When Daniel Took A Stand

Introduction

I just started. A teacher looked at her students. That’s going to be nearly as funny now. Teacher looked at her students and said, What do I have to do to get to heaven? She said, What if I sold everything that I had? I sold my car, I sold my house, I sold my TV. Would I then get to go to heaven? And the first grade class said, No. She said, Well, what if I cleaned the church building and I mowed the yard and I kept both my home and my car and the church building clean 24-7, would I get to go to heaven then? And they said, No. She said, Well, then what would allow me to go to heaven? And one boy yelled from the back, you have to die.

The truth is it’s coming for all of us. We know that this world is temporary. We know that we are in a struggle. If it was just a question of, should we be nice to people, it would be an easy concept. Except you until you start being next to people. And you realize that in this temporary life, it doesn’t go as easy as a theory sounds. Being kind, being faithful, trusting in God is difficult when people around us don’t agree. When people around us test us at every turn. And while we know that there is heaven waiting for faithful followers of God, and we know that this is a temporary life, there is a struggle that when the world is full of darkness, that we don’t stand but we sit and shrink back.

That we don’t take action but we sit and let the world proceed beyond us. I’d like to remind us this morning of our congregational theme, not the spiritual warfare part, but stand firm and take action. Taken out of Daniel chapter 11 in the second part of verse 32. As Christians, as followers of God, we need to constantly be ones who stand firm no matter what’s going on around us. And we take action to actually help the world around us. The easiest thing to do is to see darkness and to complain, to sit and do nothing. But God says his soldiers in the spiritual war are to get up, to stand up, to take action. And so I want us to consider on this last Sunday of the first already, can you believe it, five months of 2018?

1. Daniel Resolved He Would Not Defile Himself

How are we doing on an individual basis with our congregational theme of standing firm and taking action? I’d like to invite you to turn in your Old Testament to Daniel chapter 1. Daniel chapter 1, and we’re going to see a younger man who decided to stand firm and take action even when it was hard and in perhaps one of the most difficult circumstances we could be in politically, geographically, or even from a comfort standpoint. And Daniel chapter 1, read with me, beginning in verse 1 of 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 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. Then the king commanded Ashpanaz, 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 the language of the Chaldeans. That is a very difficult way of understanding that when Babylon came after Judah, when they rebelled and Nebuchadnezzar came through and was going to take from Judah, he wasn’t just taking stuff, although he did that, he took some of their best riches. But what he really took, the real heart and soul of the people of Judah, he took their best.

He took their youth, he took those who were the smartest, the brightest, and even as the text says in verses 3, 4, and 5, even the good looking. When Nebuchadnezzar came through, he came and took the best of Judah’s young men, and Daniel was among them. Now, when we think about this, we’re used to kind of hearing that from an historical standpoint. But consider for a moment a young man somewhere between ages 16, let’s say, and 25, that’s a random number. Don’t hold me to that, who is plucked from his homeland all he’s ever known and taken into the belly of the beast. He wasn’t just going to go and be a part of the Babylonian Empire. Look with me in verse 4. Where was he going to stand?

He had to be competent to beware. In the king’s palace. He was going to be trained. He was going to be taught what it was to be a Babylonian, as the end of verse 4 says, to be taught the literature and the language of the Chaldeans. Daniel was taken to Babylon and he left everything he knew. He left his homeland, he left the land where they worshipped his true God, and he went into this foreign land, this conquering empire, who had taken not just stuff, but also people to, and ripped them without caring where they came from, and said, We’re gonna make you in our image. Of course, we know as Christians that we’re to be in the image of God, but Daniel faces a stiff test.

He isn’t just away from his homeland, he isn’t just away from his family, as I mentioned just a few moments ago, he is in a godless place, or at least godless with rel with relativity to the one true and living God. Consider with me that Daniel resolved, despite this difficulty, despite the difficult circumstances he was in, he would not defile himself, that he would stand firm, he would stay true to his God. And notice a test right away, beginning in verse five. 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, Meshach, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah.

