Daniel 1
Today, we begin a new series. Over the next 11 weeks, we will study the book of Daniel. This book is familiar to most of us. Many of the events of Daniel’s life we learned about as children in Sunday school or vacation Bible school. Daniel in the lions’ den.Daniel interpreting dreams. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednago in the fiery furnace. The writing on the wall.
Time and again throughout the book of Daniel, we see the God of Israel (Yahweh, Jehovah) demonstrating His power and sovereignty. The little “g” gods of Babylon and the wisdom of their followers is shown to be empty and powerless by the one true God.
The Bible is unique in so many ways. It includes history, incredible details about the past. It includes prophecy, miraculous predictions of things to come. It includes instruction on how to live. It includes the explanation of why we are here. It includes the means by which we can have eternal life. It is profoundly concrete. There are mysteries in the Bible, but the Bible is no means a mystical book. You can read it and understand it.
Like the whole Bible, the book of Daniel covers multiple areas where God intersects with our lives. There is applied truth that we can learn from Daniel. There is prophecy where we can marvel in the fulfillment of what God has done and look ahead to what God will do in the future. We can also see the impact of prayer of one man on spiritual warfare involving the angels themselves.
So, Daniel chapter 1 …
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god. Daniel 1:1-2
Right away, we get a lock on the time in history that we are talking about. The year is 605 BC, a tumultuous time in world history. Judah still exists as a nation. The exile begins with the capture of Daniel and others.
I’m about to launch on a brief history discussion about the times preceding the book of Daniel, but before I do that I want to take a moment and talk about the Bible as an amazing source of history. The people that we read about in the Bible were real people. The events that happen to them were actual events. Archaeology has become a beautiful study that substantiates the claims of the Bible. I am amazed at articles which still refer to the Bible with incredulity that true history could be found in its pages. Just this week, I read about archaeological finds in Gath among the ruins of the Philistines. Scientists confirmed that names like Goliath (which was an Indo-European name) were common among the Philistines at that time rather than the Semitic names of their neighbors.
The findings at the site support the idea that the Goliath story faithfully reflects something of the geopolitical reality of the period, Maeir [the archaeologist in charge] said.
"It doesn't mean that we're one day going to find a skull with a hole in its head from the stone that David slung at him, but it nevertheless tells that this reflects a cultural milieu that was actually there at the time," Maeir said.
Maybe we won’t find a nine foot tall skeleton with a hole in the skull, but we could. The events in the Bible really happened, and archaeology continues to bear that out.
Another interesting find from Gath was a temple structure with two pillars close together. Does that ring any bells? Actually, this is at least the third Philistine temple found with that style of construction. Here is a picture of one of the first two temples found. The two pillars are about 6 feet apart!
I love talking about this stuff. Here are a few more examples of archaeological findings supporting the Bible.
• The discovery of the Ebla archive in northern Syria in the 1970s has shown the Biblical writings concerning the Patriarchs to be viable. Documents written on clay tablets from around 2300 B.C. demonstrate that personal and place names in the Patriarchal accounts are genuine. The name “Canaan” was in use in Ebla, a name critics once said was not used at that time and was used incorrectly in the early chapters of the Bible. The word tehom (“the deep”) in Genesis 1:22 was said to be a late word demonstrating the late writing of the creation story. “Tehom” was part of the vocabulary at Ebla, in use some 800 years before Moses. Ancient customs reflected in the stories of the Patriarchs have also been found in clay tablets from Nuzi and Mari.
Today, we begin a new series. Over the next 11 weeks, we will study the book of Daniel. This book is familiar to most of us. Many of the events of Daniel’s life we learned about as children in Sunday school or vacation Bible school. Daniel in the lions’ den.Daniel interpreting dreams. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednago in the fiery furnace. The writing on the wall.
Time and again throughout the book of Daniel, we see the God of Israel (Yahweh, Jehovah) demonstrating His power and sovereignty. The little “g” gods of Babylon and the wisdom of their followers is shown to be empty and powerless by the one true God.
The Bible is unique in so many ways. It includes history, incredible details about the past. It includes prophecy, miraculous predictions of things to come. It includes instruction on how to live. It includes the explanation of why we are here. It includes the means by which we can have eternal life. It is profoundly concrete. There are mysteries in the Bible, but the Bible is no means a mystical book. You can read it and understand it.
Like the whole Bible, the book of Daniel covers multiple areas where God intersects with our lives. There is applied truth that we can learn from Daniel. There is prophecy where we can marvel in the fulfillment of what God has done and look ahead to what God will do in the future. We can also see the impact of prayer of one man on spiritual warfare involving the angels themselves.
