Different - Part 1

Introduction

I. Understand God’s Sovereignty (vv. 1-2)

And so listen, as we begin our study of Daniel, if you don’t take anything else away, take this…God, He’s sovereign in all circumstances. There’s nothing that goes on in our world today that catches God off guard and there’s nothing that happens that He doesn’t intend to happen. Listen, God, He’s sovereign over the big things, things like international powers – wars, national affairs, things like our presidential election. But check this out, God, He’s also sovereign over the small things. Things like the insignificant lives of teenagers like Daniel and his friends. There’s nothing that happens that God isn’t apart of.

And so as we dig into this text, I want you to remember that God was completely sovereign in the acts that we’re reading about. And listen, understand that eventually these things, they would help set up God’s plan for man’s redemption.

Throughout history, armies have always invaded other nations in acts of aggression and war. The results are almost always tragic: lands destroyed, property confiscated, people taken captive and sent away to foreign lands never to see family and friends again. And as we read this passage, that’s exactly what happened to Daniel and his friends. They were uprooted and replanted in the harsh and wicked Babylonian Empire. And listen, surprisingly, it was all God’s doing. It was God’s plan.

Look at verse 1 with me again, it provides us with the historical context, which I absolutely love because its these types of verses that help us see the historical accuracy of Scripture. Daniel’s one of my favorite books because there’s so much history mentioned that can be proved in other external sources, things outside the Bible. It’s impossible to disprove the historical accuracy of Daniel which in itself helps us show the accuracy of the other things mentioned like the prophecies we’re study later. My point here is, its that when you come to areas of Scripture like this, don’t just overlook it. God gives us these detail to show Scripture’s credibility.

But check this out, verse 2, it provides us with more of the theological explanation of why King Nebuchadnezzar came to lay siege in Judah. Look at what it says, “And the Lord gave [or the Lord handed over] Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, [but listen to this] with some of the vessels of the house of God.” Again, God allowed these things to happen. But why, right?

Understand the history up to this point. Judah was the southern kingdom of Israel. After King David and King Solomon, Israel split into two kingdoms; the northern kingdom and then the southern kingdom which was also known as Judah. The northern kingdom consisted of 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel but they had been taken over about 100 years prior by the Assyrians. When we get to this point, verse 1, Judah had already began to really lose focus on God. We read about this in other books like Jeremiah and some of other prophets, God warned His people over and over again that they would be punished for their rebellion against Him.

And listen, the thing about Israel, it wasn’t the fact that they had decided to not follow Yahweh. It was that they had decided to add other gods to their list of worship. Two of the most prominent gods in Israel during this time period outside of Yahweh, it was the god Baal and the goddess Asherah. These were both Canaanite gods that Israel hadn’t completely destroyed during their campaigns in the Promised Land. Baal, He was typically known for his ability to make it rain…and being the kind of nation Israel was, one revolving around agriculture, naturally rain, it was a big deal for ‘em. It played a huge part in their financial prosperity. Asherah, on the other hand, she was known more for her fertility…which of course was important for crops but also for their own ability to have children. Basically things in Israel, as we come to verse 1 and 2, things revolved around sex and money. Listen, it was these things that drove Israel into idolatry. They wanted Yahweh, but they also wanted things that other gods could offer them. And so what happened, its that God chose to punish them. He refused to share His glory. And so, God used King Nebuchadnezzar to bring Israel into captivity. And, listen, Israel, for the most part, they’d essentially remain in some form of captivity until the 1940s.

But pay attention to verse 2…God, He also allowed many of the artifacts from the temple to be taken by Nebuchadnezzar. These vessels, they were transported to Babylon as trophies of war and as a way of saying, “Our god, he’s better and he’s stronger than your god.” These things, they’d be placed in the house of their own gods to show the dominance of their gods over Israel’s. But what would happen later its that God would use all of this to show His glory to all of Babylon and essentially all the world. We’ll study these events later. But my point through these first several verses is that God’s sovereign in all circumstances. God purposely allowed His own people to be overtaken by a nation that was considered to be unrighteous and God allowed His people to be uprooted and scattered ultimately to bring Himself glory and to further His plans. We’ll see this later, but it would be through these events, that God would pave the way for Jesus. When we get to the story of Christmas, the world, its saturated in the Greek language which allowed the news of Jesus’s birth and the gospel message to spread quickly and easily. I want you to understand that these events that we’re reading about this evening, it led to that possibility. These verses, it paved the way for Jesus. As we’ll see in the next chapter, God was orchestrating these events so that it would lead to a Greek influence in the known world.

Listen, you may not see it now, but God, He’s completely sovereign even in your circumstances. There’s not a single thing that happens that God’s not a part of and there’s not a single thing that happens that doesn’t somehow contribute to God’s plans. And here’s the thing, you may never see the outcome to the circumstances you find yourself in today.