And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names, Daniel, he called Beltashazzar. Hananiah he called Shadrach, Meshel he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego. Verse 8, 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. Daniel, as a Jew, had a different code of just about everything than the Babylonians did, and certainly when it came to what he could eat and what he would drink. And of course, being brought in the palace, we say this is awful for Daniel, and it was, however, one important caveat, that if you were going to be taken somewhere, you were going to be ripped from your homeland, you were going to be put into a society that doesn’t recognize God.

From a physical standpoint, he did somewhat hit the jackpot here. He is in the king’s palace. He is going to be treated and trained as nobility of some kind, and he wasn’t going to be well fed. In fact, what were they going to feed him with? It was going to be the king’s food, verse 8, and the wine that the king drank. Daniel, from a physical perspective, was going to get the best that this world empire had to offer. But it wasn’t what God wanted them to eat. It certainly was not what God wanted them to drink. How easy would it have been for Daniel to say, I’m outnumbered. I’m out of my homeland. I’m with a people who don’t respect God. They don’t care what the law says.

If I told them God said so, they said, they wouldn’t care. How easy would it be just to slip back to eat the king’s food and maybe try to be an influence even from within. Don’t cause a lot of problems at first. Just kind of fit in, go with the flow. Don’t stand up. Maybe you can stand up later. Any pieces of wisdom we might give ourselves. Daniel didn’t take any of them. What did he do in verse 8? He resolved, he made this decision from the forefront, from the beginning, he would not defile himself. And it wasn’t just, I’m not going to defile myself. What does verse 8 say specifically? He would not defile himself with what? The king’s food or the wine which the king drank.

When we talk about standing firm and take action, when we talk about being faithful, being trusting, it’s one thing to say, I need to be more faithful to God. I need to trust in him more. I need to be a better Christian. One of the first steps that Daniel understood to achieving that level of faithfulness that’s pleasing to God is to set not just a plan, but a specific plan. And that takes both a knowledge of God’s will and a desire to fulfill that. We have to be able to know what God’s will is, to stand up and take action on it. But consider how the story goes. This would not be easy. It’s not as if he said, okay, well, I’m not going to do that, and Babylon said, No, you know what, Daniel?

You said so, so we’ll just let you go. No, it wasn’t that easy. In verse 9. And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs. And the chief of the eunuch said to Daniel, I fear my Lord the King, who assigned your food and your drink. For why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king. Then Daniel said to the steward, whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mesha, and Azariah, test your servants for ten days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king’s food be observed by you and deal with your servants according to what you see.

So he listened to them in this matter and tested them for ten days. Now we could break down an entire sermon of how Daniel dealt with this problem, first of all, making a specific plan, being willing to stand up and take action on that plan. We could talk about how when he speaks to the chief eunuch in verse 10 and 11, he’s not disrespectful or rude, but rather innovative and wise. But consider most importantly, Daniel knew what God’s will was, and what was he willing to do about it? Anything it took. In fact, you can understand the chief eunuch’s perspective in verse 10. I fear the king. This will be my head on the line. Why? Why is the food such a big deal? Notice what the chief eunuch says specifically.

In the middle of verse 10, why should the king see that you are in worse condition than the youths who have your own age? Daniel, if you do your plan, don’t really care about the God part. If you do what you’re doing, you don’t eat the king’s food and the king’s wine, and you end up looking worse than everyone who eats everything else. Who is that going to reflect back on? Me. How’s the king going to look at me? Not favorably. It’ll be my head on the line. And here in that wisdom is the idea that, yes, I’m on the line, but that your way isn’t better than my way. We know our way works. Daniel says, No, God’s way is best. We have to have that understanding undergirding every part and every decision of this life.

We have to know truly and live out the implications of God always being right and his way always being best. So consider then, of course, how the story goes. You don’t have to be surprised in this matter. In verse 15, at the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king’s food. So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables. As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom. And Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. At the end of the time when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.

