Through bible stories we see God's faithfulness played out in people's lives. We can learn so much through much these stories.
Daniel was taken captive around 605 B.C. . He was a teenager. Israel was divided into the 10 northern tribes (Israel) and the 2 southern tribes (Judah). The northern tribes had been taken into exile by the Assyrians 100 years earlier.
Daniel 1:1-2 (ESV) "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 gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god."
Why would God do this to his people? The people had become so wicked to the point of child sacrifice. The leadership was wicked, there was no justice. They were defying God's law of the sabbath, they were mocking the prophets.
Psalms 106:37 (ESV) "They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons;"
Jeremiah 25:3-11 (ESV) "For twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, to this day, the word of the LORD has come to me, and I have spoken persistently to you, but you have not listened. You have neither listened nor inclined your ears to hear, although the LORD persistently sent to you all his servants the prophets, saying, 'Turn now, every one of you, from his evil way and evil deeds, and dwell upon the land that the LORD has given to you and your fathers from of old and forever. Do not go after other gods to serve and worship them, or provoke me to anger with the work of your hands. Then I will do you no harm.' Yet you have not listened to me, declares the LORD, that you might provoke me to anger with the work of your hands to your own harm. 'Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: Because you have not obeyed my words, behold, I will send for all the tribes of the north, declares the LORD, and for Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants, and against all these surrounding nations. I will devote them to destruction, and make them a horror, a hissing, and an everlasting desolation. Moreover, I will banish from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the grinding of the millstones and the light of the lamp. This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years."
I. God used the wicked to discipline his people.
He can still do that. We are not promised smooth sailing. We should always examine our lives and repent when we are wrong.
II. God disciplines his people out of love and for their good.
Jeremiah 24:4-7 (ESV) "Then the word of the LORD came to me: 'Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans. I will set my eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up, and not tear them down; I will plant them, and not pluck them up."
The exiles would ultimately be blessed. God was wanting his people to love him more.
Proverbs 3:11-12 (ESV) "My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights."
God has a good plan. We may not always see it in the moment, but we will see that his plan works.
Matthew 10:28 (ESV) "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell."
III. Fear God Most
We as believers need to fear God the most. We need to respect and honor our leaders but our highest/ultimate allegiance should be to God.
Daniel was taken captive during the first exile. The Babylonians would return twice more and destroy the city and the temple during the 3rd siege. The "land of Shinar" was the location of Babel in Genesis 11:2 and is modern day Iraq. They were ruled by a pagan king who worship Marduk/Bel who was the chief god and accompanied by a serpent/dragon. They took the items from the temple in Jerusalem and used to serve food and wine in the pagan temples. God's plan was to discipline his people and to eventually humble the Babylonians. God is working even when it seems like he is not.
Daniel 1:3-4 (ESV) "Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king's palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans."
The boys that were taken captive and sent into exile may have been descendants of King Hezekiah.
Isaiah 39:7 (ESV) "And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon."
Isaiah warned the people of Judah. These boys were nobles and the best of the best. They were handsome, intelligent, teachable. The plan of the Babylonians was to change these boys to fit their society and then influence the other exiles. They tried to take their identity in God and enrolled them into the "University of Babylon" where they stripped them of their identities, changed their names, their diets, and tried teaching them the "ways of the Babylonians" and the Babylonian world view. These boys were taught the language and literature of the Chaldeans, divination and knowledge.
The Babylonians were known for:
- Tracking and plotting of the stars. They believed that the stars could predict things. Some believe that the Magi that came at Jesus' birth were from Babylon.
- They were know to study sheep liver markings to determine the future.
- They kept detailed records of the dreams of royalty and would match them up with events that happened to find a connection. Divine communication.
- God can interpret dreams. He did that with Joseph in Egypt and with Joseph and Mary before Jesus' birth. Here he did that with Daniel. There is no doubt teachings and practices contradicted YHWH.
- The point of this was to strip the identity and give them a new identity. This is the goal of Satan today through social media, the media to get people to stop identifying with the truth.
Daniel 1:5-7 (ESV) "The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate, and of the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king. Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego."
These boys names were "God honoring" like "God is my judge" and the Chaldeans gave them names in which they twisted them to say the similar thing but to honor their gods Abu, Bel and Nebo. They were stripping their identities and mocking them, their God, their families, their heritage. The enemy loves to confuse and harm youth.
IV. Are we preparing our children for opposition?
It is real easy to become complacent where we live, because we don't see the threat. Our kids will fight some of these things.
Proverbs 22:6 (ESV) "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."
V. Are we prepared for opposition?
Are we firm in our faith? It is important to train our children, but also ourselves.
1 Peter 5:8-9 (ESV) "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world."
Ephesians 6:10-13 (ESV) "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm."
The best way to prepare is to REALLY know God, spend time getting to know truth and the one who gives truth.
VI. How do we prepare?
We need accountability. We need to be plugged into Sunday School, plug into groups at church.
There weren't many that stood firm, but these 4 boys did.
Daniel 1:8 (ESV) "But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself."
If there was ever a time for Daniel to go along to get along in would be at this time, but Daniel did not.
Lord, help us to be faithful, stand firm in the faith, turn from our sin and to you. Let us grow together.
Closing Scripture
Ephesians 6:14-18 (ESV) "Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and , as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,"
