Faith Under Fire 2-Daniel 1:1-7
Notes
Transcript
Handout
God’s Sovereignty in the Face of Turbulent Times
As we begin this morning, please turn in your copies of God’s Word to the book of Daniel, chapter 1, verses 1-7. Please have these verses as we will read them shortly.
Last Sunday morning in the first part of our message entitled Faith Under Fire-God’s Sovereignty in the Face of Turbulent Times, we spent a good deal of time considering how, ultimately the Book of Daniel has one undeniable overarching theme, which is God’s sovereignty. We reviewed a number of the verses throughout the book of Daniel which pointed out over and over again His complete sovereignty.
Additionally, we addressed the truth that His sovereignty is not diminished in the face of turbulent times. It is hard to come up with a time more turbulent for the people of God than what Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, & Azariah were living through at this point in history. Here they were, somewhere between 13-17 years of age, ripped out of their homes, which for these young men were homes of royalty, and dragged hundreds of miles away, never to see their homeland again. Yet as we read on in Daniel, we see they remained steadfast in their faith and trust in God, even in the face of death.
We closed with considering how only God is sovereign, and in the event He choses to do something through us, whether big or small, all the glory goes to Him. We must resist the urge to be prideful in self, always giving glory to God.
This morning we will be moving forward in this first chapter of Daniel, as we will witness through the pages of Scripture how 4 young teenage boys remained steadfast in their faith even in the midst of insurmountable odds, because they understood the sovereignty of God over all things, even the powerful Babylonian ruler.
With that, let’s go before the Lord in prayer.
Heavenly Father,
How privileged we are to be able to approach the very throne of You, the sovereign God this morning. As we have studied Your Word each Sunday morning, Your power and majesty over all creation becomes clearer each day we open these sacred pages, and to think that You, the omnipotent Creator, loves us to the point You sacrificed Your Own Son on the Cross of Calvary, brings to my heart unspeakable joy.
Father we pray that as we look at our passage this morning, that You would find in us attentive minds and hearts willing to be transformed by our time here this morning. We pray Your blessing on this time in Your Word, and we pray these things in Jesus Name Amen.
Now, would you please stand, in honor of the reading of God’s Word?
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.
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.
May the Lord add His blessing to the reading of His Word. Please be seated.
Daniel Under Attack.
You know, in many ways, the Book of Daniel has been under attack since it was written. First it was under attack by;
Attacked by skeptics who believed it wasn’t prophetic.
These skeptics refused to acknowledge that the timeless God of creation, could actually tell specific details concerning events that were, at the time hundreds of years in the future. As we travel through Daniel, he forecasts future events with such precision that the skeptics all decided that Daniel had to have been written in the second century BC and not the 6th century BC. And while Christian circles continued to believe in the earlier dates for the writing of Daniel, we didn’t have sufficient grounds to combat the suppositions of the skeptics. That is until late in 1946 and early in 1947.
One particular day a couple teenage shepherds were looking for a goat in an area on the northwest side of the Dead Sea called Qumran. They were looking for a lost goat when one of them did what all boys love to do, he picked up a rock and took aim, and tossed it into the mouth of a cave. Interestingly he heard a shattering sound, so the 2 boys decided to investigate what caused the sound. Upon entering, they found clay jars containing seven nearly complete leather and papyrus scrolls. Which were part of what we now call The Dead Sea Scrolls. The First Scrolls in the first cave included the Great Isaiah Scroll, the Community Rule, and the Habakkuk Commentary.
After their initial discovery archaeologists began years of intensive searching of all of the surrounding caves, and what they found boggled their minds. All told they searched a total of 11 caves and even discovered a 12th cave in 2017, which had evidently been discovered and looted sometime after the first 11 caves were discovered.
In 1952 they found what became known as Cave 4, and it was like they struck archaeological gold. In Cave 4 they found roughly 90% of all fragments found (approx. 15,000 pieces from 500 different manuscripts). What they found in cave 4 was different that the other caves. Rather than finding manuscripts hidden in jars, these appeared to have been buried quickly, and historians have speculated they were hastily buried to hide them from the advancing Roman army around 68 AD.
