Daniel 1: Resolution defeats compromise
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction
The danger of reading or studying the old testament is to view it as merely informative. To look at it purely historical or facts that are necessary in your growth as a Christian. But the book of Daniel is does not give the reader an extraordinary view of faith that they can not achieve but illustrates what normal faith looks like in the life of Daniel and his friends. In other words, faithfulness and defilement are ranging scales but more like light switches for the believer. You are either faithful and undefiled or unfaithful and defiled. A man cannot be kinda faithful to his wife just as a man cannot be kinda faithful to Christ. For us today, God’s people must not defile themselves with the world but remain faithful.
Recap
The book of Daniel is a plea for God’s people to be faithful as God exercises his authority over the nations.
Unity
The first chapter of Daniel is about God’s sovereignty and our required faithfulness.
Fallen Conditional Focus
God’s people must not defile themselves with the world but remain faithful.
What words or phrases do we see repeated in ?
God gave
Ten
House
Names - Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah
In this case, their Babylonian names are not repeated but only their Hebrew names.
Scene 1: Setting the Stage (2)
Verse 1 serves as a historical background.
Northern Tribes in exile in 721 BC by the Assyrians. Important to our context in Daniel is that shortly after going into exile the prophet voices to the Israel (Northern tribes) goes silent.
Shinar
There were three deportations from Judah to Babylon.
First deportation in 605 BC.
Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and bound him in chains to take him to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar also carried part of the vessels of the house of the Lord to Babylon and put them in his palace in Babylon.
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 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.
Young men of nobility including Daniel were taken.
Second deportation in 597 BC.
At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it, and Jehoiachin the king of Judah gave himself up to the king of Babylon, himself and his mother and his servants and his officials and his palace officials. The king of Babylon took him prisoner in the eighth year of his reign and carried off all the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold in the temple of the Lord, which Solomon king of Israel had made, as the Lord had foretold. He carried away all Jerusalem and all the officials and all the mighty men of valor, 10,000 captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths. None remained, except the poorest people of the land. And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon. The king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officials, and the chief men of the land he took into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. And the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon all the men of valor, 7,000, and the craftsmen and the metal workers, 1,000, all of them strong and fit for war. And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.
King Jehoiachin, officials, skilled warriors and laborers (metal workers). Only the poorest people in the land.
Walls and temple are destroyed.
Third deportation in 587 BC.
And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem and laid siege to it. And they built siegeworks all around it. So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, by the king’s garden, and the Chaldeans were around the city. And they went in the direction of the Arabah. But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and they passed sentence on him. They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains and took him to Babylon. In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month—that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. And he burned the house of the Lord and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls around Jerusalem. And the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, together with the rest of the multitude, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into exile. But the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen. And the pillars of bronze that were in the house of the Lord, and the stands and the bronze sea that were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces and carried the bronze to Babylon. And they took away the pots and the shovels and the snuffers and the dishes for incense and all the vessels of bronze used in the temple service, the fire pans also and the bowls. What was of gold the captain of the guard took away as gold, and what was of silver, as silver. As for the two pillars, the one sea, and the stands that Solomon had made for the house of the Lord, the bronze of all these vessels was beyond weight. The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, and on it was a capital of bronze. The height of the capital was three cubits. A latticework and pomegranates, all of bronze, were all around the capital. And the second pillar had the same, with the latticework. And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest and Zephaniah the second priest and the three keepers of the threshold; and from the city he took an officer who had been in command of the men of war, and five men of the king’s council who were found in the city; and the secretary of the commander of the army, who mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the land, who were found in the city. And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. And the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was taken into exile out of its land. And over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, he appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, governor. Now when all the captains and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah governor, they came with their men to Gedaliah at Mizpah, namely, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite. And Gedaliah swore to them and their men, saying, “Do not be afraid because of the Chaldean officials. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.” But in the seventh month, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck down Gedaliah and put him to death along with the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.
Jerusalem laid waste. Temple destroyed.
Verse 2 serves as a spiritual background.
God is sovereign even when it seems he is not.
