Sermon Tone Analysis

Everywhere we look today, it seems we are being told what we should be doing to “fit in” or “conform” to today’s societal standards.

We are told that we are to be “understanding”, “tolerant”, and “accepting” to whatever someone else thinks, feels, or wants to be or do.

We are being pushed, at times forced, to be or act like something or someone we are not just to “fit in”.

To reject others, even when based on scripture or common sense…we are labelled as “narrow minded”, “bible thumpers”, “phobics”...

Standing up for what is right sometimes leads us to conflict with this world.

Regardless of whether we are following morality, decency, common sense, and God’s law.

It should come as no surprise though.

John 15:19 tells us:

We have a different outlook on life.

The world (and the sin contained within) is looking out for itself, for its own selfish desires.

The conflict comes when the Christian stands against the world (sin).

Now, this does not mean that we have to be hostile when we disagree, that we act disagreeable, or that we argue with the non-believer.

In examples we find in scripture, Christ did not argue with the sinner (though he did with some who thought they were saints) but to the one lost, Christ simply pointed them to salvation by explaining how they fell short of God’s standards.

As a result, we know He was mocked, ridiculed, and eventually put to death…so that slavery to sin could be turned into salvation of the lost.

It really is a mindset - who will you serve?

Joshua 24:14-16

Again, a choice was presented: “Choose this day whom you will serve”!

The people chose - "Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord”

We are called to be set apart, to be different from this world.

At times, our decisions to follow Christ will not be popular and may lead to persecution.

But we must be strong in our faith and rely on God.

We are told in Romans 12:2 to not be conformed (twisted, morphed, taking on the appearance of) but to be transformed (changed, made in the likeness of God) by discerning what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

By relying on God our mindset changed.

We look at the world and our life through different lenses.

We see our life through the blood of Christ, not through the darkness of sin.

As we look at Daniel and his three friends, the found themselves in a position where they could have gone wild.

They could have lived the grand life.

But they knew they would also defile themselves by going against God’s Law.

Instead, they chose to remain undefiled, even when those over them were concerned for the outcome, and as a result God provided for their needs.

Undefiled

What we see here is a picture of a young teen who has been placed in a difficult situation.

Daniel was taken from a place of royalty or nobility Daniel 1:3 “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,” and placed into captivity.

During this time, he and three others; Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, would be offered the opportunity of a lifetime.

Educated in literature and the Chaldean language, fed from the king’s own table, and given his wine.

Yet there were some concerns that disturbed Daniel.

Many of the things on the king’s table were forbidden by the Law, or had been sacrificed and offered to pagan gods before winding up on the king’s table, and to eat these foods would defile them in the eyes of God.

Daniel, although young, knew the requirements of the Law of what they should eat and drink.

Daniel resolved - the Hebrew word used for resolved means to put or place.

Daniel desired to please God with all he did - he put/placed God as his priority.

He could have easily said “When in Babylon, do as the Babylonians”… He could have used the excuse “well, everybody else is doing it”… He could have said “No one else would ever know”… But Daniel knew God’s laws, he knew that even in a foreign land, he would still be held to God’s standards.

Therefore, he asked the chief official to be excused, exempted, excluded from eating and drinking the king’s food.

Daniel had a choice to make, one that would have certainly been difficult for a teenager, but he relied on God.

His reliance on God came from knowing the Law.

The Law had been taught to him since he was a child, in his house, and by his father.

Do we take the time to teach our children in the way God required of His people, today?

We find out first that God’s word has to be in our (the parents) heart - we have to have our lives in order first.

Then we teach them “diligently” the Oxford Dictionary defines “diligent” as a way that shows care and conscientiousness in one's work or duties.

We, parents, should work at teaching our children about God as hard as any job we have ever worked at.

You want to know why??? Our children’s eternal lives depend on it!

From the time they get up, until we go to work, while we eat, before we get to sleep, we should be talking about, praying to, and teaching our children about God.

It literally will be their foundation of faith.

While it does not mean they will not deviate from their faith or do things against God’s will, it does mean we have taught them to rely of God and when life gets rough, they will know where to turn.

Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (or as we know them Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) faced something we could never imagine but they relied on God and their faith did not waiver.

Even though Daniel knew what he must do, it did not mean there would not be some concerns.

The chief eunuch placed over David was more concerned about the repercussions to him - what if you don’t gain weight and look as good as the others, the king might kill me!

Matthew Henry said “He determined to let it be known from the first day of his residence in Babylon, that though but a young Jewish slave, he was the servant of the living God.”

Each of us should remember our faith will be tested.

But how will we react?

What will our choice be?

How will those around us influence those choices?

You see, we must be prepared for what will come down the road.

We, nor our children, will pass the faith test if we have not been prepared for the test early in our lives.

It is by seeing God’s blessings in the small ways that we can rely on Him fully with the big things.

Daniel and his three friends chose to obey God, even to the point they didn’t fear the potential punishment for going against the king.

Concern Expressed

Daniel did not compromise on God’s Law, but he did compromise with the chief eunuch.

Now, his concerns were not unfounded.

1) the king ordered this food and drink be given to the students.

2) Daniel and his three friends may look pale or become sick if they ate only vegetables

3) the king might execute Ashpanaz for disobeying his command.

Denied.

What happens when we try to do the right thing, but we get knocked down every time?

You get up and try again.

Daniels recommendation was denied, but he went to another - Melzar, the guard who had been placed over him and his friends.

He reasoned with him to let them have a ten day test trial.

If they looked worse after 10 days, they would eat the kings food.

But, if they looked as healthy as the others, then the could remain on a vegetable and water diet.

Too often we give up too quickly.

We want to pray to God, and think He should answer the prayer instantly,.

and how dare we have to deal with any disagreement or denial.

When we don’t get our way we seem to want to throw our hands up, fuss, blame it on God, and pout.

However, God already had things orchestrated and in place.

The request as give to Daniel and his friends.

God was with them, but notice God did not show up for Daniel until after he made the decision to obey.

Have you ever thought that sometimes we may be tested just to see if we are willing to decide to follow God?

Will be be faithful and true?

Or will we give up?

Sometimes God is waiting to bless us if we decide to follow Him completely.

God Provides

When the test was over, Daniel and his three friends passed the test.

How?

Because God was with them.

Not only were they healthy, but they were “better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king’s food”.

God honored their faithfulness in relying on Him.

The lesson here for early readers was Israel had disobeyed God and suffered by being overtaken and taken into captivity, but God was always there, ready to bless His people when they relied on Him.

There is something we could learn from this too.

Even though we live in a sinful world, we are called to be good citizens in it.

But living in a sinful world is not easy.

Sometimes, doing what God requires of us in a sinful world means we are required to reject the world’s ways and choose to honor God instead.

Daniel didn’t just refuse the king’s food, he gave another option.