So, Daniel chapter 1 …
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god. Daniel 1:1-2
Right away, we get a lock on the time in history that we are talking about. The year is 605 BC, a tumultuous time in world history. Judah still exists as a nation. The exile begins with the capture of Daniel and others.
I’m about to launch on a brief history discussion about the times preceding the book of Daniel, but before I do that I want to take a moment and talk about the Bible as an amazing source of history. The people that we read about in the Bible were real people. The events that happen to them were actual events. Archaeology has become a beautiful study that substantiates the claims of the Bible. I am amazed at articles which still refer to the Bible with incredulity that true history could be found in its pages. Just this week, I read about archaeological finds in Gath among the ruins of the Philistines. Scientists confirmed that names like Goliath (which was an Indo-European name) were common among the Philistines at that time rather than the Semitic names of their neighbors.
The findings at the site support the idea that the Goliath story faithfully reflects something of the geopolitical reality of the period, Maeir [the archaeologist in charge] said.
"It doesn't mean that we're one day going to find a skull with a hole in its head from the stone that David slung at him, but it nevertheless tells that this reflects a cultural milieu that was actually there at the time," Maeir said.
Maybe we won’t find a nine foot tall skeleton with a hole in the skull, but we could. The events in the Bible really happened, and archaeology continues to bear that out.
Another interesting find from Gath was a temple structure with two pillars close together. Does that ring any bells? Actually, this is at least the third Philistine temple found with that style of construction. Here is a picture of one of the first two temples found. The two pillars are about 6 feet apart!
I love talking about this stuff. Here are a few more examples of archaeological findings supporting the Bible.
• The discovery of the Ebla archive in northern Syria in the 1970s has shown the Biblical writings concerning the Patriarchs to be viable. Documents written on clay tablets from around 2300 B.C. demonstrate that personal and place names in the Patriarchal accounts are genuine. The name “Canaan” was in use in Ebla, a name critics once said was not used at that time and was used incorrectly in the early chapters of the Bible. The word tehom (“the deep”) in Genesis 1:22 was said to be a late word demonstrating the late writing of the creation story. “Tehom” was part of the vocabulary at Ebla, in use some 800 years before Moses. Ancient customs reflected in the stories of the Patriarchs have also been found in clay tablets from Nuzi and Mari.
• The Hittites were once thought to be a Biblical legend, until their capital and records were discovered at Bogazkoy, Turkey beginning in the mid 1890’s.
• Many thought the Biblical references to Solomon’s wealth were greatly exaggerated. Recovered records from the past show that wealth in antiquity was concentrated with the king and Solomon’s prosperity was entirely feasible.
• It was once claimed there was no Assyrian king named Sargon as recorded in Isaiah 20:1, because this name was not known in any other record. Then, Sargon’s palace was discovered in Khorsabad, Iraq. The very event mentioned in Isaiah 20, his capture of Ashdod, was recorded on the palace walls. What is more, fragments of a stela memorializing the victory were found at Ashdod itself.
http://www.christiananswers.net/q-abr/abr-a008.html
http://www.christiananswers.net/q-abr/abr-a008.html
• The tablet shown in the background of the power point slides is part of the Babylonian Chronicle. The entire chronicle summarized the principal events of the Babylonians from the year 747 BC to at least 280 BC. This tablet inscribed front and back covers the period 605-594 BC. Each entry is separated by a horizontal line and begins with a reference to the year of reign of the king in question.In 605 Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian crown prince, replaced his father Nabopolassar as commander-in-chief and led the army up the Euphrates to the city of Charchemish. There he defeated the Egyptians. Later that year Nabopolassar died and Nebuchadnezzar returned to Babylon to be crowned. The tablet also includes the capture of Jehoiachin King of Judah in 597 BC.
http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/me/c/cuneiform_nebuchadnezzar_ii.aspx
http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/abc5/jerusalem.html
The events found in the Bible are real events. We should not be afraid that someone will “disprove” the Bible. In our culture, it has become common thinking that because the Bible includes “religious themes” it’s historical accuracy is suspect. In other words, the Bible is guilty of historical error until proven innocent. What we see though is the Bible is vindicated time and again by the archaeological evidence. I enjoyed this quote from Charles Spurgeon, “Defend the Bible? I would as soon defend a lion! Unchain it and it will defend itself!” If we engage, read and study the Word, it will defend itself. If you encounter someone who questions the Bible, ask them if they have read it. Encourage them to find contradictions and errors.
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
Let’s get back to Daniel …
Daniel begins 123 years after the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel. The Assyrians destroyed Israel at the request of Judah, but Assyria in turn was destroyed as Jeremiah and Zephaniah prophesied.
