In the first part of the chapter we discovered the Babylonian King s plan;

Introduction There is an old Sunday School rhyme: Dare to be a Daniel, Dare to stand alone, Dare to have a purpose firm. Dare to make it known. The children of Israel find themselves in Babylon; with all the pressures associated in living in a culture and climate hostile to the God of the Bible. We live in Babylon; in a pressure cooker that views Christians and Christianity as nothing more than odd tasteless morsels. Some Citizens of Babylon in the interest of religious diversity and historical curiosity appreciate the moral and cultural contributions Christians and Christianity make; but do not take the Bible, Jesus, or the Gospel seriously. We live in Babylon, where the citizens of Babylon and the citizens of Jerusalem do not look sustantially different, or act substantially different. When you dare to be a Daniel, you are almost always standing alone. When you dare to have a purpose firm; it will at first astonish, and then annoy, and as the animosity builds the citizens of Babylon may get downright mean, vicious, and perhaps even vindictative. In the first part of the chapter we discovered the Babylonian King s plan; Isolate the children; Indoctrinate the children; Get them to compromise in little ways and Get them to abandon their spiritual identity. How does Daniel fight the pressure; how does the young Daniel deal with the threat of compromise? In this passage we will examine Daniel s decision. Daniel will make a decision before God and keep his promise. Next we look at Daniel s demeanor; his attitude in the midst of the problem; his humility and modesty. And finally we look at Daniel s delight; I call this Daniel s expectation or hope; God will honor Daniel s desire to remain faithul to Him. Daniel 1:7; To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names: he gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abed-Nego. The chief eunuch attempted to change their names; Daniel means God is my judge; is changed to Belteshazzar; or Prince of Bel. Or you can ring my Bel. Hananiah; Jehovah favors was changed to Shadrach; or Inspired or illumined by the Sun-god. Mishael Who is like God or 1

God-like was changed to Meshach Who is like Shack one of the Babylonian idols. Azariah Jehovah helps was changed to Abednego Servant of Nego. The name change was an attempt to honor four of the gods of Babylon; a satanic attempt to undermine, to subsume the God of Israel. The chief god was Bel; then came the sun-god shadrach, the earth god-god; Meshach, and the fire-god; Abednego. In the ancient world, when a master or ruler exercised the prerogative of changing a person s name, it was to indicate authority over them; it was meant to change their identity and destiny. I wonder if Daniel remembered the words of the prophet Isaiah; Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior (Isa.3:1-3). Babylon is a type and a picture of the world that stands in opposition to the true and the living God. But Babylon is not godless (in the sense that it has no gods). We think it is absurd to worship the sun, the earth or fire. Yet we depend upon the sun, the earth and energy. Our idols are money, youth, sex, power, fame, political correctness. How do we live in Babylon and not become citizens of Babylon? Daniel maintains his godly citizenship by making sure his inner convictions can stand the pressure of outside pressures and temptations. Decision: Make a Decision Before God Daniel 1:8; But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the kings delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. The first line of defense against compromise is an inner conviction; a willingness to stand firm. Do you have any convictions or core values? Other words for convictions include faith and certainty. What are your deeply held beliefs? You may believe the Bible is true, you may believe sex outside of marriage is wrong, you may believe that God has spoken authoritatively on a number of different subjects. Peter Marshall, Pastor and former Chaplain of the United States Senate once prayed; Lord, when we are wrong, make us willing to change. And when we are right, make us easy to live with. 2

How can you be sure that your convictions will hold up under pressure? In the Hebrew text the passage reads; Daniel set upon his heart that he would not defile himself by eating the unclean food. That is he placed upon his heart ahead of time; in a sense-- before the banquet, before the food was set before him; he made up his mind before he arrived at Nebuchadnezzar s all you can eat buffet. The time to make the decision is not when passions are high, or when hormones are raging through your veins like a tiny rubber raft being thrown down a swollen river. Was it easy to turn down the king s delicacies and refuse the king s wine? By the way, is there some area of your life straining under the external pressures of your inner convictions? You like Daniel, may need to decide ahead of time; before you face the compromising situation. You like Daniel may need to decide ahead of time--divorce is not an option; sex outside of marriage is not an option; disobedience to God is not an option. There s grace right? Yes--there is grace--but grace is not a band-aide to cover up sin in advance. Conviction and decision and grace for obedience not for disobedience. Where in the world did Daniel find a foundation, on which to build his convictions? Daniel would draw on the Bible studies and lessons learned in his childhood. Perhaps Daniel was aware of the reformations of King Josiah and the teachings of the great prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah; and Habakuk. As a child Daniel would have been taught from the Law; from the Torah which reads; I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am holy (Lev.11:44). Daniel was not naive; he knew the world was a dangerous place and an unclean place; and he was determined to be holy and clean. Daniel enters into a covenant, an agreement with God; in the presence of God; to turn away from evil and sin, and sinful behavior in whatever form it presented itself. There are certain issues in the life of the child of God that cannot be negoitiated or compromised. When I became a Christian the Lord by the power of the Holy Spirit impressed upon me that I would no longer be able to practice witchcraft and or smoke marijuana or use drugs. Most things are not so blatant, so obvious. It is not the big sins; but the little compromises. In many ways his usefulness in the kingdom of God throughout the rest of the book depends on this single decision. Had he not made it, or even left it until later while he maneuvered for a position of bargaining strength, he would not have found himself in the positions he later occupied nor would he have been faithful enough to cope with them as he did. Instead, from the 3

