#186 The God of my Resolve: Daniel 1:8-9
Today we're gonna be taking a look at Daniel 1:8-9. In essence, Daniel chapter 1 is a story of good things turning bad. I want to give you an analogy so hang with me. Take a piece of paper. It's perfect in its own way. It is just paper and sure paper can be better. Words could magically appear on the page or it could be waterproof but it's a page that has no creases and no bends. So what? That is the way it is intended to be right now. This is Daniel at the beginning of Daniel chapter 1. This is us. But as the story unfolds, resolve is tested. Will Daniel bend to his world? Will he break or will he somehow through it all serve God?
There are many things in life that may cause us to compromise our values. Perhaps you might say it's just one drink. It's just a kiss. I don't need it to say anything. I can use curse words. Maybe there isn't a God. I can dress like that, and on it goes. We are expected to compromise. It's not abnormal to compromise. What most people do is dress like the people around them, speak like the people around you and you eat the same things. It hardly has anything to do with your values at least it would seem that way. When we conform to the world, we are like that page being crumpled into a ball and being thrown into the trash. This is what we look like. What is the alternative? That is the central question of the sermon today. How do we remain faithful to God in a world that calls us to conform? That is the question and we will consider it from multiple angles and we will find out what exactly Daniel did in a compromising situation.
Let's go ahead and read Daniel 1:8-9 and then consider its background. Daniel 1:8-9 says:
“But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself. Now God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials” Daniel 1:8-9
There are a lot of things that Daniel cannot control. He couldn't control his home country being taken. He couldn't control being torn away from his family. He couldn't control where he was or what he was doing. He couldn't control the name that he had but it seems that there is one thing left that Daniel had control over and that is the food that he ate. It might readily be asked what is the big deal. It is that the meat would have likely been pork and meat that has been sacrificed to idols so for Daniel eating this meat is a tent mount to rejecting God. Looking at this from another tack you can say that Daniel's country was ruined. His family was ruined. His life was ruined. He lost his name, his hope for the future and likely his manhood. Yet he has not lost his ritual cleanness in relation to God.
Let's take a look at that question that we are exploring here today. How do we remain faithful to God in a world that calls us to conform? The answer comes down to this. What does God call you to do? What ways are you permitted to compromise to the world and in what ways is compromise in fact, turning away from God?
Let's jump into some of the background of this text so we can understand what exactly is going on in Danielle's world. Daniel was from the northern kingdom of Israel, called Judah. Judah at this time was a vessel state of Egypt under pharaoh Neco. To be a vassal state basically meant that they paid tribute to Egypt similar to how Israel at the time of Jesus was a vessel state to Rome. They paid taxes, but the relationship between Israel and Rome was far more intense and insidious than the one between Israel and Egypt Egypt was mostly out of the way; they did not protect Judah, but still made demands. Babylon was a growing empire at the time and expanding in every direction in direct opposition to Egypt and they eventually came to a clash in this conflict. The king of Judah decided to break away from being a bail state and try to secure freedom for the Jewish people, perhaps a noble goal but a full hearty one. For king Jehoiakim was a sinner. And under his leadership the kingdom of Judah had fallen into idolatry. God gave Judah into Nebuchadnezzar's hand. And Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon. Because of this Daniel and many other young men were captured and brought back to Babylon. Just to be clear, that is a journey of about 1000 miles on foot. About the distance from Washington D.C. to Miami Florida. Daniel likely had to walk the whole way. In the same outfit, no pillow, no bed, in sandals! He probably was fed nothing but bread and water for the several months long journey to Babylon.
vWe are going to take a look at three big ideas in this text. First, what does it look like to make up your mind to follow God? Next what does it mean to obey the authorities that be, how to seek permission to serve God, And finally we will consider the theology of how God grants favor.
Daniel as a young man in this story around 13 years old displayed wisdom in his day worth considering and modeling ourselves nearly 3000 years later.
I want you to take a look at the emotion that is pulled into this text. What is Daniel feeling? At this moment? He is experiencing a loss of identity. Everything about who he was is gone now he must grow up and make a decision about what he is willing to give up and what he is willing to die for. Daniel displayed one overarching emotion. The text says that Daniel “Made up his mind” which literally translates to “set upon his heart.” For people in Daniel's day they did not know that thoughts come from the mind. But rather they believed that thoughts and emotions were much the same thing and originated in the heart. When the Hebrew text says that Daniel “set upon his heart” it is saying that he thought and felt that resolve welling up inside of himself.
