A Survival Guide for Saints in Exile (Daniel 1:1-21)

Introduction

Daniel is a survival guide for saints in exile as they anticipate the promised kingdom of God.

The historical background for the book of Daniel

Manasseh reigned for 55 years in Jerusalem and reversed all of the reforms made by his father Hezekiah, because of this the Lord promises to judge Israel by bringing destruction upon Judah and Jerusalem.

2 Kings 21:10 - “And the LORD said by his servants the prophets, 11 “Because Manasseh king of Judah has committed these abominations and has done things more evil than all that the Amorites did, who were before him, and has made Judah also to sin with his idols, 12 therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing upon Jerusalem and Judah such disaster that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle.”

After Manasseh, Amnon reigned after his father for two year before he was assassinated, and Josiah became King when he was 8 years old and he reigned for 31 years - during the reign of Josiah he rediscovered the Law, instituted reforms, and cleansed the nation of its Idolatry.

2 Kings 23:3 and 25-26 “And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people joined in the covenant...Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him...Still the LORD did not turn from the burning of his great wrath, by which his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked him. 27 And the LORD said, “I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.”

Josiah’s son Jehoahaz reigned three months before Egypt deposed him and made his brother Jehoiakim king of Judah - he reigned 11 years before he was brought to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar.

The reason I walk through this history is that Daniel and other youth of noble birth were likely influenced by parents who served or were in close proximity to King Josiah during his reign of reform.

vs1-7 introduce us to the immediate historical situation - it is the beginning of the defeat of Judah, the capture of the best and brightest youth of Judah’s nobility, and a description of their re-education program.

Every aspect of the story is horrific and it looks like God and his people are defeated. After all, even some of the consecrated vessels used in the worship of the one true God now reside in house of a pagan god.

Behind the storyline is a promise that God made to David in 2 Samuel 7:10-16 - He promises David a place of peace, rest, and security. He promises David that a King would come from him and that his throne will be established forever. David is promised an eternal kingdom.

So right from the start of Daniel we see something very important - national, physical, Israel is not the promised Kingdom. Almost all the kings were wicked idol worshippers. They were unfaithful. The kingdom was divided and both sides had fallen into the hands of pagan rulers.

The promised Kingdom would be made up of the spiritual descendants of Abraham, who have surrendered to the true King to come much later, Jesus Christ.

So we will see in Daniel many prophecies that will demonstrate the fact the God’s people will have to endure the temporary struggles of life as those who live as spiritual citizens of the kingdom of God while living as citizens of the various kingdoms of this world.

Kingdom Exiles Always Remember the Supremacy of the Lord’s Throne

There is a key phrase in vs. 2 - the Lord gave Jehoiakim into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God.

This phrase emphasizes the sovereignty and supremacy of the Lord’s rule over both Jehoiakim and Neb.

One of the story lines of history is the conflict between the nations and the Lord

Psalm 2:1-3 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”

Psalm 22:28 - “For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations.”

Psalm 103:19 - “The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.

Rev. 4:1-2 - “After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.”

We must always remember the supremacy of the Lord’s throne - the nations rage against the Lord and against his people, yet the Lord is always the sovereign ruler.

If things turn bad for the church in our nation - this doesn’t mean the Lord has abandoned or forgotten us, he is in control and he is working all things according to his sovereign and holy purposes. We also understand that we have a promise of an eternal kingdom - and we are to be working as ambassadors on behalf of that Kingdom in every circumstance.

The Lord Judges the Nations from His Throne (1:1-7)

What happened to Judah is clearly the judgment of God for their rebellion.

Isaiah warned them when he prophesied to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: 6 Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the LORD. 7 And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” Is 39:5–7

The judgment included the taking of young people from their homeland and their families and bringing them to Babylon to be re-educated and used servants to the King.

The judgment included the pilfering of the temple and a demonstration of superiority.

