Daniel 1:3-9 Identity and Resolve

Last week we were introduced to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, all from the royal tribe of Judah. They are exiles in Babylon, and part of an inner circle of elite and skilled young men whom the king took and wants to groom for his purposes.

Here’s what he wants to do according to v4 and 5.

to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. Give them a daily portion of the king’s food and wine, and educate them for three years under this new regiment.

The hope, at the end of v5, is that after 3 years they would stand before the king and be worthy of a position in the king’s palace.

So, there’s two things I’d like to highlight in our time together this morning… Their Identity and their Resolve, and in tern make application to the Christian life.

1. When your identity is based on what God has done, nobody can take that away from you.

Your identity is who you are. Who you are is the foundation. Get that wrong, and everything else falls apart around you.

Israel had an identity shaped by what God had done for them, and not for any other nation.

God set THEM apart for himself, to be the people through whom he would send the Messiah, and while they waited for the messiah they were to be a light to the nations, and a witness to the glory and the holiness of God.

The other nations, like Babylon, and king Nebuchadnezzar, they worshiped false deities that were worthless, and weak, and not worthy to be called god.

Over all of this is God who is perfect light and holiness, and cannot be swayed to sin, or influenced by darkness. But the humans, on the other hand, who he calls to be witnesses to that light, they CAN be swayed, and tempted to conform to the darkness around us.

Daniel and his friends were faithful Israelites of the tribe of Judah. Raised on the stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and Joshua. And who told them these things? Had to be their parents.

Up to the point of the invasion they knew their identities as God’s chosen people. Hebrews. God’s chosen people. Special. Called to be lights, and to

In Calvin’s commentary he wrote that Nebuchadnezzar knew that the Jews were a stiff-necked and obstinate people, and that they would require some softening.

Make no mistake about it, what the king is doing is using the art of indoctrination to attack and change their identities.

By getting them to question their identity in God they might conform to this world, and see who they are in relation TO the world rather than to God.

Paul said to the Romans in 12:2 “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.”

It is Satan who conforms, while it is God transforms.

All satan can do is take what God has made and try to steal it for himself, and over time conform it. It is only God who can take what is broken and weak because of sin, and powerfully transform it from death to life.

But there is a world system. Satan is behind it, his demons are behind it, and there ARE many in our world who reject Christ and rally behind an insidious agenda to ensnare the minds of people into that system. And what we will find today is the very same thing we see in this text.

- Attack who the person is

- Feed them what the world has to offer

- Educate people with an anti-God system and an anti-God curriculum

Have you seen this anywhere around you?

It appeals to many. It even appeals to some so called Christians who are not rooting their identity in Christ and filling their lives with the satisfying joy and life of Jesus Christ.

The new testament commands us...

1 John 2:15-17 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

The difficulty with this is that if you don’t believe that this world is passing away, you will cling to the things of this world, and you will believe the lie that the only way to be worth something is to do what you want and what you enjoy.

No surrender. No fight. no resolve to stand against the system and stand for holiness and righteousness.

If you do take what the world has to offer, that which is pleasing to the eyes, to the flesh, and to the ego, you will swallow the hook hidden on the inside of that bait, placed there by Satan, and you never ever ever get to see or experience the ultimate joy of living for God!

1 John 2:17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Daniel wants to do the will of God. That much is clear.

These young men are not in an easy place. What we can tell as this story unfolds is that they knew who they were and where they stood with God. Regardless of their circumstance they knew their identities as children of God, and therefor, they could not be ultimately swayed. ULTIMATELY

How deeply did they seek to change them?

Briefly, just so you can see, let me show you the meaning of their names before and after.

i. The name Daniel (meaning God is my judge) was changed to Belteshazzar (meaning Bel’s prince).

ii. The name Hannaniah (meaning Beloved by the Lord) was changed to Shadrach (meaning Illumined by Sun-god).

iii. The name Mishael (meaning Who is as God) was changed to Meshach (meaning Who is like Venus).

iv. The name Azariah (meaning The Lord is my help) was changed to Abed-Nego (meaning Servant of Nego).

Watch out for this, church. The attempt to rename, re-define, re-educate, re-orient your lives around the world and its system are evident everywhere. But if you’re in Christ, and he has rescued you from the slavery of sin, then you are not who you used to be. When we put our faith in Jesus and what he has done to save us, we become adopted, heirs of God, loved, chosen, forgiven, children.

