God’s compassion through Exile

Thesis Statement: God’s sovereignity was keeping Daniel and his friends in favor, despite the exile and complete change of physical and cultural appearance.

What I want people to walk away with: Daniel lived through one of the most traumatic moments in his life, but God was still merciful.

Passages: Daniel 1:1-10; Jeremiah 29:4-6; Isaiah 39:6-7.

Introduction:

We are starting a new series here at ICA. There are a few ways to go about making a series. You can either pick a topic, or choose a book.

Today, we are choosing a book.

Reasons for the new series:

Daniel is a unique book in the Bible because it is a historical book as much as it is a apocalyptic literature. (Chapter 12 speaks about future events)

I believe that God will speak to us through these chapters. Some churches are using themes to preach, some pastors are focusing on current or social problems of today. We are in a season of studying one book at the time.

It gives us a broader and better understanding of the scripture, where we look at the whole Bible as we narrow down into one moment of history.

My expectations from this series:

Hear from God. Augustine once said, “Where Scripture speaks, God speaks”. He is able to speak to us in all of our seasons and circumstances.

Study a rhythm of how can we live for God without compromising our relationship with him

That leads me to an important question that I asked myself as I was preparing the series…

Why the book of Daniel?

A young boy, who’s hometown was captured by the neighbouring country

He, along with his friends and family, are Exiled

Foreign language, different culture, contradicting religion, destroyed homes. And on top of everything - You are being forced to change your name!

What can we learn from this time period?

The Bible is one great story. We cannot take or leave anything out of it. The Book of Daniel is this short window into the lives of God’s people in the period of the Babylon empire.

Point 1: Difficult times will feel like the end of the road

The Book of Daniel opens up with the sequence of actions right away:

Daniel 1:1–3 NIV

1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god. 3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility—

There are a few things that we need to speak, and I need to be open about:

God delievered the king of Judah into the enemy’s hands, but He never abandoned them

Is God a bad god? Why does he allow bad things to happen?

God is sovereign. There were good and bad kings in Israel and Judah. Nevertheless, God’s plan to send his Son Jesus Christ was not wavered.

Each action has some level of consequence. (Free will. God wants us to choose Him)

The house of God was robbed and replaced by the Babylonian god

This was not a strange phenomenon since this was a normal practice for any country that was conquering the land.

A god was attached to the location, and when two countries go to war - the winner of the fight got to put their god in their temple. Meaning, the winning god was stronger than the losing god.

God allowed these things to take place.

God who will save them is the same God who allowed the enemy to overtake them

This statement forces us to exercise our deep faith, to believe that it will all be good

Strong Devotion: No matter the exterior motives - we will honor God through our lives

Point 2: New life, new names, new address. Same God, deep faith, strong devotion.

The book gives us more information about the beginning of this transition:

Daniel 1:3–7 NIV

3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility—4 young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. 5 The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service. 6 Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7 The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.

Here’s the description of the people they are looking for:

young men (teen or younger) from royal and noble family

No physical defect

Handsome

Eager to learn, well informed, quick to understand

Qualified to serve in king’s palace

Feels like the king was preparing them for something special. They were controlling the crowd population, and wanted to keep everyone in line (No one to rebel)

Theory from the commentaries: “Chief of his courts official” could have meant a few things:

Chief - A rank in the Babylonian military

Rav Saris (Hebrews)- Chief of eunuchs

Men would be castrated and turned to eunuchs for reasons like: preserving loyalty, also, remove ambition to start a family with the royal clan.

Meaning, that Daniel and his friends were made eunuchs, to preserve them for the royal courts

We see one prophecy from Isaiah that speaks about “our own flesh and blood will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of Babylon

Isaiah 39:6–7 NIV

6 The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord. 7 And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”

Another passage that reminds me of this situation. Very similar story:

Jeremiah 29:4–6 NIV

4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease.

This passages presents a number of conflicting statements from God:

Build houses and live in them

It’s a process. It doesn’t happen over night. Building identity.

Plant gardens and eat their produce

You don’t see the fruit right away. Putting in the effort

Take wives, make kids, and have your kids marry someone, and then have grandkids

You are planting your family roots, establishing yourself and creating history

This feels unfair, no one should ever go through this pain:

We don’t know how long God is calling us into this season.

We don’t know how long this war will end

Daniel doesn’t know how long he will be in captivity

We DO know that Daniel witnessed the next king of Babylonia.

Point 3: Keep your faith, even in your darkest of days

The first part of this chapter raises some major life changes in the young men’s life.

Notice that there is no uproar, or a rebellion against the Babylonians. Instead, we see them submitting to the country that attacked them. Until this point…

Daniel 1:8–10 ESV

8 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. 9 And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs, 10 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.”

Conflicting statements: in v2: God allowed Judah to be taken over. And now, v9: we see that God gave Daniel favor and compassion.

Question: Why Daniel denies king’s food?

After everything that happened to them, this is where you draw the line? free royal food?

Maybe consider: Israelites were given laws on what they are able to eat, what keeps them pure before God. Also, that it separates them from any Gentiles or polytheistic nation.

Let’s look at this passage from the Old Testament viewpoint, not the 21st century.

People would offer the food to gods before they would consume. The gods would consume the food. Whatever is left - sent to the royal household.

By partaking in the meal, you align with their beliefs and become associated with the group.

Daniel: After all of the pain, suffering, mockery, life-changing moments - still chose to honor God

Let’s go back to that conflicting statement in v9: God granted Daniel the favor.

God allowed the Exile to happen, and the same God showed compassion and favor upon Daniel.

Conclusion:

After all of this, Daniel found the strength to glorify God and refused to defile himself

God allowed the nation to be taken over, but He never abandoned them. The existence of difficult times does not mean the absence of God.

Daniel experienced hardships no child should go through, but God’s mercy was in the Exile. New life, name, address. But we have the same God, our faith grows every day, and a strong devoted heart.

Daniel kept his faith, even when it wasn’t convenient for him.

Do you have something where you need to draw the line? Something that the Holy Spirit is telling you about? People in your life, things that you do, stuff that you watch.

How are your daily encounters with God? Do you still go to God, even when we don’t know when the end of our Exile will happen?

Prayer:

We will talk more about prayer and fasting in later weeks, but for today - let’s focus on the incredible testimony of God’s mercy through the life of Daniel.