Before the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls, the most reliable manuscripts we had were the Masoretic texts which were dated around 1,000 AD. That was great for the skeptics, because they could continue to insist Daniel was written much later and were more historic than prophetic. Yes they may have been written as if they were prophesying events yet to come, but stated that they were written after the events had already taken place.
Then came the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. This made the skeptics theory on Daniel a little more challenging, but the best dating we had at the time, Carbon dating, still could be seen as dating these scrolls somewhere between 200 BC and 33 AD. This still made it challenging for the skeptics because historians were and are certain that none of the Dead Sea Scrolls were original. In other words they had been copied many times over the years, meaning they most likely predated 200 BC to 33 AD. Still, the skeptics stood firm in their belief that Daniels prophecies were written after the events actually took place, meaning they were not prophetic.
That is before AI technology was added to current dating methods. Recently new advancements in dating using an AI technology, called Enoch, have used a multi layered dating system, which includes evaluating the writing styles compared to what they know from history, also, features in the manuscript, and the carbon 14 results. With the new technology they are now estimating an older date of 230-160BC. This is significant because before this the skeptics said the manuscripts could not have been written before 160 BC.
Now maybe you are wondering why this is a big deal, and that is a valid question. The reason this is important is, now you have manuscripts that predate 160 BC by 70 years or more, and if you add to the earlier dating the fact that these are not originals but copies that had been copied multiple times, circulated and accepted as Canonical, which means they were accepted as Biblical texts. This is hugely important, because this means that Daniel actually was prophetic. He was writing about events still in the future. I cannot stress to you how important this is for Christians.
But there remain other skeptics as well.
Presumed errors in Scripture.
For instance, there are some that say there are errors in the biblical text regarding how one prophet dates when Nebuchadnezzar rose to power compared to how another dates the same thing. One specific error the skeptics love to jump on is highlighting the difference between what Daniel wrote in Daniel 1:1 and Jeremiah 46:2. Let me take a moment to show these 2 verses together.
Jeremiah 46:2 & Daniel 1:1
Now it is easy to see why the differences seen in these 2 verses could as problematic. I mean Jeremiah clearly states the Nebuchadnezzar rose to power in the 4th year of the reign of Jehoiakim while Daniel states it as the 3rd year of his reign. They can’t both be right, can they?
Well actually, the answer is “Yes” they can both be right.
At issue here is that there are 2 different dating methods used. Daniel, living in the Babylonian Empire uses the Babylonian dating method, while Jeremiah uses the Palestinian/Egyptian dating method. The Palestinian/Egyptian dating method includes the year one rises to power as the first full year, whereas the Babylonian dating method does not count the full year until after the first entire year is completed.
Let me explain it this way. In our current dating system, which is comparable to the Babylonian dating method, Pam and I have been married for 39 years. We will celebrate our 40th on Nov. 27th. However, if we used the same method as the Palestinian/Egyptian, we would have already celebrated our 40th year and would celebrate our 41st on November 27th.
There are other areas where the Book of Daniel has come under attack, and we will likely look at some of those as we move on in our look at the text.
Let’s move from here to a look at some of what was taking place when Nebuchadnezzar took the young royals and young men of nobility back to the Babylonian Empire.
To begin with we see Nebuchadnezzar’s;
Targeted Captives. Vs. 3 & 4
What are the specific things we see listed in verses 3 & 4 that the king was looking for?
They came from Royalty or Nobility. Vs. 3
The eventual plan was that these young men would be; “competent to stand in the king’s palace”. Thus they looked for young men who were already accustomed to a specific lifestyle.