Take Daniel and his friends for example. Here they are, taken from their home, uprooted from their family…literally living their own version of hell on earth. I can only imagine what was going through the minds of these young men. I mean it had to have been scary for these guys. As we continue through this story, we’re gonna see their response. They respond in faith and trust. But here’s the thing, none of these guys would actually get to experience what God would do through these events. They never really get to experience the fruits that would come from Israel’s captivity. Instead, they only experienced the worst parts of it.

Sometimes, it’s no different for us. Sometimes, we’re found asking God, “Why?” “Why are we in these circumstances?” “Why haven’t you intervened in some way?” The problem with those questions, its that we’re asking the wrong question. The right question, when we find ourselves in these kind of circumstances, its, “God, what are you trying to do through this situation?” “How can I bring you glory through my circumstance?”

Listen, when we face these kinds of trials, God reminds us through His Word…He wants us to know with all certainty that He’s sovereign…and that while it may not always seem like it, He’s always for us. Guys, no matter what happens, no matter what kind of trial you face, I want you to remember this evening that God is sovereign and because He’s sovereign, you can continue to trust Him and you can continue to walk in faith regardless of what it is you face.

Listen, when you walk with that mindset, it makes it so much easier seeing the good in all the situations God places you in.

II. Seek Out the Good (vv. 3-6)

Which is our second point…seek out the good. Understand God’s sovereign…understand everything that happens, happens because God deems it so…and seek out the good. Remember what Paul says to us in Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good.” So seek out the good.

I mean just read verses 1 and 2 again…it’s terrible. It’s so easy to sit back, read that…and just be a Debbie-downer about it, right?

But listen, as we continue on in these verses, we see that Nebuchadnezzar, He orders his chief official to select some of the Israelites from the royal nobility to take back to Babylon. He was to evaluate these Israelites using certain criteria in order that they may be reeducated after their deportation. There were several reasons for Nebuchadnezzar starting with the nobility. First, he hoped to minimize the resistance to his plans…and second, he hoped it would somehow increase the allegiance among the populace there in Israel. According to verse 4, these first round of captives, they were to meet a high standard of physical appearance and intellectual capability. Listen, Nebuchadnezzar wanted the cream of the Israelite’s crop. He wanted those that might be able to work and serve him in his royal court back in Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar wanted youth, he wanted those he felt that he could change the ideologies of and the beliefs. The Israelites he chose were most likely teenagers which means that not only were Daniel and his friends from the nobility of Israel but that they were young and gifted. Daniel even before his time in captivity, as a young man, he was considered one of the brightest Israelites.

But one of the things I love most about this text, its what happens in the mist of God’s sovereignty. Look at the end of verse 4 and 5 with me again. It says, “He was to teach them the Chaldean language and literature. 5 The king assigned them daily provisions from the royal food and from the wine that he drank. They were to be trained for three years, and at the end of that time they were to attend the king” (CSB). Listen, Nebuchadnezzar wanted to make Babylonians out of these Jews. He wanted to reorient their worship and their allegiance toward him and toward Babylon…And so, he gives these young men some of the very best education found in the known world. Daniel and his friends not only would they have access to the best instruction but they’d also have access to some of the greatest rulers of their day. It would be this three year period of education that would set Daniel and his friends up for the future and would allow them to influence the rulers that would follow. This was the silver lining for Daniel and his friends.

And listen, I know some of you, you’re thinking, “But how is it good that they’re being influenced by this ungodly culture?” “Like, doesn’t the Bible say something about not being conformed to this world?” We’ll look at this more in detail next week, but at no point does Daniel or his friends conform to anything that dishonors God. In fact, when they’re approached and asked to do something that clearly goes against their beliefs, they completely refuse. We’ll see more of that next week when Daniel disagrees with some of the dietary stuff he’s offered…but with the text this week, I want you to notice we don’t see them refusing to be trained up in the Babylonian culture.

And here’s why. Daniel and his friends, they were so connected in their relationship with God that they understood His sovereignty and through that they trusted Him. That faith, it forced them to seek out the good in the circumstances they found themselves in. I don’t believe Daniel knew what God had intended to do through him at this point or how God would use him to influence future kings but I do believe Daniel looked at this opportunity in a positive way. I believe Daniel saw it as an opportunity to serve God. I believe he knew that if he was submissive to his new masters and allowed this new education to take place, he would have the power to influence powerful men…I believe he knew God would use these circumstances for His glory and for the betterment of Israel.

Think back to some of the circumstances you’ve found yourself in or maybe that you find yourself in now. Oftentimes, it can be so difficult to focus and seek out the good things in those situations. Listen, I know, I’ve been there…so many times. But it’s in those moments, that God, He’s telling us to stop and trust in His sovereignty…focus in on what it is He plans to accomplish.

