Keeping the Faith in Changing Times
- 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 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 Babylon and put in the treasure house of his god.
- Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility.
- 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.
- 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.
- Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
- The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
- But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.
Daniel 1:1-8
Living in Changing Times
The Book of Daniel is unique in many ways and stands out from the rest of the prophets for several reasons. Most of the prophets introductory verses begin with the Word of the Lord being given to that prophet. Daniels prophetic utterances come much later and are focused on global events of the end times. While other prophets referenced the timeline of their prophecy, Daniel’s words describe the circumstances in which he and his friends found themselves. They were in captivity, in a strange land, and they were forced to live among pagans. I’m sure there were many questions that bombarded their mind each and every day. How did we get here? How will we survive under these conditions? Where is God? How long will God allow us to suffer in this pagan land?
Scholars note that Daniel and his friends were among the first captives that had been taken from their homeland in Judah around 606 B.C. While they struggled with a number of issues, they realized that the situation they were in could have been avoided if only their forefathers and leaders had listened to God’s warnings from the prophets. Now they were paying the heavy price for rebellion against the Lord. While these young Jewish youth were victims of the sins of their leaders and forefathers, they realized that come what may, they had to hold on to their faith in God. They also knew that someway, somehow, the God of Israel was going to come to their rescue. The question was: how long before The Lord would send deliverance?
In order to keep the faith in changing times, we must recognize that change means just that: the removal of some things and their replacement with other things. The text makes particular note of these changes in three ways. First there are the losses that introduce us to change. Secondly, there are opportunities that expose us to change. Lastly, there are temptations that enable change. As we shall find in the text, Daniel and his friends were young men, but they kept their faith despite the painful transformations that would turn their world upside down.
Changed by Losses
How many times have you used the phrase, “it looks like I will have to start over?” At that point, there is a recognition of things that have been lost. Faith gave Daniel and his companions the strength to recognize in a positive way the impact of being removed from their homeland. Faith is the most trustworthy tool for starting over. 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 Babylon and put in the treasure house of his god. Nebuchadnezzar and his army had not only defeated Judah, but they also plundered it and took the precious artifacts of worship and place them into their own temple. This must have been humiliating for Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. But that was only the beginning of their losses. It was a common practice for conquerors to take the religious symbols of another nation and place them into their own temples as proof that they were stronger than that nation. Was this true of the Living God? Was The Almighty defeated in battle? No! The text states, The Lord delivered … This simply meant that God handed the king and the people of Judah over to their enemies to teach them that sin and rebellion has horrible consequences. Yes, there were articles of gold and perhaps, even the Ark of the Covenant that was now sitting in the temple of Bel, but that did not mean all was lost. It meant that Daniel and his friends were forced to start over.
Starting over after all is a starting point. That will mean that you and I, after having suffered a loss regardless of how devastating, must make up our minds to keep moving even though it is painful. After all, you still have life. Tragic loss will often create the impression of the loss of everything. Can you imagine how the people of Los Angeles California must be feeling as a result of the horrific wild fires. Some described the devastation as “storms of fire” and “apocalyptic.” That is what losses will do to us if we allow them to parade in our mind. Those same losses of material things and even loved ones will become so entrenched in our thinking that we will assume that life is over. Here is the good news, life is not over. You have not come to an end; you have come to a brand new start. The loss has changed you, but the change will be for the good if you will ask God to renew your faith and restore your joy.
The losses didn’t stop with the holy articles of worship being hauled away to Babylon. It got a lot worse. The deportations were brutal. The captives were forced to walk hundreds of miles, often with very little food and clothing to sustain them. There were not even provided tents to sleep under. Daniel and his friends were forced to walk from Jerusalem to the land of Chaldea with very little provisions. How did they make it? There was something inside of them that kept them moving forward. They had faith. No matter how bad life got for them, that was the one thing that could not be taken away. While some would count such tragedies as losses, I believe that faith would look at these same tragedies and call them times of change.
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah would have to endure more changes. Their manhood was taken away from them at an early age. The supposition is that they were “made to be eunuchs by man” since they were placed under the authority of Ashpenaz, chief of the eunuchs. To add insult to misery, they were given new names that was supposed to take away their faith in God. The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego. After all, the Babylonians thought that since they had Judah’s God in their temple, they had taken everything from these young men. They had no pride. They had no dignity. They now had no honor. The leaders of Nebuchadnezzar’s regime thought they had everything they could take away from them. They would find that these young men still possessed something that could never be stolen, overthrown, or conquered. Daniel and his friends still had faith. Despite their losses, they held on to God. That is amazing!
At this point, you are probably assessing your own losses. The things that you were forced to give up have now come front and center in your mind. Here is where you need to understand a fact about God and your faith. First, your faith is a gift from God, not merely to show that you believe, but your faith will support you when everything seems to be crumbling around you. Second, while we lose things and will have to adjust our lives accordingly, God never loses anything at any time. Nothing is lost with God. Oh granted, the enemy may possess it (hold it in their hands) for a while, but we must never forget that God is the Owner. He has always been and always will be the Owner of Heaven and Earth. It is His by Self Proclamation. I Am God and I change not. The third point of faith in God is what I call the Job Confession. In the midst of his crisis, Job declared, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away; blessed be the Name of the Lord.” While that sounds like a ‘shrug the shoulders’ response to losses, it is really a confession that the Name of the Lord is to be praised, no matter what the loss. The Name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are saved. When people of faith keep their eyes on God rather than the circumstances, they soon discover that God will make a way where there seems to be no way. Confession means that even in hard times God is faithful. Keep the faith and see how God will make up for the losses in your life. Just hold on and everything will be alright.