The next thing King Nebuchadnezzar was for young men who were;
Good looking, without blemish. Vs. 4
I have always been a sports fan, and my sports taste through the years has always been pretty wide. Including tennis. Now I didn’t watch a ton of tennis, but I always enjoyed watching Wimbledon or any other tournament in which Andre Agassi played. During the late 80’s and early 90’s, Nike used him for an add campaign in which Agassi would end each commercial with the phrase; “Image Is Everything”. Perhaps Nike drew their inspiration from Nebuchadnezzar, because physical image was a big deal to him.
Next he wanted young men who were;
Skillful in wisdom. Vs. 4
While it was true that they were going to be educated in the best Babylonian universities around at the time, they also wanted to make sure these young men already exhibited an aptitude for learning. Which is also seen in the next thing he was looking for in these young men;
Endowed with knowledge, understanding and learning. Vs. 4
Obviously these young men were sharp in every way!
They were then to be given the best possible education available in Babylon, which would have been second to none! Again, as was mentioned earlier, these young men were to be; “competent to stand in the king’s palace”.
Reading on we see the plan for these young men unfold. Which in some ways was, forget all that you’ve learned in the past, especially in a spiritual sense, to change their way of thinking.
To accomplish this the Babylonians began an intense;
Process of assimilation and indoctrination. Vs. 2-5
The first thing we see taking place was they were whisked away to Babylon. Which leads to the first phase in the assimilation process, which was;
Isolation from the familiar. Vs. 3
These young men were kidnapped from their homes, from the families they loved, from the land they loved, from the city they loved, and transported to a foreign country they knew little about. What they did know was that 6 years earlier the Babylonians conquered the mighty Assyrian Empire. Of course they hated the Assyrians, but when it came to Babylon, well it was more fear than anything else. They just didn’t know what to expect. Honestly, had they listened to the prophet Jeremiah, their fear would have been greater. Beginning in 626 BC, Jeremiah began warning them that they would be conquered by an empire from the north if they didn’t repent and turn back to God. The minute Babylon conquered Assyria, they should have known it would be Babylon. Instead, they attempted to make shifting alliances, bouncing back and forth between Egypt to the south and Babylon to the north. Jeremiah warned them over and over again that their only chance of survival was to turn from their wicked ways and seek the Face of God. Only He could rescue them. Instead of trusting God, they trusted man.
That is a good lesson for us to learn from their mistakes. In sticking with our theme for this month;
Our only true hope is in God, through Jesus Christ His Son. As the old hymn goes, “All other ground is sinking sand”.
I believe there was something else at play in the Babylonians transporting these young men to Babylon. Remember, these young men came from families of royalty and nobility. Oftentimes individuals who are accustomed to a more lavish lifestyle, struggle greatly when they are thrust into a lifestyle no where near to what they had in the past. As we consider the young men taken from Judah in this case, which some have estimated to be 70 or more young men, including Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, & Azariah. One day they were enjoying the life of royalty and nobility, the next they were being quickly escorted hundreds of miles to the northeast.
Normally this would have been a 4 month trip, but since Nebuchadnezzar had to return quickly to assume his deceased father’s throne, they made the journey in about 2 weeks. With that in mind, rather than take the typical Babylonian route that avoided the Syrian desert, they went directly through the desert. Meaning this trip would have been a miserable experience for all involved, probably more-so for those used to a more lavish lifestyle. In some ways, this could be seen as a perfect lead in to what took place next, when they made their way to Babylon, because as they finally arrived in Babylon, they saw;
The unparalleled majesty of the City of Babylon.
Picture this in your mind. You have just spent 2 grueling weeks crossing the Syrian desert, little water, small rationed portions of food. Intensely hot days followed by intensely cold nights. It was borderline unbearable. Then you walked through the gates into Babylon.
Babylon was huge, boasting massive blue-glazed brick defenses like the Ishtar Gate, which was 45 feet tall. It also had multiple sprawling palaces, and the Euphrates River flowing through its center.
Ziggurat Etemedananki- this was the temple to Marduk, and historians believe it was inspired by the Tower of Babel from Genesis. It was 7 tiers and 300 feet tall.
If the Greek historian Herodotus was correct, the outer walls were 295 feet high and 87 feet thick.
