Preserved by the Lord
Daniel 1:1-2
2-1-09
What will our nation look like ten years from now? How will that affect you and me? How will it affect our children and grandchildren?
I heard one senator describing the significance of a trillion dollar bailout. He said, “If you began spending one million dollars everyday, you would have to go back to before Christ to spend the money and you would still have some left over.”
I doubt seriously we will spend ourselves out of trouble. That is a strange way of thinking. Try it in your own personal finances and see what happens.
I wish instead I could hear our senators calling upon the nation for prayer. I wish I could hear tears of repentance on Wall Street and in Washington. I would feel much more optimistic about the future. Solutions that don’t address the root problem, seldom prove to be real solutions.
Here’s what God told Israel as that nation was being formed. Deut 28:1-3
"Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God:
3 "Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.”
Has that happened to our nation? Has God set our nation high above all nations of the earth? God has done that for America. We have been blessed in the city and in the country. The prosperity we have enjoyed has been the envy of all nations. The influence we have had, not only politically, but spiritually has been phenomenal.
But in that passage, what was the key to enjoying that blessing? Was it military might? No. Was it a better spending policy? No. The crucial criteria was this: “...if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God....” That’s the heart of the matter. That will always be the issue, whether you’re talking about a nation, a church, a family, or an individual.
Let’s see how God warned Israel about staying true to Him.
In Deut 8:18-20, God says to the new nation of Israel, “18 "And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, [that’s a good stimulus package] that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. 19 Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the LORD your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. 20 As the nations which the LORD destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the LORD your God.”
Historians who have studied the rise and fall of nations have observed 8 stages in the process. (1) From bondage to eminent spiritual faith; (2) from spiritual faith to great courage; (3) from courage to liberty; (4) from liberty to abundance; (5) from abundance to complacency; (6) from complacency to apathy; (7) from apathy to dependence; and (8) from dependence back to bondage. I wonder if we might be moving from the apathy stage to the dependence stage. It seems that the trend is to ask for bail outs rather than roll up the sleeves, make personal sacrifices, and get the job done.
If you study the history of Israel, you can see that pattern. I think that pattern is also in the history of America.
As a result of their unfaithfulness to God, the northern 10 tribes of Israel went into captivity in 722 B.C. God continued to warn the southern tribes (known as Judah). But they did not heed the warning. Right before they went into captivity the prophet, Jeremiah, gave a very specific warning.
Jer 25:1-11
“The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah (which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), 2 which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying: 3 "From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day, this is the twenty-third year in which the word of the LORD has come to me; and I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking, but you have not listened. 4 And the LORD has sent to you all His servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, but you have not listened nor inclined your ear to hear. 5 They said,’Repent now everyone of his evil way and his evil doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD has given to you and your fathers forever and ever. 6 Do not go after other gods to serve them and worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands; and I will not harm you.’ 7 Yet you have not listened to Me," says the LORD, "that you might provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.
8 "Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: ’Because you have not heard My words, 9 behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,’ says the LORD, ’and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land, against its inhabitants, and against these nations all around, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, a hissing, and perpetual desolations. 10 Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp. 11 And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.”
Of course, we know that is exactly what happened to the Jews.
I think all of you see the application to our nation as a whole.
But I want to bring this down to a more personal level. I want to talk about one individual who lived in the southern kingdom of Israel and lived during a time when God was judging his nation.
He was born about 625 B.C. His parents were godly people who taught him the way of the Lord. During his childhood Israel (southern kingdom) was in a revival. It happened under the leadership of King Josiah. Josiah was an amazing person. His father (Amon) and grandfather (Manasseh) were some of the most wicked kings Israel ever had. When Josiah became king he was only 8 years old. When Josiah was a teenager, he gave his heart to God. 2 Chron 34:3 says, “For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images.” I hope the youth of our congregation realize how important they are in God’s plan. I was 14 years old when I gave my heart to Christ. That decision defined the rest of my life. Young people, the decisions you’re making now will define you. It’s amazing to me that most of the defining decisions of our lives are made when we’re young and inexperienced. But that’s usually the way it works. If you’re in the early part of your life never let the devil tell you to serve him now and God later. It seldom turns out that way. God called King Josiah when he was young. And Josiah responded. And because he responded a revival broke out in the nation.
Let me give you a few key elements in that revival. (1) People turned away from their idolatry. They got rid of the things in their lives that displeased God. Did you know that the New Testament calls covetousness idolatry? American greed is idolatry. The lust for more and more things is idolatry. Wicked images on the TV and on the computer screen are idolatry. God told Israel, you can’t indulge yourself in the wickedness of the world and serve Me at the same time. When revival comes, a lot of junk has to go. (2) The temple was repaired. When people’s hearts are not right, they are not too concerned about the house of worship. They’re building their own houses. They’re consumed with their own agenda. God used Haggai to ask the question "Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?" 5 Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: "Consider your ways!” (Hag 1:4-5). Priorities change when people’s hearts get right with God. (3) The Word of God was read and obeyed. Under Josiah’s leadership workers began cleaning out and repairing the Temple. To their surprise, they found a scroll. It was the Torah, the Book of the Law, their Bible. Imagine that. The Word of God lost in the house of God. In many churches, the Word of God is lost. There may be Bibles lying around; but the Word is not preached. Self-help and positive thinking is the message. It is the Word of God that does not return void. It is the Word of God that is full of life. Only God’s Word can nourish our spiritual lives. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” When revival comes the Word takes on a place of prominence in people’s lives. (4) With revival also came prophetic utterance. Josiah wasn’t the only leader of this revival. Jeremiah, Zephaniah, and Nahum were actively involved as well.