He will stretch out his hand against the north and destroy Assyria, leaving Nineveh utterly desolate and dry as the desert. Zephaniah 3:13
Nineveh was the mighty capital of the Assyrians. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 612 BC. Nineveh was so utterly and completely destroyed that its location was unknown from 400 BC until 1840 AD. Quite literally it became a part of the desert just as Zephaniah had foretold. The Assyrians and Egyptians were ultimately defeated at Carchemish in 605 BC, the same year that Daniel was taken to Babylon.
Here is a map of the Assyrians at the height of their power. Within their territory, there is only one kingdom which was not conquered. Judah. You would think that Assyria could do whatever they wanted with tiny Judah, but that is not the case. Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came to conquer Jerusalem in 701 BC. The Lord saved Jerusalem by striking down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. You can read about that in II Kings 19 and Isaiah 37. I mention that because Daniel 1 says that “the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his [Nebuchadnezzar’s] hand.” Sennacherib could not take Jerusalem even though in the eyes of the world he had all the power to do it. Sennacherib could not prevail because the Lord did not allow it.
[Prophecy]
Okay, let’s flash forward 100 years to Nebuchadnezzar’s first attack on Jerusalem and the capture of Daniel and his friends. The historian Josephus records a Babylonian historical record which states that after Nebuchadnezzar defeated Egypt at Carchemish in Syria (in the spring of 605 BC), he immediately “settled the affairs of Egypt, and the other countries” and sent captives from the Jews, Phoenicians, Syrians, and Egyptians to Babylon before he returned there himself (in August) to be crowned king after his father's death.
Antiquities 10.11.1, trans. W. Whiston, The Complete Works of Josephus (1981), 224-5
Nebuchadnezzar wins the biggest battle up to that time in antiquity, and instead of going to Disneyworld, he just keeps on going to conquer the rest of the nations all the way to Egypt. Maybe he knew his father was sick. It is clear from the Babylonian chronicles that his father did not join him, saying “In the twenty-first year, the king … stayed in his own land, Nebuchadnezzar his eldest son, the crown-prince, mustered the Babylonian army and took command of his troops; he marched to Carchemish which is on the bank of the Euphrates.”
Regardless of what he knew, Nebuchadnezzar is a man on a mission. He is going to secure the kingdom, and get back to Babylon before anyone else has a chance to mess up his ascension to the throne. The king returns with his captives and …
Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility--young men 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. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. Daniel 1:3-4
I am fascinated by the historical connections here if you can’t believe it already. Even though Babylon plays a big role in the history of the world, they held a relatively short time on the world stage. The Old Babylonians ruled from 1900 to 1600 BC, only 300 years. The Neo or new Babylonians ruled from 612 to 539 BC, only 73 years. The common language of the new Babylonian time was Aramaic which uses an alphabet. Portions of the book of Daniel are written in Aramaic. The rest is in Hebrew. Anyway as a call back to the glory days, the new Babylonians brought back the cuneiform writing of the old Babylonians. It would be like if the Roman Empire returned, and they wanted to use Latin on all the government documents. Actually, it would be worse than Latin. It’s more like learning Chinese. There are 400-1000 symbols in cuneiform script. They needed smart young men to learn this language that no one had used much in the previous 1000 years.
The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king's table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king's service. Among these were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego. Daniel 1:5-7
If you were a young Jewish fellow, what kinds of things do you think that you would find among the food and wine of the king’s table? Unclean foods. Foods and wine sacrificed to idols. All kinds of things forbidden for the Israelites.
Why is Daniel in Babylon? It is God’s judgment on the people of Israel. They continually rejected God and worshipped idols. What does it say about nearly all of the kings of Israel and Judah? “He did evil in the sight of the Lord.”
Now Daniel is on his own. He’s probably about 15 years old. Almost surely he’s less than 20. What is he going to do? Should he chuck it? Easily, he could be thinking, “Man, it’s not my fault I’m here. It’s not my sin that got me here. I’m separated from my people. I’m never going home.” Why should he do the right thing? Doing the right thing is the right thing to do. Two wrongs don’t make a right. If we disobey God out of anger or disappointment or selfishness, we will find ourselves farther away from the Lord. The more we harden our hearts, the more difficult it becomes to experience the love of God. We lose that relationship. Have you ever poisoned a relationship?
I did it once in about two hours. Long story short, I ended up on a bus going the wrong direction in Houston with three other guys. Even though we decided to do it to pass some time, I was so mad that I didn’t even sit with them. Looking back on it, I can’t even say why I was so mad. It seems completely trivial. Who cares that you sit on a bus for a couple of hours when you don’t have anywhere to be or anything else to do? I haven’t had contact with any of those guys since I graduated.
