The Story 18 - Daniel
February 20, 2011
Today, we’re going to look at the life of Daniel. He’s one of the OT prophets. His story is found in chapter 18 of the Story or in the book of Daniel in the OT.
Now, let me give you some of the setting where we are at.
We’ve been looking at the story of the divided kingdom of Israel. We’ve seen the northern kingdom and southern kingdoms both sent into exile. The people have been sent to a strange foreign land where nothing is familiar. The people, the language, the culture, the food, even the weather was different. Imagine that happening to you, not because you planned the trip, but because of your sin and the sin of your neighbors. On page 205 in the Story, we learn that the first people to be sent into exile are a group of young elite men who are going to be trained as leaders in the nation of Babylon. We find a description and their names in Daniel 1, the Bible says the 4 young men were without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace.
Now to give you an idea of what these men might look like, I thought we’d show you a picture to help you.
PICTURE of PASTOR DOUG and MICHAEL
We’re introduced to 4 of these men. Their names were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. After they were deported to Babylon, they were given Babylonian names, Daniel was called Belteshazzar; Hananiah was Shadrach; Mishael was Meshach; and Azariah was called Abednego. What great names. What would you want your Babylonian name to be? Personally I like Meshach, because they’d call me Shaq for short. And I’d name my kids ‘In-the-bed-you-go.’
Historians tell us these men, along with the other young men were probably only 16, 17 or 18 years old. Can you imagine what you were doing at that age. Being stripped from your home, taken from your family and friends, losing your dreams; and being taken to a foreign land.
I don’t you know if you know this, but their experience wasn’t very different than the experience of Christians. We can learn a lot from this story, because it’s a lot like our story. In the book of 1 Peter 1, Peter writes in verse 17 that we are foreigners in this world. Just like Daniel’s hometown was Jerusalem, the NT tells us the hometown of Christ followers is the New Jerusalem, which scripture tells us being constructed by Jesus, even as we speak, in John 14. It will be the center of community in the new earth to come. The Bible calls this our new hometown. This may be the first time you’ve heard that a city is being built for you called the New Jerusalem. And if you’re a follower of Christ, this is your hometown. It’s not Alexandria, Indiana or Chicago, Illinois; or anywhere inbetween. It’s the New Jerusalem.
Peter goes on to say in 1 Peter 2:11 ~ 11 I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
We live in neighborhoods and we go to school and we go to work. We meet people who are not fully devoted to God. Most of the places we go to can safely be called “pagan places,” much like the place where Daniel and his friends were deposited. Jesus told us He wants followers to be in the world but not of the world. Peter gives us more instructions in this verse, telling us as followers of Christ we need to be careful not to get sucked into the lifestyle of the world and get brought down by that, and secondly, we need to live our lives in such a distinctive way that we point others to God because of our obedience to God.
So we approach chapter 18 of the Story with the question, what can we learn from Daniel and his friends which will help us live honorable lives for God in a foreign and pagan land? Or we could put it this way, ‘what can we learn from Daniel and his friends which will help us live out God’s agenda in the lower story of our lives.
There are a number of stories which unfold in the book of Daniel. I want to call your attention to a couple of the stories from Daniel; unbelievable stories, yet true. Young teens living out their faith with boldness. Still in chapter 1, we’re told that after arriving in Babylon, Daniel resolved not to defile himself by eating the royal food and royal wine. So he asked for permission to only eat vegetables and only to drink water. The guy who’s in charge is afraid of the king and he knows this type of diet will weaken Daniel and his friends. The king will be angry at the servant and have his head. So Daniel puts forth a 10 day challenge.
For 10 days we will only eat veggies and drink water, then you be the judge. At the end of the 10 days, Daniel and his friends look better and are stronger than the men who ate the rich food from the king. So, this guy who is over all of the men, took away good food and replaced it with Daniel’s diet. What fun!!
Not only that, but we’re told on page 206, 1:20, in every matter of wisdom and understanding in which the king questioned them, he found them 10 times better than all the magicians and enchanters in the whole kingdom. The question is, what can we learn from this first story.
