March 30, 2007
Living to Make A Difference
Daniel 1:1-7
Jim Davis
The movie “Blood Diamond” is certainly not a movie for everyone. Violence, bloodshed and mayhem run throughout the movie. The movie backdrop is the bloodshed and slavery of the diamond minds in Africa. Rebels kill entire villages to capture the healthy to work in the diamonds. The young boys are captured and trained to become rebels who in turn kill, slaughter and enslave others. The kids seem to have no conscience about killing and maiming their own flesh and blood. They are so young and innocent when taken captive and easily trained in a blood thirsty way of life. It is a movie that points out the reality of the slaughter in Africa over the wealth of the country. The movie wasn’t a documentary; however it sought to portray some real truths about African life.
Throughout the movie an acronym “TIA” is used to explain the condition of Africa. It simply means “This Is Africa.” I think we could use the acronym “TIL”—“This Is Life.” It’s a stoical way to accept the sorrow evil brings into our lives.
Sadly, the wealth of the world is selfishly squandered by the minority as the majority of the world’s population lives in abject poverty. This Is Life.
I would like to use another acronym to describe our world, its “TID,” it means “This Is Depravity.” It began in Eden. The first six chapters of Genesis reveal the far-reaching impact of seemingly one simple choice. The first six chapters of Genesis give us a thumb nail sketch where depravity leads. The lesson is simple. Choosing to live selfishly always leads to destruction. Genocides in Germany, Cambodia, Bosnia and Africa reveal the destructive forces of evil. It can begin with one seemingly simple choice—to eat or not to eat. It is hard to believe that each sinful choice I make has the potential to create another depraved world exactly like this one. One sin has the potential of destroying a world.
We must not get lost in memorizing the ages of those who lived from the creation to the flood. We must learn the first lesson God teaches. Evil will destroy our world. Evil in whatever subtle form it enters into our lives brings misery and destruction.
The story of the Bible has a real purpose. The Bible is written against the backdrop of a cruel depraved world. God tells the story without blushing. God wants us to understand the difference one life can make in a cruel depraved world. Salvation history gives us a firsthand view of the difference God can make in one life. The Bible calls the difference God makes salvation. It has to do with allowing God to work through our lives to salvage life on earth.
God Can Make A Difference
Hopelessly resigning ourselves to TIA or TIL or even SH (you will have to figure out this acronym) is not the formula for a better world. The Bible is filled with stories of those who refused to hopelessly resign themselves to hopeless fatalism. We see an endless procession of those who refused a fatalistic approach to life (Hebrews 11). We see those enslaved through the selfish choices of others. Eunuchs come to the forefront of my mind. As babies or young men they were emasculated for the sole purpose of being used as servants. Then there is Joseph who was sold as a slave by his brothers. A brutal king took Esther into his harem to be groomed as queen. He was so brutal that entering his presence uninvited could bring death.
Daniel is one of my favorites. He stands out vividly in my mind as one who allowed God to make a difference in his life.
Daniel 1:1-7
1:1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god.
3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— 4 young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king's palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. 5 The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king's table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king's service.
6 Among these were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7 The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego. NIV
When Daniel was taken to Babylon, he was given a new name ”Belteshazzar” His new name was a derivative Babylon god Bel. To the Babylonians he was now considered to be a prince of Bel. Daniel was taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar to be brainwashed and trained in the way of the Babylonians. The letters “EL” in a Hebrew name is very significant. One name the Hebrews had for God was “Elohim.” Names with “EL” prefixes or suffixes were a derivation of El-ohim. Daniel’s name actually meant “God is my judge.” Likewise Daniel’s new name “Belteshazzar” contains the name of “Bel”, which was the name of a Babylonian god. Daniel’s Babylonian name meant, "O Bel, protect thou the hostage of the king."
Danel 4:7-8
8 Finally, Daniel came into my presence and I told him the dream. (He is called Belteshazzar, after the name of my god, and the spirit of the holy gods is in him.) NIV
These young men were taken to Babylon to serve Babylon’s god, Bel. You see, the Babylonian’s saw it as a battle of the god’s. They did whatever necessary to appease the most powerful god. They believed Bel prevailed in the battle with Elohim because he was greater. You would think Daniel would be thrilled to combine the wisdom of his God with the wisdom of Babylon’s powerful gods. But serving a god the world believed to be more powerful was not an option for Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar could make him wear the name of Bel, but he could never make him bow his knee to their god.
Not only did the Babylonians take the noblest young men from Israel. They also took the gold of the temple. It is not just for the love of money that the articles of the temple in Jerusalem are taken and placed in the temples of Babylon’s gods. The Babylonians were giving their gods the spoils of war. They believed their gods gave them the victory and therefore honored their gods with the gifts. To them victory meant Israel’s god was inferior. It was also Babylon’s way of taunting Israel’s God and those who dared to worship Israel’s God.
Later in Belshazzar’s reign we find him taunting Israel’s God as he reminds himself of Babylon’s victory over Israel’s God.
Daniel 5:1-6
5:1 King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. 2 While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. 3 So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. 4 As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.
5 Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. 6 His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way. NIV
It just happened to be Elohim who was writing upon that wall. He said, “You have been weighed in the balances and found wanting.”
Daniel 5:22-31
22 "But you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this. 23 Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways. 24 Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription.