Don’t poison your relationship with the Lord. Pride and anger are probably the quickest ways to do it. The good news is we can always come back to the Lord. He will receive us if we come to him humbly with a repentant heart. God will always accept us when we come to him like little children.
Did you see the young 6 year old with cancer who met William and Kate in Canada?
But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel, Daniel 1:8-9
Way to go Daniel. I like that expression. He resolved himself. Literally, the Hebrew says he set his heart. What a reminder for us. We know that we are going to face temptations. We know of certain things that we come up against. We must be prepared. Don’t just roll along, living by accident, and then get surprised when you fall into trouble. Be prepared.
Take a look at verse 9 there, “Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel.” What do you expect to happen next? God caused the official to show sympathy. This older hardened chief of the officials is predisposed by God to be kind and to provide for Daniel. Daniel must have been thinking. This is great, God has given me a special connection to the guy in charge. He’s going to be God’s instrument to help me follow the Lord in this idolatrous and pagan land.
but the official told Daniel, "I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you." Daniel 1:10
That wasn’t what I was thinking at all. Daniel was probably expecting the official to support him. Why didn’t Daniel get the support he expected? Because the official was afraid.Afraid for what? He was afraid for his own life.
People in large part are driven by fear. We’re afraid of being embarrassed. We’re afraid of saying the wrong thing. We’re afraid of disappointing someone. We’re afraid of failure. We’re afraid of too much success. Fear can drive us to act against God given virtues. God gave the official a kind heart toward Daniel, but the official let his fear drive it away. I know God has blessed you with the fruits of the Spirit. Be cautious and aware. Don’t let fear drive them away.
That’s exactly what I did let happen in my bus story. I got mad because I was afraid. I was afraid of getting lost. I was afraid about whether we would get back safely. I was afraid because I was not in control.
It’s sort of funny really. We get to choose whether we come to God like little children. We can act all tough and mean, but he treats us as a loving father would treat his little children even when we don’t deserve it. We got to the end of the bus route, and the bus driver says end of the line, everyone off. Well, the four of us didn’t have anywhere to go at the end of the bus route. We were going to have to stand around and wait for the next bus or call a cab or something. Instead, the bus driver tells us to sit down, he’ll run the route back into town. That bus driver was supposed to go off shift. Instead, he took more than an hour to run his entire route back and get us safely back where we belonged. I didn’t even ask to get rescued. God just did it because he loves me.
Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, Daniel 1:11
Don’t miss the change in who Daniel was talking to. I know I missed it until I was preparing the message. Who was Daniel talking to before? The chief of the officials. Now who is he talking to? The guard appointed by the chief official. It’s a different person.
Daniel doesn’t get mad at the chief official. He doesn’t go on a rant about the chief official. He doesn’t change his mind and think that it’s okay to eat the unclean food. This is real critical. If you understand something from the Word of God, but then you let your circumstances convince you that the Word was wrong, buddy, you are on thin ice. It didn’t matter that the chief official didn’t agree with Daniel. Daniel was resolved to do what was right. He’s going to keep working to follow the Lord.
“Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.”Daniel 1:12-13
Daniel is a wise fellow who thinks on his feet. He listened to the chief officials fear. He understood what really stuck in his craw. The chief official didn’t want the king to see Daniel and his friends looking worse than the other young men. So, Daniel recommends to the guard, just test us for ten days. That way, there is no risk that the king will see anything wrong. Probably ten days into a three year program, the king wasn’t going to see them at all. Daniel also places the final decision in the control of the guard. Do as you see fit. We all love that right. You mean I get to choose? I’m in control? Okay, do what you want as long as I’m in charge.
The other side of this proposal is that Daniel demonstrates his faith in the Lord. He trusts the Lord to cause the situation with the guard to work out how the Lord sees fit. Yes, the guard is going to decide, but it is the Lord who will enable Daniel to be healthy or not.
So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead. Daniel 1:14-16
More than likely, who ended up with the choice food and wine that Daniel and his friends didn’t eat? The guard. This ends up as a win-win outcome for Daniel and the guard.
What is the outcome of the two groups? The ones who eat everything don’t look as good as the ones who eat less. This seems counterintuitive doesn’t it? But, I think it is a pretty important principle for our time.
You guys recognize Charter Telecommunications, right? Charter provides cable, phone and internet services. Do you know what their current ad slogan is? I’m not making this up. The slogan is, “Let it all in.” What’s even more incredulous is that their ads often make a point of showing awkward or questionable moments in family situations that you would probably rather not have dictated to you by the television or internet.
