day whom you shall serve. If you obey you and your family will be blessed, and if you don’t you will receive curses.

The Lord God laid out His Word, His promises and instruction and said “read them, and meditate on them day and night; teach them to your children as you get up, as you walk, and as you lay down. Train your children up unto the Lord, modeling My Word before them, so when they grow up, they will not depart from it.”

What is happening to the youth going to the universities today? The majority of them go off to become indoctrinated in liberal, atheistic centered teaching, to never stepping foot into a church again.

What is happening here in the book of Daniel is Babylonians converting Jews into Babylonians. They were not interested in studying Jewish customs and mirroring them in any way, and they were definitely not interested in switching gods. They were conforming these youths to the Babylonian world and way, just like Satan is doing today through this world.

I want to ask you a question: If you were no longer surrounded by the things of God; if you no longer had this church building, no parent or spouse, pastor or friend to hold you accountable… would you still be faithful to God and His Word? Would you lose who you are in God and faith?

It’s hard to be sure without tests, and tests do come…

When some “Christians” or church goers get away from home, they celebrate the opportunities to let their hair down, and to live it up in the “freedom” they have away from accountability. But it was not so for Daniel and his friends.

For the next three years they would attend the university of Babylon taking in the knowledge of their world, and they would hold to uncompromising faith. They received new education, new diets and new names to transform them, but they knew something of Romans 12:1-2 – “Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service; Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Love the Lord God with all your soul, mind and strength.

To iterate what we said before: They would have three years here and the rest of their lives in this environment, but they had 14-16 years in an environment, with people who invested into their lives, who poured into them the Word of God. Read Deuteronomy 6:1-9. Their family took God and His Word seriously, and this left an impact in their hearts and lives. They knew who their God was and they knew who they were. And that made all the difference.

Mom and dad, grandma and grandpa… we can’t be allowed to fail our children in this. The responsibility and accountability is yours. The primary responsibility does not fall on the government, on the day care workers, on the pastor of youth pastor to raise and educate our children in the Lord; the task is ours as parents.

And doing so, or not doing so… will make all the difference.

First: We see these four: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah being renamed to pagan names.

Perhaps they hoped the new names would help them forget who they are in with their God. But it didn’t make them forget the name God had given them. And we should never forget the name and seal that is upon us as well. He has given us new names, He has given us His own name and has claimed us as His very own – Call us different names if you will but it doesn’t change who we are.

Verse 8-16 – Even if you give us food and drink that blasphemes the Name of God in this country or another country and it doesn’t change who we are.

Verse 8: Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king’s menu. What was wrong with his menu? Were Daniel and the gang vegetarians before? No. Maybe some of the meat was pork, but no doubt the food was also offered to the idols of the land. And for faithful followers of God, to eat this food would be considered blasphemy, disrespect for God, and law breaking.

This was a test. But what did Daniel already have set up in his live? Daniel purposed in his heart, he determined already what he was going to do before the temptation was before him.

Now: Tests come and go. Maybe you’ll never leave home, change textbooks, change menus, or change your name, but tests will come and if your heart and mind is not fixed and if you have not purposed in your heart what you will and will not do based upon God’s Word, you will be a vessel in a stormy sea, tossed back and forth by all the winds that come.

They purposed in their hearts; they refused to become conformed to their world; they chose God. They didn’t go along with the culture; they chose God; they didn’t go along with the influence; they chose God; they didn’t go along with all the other Jewish boys who compromised, not mentioned in this book. They had surrendered their bodies to God, so they were dead to the sin that was at their door.

And we must do the same if we will pass any test that comes from God. We must form our Godly boundaries; we must form our purity boundaries; we must form our Biblical theology and hold firm to the voice of truth.

Let me ask another question: What have you purposed in your heart that sin will not rule you? What boundaries have you set up for you and for your family and church that say “I/We will not go there because it will dishonor God/Christ; it will blaspheme His Name, and it will defile myself, ruining my testimony?”

Babylon is here and now, at our doorstep, surrounding us throughout the day. Where are your boundaries?

Jesus had His boundaries set up. He knew who He was, knew Who He belonged to, knew what His mission was and He knew where He was going – And nothing would deter Him. His heart was set and His eyes were fixed, and He walked with authority and in victory.

Jesus is our ultimate example as He faced Satan, demons, the flesh and this world, overcoming all that we, like Daniel, can be over-comers. And all who are in Christ have the power to be over-comers and God exalters in this world.

Some might look at this story of Daniel and ask “Where was God in all of that.” Daniel knew that God was always on the throne. Some of us here today may be asking “Where is God at in all of this?” God the Father where He was when His only begotten Son was hanging on the cross, He was on the throne. Christ is now with His Father on the Throne during your test and trials.

He promised that He would not give you more than what He can handle, and He will speak to the Father on your behalf as you go on from test to test and from glory to glory.

Know your God. Stay close to your God. Stand on His Word. Make up your mind, as you face Babylon and as you live in Babylon, and you will experience the power of God as you do.

Make up your mind.