The revival was Israel’s last opportunity before judgment fell. As in all revivals, some people temporarily respond but have no real change of heart. They are like the seed Jesus talked about that falls on shallow ground. Momentarily it looks promising; but it does not endure. The revival was an opportunity to change and avert judgment. But as a whole the nation continued in its unfaithfulness to God. They were then conquerored and led into captivity.
I expect another revival in America. I expect God to move mightily one more time. I want to be a part of the coming revival. That revival may come during hard economic times. I don’t know. But the cry of my heart is, “Lord, send revival—one more time.” If you’ve ever been in revival, you’re gloriously ruined for the ordinary. I believe God is positioning us for revival.
King Josiah had sons who did not follow their father’s example. Everybody gets to make his or her own moral choices. Just because grandma was a saint, doesn’t mean you’ll go to heaven. Young people, you have to decide whether you will serve God or not. Mom and Dad can be an example of godliness; but you have to choose to follow that example. Jehoiakim was one of Josiah’s sons. He cut up Jeremiah’s prophesies and burned them. He went about undoing much of the good that his father had done.
Now look with me at Daniel 1 and lets read about what happened to Jehoiakim. Dan 1:1-2 “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 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.” No doubt, many Jews found it hard to understand how God would allow a wicked pagan, like Nebuchadnezzar, to carry away the sacred cups of the Temple. But when you know all the background, you understand. When you consider how often God warned His people of this possibility, you understand. When you think about all the opportunities they had to serve God, you understand. Jehoiakim was raised in a godly home. He had every opportunity to serve God and chose not to. “To whom much is given, much is required.” Young people, your pagan friends may get away with things that you won’t get away with. “To whom much is given, much is required.”
So now the whole nation of Israel is under the judgment of God. What does that mean for Daniel? Well, externally it does affect him. He is carried away captive in a foreign land. We know that was heartbreaking for him. Even as an old may he would open his windows three times a day and pray toward his homeland in Jerusalem. He was castrated and made a slave to King Nebuchadnezzar.
I want you to notice something about this young man. None of that shook his faith. He could have become bitter and angry. He could have spent his life talking about how unfair it all was—how he didn’t deserve to go through all that. Has anything unfair happened in your life? If you’re breathing the answer is yes. Some have experience more unjust treatment than others. But this sin-cursed world is full of injustices. The big question is this: how will you respond to those injustices? Will you allow them to become the focus of your life? Will you use them as an excuse to not go forward with God? Or will you allow God to redeem the past and shape your future.
Daniel is probably in his mid or late teens when he’s faced with that decision. When we see him in Daniel chapter one, he is probably about 16 or 17 years old. Imagine the scene as he is marched into Babylon. This was the premier city of that time. The first thing this impressible young mind encounters is a wall around the city 300’ high. The ceiling in this room is only about 20-25 feet. The wall was well over 10 times that high. Painted on the King’s palace is a beautiful hunting scene. There in the city is one of the 7 Wonders of the World—the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. And most impressive of all is a temple dedicated to Nebuchadnezzar’s god- Bel. There in that wicked city, Daniel is offered a life of luxury and indulgence. Daniel’s name means “Jehovah is Judge.” His parents gave him a name that identified him with the true, living God. It was a constant reminder that God is able to bring justice into any situation. But everything Nebuchadnezzar did was designed to make Daniel forget his God and accept Nebuchadnezzar’s god. So they changed Daniel’s name to Belteshazzar, meaning Bel Protects.
Most of you know what happens next. Daniel and his companions are put into a 3 year program designed to make them loyal servants of the pagan king. The meat they were offered had probably been dedicated to a pagan god. So here is a defining moment in Daniel’s life. Will he take the easy path and just go along with the crowd or will he take a stand for what he knows is right? Defining moments come into our lives. They often come at unexpected times. They always come as choices we have to make. The easy course is usually the wrong course. The easy course just looks easy; it usually turns out to be hard in the end. Proverbs 13:15 tells us the way of the transgressor is hard.
Dan 1:8 “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies....” We know that Daniel followed through with that purpose all the days of his life. For the whole 70 years of Israel’s captivity Daniel faithfully served God. He was about 16 years old in chapter one when he was captured by Nebuchadnezzar. He was about 90 years old when he was thrown into the lion’s den. What sustained Daniel during all those years? His purpose was settled in his heart; no matter what, he would serve God—he would stay true to the Lord. He prayed; he nurtured his relationship with God. He never stopped risking—trusting God. Even at 90 years old, he risked the lion’s den rather than deny the Lord.
I want to suggest this. Daniel’s experiences with God during his formative years were foundational to everything. His parent’s training and example made a big difference. Imagine this: as a boy Daniel sat under the anointed preaching of Jeremiah. His encounters with God during the revival Josiah led got fire his belly that never went away.
I want our kids to not just know about God but know Him the way Daniel knew Him. I want a revival that will so move the emerging generation—they would sacrifice anything to honor and glorify God. Lord, send revival. Send it now.
I began this message asking how judgment on America might affect us. If we use Daniel as an example, we see there can be the impact of external circumstances. But take another look at Daniel’s life. He made it just fine. God preserved him every step of the way. In fact, he prospered in the midst of Israel’s judgment. He was promoted during a time Israel was going into slavery.
God can take care of you whatever happens to this nation as a whole. He can prosper you when the whole nation is going broke. He can promote you when most people are losing their jobs. Do not resign yourself to the tidal waves of the world. Commit yourselves to God, trust in Him, and you will be fine. Cast all your care on Him; for He cares for you.
Invitation
Young people make commit your lives to God now. Don’t postpone your decision to serve God. Purpose in your heart to serve Him all the days of your life.
Adults, trust God, not the government with your future. They that trust in the Lord will not be ashamed.
www.GatewayNixa.org
Richard Tow
Gateway Church
Nixa, Missouri