The one Charter ad that really caught my attention was a teenage girl explaining why her parents should get her high speed internet. She was giving all the “right” answers, but each phrase was followed by a voice over that said what she was really thinking. She might say, “I’d like high speed internet so that I can do research for school.” Then, the voice over would say something like, “so I can post silly pictures.” Then, “I could take on extra credit.” Followed by, “I could download music that you hate.” “I could expand my knowledge of physics.” “So I can video-chat with my boyfriend.” And on, and on. Then, it ends with the slogan, “Charter Internet. Let it all in.”
The fact is that we live in a “let it all in” world. Our culture sees letting in everything unfiltered is the best way to experience the world. In reality, it is one of the worst ways to experience the world. We all need boundaries. I remember a superhero movie came out a couple of years ago. Joseph and I happened to see the trailer on TV. At the end, Joseph turns to me and says, “I’m not old enough to watch that yet, am I?” My answer in light of the trailer was, “Joseph, I don’t think I’m old enough to watch that movie.”
Am I saying we don’t have freedom? No, I’m not. As believers in Christ, we have more freedom than anyone. We are not bound to the dietary restrictions of the Old Testament. However, here are some principles from I Corinthians to observe:
“Everything is permissible for me”--but not everything is beneficial. … Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? … Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. … "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. … Do not cause anyone to stumble. I Corinthians 6:12, 15, 19-20; 10:23-24, 32
Our children, our friends, our families, our coworkers and fellow students are watching us. What we decide to do with our time is a key indicator of where our priorities lie. We may choose whether or not to defile ourselves with the things of this world. Remember that you are a member of Christ. What you do is seen and felt by God. Let us not grieve his heart, nor cause any of these little ones to stumble. God will reward your faithfulness.
To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds. Daniel 1:17
I think John had a good time after music practice Thursday night. Somehow or another Bob and I got into back and forth storytelling of how professionally God has blessed the work of our hands. We have both been blessed mightily in spite of our weaknesses, shortcomings, and failures.
Friday a week ago, we had a high level executive visiting our location. It was his first visit. This particular individual is responsible for our product for the entire company. My involvement in the meetings was limited to a few minutes, and I was okay with that. About 10 am (4 pm in Europe), I was sitting at my desk, and the phone rings. I don’t think I can explain the entire situation to you, but I’ll try.
[ad lib]
In the end, a guy who had no business calling me at all that day was prompted to do it because of circumstances beyond what either one of us could control. In the end, I received some vital information that makes our group and me in particular look very crucial to the future success of our product.
The only answer I can give you is that God is kind. He is especially kind to those that love Him. II Chronicles 16:9 says “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that he may strongly support the one whose heart is completely His.”
Sometimes, His unmerited favor can go to your head, but for the most part, I find it incredibly humbling. I did nothing to deserve his kindness, and yet he bestows it so willingly, so continually.
At the end of the time set by the king to bring them in, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king's service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom. Daniel 1:18-20
Do you think he was surprised? If he had questioned them and they were the same level of wisdom as his sages, I think he would have been surprised. I think he was amazed. Remember we’re talking about 18-20 year olds, and Nebuchadnezzar found then ten times better than all the old wizened magicians and enchanters of his realm.
What was the result of such wisdom and skill?
And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus. Daniel 1:21
Where did Daniel remain? He remained in the service of the king. From the time of his capture until the first year of King Cyrus was 70 years by the Jewish calendar. That’s why Daniel couldn’t have been much older than 15 when he was taken captive. Being captured at that age would have meant he was over 80 years old while still in service to the king.
We’ll have some fun over the next several weeks exploring how Daniel’s life exhibits Hebrews 12:1-2 living:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2
Let us run with patient endurance. The kind of endurance that never fails, and in spite of all obstacles always perseveres. Let us run, strive, press forward, expend effort. In Greek literature, the metaphorical use of the word run meant, “to incur extreme peril, which it requires the exertion of all one's effort to overcome.” May we expectantly and consistently exert all our effort looking up to Christ and not down at our circumstances. In Him, we will overcome. In Him, we will pass the test. Let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, you have overcome the word, and you have told us to take heart. May we grow in courage and confidence seeing how you have provided for all our needs. Give us courage to filter out what we allow into our lives. May we place no vile thing before our eyes. May we store up treasures in heaven not things here on earth. Let your Spirit remake us into the likeness of Christ for apart from You, we can do nothing. Thank you for your mercy. Thank you for your kindness. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/me/c/cuneiform_nebuchadnezzar_ii.aspx
http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/abc5/jerusalem.html
The events found in the Bible are real events. We should not be afraid that someone will “disprove” the Bible. In our culture, it has become common thinking that because the Bible includes “religious themes” it’s historical accuracy is suspect. In other words, the Bible is guilty of historical error until proven innocent. What we see though is the Bible is vindicated time and again by the archaeological evidence. I enjoyed this quote from Charles Spurgeon, “Defend the Bible? I would as soon defend a lion! Unchain it and it will defend itself!” If we engage, read and study the Word, it will defend itself. If you encounter someone who questions the Bible, ask them if they have read it. Encourage them to find contradictions and errors.
