Food For Thought
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
Intro
Intro
The book of Daniel takes place during Judea’s captivity to Babylon. The captivity or diaspora was a significant chapter in Jewish history. It saw Jerusalem destroyed, the Temple of God burned to the ground, and an entire nation of people taken into a land they did not know.
About a hundred years before this, the Northern Kingdom of Israel was completely destroyed by the Assyrian Empire. The Assyrian empire was then taken over by the Babylonians who were now laying seige against Jerusalem and the Southern Kingdom of Judea.
You could imagine the terror that this event caused. Imagine a foreign nation captured America, took you from your home, destroyed everything you knew, and forced you to live in their nation with their culture, their language, their customs. How vulnerable would you feel. The feeling you would have is assimilate or die. Forsake all that you new before and become a Babylonian.
The book of Daniel has a lot to teach us about our lives here in a New Testament context. The enemy is always trying to get us to forsake a pure faith and assimilate to the ideologies and beliefs of the world around us. For us as Christians, there can be no compromising on the truth and there will be times in our lives when we are called to take a stand for our faith in the face of extreme opposition.
Daniel teaches us this tension we find ourselves in. We live here in this world and in this culture, but we belong to a world that is greater.
Faith is consecrated.
Faith is consecrated.
It is a holy thing. Set apart from the world. As Christians we don’t conform to this world but we are transformed by the renewing of our minds in Scripture.
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
We are not of this world. We shouldn’t get too comfortable here, because Jesus is coming back soon to return us home. In the practice of our faith we should look different from the world. We love sacrificially, give generously, and serve in humility. Righteousness in contrast to the worlds sinfulness. A pure faith free from the paganism and idolatry of the world.
Faith is indigenous.
Faith is indigenous.
The faith we live out is done in our heart language. There is no faith fully separated from culture. Faith is done in culture. Let me phrase it a different way. The truth we proclaim is unchanging, but the means by which we proclaim that truth does change. Every church does church differently and that is okay as long as the truth of Scripture is maintained. The music we sing, the traditions we hold, the clothes we wear. All of those things change and evolve over time, but truth never changes. An example of this is the differences between the Jewish church and the Gentile church. A lot of the customs and traditions the Jewish church practiced were not carried over into the Gentile church, but the truth remained constant. Salvation is by faith alone. John says that it will be every tribe, tongue, and nation that stands before the throne of God.
9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,
The demand of the Babylonians in Daniel’s time and the demand of the Romans in the 1st century was not to express the Christian faith within the cultural context, it was a demand to forsake your faith or suffer.
What are some ways that our faith is counter cultural?
What are some ways our faith is indigenous?
The Choice Young Men
The Choice Young Men
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 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. 3 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, 4 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.
Here is the backdrop for our story. King Nebuchadnezzar, a name you should probably remember for future chapters, lays seige against Jerusalem and captures it. He then takes the treasure from the house of God (capital G) and put them into the treasuries of his pagan god (lowercase g). He then takes all of the best young men who were smart and handsome and he ordered them to be trained in the ways and customs of the Babylonians and to serve in his courts.
This is the first captivity that takes place during the reign of King Jehoiakim. Babylon would put a puppet king on the throne named Zedekiah, and twenty years later they would return and burn Jerusalem to the ground and take the rest to Babylon. Daniel was one of the young men taken in this first wave of captives. If you think about it strategically this makes sense in the ancient world. Keep all the smart people close so they can’t start a rebellion and so that you can make them serve in the capital and leave the rest to be forced labor to pay tribute back to the capital.
It’s kinda gross to hear it described. The utter disregard for human life. Treating people made in the image of God as pieces of meat to be traded and disposed of. It is a testament to the dehumanization that the people of Judea went through. They were seen as property of the Babylonian empire. That is the setting of our story, but who are the characters.
5 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. 6 Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. 7 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.
The story stars four young Jewish men. Daniel who would become a prophet to God, who would write this book and spend time in the Lion’s den. His name was changed to Belteshazzar. The other stars are Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who would have their names changed to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These are the three who would be thrown into the fiery furnace.
How important is the idea of identity in our world today?
As Christians, where do we find our identity? Who defines identity?
While their names had been changed these young men were firm in who they belonged to.
The conflict in the story is introduced in verse 5. These men who had been taken from their homes and made to live in this foreign land were assigned by the king a daily portion of the food that the king at and the wine that he drank.
Daniel’s Resolve
Daniel’s Resolve
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.