We can learn the obvious or maybe it’s a surprise to us, the Bible especially talks about the diet. We’re supposed to eat fruits and veggies and drink water, we should cut back on the amount of meat, and we know from science, when we eat this kind of food, it leads to better health, gives us more energy and helps us to be mentally sharper. As followers of Jesus Christ, we should have a desire to take good care of our bodies. The NT tells us our bodies are a temple of the HS. Our bodies are the main tool which God gives us to worship Him and do His business.
Daniel and his friends are 10 times better partly because of God’s blessing and because of the diet. But we need to take it a step further and ask the question — what is the common diet of our culture which we should avoid? Beyond just food that we eat or things we drink? What is the common diet of our culture. What are people doing at the places where we work or go to school? What about in our neighborhoods? What’s the common thing, that which seems acceptable, but we should resolve in our hearts like Daniel and his friends, not to participate in.
It could be the padding of an expense report, commonly accepted activities on a business trip; following the motto ‘what goes on in Vegas, stays in Vegas;’ gossip in the neighborhood; things teens might do at parties when parents aren’t present; we should resolve to be friends with kids in school, but not participate in the things they do. The Bible tells us Daniel and his friends were 10 times more excellent in their wisdom and understanding.
It’s a call to Christ followers everywhere, and especially on the people of FBC that wherever we go today, tomorrow or the next day, we will seek to serve Christ, to be known for our excellence. Because that will bring glory and honor to Christ.
Here’s a second story, on page 209, or Daniel 3. The king of Babylon is named Nebuchadnezzar. He’s arrogant, self-centered and narcissistic. So, he has a statue of himself built, it’s only 90 feet tall and 9 feet wide. I’d say that’s just a little bit more than life-like.
Here’s the edict Nebuchadnezzar put out . . . anytime anyone hears music, you must stop in your tracks and bow down and worship the statue. And if you don’t, I will throw you into a fiery furnace. As you might suspect, Daniel and his 3 friends refuse to bow down. The king can’t see everybody at the same time, so as office politics go, there were some people out to get these guys. Remember, they were 10 times better than everyone else, and people in the office were jealous and envious of them. So, these people go to the king and tell him about these 4.
The Story tells us that the king is furious that these guys won’t bow down to his statue. So he decides he isn’t just going to throw them into the furnace, but he’s going to make the fire 7 times hotter than it normally is. Now, that is hot!
It was so hot, that the men who threw Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego into the fire died from the heat the fire put off. Their hands are tied, and the 3 are thrown into the fire. Nebuchadnezzar asked one of the men, “didn’t we just throw 3 guys into the furnace?” The servant replied ‘Yes we did.’ Nebuchadnezzar comes back and says, “then why do I see 4 men walking around in the fire?”
What kind of a conversation is that? Not only were these 3 guys not consumed in seconds, but we read, their hair wasn’t singed, their robes weren’t burned, and they didn’t smell like smoke when they walked out of the fire. A few weeks ago when we burned the mortgage, my clothes smelled from the fire. They’re walking around in the furnace, and now there are 4 guys. What are they walking around doing? I envision them high fiving one another and giving chest bumps.
In Daniel 3:28, we read, They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.
WOW!! The instructor at a companys first aid course, asked the workers, what is the first thing you would do if you found out you had rabies. A worker, without hesitating responded, “I would bite my supervisor.” Maybe you have someone you would like to bite if you had rabies. Maybe it’s a teacher, boss, coach, maybe even a parent or spouse.
But throughout the Bible, God instructs us that we would serve them. Paul tells us we are ultimately serving God when we go to work, when we sit in the classroom, even when we are at home, or at a restaurant . . . we are serving God.
So, when we have people we’re struggling with who are our superiors or our peers, we can rise above it all and give our best day in and day out, because we are serving God. That should be our attitude. But when we’re asked by whomever has that control in our lives, that which we believe is wrong, because it violates our devotion to God, then we must refuse; and beyond that, we must be willing to suffer any consequences which come as a result of that refusal.
We may lose our jobs, we may get benched, we may lose our boyfriend, but that’s okay. We need to have the kind of courage and confidence that Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego had when they walked into that furnace. They stood before the king and said to him in Daniel 3:17-18, 17 If the God we serve is able to deliver us, then he will deliver us from the blazing furnace and from Your Majesty’s hand.
