Daniel 1: Strangers in a Strange Land

The Situation

Daniel’s name means “God is my judge”

Theme - God is sovereign over history and empires.

Daniel 5:21 ESV

He was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will.

Dan

God’s people are strangers in a foreign land.

Daniel 1:1–7 ESV

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. 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.

Daniel 1:1–3 ESV

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,

Faithfulness to God is challenging while living in a faithless culture.

God’s people face pressure to adopt the culture’s ways.

Philippians 3:20 ESV

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

Tim Keller Said it well.

“Any person who only sticks with Christianity as long as things are going his or her way, is a stranger to the cross”

Daniel was not attempting to maintain the Kosher laws in Babylon because that would have been impossible.

Daniel 1:8–16 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.” 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.” 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.

Dan 1:8-16

Kosher laws are not simply about what you eat but about how what you eat is prepared. Its about who prepares what you eat. It would have been impossible for Daniel to eat only Kosher foods in Babylon.

Contrary to some beliefs win was not forbidden from the Hebrew diet.

Later Daniel seems to indicate that he both ate meat and drank wine.

Daniel 10:2–3 ESV

2 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks. 3 I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks.

The meat and wine were likely offer to the Babylonian God’s before they were served to Daniel.

Receiving these would have been like joining the pagan worship of these Babylonian God’s.

How do we handle the pressure of living for Christ in a world that serves others gods?

1. See this pressure as a means of preparation.

Daniel would face many more pressures. This actions in this firs would chart a course for greater struggles to come. The pressure you are in prepares you for greater pressure.

2. See in this pressure God’s provision.

D

Daniel 1:15 ESV

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.

is not teaching you what to eat but who to trust.

Daniel 1:17–21 ESV

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. 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.

Daniel is not the hero of this story, God is.

The thing that enables Daniel to stand up under the pressure is not his great faith but his great God.