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
Let’s get back to Daniel …
Daniel begins 123 years after the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel. The Assyrians destroyed Israel at the request of Judah, but Assyria in turn was destroyed as Jeremiah and Zephaniah prophesied.
He will stretch out his hand against the north and destroy Assyria, leaving Nineveh utterly desolate and dry as the desert. Zephaniah 3:13
Nineveh was the mighty capital of the Assyrians. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 612 BC. Nineveh was so utterly and completely destroyed that its location was unknown from 400 BC until 1840 AD. Quite literally it became a part of the desert just as Zephaniah had foretold. The Assyrians and Egyptians were ultimately defeated at Carchemish in 605 BC, the same year that Daniel was taken to Babylon.
Here is a map of the Assyrians at the height of their power. Within their territory, there is only one kingdom which was not conquered. Judah. You would think that Assyria could do whatever they wanted with tiny Judah, but that is not the case. Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came to conquer Jerusalem in 701 BC. The Lord saved Jerusalem by striking down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. You can read about that in II Kings 19 and Isaiah 37. I mention that because Daniel 1 says that “the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his [Nebuchadnezzar’s] hand.” Sennacherib could not take Jerusalem even though in the eyes of the world he had all the power to do it. Sennacherib could not prevail because the Lord did not allow it.
[Prophecy]
Okay, let’s flash forward 100 years to Nebuchadnezzar’s first attack on Jerusalem and the capture of Daniel and his friends. The historian Josephus records a Babylonian historical record which states that after Nebuchadnezzar defeated Egypt at Carchemish in Syria (in the spring of 605 BC), he immediately “settled the affairs of Egypt, and the other countries” and sent captives from the Jews, Phoenicians, Syrians, and Egyptians to Babylon before he returned there himself (in August) to be crowned king after his father's death.
Antiquities 10.11.1, trans. W. Whiston, The Complete Works of Josephus (1981), 224-5
Nebuchadnezzar wins the biggest battle up to that time in antiquity, and instead of going to Disneyworld, he just keeps on going to conquer the rest of the nations all the way to Egypt. Maybe he knew his father was sick. It is clear from the Babylonian chronicles that his father did not join him, saying “In the twenty-first year, the king … stayed in his own land, Nebuchadnezzar his eldest son, the crown-prince, mustered the Babylonian army and took command of his troops; he marched to Carchemish which is on the bank of the Euphrates.”
Regardless of what he knew, Nebuchadnezzar is a man on a mission. He is going to secure the kingdom, and get back to Babylon before anyone else has a chance to mess up his ascension to the throne. The king returns with his captives and …
Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility--young men 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. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. Daniel 1:3-4
I am fascinated by the historical connections here if you can’t believe it already. Even though Babylon plays a big role in the history of the world, they held a relatively short time on the world stage. The Old Babylonians ruled from 1900 to 1600 BC, only 300 years. The Neo or new Babylonians ruled from 612 to 539 BC, only 73 years. The common language of the new Babylonian time was Aramaic which uses an alphabet. Portions of the book of Daniel are written in Aramaic. The rest is in Hebrew. Anyway as a call back to the glory days, the new Babylonians brought back the cuneiform writing of the old Babylonians. It would be like if the Roman Empire returned, and they wanted to use Latin on all the government documents. Actually, it would be worse than Latin. It’s more like learning Chinese. There are 400-1000 symbols in cuneiform script. They needed smart young men to learn this language that no one had used much in the previous 1000 years.
The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king's table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king's service. Among these were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego. Daniel 1:5-7
If you were a young Jewish fellow, what kinds of things do you think that you would find among the food and wine of the king’s table? Unclean foods. Foods and wine sacrificed to idols. All kinds of things forbidden for the Israelites.
Why is Daniel in Babylon? It is God’s judgment on the people of Israel. They continually rejected God and worshipped idols. What does it say about nearly all of the kings of Israel and Judah? “He did evil in the sight of the Lord.”
Now Daniel is on his own. He’s probably about 15 years old. Almost surely he’s less than 20. What is he going to do? Should he chuck it? Easily, he could be thinking, “Man, it’s not my fault I’m here. It’s not my sin that got me here. I’m separated from my people. I’m never going home.” Why should he do the right thing? Doing the right thing is the right thing to do. Two wrongs don’t make a right. If we disobey God out of anger or disappointment or selfishness, we will find ourselves farther away from the Lord. The more we harden our hearts, the more difficult it becomes to experience the love of God. We lose that relationship. Have you ever poisoned a relationship?
