Daniel: A Disciple in Dark Days
Daniel: A Disciple in Dark Days
Dan. 1; 1-7 part 1
Of all the Bible's heroes, Daniel is perhaps the most difficult to fit into a category. Though he saw visions of the future, he wasn't the same kind of prophet as Amos or Isaiah. Though he interceded for his people, he wasn't a priest. Though he was a confidant of kings, he wasn't royalty. And though he witnessed mighty battles, he wasn't a warrior.
In many ways, Daniel was an ordinary Jew, like thousands of other exiles from Judah forced to live in Babylon. Yet God's hand was on Daniel's life in an extraordinary way. By bringing him before kings and preserving him through the entire seventy-year captivity, the Lord used him to model discipleship for His people. . . and for us.
The book of Daniel is more than stories about fiery furnaces, lions' dens, and fantastic visions. It's about seeing God for who He is, the sovereign ruler of the nations, and living for Him with integrity and faith being a disciple for God against the tide of world.
We started off by thinking about what Paul told Timothy in 2 Tim. 3; 14 “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned the”, about being a disciple in dark days. And if there is any OT counterpart that lived that advice it would certainly be Daniel.
For our time tonight, I want to give us some thoughts that help give the book of Daniel some context to us. Because when you turn to the first chapter of Daniel a lot has taken place which will paint a picture of the times that Daniel and the rest of the captives found themselves.
I. What has happened?
Dan 1:1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.
Dan 1:2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.
I wish we could say that Daniel knew the great times of Judah; like that of King David or Solomon as the entire world seemed to bow before them; but unfortunately Daniel didn’t. The times that Daniel knew was colored by the peoples’ backsliding and apostasy. It was a time when the majority of God’s people had abandoned the ways and truths that was handled down to them from their very start.
The opening verse says it all, “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.” “And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand”
What happened? The grim beginning of the Babylonian Captivity. Maybe you have heard about the 70 years that God allowed his people to become slaves to the invading nation of Babylon, modern day Iraq.
God allowed that to happen because that was the only way that they would learn their lesson. Sadly, that’s the only way some ever seem to learn their lesson; the hard way.
The way that Kings would demoralize conquered peoples was too deport them from the homeland to some faraway land where they had to change their lives to fit in. They did such to wipe away the memory that these peoples had of their homeland. That’s what Nebuchadnezzar had done to Judah, with the only exception that there was not one; but actually there three deportations of Judah.
(1) The first was in 605 B.C. (Daniel 1:1-4), when Daniel and a few other of the seed royal were taken captive to glorify the court of the king at Babylon. Along with these gifted young men were also carried some of the treasures of the Solomonic Temple. Neb took all the smartest, brightest, and those who had potential.
(2) The second was in 598 B.C. (II Kings 24:10-17) when King Jehoiachin and all the royal family, the best of the land, the soldiers, and all the treasures of the Temple and of the king's house were carried away. In this group also was carried captive a young priest by the name of Ezekiel.
(3) The third and the final one was in 587 B.C. (II Kings 25:1-21) when the city and the Temple and the nation were destroyed and Judah ceased to be a sovereign state. The chief priests were put to death, the king had his eyes put out and was carried to Babylon in chains where he soon died, and all the people (except the poorest of the land) were carried away captive to Babylon.
Doesn’t sound like a pretty picture does it? Yet, that’s what the nation of Judah brought upon herself! That’s where we find young Daniel; he was taken in the first invasion to Babylon away from his family, homeland, and never to return again.
II. Who was involved?
The Captivity just didn’t happen because God was in a bad mood that day. It happened because of who was leading the nation of Judah. But before the end came there was one last time when some turned to God.
A. Judah’s Last good King; Josiah
Josiah was the fifth king from the last who followed the lord with his whole heart. In fact, under Josiah the nation had some what of a revival; at least the king himself did. Remember that it was in the days of Josiah that they had found a copy of the word of God the temple. It had been lost in the abandoned temple of the lord because Manasseh, Josiah’s grandfather had lead the nation to worship Baal and not Jehovah. So for 55 years, idol worship was the main stream religion and the people sunk deeper and deeper into their backsliding.
But when Josiah came to the throne and heard the word of the Lord as it was read unto him, 2Ki 22:11 And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes. 2Ki 22:2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left. Out of this reading of God's Word, sparked a revival led by King Josiah Himself. Josiah had such a desire to follow the Lord that he reinstituted the Passover, which they had been neglecting all these years. It was one of the greatest Passovers ever observed in the history of Judah (II Kings 23: 21-23; II Chronicles 35:1-19). Josiah's godly efforts were crowned with this most glorious of Passovers. It was observed in a manner unprecedented in Judah's history. It reflected the marvelous revival that God gave to the people during those needy years.
What a time that must have been, to have the leadership of the nation following the Lord! That’s how revival always starts, just getting right, following the word of God with all your heart!
This time is also significant because when this revival was going on, Daniel a young lad came to know the God of his fathers. That’s a great time to come to know the lord, revival time!