Daniel Made Up His Mind
Some translations say that he made up his mind or that he set upon his heart. Obedience is a choice. When David was put in a position in which evil was being imposed upon him, he made a choice. The decision to take a bold stand for the Lord isn’t one that happens in a vacuum or by chance. Daniel’s obedience flowed from a lifestyle of obedience. He was faithful in the little things and because of that he remained faithful in the big things.
Daniel’s opposition to the kings food came from either being sacrificed to idols or violating Jewish dietary laws. Whatever the reason, it was in opposition to Daniel’s conscience and opposition to the law of God. To Daniel, to eat the kings food, it would be a sin to him.
Daniel’s faithfulness could seriously put his life in danger. There is a concern that Daniel won’t get the nutrients he needed, there was a potential biological danger to his opposition but also if the king had found out it could have cost him his life. Not just his life but the lives of the people in charge of him.
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.”
The king’s chief of the eunuchs expressed his concern to Daniel. If you do this and the king finds out that I let you starve yourself, he will cut my head off! Neither men knew what would happen but Daniel needed to stand by his conviction. But it says that the Lord had given Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs.
When we find ourselves in treacherous circumstances and taking a stand for the Lord seems like it will cost us much, it is important to remember that the Lord is working in and through every circumstance we might find ourselves in. Daniel didn’t know his stance would be met with compassion. He could have gotten beaten to a pulp for even questioning the king. He didn’t know that the Lord would provide in the ways that he does. He just knew he had a responsibility to do what was right and he had the faith to believe that the Lord would be with him.
11 Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 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.”
Daniel appeals for a ten day window to prove to the steward that the Lord would provide. Daniel’s faith is on full display.
What I love about this story is that Daniel wasn’t an old wise man. He was a youth. A young man who had the courage to take a stand for his faith. But he didn’t do it alone. He had Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah by his side taking this stand with him. A lot can be said about the community you keep. Are your friends the type of people that will help you grow in your relationship with Jesus or will they hurt your relationship with Jesus. Think about the kind of friend you are. Do you bring your friends closer to Jesus?
In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul is writing to those who deny the resurrection and quotes Menander, a Greek playwright.
33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”
This term would have been very familiar to the Greeks who were reading this letter. From even a worldly perspective, those who don’t have the truth of the Gospel understand the effects bad company can have on a person’s character. This is indigenous isn’t it? To use this playwright to bring home his spiritual point. But Paul’s purpose in quoting this is to elevate the standard. It isn’t just the friends you have. Its everything. The content you watch, the music you listen to, the shows you enjoy, everything is fighting for your hearts affection. Everything is trying to tell you how you should think and act. When we surround ourselves with the brokenness of our world and allow brokenness to tell us what is cool and what is right we give a voice to immorality in our lives.
Who or what are you allowing to have an influence in your life? Are you committed to truth?
14 So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days. 15 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. 16 So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.
The Lord provided in a mighty way. This passage isn’t about whether you should be a vegetarian or not. There are some people who look at this chapter and make it about dieting and exercise. That isn’t the point. The lesson to be learned from this is that obedience to the lord is always better for us. Daniel’s physical body reflected the spiritual health that came with living a life in obedience to the Lord.
There are two passages of Scripture that I think help round this idea out.
31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
God cares about our holiness even down to the minute details. Even something as small as the food we eat, everything is an opportunity to be obedient to the Lord and to give Him glory.
34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.
For Jesus, doing the will of God was as food to Him. It was a necessity. He couldn’t live unless He was being obedient to the will of the Father. That attitude should be the same for us.
Are you intentional about glorifying God in all that you do?
Is your soul hungry and desperate to be obedient to the Lord?
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
17 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.
God was providing more than physical health to these young men. He was giving them the skills and knowledge to be successful in Babylon. He gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom. To Daniel He gave understanding in visions and dreams. God was equipping them for the work He was calling them to do.
When God calls us to a task, He is faithful to equip us to that task.
20 Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, 21 equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
18 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. 19 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. 20 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. 21 And Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus.
A closing thought as we come to the end of this chapter.
23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
Wherever we find ourselves, whatever we end up being responsible over, do that thing as if it were for the Lord and not for men. Is it doing chores? Do it for the Lord. Is it homework? Do it for the Lord. Is it working a job? Do it for the Lord. Daniel found himself serving in the court of a wicked king who had dragged him from his home and from everything he knew, but he served that king with honor and diligence.
When you are given a difficult task, do you see it as an opportunity to honor the Lord?