And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mesha, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in it in all his kingdom. We see the story of God’s way winning out. A faithful servant of God standing up in a moment of difficulty and being victorious. But if we’re honest, the story does lack one component, and we might call that, if you’re a glass half empty kind of person, reality. Sometimes it doesn’t always work out this way, but what we have to understand is whether we see it or not, whose way is always best?

God’s way is. Just like the teacher was dealing with the kids, where is our focus? Is it on doing good things? Is it about just standing up? No, it is to please God so that we can return to be with him in heaven. What a powerful blessing that God offers us that we can be with him in heaven. Amen. We have to live out the conviction of that belief. God rewarded Daniel’s faithfulness. He also rewarded that of, as we know them, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. But as we think about Daniel taking a stand, and we think about how difficult it would be, and yet how what a wonderful happily ever after it ended with. First of all, in Daniel chapter 1, what were they going to teach Daniel?

Go back to verses 4 and 5. In verses 4 and 5 of chapter 1, they were going to take the best of Judah, and they were going to do what with them? Teach them the literature and the language of the Chaldeans. What was it that God blessed them with, though, at the end of chapter 1? The Babylonians said, We are the empire, we are in charge, we are in rule. We’re going to teach them what they need to know. And yet, you see, very specifically in verse 17, God gave them learning and skill in what? All literature and wisdom. God’s ways are best, and God is to be followed always. It encounters both wisdom in this life and more importantly, wisdom to be part of the next.

2. We Have to Be Willing to Be the Only One

As we think then about some applications, just three this morning, some lessons from Daniel in Babylon, we have to be willing to be the only one. And again, as I started this lesson, it’s so obvious and easy to get up and say basic things. Pray more. Read your Bible more. Be more faithful. But this is where it really gets hard. When I am the only one, or I feel like I am the only one, am I willing then to stand up? Look in Philippians chapter 2. Consider two different viewpoints on Philippians chapter 2. In Philippians chapter 2, beginning in verse 12. Philippians chapter 2, beginning in verse 12. Consider, as Paul writes, therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now not only is in my presence, but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

Verse 13 fits our theme quite well. It is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing. That you may be blameless and innocent, children of God, without blemish, where? In the midst of what? A crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world. Holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Paul says, You work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. You continue to obey in my presence and my absence. But where are you going to do it and why? For God’s own pleasure, where? In the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, where?

In the midst of utter darkness, you do what? When the world is dark, when they’re shining out against God, and speaking out against them at every turn. When you see nothing but darkness, you shine. You don’t stop. When Daniel was there, yes, even with his companions, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they would have been far outnumbered in the king’s court. Certainly within the framework of the empire. And yet Daniel had what? Courage. Yes, to stand firm. Of course, to take action. But when he looked at this command, he said, I will not defile myself with the king’s food or the king’s wine. I will please my God. I don’t care what other people do. I will stand up. I think it’s easy. One of the two ways to look at this is to say, you know what?

The world is wicked. In Paul’s day and in our day, it’s dark. People don’t like Christians. They speak out against Christianity. It’s difficult. It’s hard. And now, even not only public sentiment, but perhaps you could argue even laws and some constitutionality is changing and challenging practicing Christian faith. Well, we can do two things with that. We can sit back. We can try to blend in with the world and kind of do what we can from in the middle of the darkness, shine our lights just a little bit, or we can be what Paul says. He says, You do what in the midst of this darkness? In the midst of this most crooked and twisted generation, you do what? You shine as lights. The second way to understand a crooked and twisted generation is to say, this is an opportunity for God.

This is an opportunity for me to serve for God’s own pleasure. Do we ever think of our lives like that? Do we ever stop in the morning and say, what does God want from me today? Have we ever stopped and said, who in my life at work in the car, maybe at the drive-thru? Who is it that I can touch, that I can tell about the good news of Jesus? I can make an invitation. Or I can even just be an encouraging light. Show happiness in being a Christian. What does God want from me today? It’s part of the reason we don’t do that is because of our focus, of course. But also, no one else really reasons like that. And if you’re not a Christian, if you don’t believe in God, why would you focus that way?