18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.
They were saying Nebuchadnezzar, ‘our God is true and we will follow Him. If He doesn’t rescue us from this fiery furnace, it does not make Him any less God, and we’re not going to worship Him less, we just want you to know, under no circumstances will we bow down to you. So, let’s get this game on, throw us in.”
That’s incredible courage. We know throughout history, there have been many times God has rescued people from that situation, like He rescued these 3, yet there have also been times when God has not rescued people. I think of the many martyrs throughout history who died painful deaths, but never lost the courage, devotion and will to worship God. We know God did not rescue them at that very moment, yet the same God did rescue them . . . for all eternity.
Story number 3, last story, in Daniel 6. The kingdom of Babylon has now fallen to the Persians. This is interesting because Daniel interpreted a dream for the king and told him that the Babylonians would be overtaken and replaced by the Persians. He also told Nebuchadnezzars that the Persians would then be overtaken by the Greeks, who would then be overtaken by the Romans. He’s giving prophecy well before its time, which leads us to the birth of Jesus Christ.
It reminds us that nations, even ours can come and go, but God is always in charge. The new king of Persia is named Darius. He really likes Daniel and promotes him to a key position. Word gets out that Darius is thinking about making Daniel the number 1 leader over all the land. Just beneath the king. Kind of reminds us of the story about Joseph, doesn’t it?
Well, office politics take over again, and people didn’t like what they were hearing. They were jealous and decide to set him up against Darius. In Daniel 6, we read, 4 At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.
5 Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”
Oh, for that to be said about us. That they can look all they want, and they can’t find anything wrong with us. The only way to get us into trouble would be finding something regarding our devotion to God.
So, they decided to hit Daniel with his prayer life. They duped King Darius and made him feel really good about himself, saying over the next 30 days, everyone has to bow down to you and only to you, otherwise they get thrown into the lions den. They were playing into his ego. Daniel heard of this edict, but he wasn’t going to change. He would go into his apartment with the curtains open and bow down toward Jerusalem, and pray and worship God.
They caught Daniel, and they went to Darius and told him what Daniel was doing. And Darius, unlike Nebuchadnezzar, was mortified by what he had to do. He loved Daniel. But he had to follow through on his command. So, reluctantly he had Daniel put into that pit filled with hungry lions.
The king went to bed that night, but couldn’t sleep or eat. Early the next morning, he went to the pit and hoping that maybe Daniel’s God would save him, he yelled down into the pit, “Daniel are you there?” And Daniel shouts back, “Yes king, I’m here, just hanging out and playing with the cats. Do you want to play too?”
Darius had a hunch that Daniel’s God was going to do this. And he declared that Daniel’s God was the one true God. And those men who set Daniel up, were bound and thrown into the pit and finally the lions had lunch.
When I think of the story of the 4 courageous men, I think of the great instruction we are receiving from God about how to live our lives in the lower story. And Daniel is filled with clues about what’s coming. There’s too much to cover today.
I want to close by taking a last look at the furnace for a moment. Who was the 4th guy in the furnace? Nebuchadnezzar said he looked like the son of the gods. When you study this phrase in the OT and throughout the Bible, this is what theologians call — an appearance of the pre-incarnate Christ. In simple terms it’s Jesus in the furnace with them. It’s especially important for us, as we seek to have the courage of Daniel, Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego.
This week, wherever you go, and even though Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father, the Bible tells us He is still with us, even to the end of the age. Jesus is telling us, as you are in this foreign place, I will be with you and come back to be with me in the new Jerusalem. Jesus is telling us as we go into the world this week, we need to live for Him courageously, aligning our lives to His upper story plan for us. This way we can be courageous and strong because He will go into the furnace with us.
So, what’s the situation you’re dealing with right now?
At work At home In your family At school
What’s the situation you are dealing with right now, that you need the courage and resolve of Daniel and his friends? How can you call out to God right now and trust, as Daniel, Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego did? Can you, will you . . . trust God, believe in His promise. . .
He will not fail you, He will not abandon you. He will be with you, today, tomorrow, always. That’s His promise to you.