However after Josiah died from battle, his wicked son took over and started the nation’s downward tread.
B. Judah’s Four Last Wicked Kings.
The kings of Judah that lead to the sorrowful days of the captivity were Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah. The prophets during those heartbreaking days were Jeremiah in Judah; his younger contemporary, Ezekiel, with the captives in Babylon; (2nd deportation) and Daniel, the statesman, in the court of Nebuchadnezzar.
The people of Judah did not realize the vast changes which were in store for them following the death of King Josiah, Judah's last good king. They doubtless expected Josiah's successors to continue the spiritual revival which came to such a glorious birth during his reign, and they also surely expected a continuation of his policy of political independence for Judah. Just the opposite prevailed in every aspect of the nation's life. The successors of Josiah were idolatrous and "did evil in the sight of the Lord," and brought the land to utter ruin. Reversing the policy of Josiah who sought to find freedom from the domination of Egypt, they formulated a new policy of depending upon Egypt for every hope of deliverance from foreign oppressors.
The last kings were just mere puppets in the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. When he finally had enough of them he marched in and took them out.
III. Why the Captivity?
Maybe this is the most important question especially to Daniel as well as for us. Remember, he’s a young man, 16-18, in a foreign land with hardy any hopes of ever seeing his family or temple again. No more life as he knew it; now the culture is different, now he’s the minority in a mass of people; that were all going the opposite way with God! All these thoughts came flooding over his soul, what was he to think?
Well, we have advantage of viewing the scripture as Daniel was living it; v2 answers the question. “And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand” Did you see that? Yes, things are never going to be the same ever again for Daniel, the days were dark in Judah and now that Daniel is in Babylon they seem even darker; but wait!, what did the verse say? “The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand”
God in his sovereign control over everything ‘gave’ the Jews over to their invaders, why? Because they were his to do what he would with them! More precisely, that was the only way for Judah to learn to obey God with their lives!
A. Israel’s Refusal
The days in Judah were dark, because the majority refused to be what God what them to be, ---a light to the surrounding nations.
God wanted them to be His witness in the world. They were supposed to be the light! And when the light isn’t working like it should; darkness prevails.
Before the captivity, the majority refused God and went astray in sin worshiping idols; thinking that God wouldn’t do anything to them. I’m sure some of them even thought that they were too educated, too better than their ancestors, too scheming and planning for something too happen that they didn’t foresee. They probably could have thought of these things; but one thing that they sure didn’t think about was how that they were God’s own people and that God can do with is own as it pleases Him! So far in sin were they that God sent them through the captivities, hard as they were; scathing as it was; humbling as it was to purge from them that desire for sin found in worshiping idols!
Daniel realizing that this time of captivity was inevitably the lord’s will; he knew that he musts need be a devoted follower of the Lord even while in a alien land. Daniel was sure that; he was a devoted follower of the Lord even while being employed in a heathen kingdom!
B. A nation’s refusal
Nations have come and gone for the simple reason being that they refused to be used of God. England was once a vibrate, evangelic nation sending missionaries around the world. Now, we send missionaries to England; why because somewhere in their history; England refused to do God’s will and they are in a spiritual captivity. In the city of London itself; which had some of the greatest churches ever; I mean churches pastored by men; whose sermons are studied as textbooks; they are full of doctrine and wisdom! Who preached to thousands every time the doors were open, what has happened? They are gone into what seems captivity; they wanted things other than God; and God has given them over unto them! They are in dark days as compared to their history.
C. A Church’s Refusal
Churches can slip into a captivity of sorts. Ah, yes not a literal captivity, the people don’t move away, yet the only person that has moved away is God! Churches that were once aflame for God have died down to just glowing embers! Programs have replaced passion, net worth has replaced worship, and social standing has replaced their standing with God! All because somewhere, someone refused the Lord’s will.
D. A Christian’s Refusal
Yes, even Christians can refuse the Lord to the point that they are given over to some kind of ‘lesser life’ than what God desired for them.
Closing:
Daniel was in the center of God’s will. Even while he knew that His nation was being punished, he still had to be faithful and follow the lord nevertheless. I’m afraid that some use these dark days that we are in, to excuse themselves from the Lord’s will and to justify their unfaithfulness to his church. Yes, the days are dark, but we still have a mandate from heaven to be faithful until he comes back for us!
Don’t let the dark days of our times get you to excuse yourself from what you know is the Lord’s will. Even if you feel that you are in your own captivity some how, until some sin gets purged from you; some love for an idol gets turned back into a love for God; don’t stop being following the Lord in the ways you can!
Yes, Daniel has no more temple to worship in; yet he still had himself as the temple of the lord. Yes, there was no more alter to pray at; but he still opened his windows toward Jerusalem and prayed! Yes, he’s not in his homeland; he could live as the heathen and no one would questioned him; but his homeland is still in him!
We are expected by our Lord to be his disciples even in the dark days we are in! Let’s continue in the things which we have learned and have been assured of, knowing of whom we have learned them.
Lets’ be the lord’s Disciples!