And yet, in 1 Peter chapter 5, we have an explicit warning. We are to be on guard. There is a reason that we are in this spiritual warfare, and that’s because there is an attack. And we know it’s coming. In 1 Peter chapter 5, perhaps you know verse 8, but consider with me 8, 9, and 10. In 1 Peter chapter 5 and verse 8, be sober-minded, be watchful. Why? Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to bower. Notice verse 9. Resist him. How? Stand firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

Again, we have an awesome God. When we consider, though, the words of being watchful, that our adversary, the devil, is seeking to devour us. Verse 9, Peter gives the answer. He doesn’t say hide in a bunker. He says, you resist him. You do what? Stand firm where? In your faith, trust in God. And also know what key factor about this darkness. You are not alone. We have to know that. It’s so easy to get bogged down in how wicked the world is and to forget. We are not alone. Not just at South Bunby, although if you look around, you see a bunch of people who are willing to publicly confess their faith in Jesus, and that is a wonderful blessing. But around this world, even in the darkest corners, and when we think that there is no hope, there are Christians there because our God is there.

We have to know that we are not alone. And if we feel alone, we need to comfort ourselves with the same words Elijah was comforted with. That there are, as he would be told, 7,000 who had not yet bowed the knee to Baal. We need to know that there are those out there who are Christians, who need our encouragement, need our prayers. And a revolution starts with one. We have to stop looking at Christianity as something we do to get people on the bandwagon and show people that this is a mission and a lifestyle. Standing firm and taking action implies there’s something to stand for, action to be taken. What is that action? Show your lights. Show people, show those doubting, show those who are in their closets afraid that you are not alone.

3. Stand Up and Stand Strong for What Is Right

We can do this together. We can teach the good news of Christ because Jesus has done the heavy lifting. The grace of God is what allows us to have salvation. We will never be alone because our God will not let us be. We have to know that. If we’re going to stand firm and take action, we have to be willing even to be the only one if it feels like that. Secondly, I want to show you one of my favorite passages in all of Scripture, Hebrews chapter 11. It is equally one of the most triumphant and tragic passages that I’m aware of in the New Testament scriptures. Stand up and stand strong for what is right. The one flaw, if you will, from a 21st century point of view of Daniel chapter 1, as we said, is it ended happily ever after for Daniel.

In the sense, at least that he operated within the Babylonian kingdom. I guess he didn’t go all the way back. But Hebrews chapter 11, notice in verse 32, at the end of this great chapter of faith. Note what standing firm and standing up does. It comes with great victory and great cost. Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 32. And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith did what? Conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtain promises, stop the mouths of lions, quench the power of fire, escape the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection.

What a powerful God. This is what you stand firm for. You know this life isn’t what it’s about. We are living to be with God. Stand firm now. Know your God is behind you through faith. What did his servants do? Conquered kingdoms. Stop the mouth of lions. Our God is great. He is behind his servants, but the passage doesn’t end there. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned. They were sawn in two. They were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, and mistreated, of which the world was not worthy. Verse 39. And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God provided something better for us.

That apart from us, they should not be made perfect. Standing firm and taking action is an easy catchphrase. It’s a very difficult life practice. Why? Because God deserts his people? Of course not. Because God isn’t there? Of course not. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world. By faith, all those great things were done, but also in the name of faith, in the name of standing firm, in the name of taking action. What was the darkness response to God’s lights? Mocking, flogging, imprisonment, and death. We have to stand up and stand strong for what is right, no matter the cost, because our God is worth it. We have to stand up and stand for what is right because Jesus paid the ultimate price already, and he puts your name on the purchase receipt.