I’ve told you guys about my childhood…about my parents divorce. Listen, it was nasty. You can go and google their trial proceedings and read all about them. Future lawyers, they use my parents case today as a study tool in universities. Listen, it was awful. And while I was living in that circumstance, I was an angry and bitter kid. I was mad at God, I was an unpleasant person. And listen, most of the time, when kids see their parents walk through stuff like that, they just repeat that process in their own adult life…but guys, I made a commitment, at a very young age, that I’d never put my family or my future children through that. You see, through my circumstances, I quickly figured out what made my parent’s marriage fall apart. It became very apparent to me, and instead of taking on my parents bad habits, God used my circumstance to teach me what a godly marriage resembled. Listen, I’m not taking away the fact that for years, my life was terrible, because a lot of it was…there was all kinds of traumatizing abuse, but what I’m saying it’s that through those circumstances, there were things that God used for my own good that would allow me to better serve Him later. Listen, if it wasn’t for that circumstance in my life, I wouldn’t be standing here today. I wouldn’t have submitted to God’s calling…to go into ministry. I wouldn’t be the husband or father I am today. I might not even be a child of God for all I know. Stop letting other people and other circumstances define you…stop playing the victim and start realizing that God uses everything we walk through for His glory.

Here’s my point, it doesn’t matter what you’re walking through, God divinely places you in your circumstances because He has a plan for you. We have to stop complaining about where we’re at…what we’re walking through…And we have to start seeking out the good…we have to start looking for how these situations we’re in, how they’re gonna help us better serve Him…all for His glory!

III. Keep Your Eyes Set on God (v. 7)

Which moves us into our final point tonight…seeking out the good, it helps us to keep our eyes set on God.

Listen, when we move into this last verse, I want you to notice what it is Nebuchadnezzar’s trying to accomplish here. It says, “The chief eunuch gave them names; he gave the name Belteshazzar to Daniel, Shadrach to Hananiah, Meshach to Mishael, and Abednego to Azariah.” Listen, Daniel and his friends, they possessed names that had meanings tied to either the name Yahweh or the name Elohim…Meanings tied to their God, right? Daniel, it translates into “Elohim is my judge”; Hananiah, “Yahweh is gracious”; Mishael, “Who is like Elohim?”; Azariah, “Yahweh helps.” Knowing the meaning of their names, Nebuchadnezzar changes these names to give them pagan meanings to mock the attributes and authority of God and His people. Listen, changing names today isn’t that big of a deal but in the ancient world, it was huge. It went to the identity, to the core of who a person was. These names that Nebuchadnezzar gave to these boys, they were names attached to Babylonian gods.

But listen, what’s fascinating about this, its that it doesn’t record Daniel or his friends refusing with any of these name changes. Daniel, he’ll refuse things as we continue on in the story next week but here in our text tonight, he accepts these new Babylonian names. And listen, I always wondered “Like why?” I mean, isn’t that a big deal?

Daniel and his friends, they found their identity in God and, listen, it didn’t matter what they were called because ultimately, they knew who they were in God. And listen, think about this, other than Daniel, we know his friends more for their Babylonian names (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego). We know ‘em more for those names than we do their Hebrew names. God took a bad circumstance and He used it all for His glory and honor. When we think of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego today, we think about men who were willing to go to a firery furnace for their faith…we think about a God who stepped in and saved them. The last thing we think about when it comes to those names are any Babylonian gods. Listen, that’s possible today because these men kept their sights set on God. They kept their focus on Him and on His mission.

Guys, when we keep our eyes set on Jesus, there’s nothing this world can do to tear us down. There’s not a circumstance that we can find ourselves in that God can’t redeem or use for His glory. Listen, even in the mists of His people’s captivity, a captivity that He initiated…we see God working to bring about their salvation. Without these circumstances, the birth of Jesus might not have been possible.

I know life can be difficult and confusing and you can find yourself in situations that make you feel all alone and abandoned but as a child of Jesus Christ, your hope, its rooted in Him and in His promises. He promises that every circumstance will indeed be used for His good. Now listen, that doesn’t mean you’ll have an understanding for everything you walk through…but it does mean you can have faith.

A God that would willingly come into this world and offer Himself for us, He’s trustworthy…and guys, He’s deserving of all worship and all praise. A God that would willing give His body and pour out His blood so that we might find salvation in Him, He deserves so much more than what we can give. It’s not up to us to always understand…its up to us to recognize His sovereignty and seek out ways to serve Him in spite of our situations…and just keep our eyes set on Him.

Closing

Guys, in closing…understand God’s sovereignty in this story…how He used it to position Daniel in such a way that would pave the way for Jesus. If God could work out these details so precisely…with so much perfection…don’t think for a second, He’s not capable today. Regardless of what it is you face, you can’t lose sight of God…who He is…what He’s doing. And guys, you can’t lose sight of the mission He’s laid before us.

Let us pray!