Resolve | Sunday, June 11, 2023

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 articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god... (Daniel 1:1–2)

When the whole world is spinning, God's people must resolve to stand.

Cultural Vertigo

A few years ago I came down with a serious case of vertigo. For about three weeks it was totally debilitating. The only thing I could do was lie flat on my stomach with my eyes closed, because the moment I opened my eyes and moved even a millimeter, it wasn't just me that was moving—the entire world seemed to be spinning. I eventually went to a specialist, who performed a maneuver called the Epley maneuver. They turned my head from side to side, and when they were done, the vertigo was gone. It comes back from time to time, but never as badly.

I bring that up because I think the last ten years of our culture have left many people feeling like they have cultural vertigo. It's as if you took a snapshot of everything going on in our world, ran it through Photoshop, and turned up the blur until you couldn't even recognize the culture around you. Back in the 1970s, an author and futurist named Alvin Toffler wrote about this and called it Future Shock—the trauma you feel when you find yourself in a culture that is changing very quickly over a short period of time. Have you felt that, especially in the last three years?

Unfortunately, there is no Epley maneuver for cultural vertigo. But we do need to find our footing in a culture that feels like it is destabilizing. As the Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians, "having done all to stand, stand therefore." That's the call to Christians living in a world turned upside down. This is one reason the book of Daniel is so important for us in such a time as this.

A World Turned Upside Down

Daniel and his friends were experiencing this shock exponentially more than we are. Their world was completely turned upside down. They had been removed from their upper-class noble life in Jerusalem and planted in the palace of the most pagan empire imaginable in Babylon. Their names were changed, their clothing and appearance altered, and they were being trained in the language and literature of the Chaldeans. To add insult to injury, they were most likely castrated as well.

We sometimes assume these men were older, but the internal evidence of Scripture and our understanding of history suggest that Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were probably no more than fourteen or fifteen years old. Before being uprooted, they were on a path toward what would likely have been a very good life among the nobility of Judah. They had hopes, dreams, and visions for the future, and in a moment those things became a devastating nightmare. Their experience helps us gain perspective on what we are going through, and it gives us important things to consider about how we ought to live—and even flourish—when the culture is turned upside down.

Not Outside God's Purview

Notice verse 2: "And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand." The Lord gave Jehoiakim and the people of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, this wicked pagan king. Daniel, who is traditionally believed to be the author of this book, had the proper perspective.

Point number one: Daniel's predicament was not outside of God's purview. What Daniel and his friends went through was not outside of God's vision or plan. In one sense, God had set the table and ordered the meal. They may not have recognized this on day one—it may have taken years, perhaps until the prophet Jeremiah sent a letter telling them they were there by God's decree:

For I know the plans that I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)

I'm not one who believes that every specific detail of every situation is meticulously ordered by God, but I do believe, as one old hymn says, that God is "quietly sovereign." Nothing happens outside of His allowance and His gaze. That does not mean I always understand what God is doing or like the circumstances I find myself in, but it means I can trust that God is working.

And we know that God works all things together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

I don't know how God works all things together for good, but I believe He will. It may take stepping into eternity to gain full perspective. As 1 Corinthians 13 says, we see dimly now, as through a frosted glass, but then we will see face to face and know fully. Right now we live by faith and not by sight.

Trusting the One at the Wheel

Last night my wife and I had dinner with my mom and dad. Driving back on the 15 freeway, my mom has one of those Teslas with autopilot. I told her to put it in autopilot. She said she didn't like it, but she did—and she was driving by faith and not by sight. It is hard to give up control, to take your hands off the wheel and your foot off the brake. And it is exponentially more difficult in life, where we think we're in control, to say, "God, You drive."

That's the perspective Daniel had—or came to have over time. I have to remind myself frequently to trust that God is in control when the world around me seems out of control. It is impossible to scroll through social media or watch the news and not feel like things are out of control. But the proper maneuver to gain perspective is to go to our knees, fold our hands, close our eyes, and say, "God, You are on the throne." It is a question of faith: do I actually believe that?