He died for you. He died for me. And he didn’t just die for you and die for me when we were so good and when he saw what we could be. He died while we were enemies, while we were sinners, while we were ungodly and helpless. That’s a powerful God and powerful Lord. Does my conviction look anything like that of Jesus? Jesus in Matthew chapter 26 prayed three times, not my will but thine be done. Jesus was tempted. He was tried. The devil, our adversary, tried to get him so desperately. And Jesus went through with God’s plan because he understood that God’s plan is all that matters. And God’s love is unrivaled by anything this world can ever offer. We have to stand up. We have to stand for something.

4. We Have to Make a Plan and Take Action

We have to do what is right, no matter the cost, no matter whether we feel alone. And the truth is we have to make a plan and take action. When you consider the words of Daniel 11 in verse 32, stand firm and take action. When we follow Daniel’s prescription in chapter 1, what was it that he did in verse 8? Yes, he resolved to not defile himself, but he had a specific goal, a specific plan. I mentioned that we’re with the last Sunday in the first five months of this calendar year. I have a question how are those New Year’s resolutions going? You know, we always like to plan, and food is an easy target, and boy, is it easy to eat. But you I wonder if you’re like me, how did your New Year’s resolution go when it comes to eating good food?

And by good food I mean eating bad food so that you look good. See, it’s very easy to make a goal. It’s very easy to understand that if I eat less ice cream, I will look better. I will be healthier. But then what happens? Time passes. Maybe our plan wasn’t specific enough. It’s just what we wanted and not how to get there. And we end up back right where we were within five, three, or maybe even two months or a couple weeks from when we set the goal. If we know that we need to stand firm, that we are going to take action. I ask you this morning, what is your action plan? We know the adversary, the devil is prowling around seeking whom he may devour.

What is your plan to stand firm in your faith? How will you do it? How will you shine as a light in this world full of darkness and a crooked and twisted generation? If we don’t have a plan, can we be honest and say that’s a huge part of the problem? If you aim at nothing, you’ll what? Hit it every time. We have to make a plan. And if we don’t have a plan, we won’t take action. But if we make a plan, if we understand, then how do I plan? How do I stand strong? Like Daniel, we have to first immerse ourselves in God’s will. Daniel didn’t get to Babylon and say, what was that plan of God again on food? What does God, how does he feel about the king’s wine?

No. He knew he would not defile himself with this food, that his God had outlawed for him. He was going to stand up. He was going to stand strong for what he knew was right. We have to get in the word. We have to be people of the word. If we’re going to shine as life in the midst of darkness, we have to have a light to shine. We’ve got to open the book. We’ve got to study the word. We have to be people of the word. We have to be people of God. Second part of that plan is not just to make a plan or to know the word, but then to take action on it. And perhaps like Daniel, we could take solace in knowing that while we are outnumbered, who is your Shadrach?

Meshach and Abednego? Who do you look to? Who do you go arm in arm with to challenge you to say, how are you doing on your goal? How is it going? Are you moving to God or farther away from him? Are you on that narrow way or have you slipped into the broad path? Because it’s easier. There’s a lot more people on it, but it’s leading to destruction. God promised something better that would come. And he sent his son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. When we look at that list in Hebrews chapter 11, we see a group of people who are some of the mightiest heroes of faith there has ever been and perhaps ever will be. And yet, even for some of them, their earth story wasn’t that happy ending.

Conclusion

If we’re focused on how do we get to heaven, we know that our time on this planet will end. We know that we will die. But while we’re here, are we gonna sit down and lay back? Are we gonna stand firm and take action? Consider this morning you have an opportunity this day to please God. To say, what would God want from my day today? What does God want from my life? Make that your plan. Trust that God’s way is best. Shine as a light, even when you feel alone and recognize that God’s people are everywhere because our God is everywhere. Trust in Jesus for the victory. If you’re here this morning and you’ve never become a Christian, recognize that because Jesus came, if you simply believe in him, confess him as Lord in Christ, repent of your sins and are baptized, you can have them washed away forevermore, trusting in the grace of God.

Or maybe you’re a Christian and you’ve allowed yourself to sit back. Recognize that Christians are to be with you. We will pray with you, we will pray for you. If we can help you in any way, please make a plan. Take action right now as we stand and sing the invitation song.