At some point in time it included the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the 7 ancient wonders of the world. Which were actually air conditioned.
As beautiful as Jerusalem was, it paled in comparison to Babylon, the days of King Solomon’s Jerusalem were long gone.
So the beauty and majesty of Babylon was the second phase in the assimilation of these young men. But it didn’t end there, next we see; the next part of the assimilation is seen in the beginning of verse 5. the;
Royal cuisine. Vs. 5
Nebuchadnezzar fed the young men from Judah rich Babylonian royal delicacies and wine, designed to assimilate them over three years. This luxurious, high-protein diet likely included meat, dairy, only the very best. Keep in mind, we read in verse 5 that they were eating the “food that the king ate”. All of this was designed to soften them to the ways the Babylonians.
Which, by the way, must have worked quite well. Approximately 70 years later, the Medo/Persian King Cyrus, gave the Israelites the freedom to return to Jerusalem. Less that 50,000 returned. While we do not know how many lived in Babylon at the time, some estimates are between 1-2 million people. So the number that returned was a very small percentage.
The next important move by the Babylonians was seen in their indoctrination of these young men. This was done in at least 2 ways. First, which was a part of the desire to erase the past for these young men was.
Name changes. Vs. 7
While Daniel’s record only notes name changes for Daniel, Hananiah, Azariah and Mishael, it is likely that every one of the young men underwent the same process. The reason we know nothing of the other young men is, they simply went with the flow. Meaning they quickly abandoned their old way of life rather than trust God. We know of Daniel and his friends because their godly character stood out compared to all others.
Let’s take a few minutes and look at these name changes. Each moves from honoring the one true God to honoring one of the false gods of Babylon.
Daniel meant “God is my judge”. Belteshazzar meant “Bel protect the prince”.
Remember, last week I pointed out that Bel was another word for Marduk.
Hananiah meant “The LORD has acted graciously” Shadrach meant “the command of Aku”.
Aku was the Babylonian moon god.
Mishael meant “Who is like God”. Meshach meant “Who is like Aku”.
Again, moving from honoring the one true God to honoring the false god of the moon Aku.
Azariah meant “The LORD has helped”. Abednego meant “Servant of Nabu”.
Which was the ancient Babylonian god of wisdom, literacy, writing, and prophecy.
Interestingly, we will find out in chapter 2 that Nabu had no power whatsoever when it came to prophecy. However, the God Whom Azariah’s name honored not only gave Daniel the prophetic meaning of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, but also made clear to him all of the details of a dream he previously knew nothing about.
We will look more at the Babylonians efforts to negatively influence the young men from Jerusalem next week, but for now I’d like to close with action points for us from what we have looked at this morning.
To begin with, we need to understand that the world we live in is, in many ways, seeking to do with believers today what the Babylonian empire sought to do with the young men from Jerusalem. It is seeking to push us in a direction where we abandon clear biblical truths for the sake of fitting in with society around us. The easiest course of action for us is to fit in, but in manny ways, fitting in with a pagan society was what brought about the Babylonian captivity. We must commit to living lives pleasing to God, even in the face of opposition from the world around us. Remaining steadfast in our faith even in the midst of insurmountable odds, because we know our God is sovereign over all things.
Next, we need to operate with an eternal perspective. The same perspective the Apostle Paul had when he wrote his 2nd letter to Timothy. His death was quickly approaching when he wrote this letter, yet in 2 Timothy chapter 1, verses 8-12 he writes;
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9 Who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of His Own purpose and grace, which He gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,
10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, Who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher,
12 which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.
Lets close our time this morning in prayer.
Heavenly Father,
May our lives follow the lead of Daniel, Hananiah, Azariah, & Mishael in the Book of Daniel and the life of Paul as see in the New Testament, may our lives echo what we will sing in the chorus of our closing hymn; “But I know Whom I have believed, And am persuaded That He is able. To keep that Which I've committed Unto Him against That day”
Father, may You shine through us in this dark world,
In Jesus Name we pray, Amen
