Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Washington DC.

The Capital of the nation was in chaos.

Foreigner Soldiers marched into the district as important documents and artifacts were taken and hidden.

The troops marched into the city and set fire to the Capitol Building, the other government buildings, and the White House.

The Capital of the United States was in flames as the White House and the Capitol Building crumbled to the ground into a pile of ashes and embers.

Sound like fiction?

It isn’t.

It happened.

It happened a little over 200 years ago on August 24, 1814 during the War of 1812.

I am sure some of the citizens of the young nation when they saw their Capital in ruins must have had thoughts similar to that of Jeremiah when wrote Lamentations.

Today, we are going to start a series on the first several chapters of the book of Daniel entitled, “Remaining Holy in a Hostile World.”

This is something I have been thinking about for the past seven to eight months.

I want us to look at the life of Daniel and his three friends we see in the first part of the book and see what lessons they show us as we live in a world that is increasingly hostile to those of us who have believed on Jesus Christ.

Today we are going to look at “When the World Falls Apart.”

The Fall of Jerusalem and Judah

Daniel 1:1–8 (NKJV)

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 articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god.

Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles, young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans.

And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king.

Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names: he gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abed-Nego.

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank.

Daniel’s account is just a recap of what happened whereas the books of 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, and Jeremiah flesh it out more.

So we will look at some of those passage to help flesh it out to put you into the world that Daniel and his three friends were in.

Next week we will be focusing on what they learned growing up before the fall, but today we are going focus on the fall.

Context

Things don’t just “Happen” and the Fall of Jerusalem wasn’t something that just “happened.”

Israel and Judah had rebelled against God.

Israel (the northern Kingdom went first), but Judah didn’t get the message.

God had outlined everything that would happen in Deuteronomy.

King Josiah had received the Book of the Law (Torah) during his reign and he knew that destruction was on the way and he repented (2 Kings 23 — we will look at this morning next week as we look at Daniel and his three friends).

Yet after Josiah dies everything goes down hill.

There is a political struggle between Judah and Egypt (Pharaoh Necho)

There is rebellion and fear.

Much is unknown.

The world was falling around them in Jerusalem and then things really got bad.

Around 606 BC is when this happened (3 year / 4th year of the King’s reign)

When the World Falls Apart What is our Reaction?