Daniel resolved not to be defiled by the king's food. I don't think you get how crazy this really is. Can you imagine, you have been walking for three months, eating nothing but bread and water and now you are in one of the greatest cities in the world. And you are smelling pulled pork and he's turning it down. I like a good barbecue. I can feel my stomach grumble when I smell something good cooking on the grill. I don't even have to be hungry. I just smell in my stomach and start making all these crazy noises. But if you have ever fasted you know that hollow feeling that Daniel had. But Daniel resolved not to be defiled. The word defiled is גָּאַל which means “to be defiled, covered in blood.” According to Jewish law Daniel would not have been able to approach God if he had eaten this food. Daniel resolved to die rather than lose his God. The grief and pain from the past few months has been boiling inside of himself yet he holds himself together. He chose not to be defiant. Or to accept his fate.
Everyone around Daniel was eating this food. We don’t know how many people were brought out of Judah to Babylon at this time, probably between 50-100 people. But they were all eating the food. It was a time of joy for them. But for Daniel this was a trial and he took his friends aside. They had their orders. They were supposed to have a feast and go to school and to worship new gods. It would have been a simple matter to go along with what was the normal limits of obeying God and obeying human authority. This issue finds its counterpart in how we approach compromise. We cannot simply go along with what our peers do or think. We must test out our hearts for God’s will in our life.
Let’s read through the text again with an eye to what Daniel is doing and experiencing.
“But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself. Now God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials”
Daniel is in process. He does not know if this is the beginning, middle, or end of his story. It sure looks like the end of his story. He has lost everything so far except his life and God. And now he might be losing both of those.
The theological principle we see in this text is that when we honor God we are in His will. If we are in His will we may live or we may die but that is of secondary importance. This story is reflected later on by Daniel’s friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. When they tell the king in Daniel 3:17-18:
“Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. “But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
That just gives a tingle in your toes doesn’t it?
The other thing we see in this text is the ethics of Daniel’s actions. We follow God even when the consequence is death.
Let me ask you again: How do YOU remain faithful to God in a world that calls YOU to conform?
My second point is this, when we honor God we are in His will. When we do the things that God asks us to do we are in His will. When we don’t do what God asks of us we are outside of His will. You might ask “but why does it matter if I am in God’s will?” Why does it matter? I would rather follow God’s will to hell on earth and certain death than to follow my will so much as an inch! What do you believe about God? I believe God knows everything. And I mean everything. If God leads me down a path of suffering He knows how the story ends. If I follow my will it might help me to survive a day but what about a week? A month? A year? If I follow my will I cannot have any certainty about the future.
My claim is this. If you honor God by following His will then you are in His will. If you follow God will lead you. Daniel followed God’s will rather than take the easy path that seemed right to him.
Daniel had months to make up his mind what he would do when he finally got to Babylon. So too now is your time to decide how far you will go to accommodate yourself to the world and how far you will go to obey God. Daniel accepted his new home, name, and lot in life, but he did not accept the gods of the Babylonians.
If someone asks you if you are a christian will you say yes? If someone asks you to lie are you going to do that? If someone tells you they are going to lie at work are you going to do anything?
Daniel was not alone in his choice not to eat the food. He brought along his friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. When you bring along your fellow believers, it gives you a measuring rod to see whether your actions are reasonable or not. It gives you a standard to follow and it holds you accountable for the choices that you will make. friends we cannot do this alone. In life, you must have people coming alongside you holding you accountable to God.
Now, let's take a step back. How are we supposed to use the Old Testament? How are we supposed to use stories like Daniels to understand the world around us? Testament narrative like this kind of free to like experiments in relationship with God. We get to see examples of how God works and how it does not work. Looking backwards we can judge the actions of these people by the results of their actions. Did God reward their actions or did he punish them for their actions? We can look at their actions in the same way that God does. This gives us an indication of what God Will is and gives us an idea of how we can apply these same ideas to today.
We can look at stories like that found in 1 Samuel 14:6 where Jonathan, the son of Saul King of Israel was surrounded by the Philistines. He said to his armor bearer, let us go up and attack the Philistines and maybe God will use us to deliver Israel. From verses like that, we can gather the idea that God rewards faith and boldness. It is a common theme throughout the Old Testament that a willingness to stand up for what you know is right regardless of the consequences is often met with God using that very same person. Jonathan was bold and went up to attack the Philistines and God saved the people through him. Shadrach Meshach and Abednego were willing to die for God will be delivered by him and God delivered them. Right here at the beginning of the book of Daniel we see a young boy in a foreign land say I will die for what is right or I will live for God there is no alternative.