“Lord gave”
God is the ultimate one at work here, not Babylon. The same is true of the cross. On the cross it looks like the serpent wins but in fact he loses. As the apostle Peter tells us in .
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.
“Vessels”
The vessels signified a victory over the gods of Babylon over the God of Judah. Where have we seen this before?
When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon.
Notice the movement of the vessels. The move out of the “house of God” and into the “house of his god”.
These vessels will re-enter the story in in a significant way.
Land of Shinar is a return to the tower of babel.
Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.
What happens at the tower of Babel? The people of the world with one language settle into a plain and seek to build a city and tower to the “heavens” and “make a name for ourselves”.
And as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to the authority with which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be plucked up and go to others besides these.
Scene 2: The Chaldean Plan and God’s Plan ()
The Chaldean Plan ()
The Babylonian Reboot
Reeducate (-4)
Refuel ()
Rename ()
Daniel - “God is my judge”
Belteshazzar - Marduk protects his life [Marduk the supreme God of the Babylonians]
Hananiah - Yahweh has been gracious
Shadrach - command of Aku [moon God]
Mishael - who is what God is?
Meshach - who is what Aku is?
Azariah - Yahweh has helped
Abednego - servant of the shinning one [Nabo, the son of Marduk]
Daniel’s resolution ()
This is the rise of conflict. With the Chaldeans attempting to remove their Jewish identity Daniel and his friends resolve to fight this initiative.
Daniel “resolved” - “to set the heart” or to “make up one’s mind” to not defile themselves with the King’s food. Of the three ways in which Daniel and his friends were going to be rebooted he decided that the most important one was diet. As a youth, this is impressive.
“God gave” - Daniel and his friends favor over the chief of the eunuchs. Another example of repetition and theme of God’s sovereignty.
Similar to Joseph in .
So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had.
In Verse 9, Daniel first asks the chief of the eunuchs, and he receives some opposition. The issue is the outward appearance and he passively denies Daniel’s request. But in verse 11 we see Daniel go to the steward assigned to him and his friends and asks the same thing but with an objective test. A changed diet for ten days to test. The steward agrees, what can 10 days hurt. To the stewards surprise Daniel and his friends look better than the other youths. Verse 16 shows that they earned the right to eat vegetables and water for the entire 3 year period they were to be reeducated.
God’s Plan ()
Our sovereignty marker, “god gave”
Babylonians wanted to educate but rather God gave them learning and skill not only for the position they were being trained but for God’s purposes.
In verse 18, at the end marks the three year period. Daniel and his friends remain undefiled and stand before the king to find themselves “ten times better”.
Why 10? What is its significance? [Biblical Theology]
10 represents completeness, law, and perfection.
with ten of the phrase “God said”.
Later we see the Ten Commandments or more literally, the Ten “words”.
For us in Daniel chapter 1 it serves as a way to understand the intent of the fast. They want to perfectly be undefiled in the role they are in. They want to perfectly obey God’s law while in exile. And how do we know they succeed? King Nebuchadnezzar finds the “ten times better” than the rest.
Scene 3: Conclusion ()
Verse 21 serves as both a historical and spiritual conclusion to chapter 1.
How do you defeat a kingdom? You outlive them. King Cyrus is not a Babylonian king, but a Medo/Persian king. This is a way of the author to illustrate to us that God wins the conflict between Babylon and his people. This also sets the tone for the conclusion of the book of Daniel, how are we going to defeat the fourth kingdom mentioned, the fourth beast? Resurrection/eternal life.
And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
Application
There is life at the end of the tunnel so hold on.
Apostle John to the Church in Thyatira .
“And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze. “ ‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works. But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. Only hold fast what you have until I come. The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. And I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
Revelation 2
“And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze. “ ‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works. But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. Only hold fast what you have until I come. The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. And I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
Only hold fast what you have until I come.
The apostle Paul tells us in
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.
The writer of tells us.
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
Resolution defeats compromise.
Read “Resolutions” by Jonathan Edwards
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-resolutions-of-jonathan-edwards
It is a way of setting the mind and the will on the right course as not to get distracted.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 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.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 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.