We are his workmanship

It is not I who live, but Christ who lives in me

There is therefore no condemnation to whose who are in Christ Jesus.

This is who we are because of what God has done in sending Jesus into our captivity to set us free.

Which brings us to the second point.

2. Christ-centered identity leads to Christ-centered purpose in life.

After facing the reality of what life in Babylon was going to be like, Daniel had a choice to make. Much like the choices you and I have to make today, and tomorrow, and every day.

The choice he made was birthed from his identity in God.

Because he belonged to God, his heart was God’s too. And that’s an issue of holiness.

Interestingly enough, they did not rebel against the name change, or the education. The line was drawn with the meat and wine that they would be fed daily. And the key to understanding why is the phrase… “The king’s food.”

It wasn’t about taste, or health, or preference… But about defilement of the soul.

Look at v.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.

The word used here for “defile” carries the thought of being polluted or stained. Daniel believed that by eating the kings food and drinking his wine, we would compromise obedience to God, and therefore compromise holiness.

Does this matter to you?

YOU know the things that are too far, too much, too gross, too wordly, too connected to evil and sin, and because you know who you are and who Christ made you to be, you will purpose in your heart not to defile yourself with those things?

Yes, this food was likely offered to idols, and yes, the wine was most likely dedicated to idols, but I believe that the real reason for resolving to not eat or drink was because it came from the kings table.

Daniel will work for the king, he’ll serve that king, he will interpret his dreams, he will be near him, and one day be raised up to power and influence in that kingdom, but he will not fellowship with darkness in such an intimate way as sharing the very things the king indulged himself on daily.

He would not compromise.

This is a problem for many many Christians today!

A compromising Christian is one who will not take risks for the sake of their holiness, but will look for loopholes in order to keep one foot in the church and one foot in the world.

That is not a Christian, but a person who has yet to surrender to the Lordship of Jesus.

“Daniel and his friends knew this would cost them something, yet they were willing. “Be ready for a bad name; be willing to be called a bigot; be prepared for the loss of friendships; be prepared for anything so long as you can stand fast by Him who bought you with His precious blood.” - Charles Spurgeon

Are you willing?

But Daniel resolved.

New King James says, He purposed in his heart, and he did it at the beginning of his time in Babylon.

Each of us need to make this purpose in our hearts today. Maybe you’re doing it right now, and what you need to do before leaving here today is to get prayer about what you’re purposing to do.

But It begins with identity.

If you know who you are and what God designed your life for, you can purpose to live for him no matter the cost. If your identity is still in this world and a product of your past sins and the sins of others, you have no foundation to cling to even if you HAD the desire to do better.

And that’s why we need the Gospel.

That’s why the greater Daniel is Jesus Christ.

Jesus also purposed in his heart to live a life undefiled and unstained by the world. And he did this with a sure identity. He knew who he was in relation to God the Father.

Matthew 3:16-17 “And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Where did he go after this? Into the wilderness to be tested by Satan. The Father, telling the Son that he was his beloved, and that he was pleased with him. That was his identity. Eternal Son, eternally loved by the Father. Jesus knew this, and he trusted this.

Jesus took upon ultimate banishment when he went to the cross and took our sins upon himself, the Father even forsaking him for that moment. His exile, and his entering into our captivity made the way for our reconciliation. He purposed in his heart to do the will of the Father, so that we can lean on him in our weakness and inability. When we are weak, he is strong.

So, it is our job to believe this. Nit to try and be like Daniel, but to trust that Jesus did enough and that he is our strength to live in this world.

His life was enough. is death was in our place. His sacrificial offering was accepted by the Father. His resurrection beat death and sin. His Ascension to heaven is our peace knowing that the work is finished, death is overwhelmed, and peace was made by our justification.

And He is worthy every day of our resolve to stand against the rip current of sin and evil, to spread his Kingdom far and wide, to take risks as we preach the Gospel, and live holy lives, and do so without compromising faith in what we know to be true. We have some time left in this world and there are many more tests to come.

Know who you are in Christ, and from that place, resolve in your heart to live confidently, fearlessly, and holy before him in this crooked world.