The Mixed Bag of Opportunities
Another interesting thing about faith is that it can miraculously turn circumstances around to the favor of God’s people. The Babylonians would add insult to injury by brainwashing these Jewish youth. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah had been brought up under Jewish teachings. These teachings prepared them both for life and for leadership roles in Judah. The problem was evident. They were no longer in Judah; they were on the plains of Shinar and were forced to learn ways that were totally foreign to them. Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility … 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. They had taken away every physical thing that the young men had, now they were attempting to take away their culture. Was this a bad thing or could it work out for good?
Opportunities can offer us a gateway to change, even when it seems problematic. One of the shrewd ways of defeating an enemy is to learn. While it may look like giving in or compromising, knowledge is also empowering. These Hebrews soon learned that God had placed them in Babylon for a reason. They also realized that they had been selected for the king’s mission but this could also be an introduction to the greater mission of God. I’m sure they were well aware of Joseph in Egypt. They were probably thinking that while man meant to do things for evil, that God intended it for their good. It had also been confirmed through the selection process that they possessed “giftedness.” They indeed were, Young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve. While their enemy was picking on them, God was actually picking them up.
What we glean from this is the fact that opportunities are a mixed bag. They are like many things in life: they are neutral. If we accept them as evil, then we will release the powers of negativity. That is where some people are in life. They assume that everything is bad. Romans 8:28 means nothing to them, because their life story keeps coming out the same. For them, life never works out for good. Life is always some bad thing happening over and over again. Then, on the other hand, there are those who are so positive that they keep looking up no matter what.
I recently attended an Optimist Club meeting and read some of their creedal statements. The optimist always believe in good, and they do their best to live it out. The creed reads as follows: Promise yourself: to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. … to look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true. … to wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile. … to be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
That sounds like the people of faith. They know that no matter what, God will make a way for them. They can be like a tree, planted by the rivers of water that brings forth fruit in their season … their leaf shall also not wither and whatever they do, it prospers. With that kind of outlook on life, you are able to learn what you need to learn in order to do what you need to do. An optimist learns even from bad teachers.
Dealing with Temptation
One of the final things that Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah faced was the temptations of pagan living. If their culture could not be destroyed by education, then the Chaldeans would give them the best that it could offer. They were given rations not from the local markets, but from the king’s table. It was the best food, prepared by the greatest chefs, and offered with the best wine. O, there was one caveat. It was dedicated to the king’s god. Before eating each meal, the food was dedicated to the gods of Babylon. You’re probably thinking, well they could have just eaten it and asked forgiveness later. While that could be true, it was no way to live as God’s witnesses. What the Hebrews quickly learned is that they could live without a lot of things, but they could not live without God.
At this point, Daniel drew a line and dared anyone to cross it. They had taken his name, his manhood, his freedom, and all his family ties. But there was one thing he was determined they would not take: his faith. The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table … But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. This decision was something that could have cost Daniel his life but he was determined to live God’s way or no way at all. Because of his willingness to resist temptation, God gave Daniel favor in the eyes of his captors. The upcoming message will go more into detail on how to resist temptation, but we must focus on the goal of such resistance. It was not to look religious or to gain acceptance. Daniel and his friends had one goal in mind, they wanted to please God. That should be our goal and mission in life. No matter where we are or the circumstances that we face, it should always be our mission to please God rather than man. The only way to accomplish that is to hold on to your faith.
Here are some closing points that will help you to keep the faith in changing times. First recognize that we are living in a world of constant change. Rather than trying to avoid the transition you should adjust to it. Maya Angelo says, “I can be changed by what happens to me, but I refuse to be reduced by it.” Adjust to the changes and find out where they are leading you. You may be surprised to learn that they could be God’s way of getting you to a better place of blessing.
The second point is to accept what God allows. If God has allowed something to take place that you don’t agree with, there is one thing that is abundantly clear. You must change your way of thinking. When you accept what God allows, you are really saying, “not my will, but God’s Will be done.” The prayer of Saint Francis comes to mind. God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change … the strength to change the things that I can change … and the wisdom to know the difference. Only a foolish and evil hearted person would attempt to change God’s Will.
I see Daniel and his friend doing a third thing that seems so natural but it is filled with spiritual insight. Don’t let the enemy take your faith. There are many Christians who have surrendered their faith for a political position in this world. Please remember that you are a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven living in this world for only a short amount of time. You are an ambassador for Christ, so be like Jesus. When asked whether He was for Caesar or against him, Jesus simply said, “Render to Caesar, the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
The fourth point is to “move forward with your faith.” There were some of the Jewish captives that did not adjust to Babylonian captivity. They not only died physically, but the also died spiritually. Their doleful lamentation is recorded in the 137th Psalm.
By the rivers of Babylon we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion.We hung our harps on the willows in the midst thereof.For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”
Child of God, your enemies can take a lot of things, but they can’t take the song from your heart. Don’t give up your song – instead sing your song and give God praise. Amen