I did it once in about two hours. Long story short, I ended up on a bus going the wrong direction in Houston with three other guys. Even though we decided to do it to pass some time, I was so mad that I didn’t even sit with them. Looking back on it, I can’t even say why I was so mad. It seems completely trivial. Who cares that you sit on a bus for a couple of hours when you don’t have anywhere to be or anything else to do? I haven’t had contact with any of those guys since I graduated.
Don’t poison your relationship with the Lord. Pride and anger are probably the quickest ways to do it. The good news is we can always come back to the Lord. He will receive us if we come to him humbly with a repentant heart. God will always accept us when we come to him like little children.
Did you see the young 6 year old with cancer who met William and Kate in Canada?
But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel, Daniel 1:8-9
Way to go Daniel. I like that expression. He resolved himself. Literally, the Hebrew says he set his heart. What a reminder for us. We know that we are going to face temptations. We know of certain things that we come up against. We must be prepared. Don’t just roll along, living by accident, and then get surprised when you fall into trouble. Be prepared.
Take a look at verse 9 there, “Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel.” What do you expect to happen next? God caused the official to show sympathy. This older hardened chief of the officials is predisposed by God to be kind and to provide for Daniel. Daniel must have been thinking. This is great, God has given me a special connection to the guy in charge. He’s going to be God’s instrument to help me follow the Lord in this idolatrous and pagan land.
but the official told Daniel, "I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you." Daniel 1:10
That wasn’t what I was thinking at all. Daniel was probably expecting the official to support him. Why didn’t Daniel get the support he expected? Because the official was afraid.Afraid for what? He was afraid for his own life.
People in large part are driven by fear. We’re afraid of being embarrassed. We’re afraid of saying the wrong thing. We’re afraid of disappointing someone. We’re afraid of failure. We’re afraid of too much success. Fear can drive us to act against God given virtues. God gave the official a kind heart toward Daniel, but the official let his fear drive it away. I know God has blessed you with the fruits of the Spirit. Be cautious and aware. Don’t let fear drive them away.
That’s exactly what I did let happen in my bus story. I got mad because I was afraid. I was afraid of getting lost. I was afraid about whether we would get back safely. I was afraid because I was not in control.
It’s sort of funny really. We get to choose whether we come to God like little children. We can act all tough and mean, but he treats us as a loving father would treat his little children even when we don’t deserve it. We got to the end of the bus route, and the bus driver says end of the line, everyone off. Well, the four of us didn’t have anywhere to go at the end of the bus route. We were going to have to stand around and wait for the next bus or call a cab or something. Instead, the bus driver tells us to sit down, he’ll run the route back into town. That bus driver was supposed to go off shift. Instead, he took more than an hour to run his entire route back and get us safely back where we belonged. I didn’t even ask to get rescued. God just did it because he loves me.
Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, Daniel 1:11
Don’t miss the change in who Daniel was talking to. I know I missed it until I was preparing the message. Who was Daniel talking to before? The chief of the officials. Now who is he talking to? The guard appointed by the chief official. It’s a different person.
Daniel doesn’t get mad at the chief official. He doesn’t go on a rant about the chief official. He doesn’t change his mind and think that it’s okay to eat the unclean food. This is real critical. If you understand something from the Word of God, but then you let your circumstances convince you that the Word was wrong, buddy, you are on thin ice. It didn’t matter that the chief official didn’t agree with Daniel. Daniel was resolved to do what was right. He’s going to keep working to follow the Lord.
“Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.”Daniel 1:12-13
Daniel is a wise fellow who thinks on his feet. He listened to the chief officials fear. He understood what really stuck in his craw. The chief official didn’t want the king to see Daniel and his friends looking worse than the other young men. So, Daniel recommends to the guard, just test us for ten days. That way, there is no risk that the king will see anything wrong. Probably ten days into a three year program, the king wasn’t going to see them at all. Daniel also places the final decision in the control of the guard. Do as you see fit. We all love that right. You mean I get to choose? I’m in control? Okay, do what you want as long as I’m in charge.
The other side of this proposal is that Daniel demonstrates his faith in the Lord. He trusts the Lord to cause the situation with the guard to work out how the Lord sees fit. Yes, the guard is going to decide, but it is the Lord who will enable Daniel to be healthy or not.
So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead. Daniel 1:14-16
More than likely, who ended up with the choice food and wine that Daniel and his friends didn’t eat? The guard. This ends up as a win-win outcome for Daniel and the guard.
What is the outcome of the two groups? The ones who eat everything don’t look as good as the ones who eat less. This seems counterintuitive doesn’t it? But, I think it is a pretty important principle for our time.