The United States of America is not immune to the righteous hand of God coming against us in judgment. One of the reasons Judah fell was that Manasseh was wicked and shed innocent blood in pagan sacrifices.

But God is merciful to those who repent - earthly judgment can lead to eternal repentance - Manasseh repented after the Lord carried him off in judgment and the Lord was merciful to him.

The Lord Gives Favor and Compassion from His Throne. (1:8-16)

The situation that Daniel and his friends found themselves in was a total cultural assimilation program - they were given new vocations, new identity, new diet,new language, and new religious training.

Daniel and his companions did not want to eat food that had first been offered to pagan gods, they understood that the line needed to be drawn somewhere in order to preserve the distinct identity.

In fear of the Lord, they asked to follow a different diet of vegetables - and they were asked to be tested for ten days - in the midst of this test, God showed his compassion and favor to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

The world will always attempt to assimilate us into its cultural program - one appropriate application of this passage is that for this period of time when we live as kingdom exiles we need to operate under both grace and wisdom.

Jesus says in Matt 10:16 - “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”

As Christians relate to the world we must keep our distinctiveness with wisdom and gentleness understanding that in precarious situations the Lord is both gracious and working in the background to sustain those who fear him.

1 Peter 2:11-16, “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. 13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God”

As Christians in our context we have the opportunity to influence government for the good of society by advocating for laws that are just and god-honoring.

Do not be afraid of the world - fear God, honor him, and he will give favor and compassion from this throne.

Adam, Did you receive my email i send on 24 february?Some time the internet was break-dawn in Myanmar.As you have known the situitions in Myanmar is very bad news in every cities but God is our shelter and our Rock. My family and members are still well by the grace of God. Last week on Sunday 21 Feb a women named DawMyaAye our members who lived in Paleih 77yrs was seriously sick and unconcious, hopeless and all of her neighbours were gathered and they call me to pray for her in the name of Jesus. I think they tested me. I and Thasui some of my members went there and pray in Jesus name and God has done a wonderful power and be come heals that she can talks with us. Praise God. Now we are not worship together but still God's open the door and secrectly pray togather and continue encouragement.

We need your prayer support.

The LORD still gives his people favor and compassion in difficult circumstances!

The Lord Gives Exiles Influence to Magnify His Name. (1:17-21)

The Lord gave them such favor that they excelled greatly beyond all the advisory class in all of Babylon. The Lord had given them tremendous influence. And Daniel would have this influence all the way until the reign of King Cyrus of the Persian Empire.

There is a tension that we experience as we live in the world - this tension was expressed in John 17 as Jesus prayed, “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.” The tension is that at this time Jesus wants his followers in the world - but he asks that God would be merciful to us while we are in the world. We are to be in the world, but not of the world. We are to influence to the world, yet not be molded by the world.

Christians are not to live in fear of the philosophies and priorities of the world, but we are not to be swept up with them either - we are to be sanctified in the truth and our mission is to influence the world to surrender to Christ as the one true King!

Jesus also prayed, “As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.

You have a great opportunity for influence in the various places the Lord has sent you - will you use this influence for to magnify the Lord’s name?

Conclusion: The Irony of God’s Sovereignty.

Now if we step back and look at all of Daniel 1, we discover an irony that is almost amusing. At the beginning of the story we find captives from a subjugated kingdom (3–4), but here these very captives stand at the head of the palace royal service corps. In verses 1–2 we read of Judah’s shameful defeat, including the pillaging of her temple vessels, while here we meet the ‘victory’ of Judah’s captives as they serve next the throne. Such a fascinating irony!

This Irony is a picture of entire history of God’s redeemed people. Its a picture of how the promised, eternal davidic kingdom will be established.

This irony is described using imagery from this passage in Rev. 2:10 - “after ten days of testing you will receive the crown of life!”

The church in the world most of the time looks powerless, defeated, whipped, and outmatched - but our sovereign king, in the end, will crown his people with glory and honor.

It is so foolish to reject Jesus as your King!