God's Plans Are Not Hidden

Not only did God know what Daniel faced, He had been actively working for centuries to bring about His ends. Before Daniel was born, before anyone knew the name Nebuchadnezzar, before Babylon was the dominant empire, God announced to His people that this exile would come. Seven centuries earlier, God had spoken through Moses, warning Israel that if they rebelled and broke His covenant, they would end up in exile. Over those 700 years, when Israel turned away, God in His grace sent prophets to call them back. About fifty years before the Northern Kingdom fell to Assyria, God sent Amos:

Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. (Amos 3:7)

Point number two: God's plans are not hidden from His people. That doesn't mean He gives us every detail or perfect clarity, but He does give us a general picture of what He is doing in world history. We'll see this clearly in Daniel's visions and dreams, which came to pass with such amazing clarity that critical scholars argue the book must have been written later—after the events occurred.

Why does God reveal His plans? So we won't be caught off guard, ignorant and unaware. He doesn't promise to take us out of every storm; we live in a broken world fallen because of sin. But He directs our steps through it—"you'll hear a voice behind you saying, this is the way, walk in it." He doesn't give us all the details, because if He did, we'd object and say, "Lord, paragraph six, sentence four—that's not a good idea." Instead He says, "Here's generally where I'm going," and He promises to be with us. Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Me... and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Sometimes we look at the world and think it doesn't seem like it, but God has an ultimate end He is bringing about, and He will be with us in the midst of it.

Daniel Purposed in His Heart

Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel... young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand... And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king's delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training... Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names... But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank. (Daniel 1:3–8)

Everything about Daniel's outside was being changed—his name, his clothing, his language, his culture. He had been made a eunuch and was being indoctrinated and assimilated into all things Babylon. One author calls it "a total program of assimilation in which they have little means to resist the forces." And yet Daniel made a resolution. They could change everything about the outside, but he purposed in his heart that the inside would remain committed to the Lord—that his heart would be a temple unto God.

Point number three: God's people must resolve to fulfill God's purpose no matter the context. The circumstances will change, but our calling from God does not. We are to be in this world but not of it. As Paul writes, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." To avoid being forced into the world's mold, we must do as Daniel did—purpose and resolve to stand and be set apart in whatever way we can.

Daniel couldn't keep his name from being changed; he couldn't refuse the education, and he certainly couldn't undo being castrated. But there was one area where he believed he could make a stand, and he resolved to remain faithful there. Even this required not just an internal change of heart but the courage to go and request an exemption. There were certainly other young noblemen of Judah who simply went with the flow—and we don't know their names, because they became just Babylonians like everyone else. We know Daniel and his friends precisely because they took a stand.

God Watches for Loyal Hearts

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. (2 Chronicles 16:9)

Daniel and his friends were not outside God's plan—they were right in the midst of it, and God was watching for hearts loyal to Him. This loyalty wasn't something Daniel developed on the spot in Babylon; it was built into him by his parents and grandparents back in Jerusalem. They had instilled in him the conviction, "I will stand committed to the Lord no matter the circumstances."

Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs. (Daniel 1:9)

Where was God in the midst of all that horror? He was showing Himself strong on behalf of four young men whose hearts were loyal to Him. Notice, though, that God's grace did not mean they would be removed from the trial. Some falsely teach in God's name that if He is really working, you won't face anything difficult. But the Bible repeatedly shows God's people going through horrendous situations. His grace did not take them out of the trial; it strengthened them to endure it.

Point number four: God's people are not always rescued from the peril but strengthened to endure it.

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

We often think the "way of escape" means rescue. But God says, "In the midst of it, I will strengthen you to bear it."

Tested for Ten Days

And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, "I fear my lord the king... For why should he see your faces looking worse than the young men who are your age? Then you would endanger my head before the king." (Daniel 1:10)

At first Ashpenaz denied Daniel's request. How did Daniel respond? He didn't throw a fit or become stubborn. He submitted, yet in great wisdom answered the chief's concern.

Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance be examined before you... and as you see fit, so deal with your servants. (Daniel 1:12–13)

The steward consented, and at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the king's delicacies. This is instructive. In circumstances they could barely control, in a culture turned upside down, they said, "We would like to stand in faithfulness to our God, but we submit ourselves entirely to you." They were not pig-headed; they were subtle, wise, and shrewd stewards.

As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams... and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah... in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm. (Daniel 1:17–20)

Placed for God's Purposes

Instead of being dispatched to the far reaches of the empire, they became courtiers right there in the palace, and Daniel continued until the first year of King Cyrus. God's people ought to be the best found in the world when it comes to wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. Over time it should become clearer to those we work with and for that God gives us favor and goodwill as we commit ourselves to Him.

Point number five: God's people are often placed in positions of power and authority to extend and fulfill God's purposes. God strategically placed Daniel and his friends in the palace—yet they still had to resolve to be committed to Him. As a result, they would experience persecution and difficulty in the coming chapters. It would not be an easy path, but God would be with them.

Daniel was in Babylon, but Babylon would not get into Daniel. He could not keep himself from being trained in the language and literature of the Chaldeans, but he purposed in his heart that he would not find his home in Babylon. The immersion into the worldview of pagan Babylon would not win his heart. "I will not be conformed to this world." So it ought to be with you and me as well.

Ambassadors in Babylon

We are ultimately citizens of heaven. This is not our home. We pray as Jesus taught us, "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." We look for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. But that kingdom is not here yet, so what are we doing here? He has called us to be ambassadors for His kingdom, salt and light in an increasingly dark and unsavory world.

It is not an accident that you live for such a time as this in this place in carnal California. God has placed you here to be a bright shining light to those in darkness and in bondage to sin and death, and He has given you a message of reconciliation, forgiveness, and grace. It is clearer now than perhaps any time in my life that the worldview of this world brings people into the most horrendous bondage, death, sadness, and depression—and you have the word of eternal life. God has placed you as an ambassador in the office, the construction site, or the campus where you are. It will not be easy, but you must resolve not to be conformed to this world. And if you do, like Daniel and his friends, God will strengthen you and give you wisdom and grace.

Communion

It's fitting that we partake of communion today, because in it we are reminded that Jesus was crucified and killed by an earthly empire—an empire Daniel predicted would come. Yet through that death He rose and became victorious over all the kingdoms of this world, over sin and death. That same Jesus is now enthroned as King of kings and Lord of lords. In communion we remember His body broken for us and His blood shed for us, and we proclaim the Lord's death until He comes again and brings His kingdom. We say, "Lord Jesus, come quickly." It may not be today, next year, or in ten years—but until then, Lord, help us to be bright shining lights in a world that has gone mad.

On the night He was betrayed, Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of Me." In the same manner He also took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." Let us partake and remember.

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus, we pray that You would help us to stand, having done all to stand—that we would stand in this time and place You've called us to. Help us recognize that we are not living here by accident, but that You have set us to be a bright shining light. We look to You, Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, the righteous King of kings seated on a throne in heaven that will one day be a throne on this earth.

We praise You today for Your grace and forgiveness. We thank You that You came for us as a perfect, sinless sacrifice to restore us to right relationship with the Father, that You submitted Yourself to death, even the death of the cross, to save us from our sins. We proclaim Your death until You come again, for You did not stay dead—You rose and are seated on a throne, the King of kings, the one who was and is and is to come.

God, You have called us to be ambassadors, lights shining in a dark place. Give us boldness to stand, to resolve to be salt and light no matter the context or what may come against us. Encourage us through the stories we find in Daniel this summer. Work in us, Your church, we pray.

Father, thank You for the calling You've given each of us and the places You've set us in this community and county. Help us to step into those things this week. There are people we interact with daily who are in desperate need of Your forgiveness and grace; give us opportunities and the words to share who You are and what You've done. Pour out Your Spirit upon Your church and strengthen us to be bold witnesses for You. And now may the Lord bless you and keep you; may He make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; may He lift up His countenance upon you and give you His peace. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of His Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.