You guys recognize Charter Telecommunications, right? Charter provides cable, phone and internet services. Do you know what their current ad slogan is? I’m not making this up. The slogan is, “Let it all in.” What’s even more incredulous is that their ads often make a point of showing awkward or questionable moments in family situations that you would probably rather not have dictated to you by the television or internet.
The one Charter ad that really caught my attention was a teenage girl explaining why her parents should get her high speed internet. She was giving all the “right” answers, but each phrase was followed by a voice over that said what she was really thinking. She might say, “I’d like high speed internet so that I can do research for school.” Then, the voice over would say something like, “so I can post silly pictures.” Then, “I could take on extra credit.” Followed by, “I could download music that you hate.” “I could expand my knowledge of physics.” “So I can video-chat with my boyfriend.” And on, and on. Then, it ends with the slogan, “Charter Internet. Let it all in.”
The fact is that we live in a “let it all in” world. Our culture sees letting in everything unfiltered is the best way to experience the world. In reality, it is one of the worst ways to experience the world. We all need boundaries. I remember a superhero movie came out a couple of years ago. Joseph and I happened to see the trailer on TV. At the end, Joseph turns to me and says, “I’m not old enough to watch that yet, am I?” My answer in light of the trailer was, “Joseph, I don’t think I’m old enough to watch that movie.”
Am I saying we don’t have freedom? No, I’m not. As believers in Christ, we have more freedom than anyone. We are not bound to the dietary restrictions of the Old Testament. However, here are some principles from I Corinthians to observe:
“Everything is permissible for me”--but not everything is beneficial. … Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? … Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. … "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. … Do not cause anyone to stumble. I Corinthians 6:12, 15, 19-20; 10:23-24, 32
Our children, our friends, our families, our coworkers and fellow students are watching us. What we decide to do with our time is a key indicator of where our priorities lie. We may choose whether or not to defile ourselves with the things of this world. Remember that you are a member of Christ. What you do is seen and felt by God. Let us not grieve his heart, nor cause any of these little ones to stumble. God will reward your faithfulness.
To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds. Daniel 1:17
I think John had a good time after music practice Thursday night. Somehow or another Bob and I got into back and forth storytelling of how professionally God has blessed the work of our hands. We have both been blessed mightily in spite of our weaknesses, shortcomings, and failures.
Friday a week ago, we had a high level executive visiting our location. It was his first visit. This particular individual is responsible for our product for the entire company. My involvement in the meetings was limited to a few minutes, and I was okay with that. About 10 am (4 pm in Europe), I was sitting at my desk, and the phone rings. I don’t think I can explain the entire situation to you, but I’ll try.
[ad lib]
In the end, a guy who had no business calling me at all that day was prompted to do it because of circumstances beyond what either one of us could control. In the end, I received some vital information that makes our group and me in particular look very crucial to the future success of our product.
The only answer I can give you is that God is kind. He is especially kind to those that love Him. II Chronicles 16:9 says “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that he may strongly support the one whose heart is completely His.”
Sometimes, His unmerited favor can go to your head, but for the most part, I find it incredibly humbling. I did nothing to deserve his kindness, and yet he bestows it so willingly, so continually.
At the end of the time set by the king to bring them in, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king's service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom. Daniel 1:18-20
Do you think he was surprised? If he had questioned them and they were the same level of wisdom as his sages, I think he would have been surprised. I think he was amazed. Remember we’re talking about 18-20 year olds, and Nebuchadnezzar found then ten times better than all the old wizened magicians and enchanters of his realm.
What was the result of such wisdom and skill?
And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus. Daniel 1:21
Where did Daniel remain? He remained in the service of the king. From the time of his capture until the first year of King Cyrus was 70 years by the Jewish calendar. That’s why Daniel couldn’t have been much older than 15 when he was taken captive. Being captured at that age would have meant he was over 80 years old while still in service to the king.
We’ll have some fun over the next several weeks exploring how Daniel’s life exhibits Hebrews 12:1-2 living:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2
Let us run with patient endurance. The kind of endurance that never fails, and in spite of all obstacles always perseveres. Let us run, strive, press forward, expend effort. In Greek literature, the metaphorical use of the word run meant, “to incur extreme peril, which it requires the exertion of all one's effort to overcome.” May we expectantly and consistently exert all our effort looking up to Christ and not down at our circumstances. In Him, we will overcome. In Him, we will pass the test. Let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, you have overcome the word, and you have told us to take heart. May we grow in courage and confidence seeing how you have provided for all our needs. Give us courage to filter out what we allow into our lives. May we place no vile thing before our eyes. May we store up treasures in heaven not things here on earth. Let your Spirit remake us into the likeness of Christ for apart from You, we can do nothing. Thank you for your mercy. Thank you for your kindness. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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