25 "This is the inscription that was written:
MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN
26 "This is what these words mean:
Mene : God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.
27 Tekel : You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.
28 Peres : Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians."
29 Then at Belshazzar's command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.
30 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, 31 and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two. NIV
Daniel is probably somewhere between the age of 50 and 65 when this occurs. He had not yet been thrown into the lions den. He was probably 12 to 15 years old when he was taken to Babylon to be made prince of Bel. He has personally lived under the rule of the most ruthless rulers of the world—rulers who would take your life in a heartbeat—if you didn’t tell them their dreams or entered into their presence without being invited. How does he survive all these years? You would think he would be beheaded after his interpretation of this dream. Yet, he receives a royal robe and a gold chain. How does he survive? Well it is simple; “Elohim” is his judge.
The Battle of the God’s
We really are involved in the battle between gods of this world and Elohim. The Revelation of John presents us with the idea of the mark of the beast. A beast appears placing his mark upon those who worshipped him. If you didn’t have his mark upon your right arm, you were not allowed to buy or sell in the market place. There is no better way to make someone bow to you than using the “Almighty Economy.” In this kind of economy you couldn’t run a business or buy anything to eat without having the mark of the beast upon your right arm. What a dilemma.
The prince of this world seeks to convince us there is no way of winning without bowing to the world he has ordered. Daniel challenged the world order of things with the wisdom of God. When Daniel is called to interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream he proclaims Elohim as the one who reveals mysteries. .
Daniel 2:27-28
27 Daniel replied, "No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. NIV
Daniel’s confidence didn’t come from his belief that he was right and Nebuchadnezzar was wrong. It came from his trust and reliance in the Most High God. Daniel’s confidence didn’t come from his willingness to stand alone, but with his willingness to take a stand with the judge of all the earth—the God who ruled the kings of the earth.. The gods of Babylon were no match for Daniel’s God.
The Bible is a book of stories of how God can make all the difference in the world through just one person. In fact, how many times does the Bible reveal to us the life of a powerless failure found in impossible circumstances with whom God does the impossible. It is God’s way of salvaging the world. It is God’s way of salvaging your life.
Satan is certainly the prince of this world. He is reaping havoc throughout the world. But he is no match for God. Things are not always what they seem to be. This is especially true when the gods of this world blind us to the presence of God.
2 Corinthians 4:4
4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. NIV
God created us in his very image. Satan came along and placed his mark of sin upon us. He came enslaving us in sin. It is the same slavery portrayed in the movie Blood Diamond for it is promoted by the same demon who tempted to eat of the forbidden. It may not seem as drastic in our lives but the same demonic powers seek our destruction.
The ancient stories of the Old Testament seem too far removed to matter to such a modern world. But the same scenarios are being played out in every life on earth. It may be to a greater or lesser degree than what we see in Babylon as we read the book of Daniel or in Africa or in America. It is nevertheless just as real. Satan is seeking to place his mark upon us. It is Daniel’s God who offers us the wisdom to trust in him.
Daniel’s circumstances were much different. He lived among such ungodly people. His only choice was to live so as to make a difference. He lived knowing Elohim was his judge. When Daniel was an old man he was thrown into the lions den by Darius, one of the most ruthless kings of the ancient world. By this time in Daniel’s life he had survived under the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar and Darius. He remained standing as God gave Babylon to the Medes and Persians.
Darius the Mede throws Daniel into the lions den because Daniel refused to pray to Babylonian gods. By this time Daniel was deeply respected for his wisdom and the God he worshipped. As Darius threw Daniel into lions den the king prayed, “May your God whom you serve continually deliver you.” It was Daniel’s way of living that he respected. The Babylonians believed he had the spirit of the gods. Although Daniel constantly reminded them he served the Most High God—Elohim--the judge of all the earth.
Conclusion:
I was at a monster truck show in downtown Orlando a few nights ago. I was with my grandkids. We walked over the beer cans as we walked through the tailgate section to get to the stadium. Religious people were standing around with signs which read: “What shall a man prophet, if he should gain the whole world and lose his own soul.” They were also using megaphones to preach to the people walking by. I stood and tried to make sense of what they were saying, but I couldn’t hear over the noise of the crowd. I could only wonder about their effectiveness. I wondered, “I am too timid for that kind of evangelism.”
God gave the kings of Daniel's world disturbing dreams and visions. Daniel was privileged to visit them when God disturbed them. He gave them a Daniel. God wants me to be a Daniel to reach a disturbed world. There are lost souls in my personal world that only I can reach. You can’t reach them. Your preacher will never reach them. If I don’t reach them they will be lost throughout all eternity. The gods of this world have blinded their eyes to the good news. The only way they will ever be won is to see the life God can give them through me.
Maybe Peter summarizes it best. What he says reminds me of Daniel.
1 Peter 2:11-12
11 Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. NIV
God may want to pay a visit to those only I can reach. I need to live such a good life so when he does visit them they will want to listen to what God wants me to say. Daniel was right where God wanted him to be. It gave God an opportunity to reveal himself to the rulers of a lost world. When the opportunities arose, Daniel always reminded them of the God in heaven who held the mysteries to their dreams. He reminded them of a God who held the power and authority to fulfill those God given dreams.
Daniel’s God continues to rule in our modern world.
Matthew 28:16-20
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." NIV