The meaning of this story is the same today as it was back then. Let me ask you a question: what did Danielle know about the nature of God and what scriptures were available to him? He likely had heard the Pentateuch the first five books of the Bible Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus and so on. A story that reminds me of Daniel is Joseph in Egypt. Joseph was taken away from his home and everything he knew and ended up in Egypt, but he ended up in prison for following his God and God was faithful to Joseph even in the trials. In Genesis 39:21 we read that “the LORD was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer.” The external circumstances experienced by Joseph by Daniel by Jonathan, these circumstances, pale in comparison to the glory of God. Their focus was not on the world around them, but on their relationship to God.
These biblical characters displayed two common characteristics and internal resolve and external action. They first made up their minds who they were in that relationship to God and what they were willing to sacrifice, and then they acted, and that action resulted in favor from God.
The meaning of these texts could not be any more clear for us today. We must make an internal resolve to follow God and then act upon it, and we may be sure of the result which is that we will find favor with God.
Babylon had mini tactics that they used to bring people to their way of thought. They separated people from their home from their family. They indoctrinated them. They taught them about their gods and their language and their customs. They changed their clothes. They changed their names. They changed the food they ate, and for these young boys, they made them into eunuchs. Many of these same techniques are used by institutions today to change people. For better or worse, of course just think of college or the military young people going away from their home away from the things they know with all the normal boundaries removed and taught new things, new ways of thinking and under a new standard of conduct.
Let's take a look again at our central question: How do we remain faithful to God in a world that calls us to conform?
the theology that we can derive from this text would seem to suggest that there are some compromises that we can be OK with making we can go where we have to go and see what we have to see and hear what we have to hear and wear what we have to wear and be cold what we have to be called. But once we are the ones taking the action that is Winn, we must resist.
Seeking permission let's take a look at what Daniel is experiencing at this moment and how he goes about trying to follow God. He's just arrived in Babylon, one of the preeminent cities of the ancient world, one of the seven wonders of the world with hanging gardens. He has traveled nearly 1000 miles on foot. He is covered in dirt he hasn't had bath in months. He's been eating nothing but bread and water. He has seen dead bodies and rotting corpses. He's probably seen people die and now he's been taken to a feast and he could smell pork ribs and the ache in his stomach is overwhelming.
Daniel had so many reasons to be angry and afraid. But when Daniel spoke to the commander of the officials he did not express anger or fear, but instead was reasonable. By respecting authority, he found favor and compassion in the commander of the officials. Why do you think Daniel found compassion and favor at this moment? It was not because he stood up for truth. It was not because he was trying to do the right thing, but it was because he chose to show respect and to reason with this guy. We read that God caused the Commander of the officials to show favor and compassion. In the greek version of this passage in the septuagint favor and compassion is written as τιμὴν καὶ χάριν. τιμὴν is that thing paid for because it has worth. It is usually translated as honor. καὶ is just and. Χάριν means grace. So you could read this same phrase as honor and grace rather than favor and compassion. These mean the same thing; it is just another way to look at the passage. That word χάριν is the same word used to describe the word favor in the story of Mary in the New Testament when the angel of the Lord came upon her saying,“Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.” (Luke 1:30) That is when she found out she would give birth to Jesus. Finding favor from God is a good thing. It means that God has given you something that you do not deserve, and you could never earn.
Now let us connect Danielle's story with God's story. God has shown us a favor in that he sent his son. Jesus says to die on the cross for our sins. In turn Paul says in Romans 12:1-2
“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
When we set our mind on following God, we are presenting ourselves as a sacrifice to God how God chooses us to use that sacrifice up to him. When Daniel resolved his heart not to eat the King's food. He presented himself as a sacrifice before God Daniel could be a worthy sacrifice, and we could never be a worthy sacrifice. But as Paul writes here when we present ourselves as a living sacrifice before God, he makes us a worthy sacrifice he accepts us. We find favor in God.
Now the application of this text before the New Testament was written was pretty straightforward. Don't worship foreign guts on God with your actions and be smart about it there. Go, done, that's all you need to know. I don't know why we had a whole sermon here. Obviously, these things are all true today.
but let's go past the obvious and look at the form of Daniel's action. There is the obvious dog worship foreign gods but then also don't defile yourself. Don't let your body be used for ungodly things, decide today how you will live for God, choose to be a living sacrifice for God that he may use you how he sees fit. Let internal resolve drive you to external actions.
We follow God even when the consequence is death.
How do we remain faithful to God in a world that calls us to conform? We focus on God's story, not our story. We do not know if this is the beginning or the end for ourselves, but God knows, and we too remain faithful to him.
So what is the alternative to conforming? (hold up crumpled paper) We stand on the Word of God. We choose what we believe and why. We form an internal resolve. And we know how we will respond to challenges.
(Folds paper airplane and sends it out)
Questions to leave with
Have you let culture shape your beliefs?
What decisions do you need to make now before the pressure comes?
Do you believe that God honors faithfulness?