beginning, in what to others seemed a trivial matter, he nailed his colors to the mast. In doing so, he gained a bridgehead into enemy-occupied territory and found himself increasingly strong in the Lord (see The Communicator s Commentary; Daniel; Sinclair Ferguson; p.39). You will note that Daniel asks to be excused from the king s table or the king s provisions. How wise for one so young! Daniel could have defied his supervisor; and initiated a hunger strike. He does not. Instead he makes a passionate plea to remain clean; he even listens to his immediate supervisior, taking his position into consideration! Sometimes the decision to honor and obey God put others at risk. Daniel 1:9; Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs. The Lord had brought supernatural favor to Daniel. Daniel 1:10; And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who has appointed your food and drink. 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. The chief eunuch, in spite of the favor and goodwill wasn t willing to risk his own life--for Daniel s deeply held convictions. Demeanor: Act In Humility And Modesty Daniel 1:11; So Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, Daniel 1:12; Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. Please notice that Daniel does not allow his convictions to put his supervisor on the spot. He respects those in authority over him. Don t let the word vegetables fool you. This is not like Sweet Tomatoes. The word used here generally refers to the seeds used to plant food for cattle or animal feed. We might think of this as cereal grain, which could be mashed and made into a porridge. Delight: Believe God Will Honor Your Desire To Be Faithful 4

Daniel 1:13; Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the kings delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants. Look carefully at what Daniel does; he leaves the final word with his supervisior. and as you see fit, so deal with your servants. How can Daniel take that risk? Jesus of course is the great example; When he was reviled, (He) did not revile in retur; when he suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteousnly (1 Peter 2:23). Because Daniel s faith is in the Lord; he believes God will honor Daniel s decision to remain pure before the Lord. Daniel s wisdom is based on the fact that Daniel believes in a sovereign God who orders the universe, down to the last detail. Daniel 1:14; So he consented with them in this matter, and tested them ten days. Daniel 1:15; And at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the kings delicacies. Daniel 1:16; Thus the steward took away their portion of delicacies and the wine that they were to drink, and gave them vegetables. Daniel stands firm in his biblical convictions; he does so with modesty and humility; and God rewards both Daniel and his friends. Daniel 1:17; 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. Think about what is happening in our text; Daniel and his friends stood by God s principals and trusted God for the results; and the Lord rewarded them with special gifts, with special talents, and opportunities. These would serve Daniel for the rest of his life. In the ancient world it was believed that the gods communicated to mortals through the agency of dreams. Daniel 1:18; Now at the end of the days, when the king had said that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 5

Daniel 1:19; Then the king interviewed them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they served before the king. Daniel 1:20; And 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. The Babylonians borrowed heavily from the Egyptians in the area of dream analysis and dream interpretation. The term translated astrologers or enchanters (KJV) refers to the specialist in the area of exorcism; a kind of supernatural minister of defense to ward off threatening messages in the omens or the dreams. The latter s skills include identifying the threatening sign, determining a course of action to avert the evil, and performing apotrpaic rituals and reciting incantations to turn aside the danger. Sickness was often included in the group of threatening signs, so the exorcist was counted among the health care professionals of Babylonian society. The use of the two terms clarifies that Daniel s skills exceeded those of the foreign specialists as well as the native practitioners (See The Bible Background Commentary; OT; p.732). Daniel 1:21; Thus Daniel continued until the first year of King Cyrus. Daniel and the children of Judah and Jerusalem were chosen for their excellence. Nebuchadnezzar thought he had chosen them to highlight and promote Babylonian power, culture, and supremacy. The irony, God chose Daniel, God promoted Daniel, not to highlight Babylonian power, culture and supremacy, but rather to show the excellence of God, the wisdom of God, the sovereignty of God, the power of God. Daniel will out live Nebuchadnezzar and his successors, Daniel will out live the King of Babylon and the Kingdom of Babylon. Daniel will live to see a new King, and a new Kingdom. Cyrus began his rule of Babylon in October; 539 B.C. Daniel served the Lord in Babylon for 65 years. In the end Daniel s heart was never really in Babylon; his heart was deeply connected to Jerusalem (Dan.6:10). In the end it does not really matter where you are; or who you are. What matters most--is what you are--faithful--it is faithfulness--not reputation--not situation-- transformation--changed by Jesus--transformed and redeemed by Christ and by grace. Conclusion What have we learned? Inner convictions can overcome outer pressures. 6

We tend to think the powers on the outside are greater than the powers on the inside. That is not true. Unless of course--the power on the outside is the power of God. Daniel makes up his mind--in advance; before the fragrant smells and delicious delights from Nebuchadnezzar s All you can eat buffet, tempt and tantalize. Second; God-honoring convictions yield God-honoring rewards. Daniel has no power over his circumstances; or over the people in his life, over the people who have been placed in temporary authority over him. What one power does Daniel possesss? He has the power to trust and believe in God; Daniel has the power to determine how he will react to his circumstances and those influences. Daniel was making a life-long choice; to be a faithful man to God; to be a man of integrity; he made the personal choice to honor God with his mind and with his body. He then trusted the Lord to take care of the things in Daniel s immediate circle of circumstances and the kings servants; and even the king. What was Daniel trusting God with? His immediate supervisor; his education, his health, and his rewards in this life. Clearly Daniel expected God to honor his heart s desire to honor Him. Is it possible that we can pray and ask God to honor certain convictions; but for whatever reason God has a different plan? I think so. I think Daniel had every right to believe God would honor the test. People whose hearts are bent toward self-glory and not God s glory can never have any confidence that their heart s desires will be granted. However the opposite is also true; for those who are bent on God s glory; to know God and honor God; they will never be disappointed. God has the power to perform what He has promised to do. If we know what He has promised and trust in His power, we will have every reason to live in a spirit of expectancy that He will hear and answer the prayers of our hearts (Communicator s Commentary; Daniel; Sinclair Ferguson; p.42). Dare to be a Daniel. Dare to live a life of purpose, passion, prayer and prophecy. 7