The World's Method For Compromising Faith

Sunday Morning March 25th, 2007

*Daniel 1

            Nebuchadnezzar was not only a capable warrior, he was an astute king.  He realized that a nation and her cities could be conquered by force but that the loyalty of a people must be won in more subtle ways.  He knew that he could never hold Jerusalem by force alone.  At the very least he would use up all his resources.

            Nebuchadnezzar decided that he would not force the people to become Babylonians but would seduce the Hebrew children with the Babylonian way of life.  He ordered his administrators to choose the best looking and most intelligent boys from among the Jews and to bring them into his palace.  These boys were to be treated as if they were royal princes.  They ate the same foods and drank the same wines as were served to Nebuchadnezzar himself.  In this way, the king hoped to corrupt their  beliefs, change their loyalty, and ultimately turn them into loyal and productive servants.

            The king ordered the best and brightest to be separated from their families and their people for a period of three years.  Nebuchadnezzar would take them away from those influences that made them strong.  They were introduced to a new lifestyle and helped to forget whom they had been.

1.      Give Them a New Name

A.    Daniel means:  The Lord is my Judge

-   Belteshazzar means:  The treasure of Bel

B.     Hananiah means:  God has graced

-   Shadrach means:  Inspiration of the sun

C.    Mishael means:  God is my strength

-   Meshach means:  I am of little worth

D.    Azariah means:  God is my help

-   Abednego means:  servant of fire

2.      Take them away from strengthening influences

A.    Away from friends, family, and religion

B.     Teach them self-awareness and self-reliance

C.    Teach them to question everything they have been taught previously to believe

Is it me or does this sound familiar?  Thomas Paine once said, “any form of government is a necessary evil.”  What he meant by that was that a benevolent government will at times infringe upon the rights of individuals and a non-benevolent government will ultimately enslave its people.

3.      Teach them a different lifestyle

A.    A new religion – humanism

B.     A new culture – anything goes

C.    A new world view – No God only man

-   you choose your own right and wrong

-   TV and the media now shape the morals of our children (ourselves)

D.    Make them forget who and what they are

-   No longer people with obligation to God

-   Exchange what you are for what you want and deserve!

I.        These Four Young Men Cling to Their Upbringing

A.     “Do not be conformed but transformed…” 

B.     “Bring them up in the way they should go…”

I read an article several years ago written by a fellow named Norman Locklear.  He was asked to judge a number of graduating high school students to help determine those most deserving of scholarships.  He discovered that the graduates were of every color and social standing.  They were from different parts of the country and from many different schools.  He wondered if there was a common denominator for success.  This is what he discovered:

*“The common thread connecting these exceptional young people was church involvement.  I checked with a number of high school counselors to see if this was a coincidence.  ‘Not at all,’ they said, there is indeed a very high correlation between extraordinary achievement patterns among high school students and their participation in church activities.  ‘Its very simple,’ said one counselor, ‘these are the kids who have been taught higher values outside of school.’”