Behind Enemy Lines
8. 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.
17. To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.
18. At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar.
19. The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service.
20. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.
21. And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.
Daniel 1:8, 17-21
Discovering God’s Goodness Behind Enemy Lines
What would you do if you suddenly found yourself behind enemy lines? Many of the Jewish captives that had been carried to Babylon found it difficult, if not impossible to deal with the new environment. Having been raised in a culture that taught the Jewish way of life, there were some Jews who resolved in their heart that they would remain faithful to God.
Some would ask, why did God expose them to such a harsh reality as the captivity? That is a good question. We might even ask a similar question of our own life struggles. Why does God allow hardships and devastating events to enter our lives? There are a couple of assumptions that people make about the way God ‘should’ work in their lives. First is the assumption that if God loves us, we should never have to face extreme hardships. Some go as far as to believe that those who suffer great misfortunes have evidently committed some egregious sin and God is punishing them for their actions. The second assumption is that God’s favor places us in controlled environments where life should be predictable and God is always dependable. Then there is the third assumption that God operates within certain boundaries. Many Jews had fallen into the trapped thinking that since God is the God of Israel, then He can only be found in Israel. You might associate that with the ‘Holy Land’ mentality as if God only operated withing the borders of Israel’s homeland. While many of us would not like to admit it, the Church has fallen victim to some of these same assumptions. I’ve overheard Church members commenting about someone who was going through a trial and concluding that maybe they were not praying right. Even if the prayer was weak, the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit makes intercession for us (prays for us) so that God always hears our prayers. Many have assumed that since everything was going good in their life, they must be living right. While that sounds very religious it is by no means evidence of a person’s spiritual walk with God. The truth is, we don’t know why some people suffer (period). The one thing we do know is that when we go through those seasons, it is always an opportunity to draw close to the Lord and build a solid prayer life. That is exactly how Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah approached the situation when they found themselves ‘behind enemy lines.’
While it is not stated in the text that they prayed about their decision, it is rather obvious that is what happened. How else could that come to the conclusion that a) the food would defile them, and b) there was another means of nutrition that God had made available to them. 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. Another thing that is noted is that the guards were the actual ones who approved of taking away their royal food and provided them with vegetables. They made the request to the chief official, but it was actually the guards who allowed them to be tested for ten days. Operating behind enemy lines, God will put people and things in place to help you succeed. It just takes prayer and dedication. Verse 16 states, So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables. We don’t need to inquire as to what happened to the royal food. They guards had a good time getting rid of the evidence. The point is, from the moment that Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah arrived in that hostile land, God revealed to them how they were going to not only survive but thrive as His witnesses. This serves as a reminder to us, that no matter what hostile situation we may find ourselves, it is our number one priority to find God and follow His instructions.
Survival Tactics for Enemy Territory
It is quite common for the military to send special forces units into enemy territory to carry out an assignment. These will usually be a limited number of highly trained militia that know how to survive in dangerous situations. Their goal is not to start a war, but often times to remove an enemy threat before an open conflict erupts. Whether it is the Green Beret, the Navy Seals, or Army Rangers, their number one priority is to carry out the orders issued to them by their commander. The Christian has been called to carry out orders for Jesus Christ, their commander. Make no mistake, we are living in a world filled with sin. Our orders are clear. Proclaim the Gospel to every creature, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit … teaching them to observe all things that I (Jesus) have commanded … and I Am with you always. The Lord never said the mission would be easy, but He promised that He would be with us. That means the mission is never impossible. If we take on the attitude of Daniel, we will accomplish that mission. Please do not think that you can act like the enemy, eat with the enemy, and do what the enemy does and not have devastating consequences. Resolve to not allow the world to defile you.
To start, we must have survival skills and tactics for the mission behind enemy lines. This means, we must all situations as the Will of God. When you accept God’s Will as to where you are that removes the question of “why am I here.” Every event in life and every struggle must first be approved by God. Even unfortunate circumstances or what we might call the good, the bad, and the ugly, can only take place with God’s approval.
We must also recognize that God is present. There are no boundary issues. When it comes to God’s Omnipotent Power, there are no limitations. There are no geographical boundaries, no time restraints, and certainly no physical restrictions as to how and when God will move. So, whether you find yourself in the comforts of your local community or in a far away land, God is there.
Another survival tactic is to recognize that there are no impossibilities with God, and that faith is more than a gift given. Faith is a mighty weapon that works best in hostile situations. When a child of God is behind enemy lines, they quickly learn that their very life depends totally on their faith in the Lord. The just shall live by faith. Using our faith effectively depends on what we know from God’s Word. The Bible says, “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” The stories of Jewish ancestors and the writings of the psalms, proverbs, and the prophets, had all worked to shape the faith of these Hebrew young men. Now that they were behind enemy lines, they reflected on people like Joseph, David, and Hezekiah.
The story of Joseph was perhaps a great encouragement for them as they dealt with their captivity in Babylon. They could relate to being in a strange land but also serving in a key position of leadership. The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. As a matter of fact, Joseph learned that he was placed in Egypt not by the jealous actions of his brothers, but by the Will of Almighty God. Daniel could have blamed his Jewish leaders for the captivity but he realized that God not only willed for them to be there, but to also place them in position to carry out His Will.
Our challenge today is to recognize where we are and then ask God to give us a plan to survive in enemy territory. Rather than focusing on “getting by,” we need to ask the Lord to use us for His Glory. It is easy to simply withdraw from everything and claim that living separate from the world is the plan, but that fails to honor the Lord. Our orders state that we are to be His witnesses in all the earth.
Following Orders Behind Enemy Lines
Another source of encouragement for Daniel and his friends was the letter they received from Jeremiah the Prophet. Jeremiah was still living in Judah, but it was just a matter of months before Jerusalem would fall into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. The Lord spoke to the prophet and commanded him to write to those in the captivity. All the other false prophets were filling the minds of the Jewish people will fantasies that they would soon return home and that the Chaldeans would be defeated. Jeremiah sent them the true plan of God, and while it caused them to face the harsh realities, it also reminded them that God would prosper them even in the enemy’s land. Here are the highlights of that letter. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel says to all those carried into exile … build houses and settle down … marry and have sons and daughters … increase in number there and do not decrease … seek the peace and prosperity of the city where I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper … when seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will … bring you home to this place. I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you to give you a hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:4-11. Israel had a choice. They could follow God’s plan and live or give into the negativity of captivity. If they followed God’s plan it would lead them to victory even in enemy territory. Make no mistake about it, they were still behind enemy lines, but if they did as the Lord directed, God would make their enemies their footstool.
Here are some closing points that will help us succeed behind enemy lines. First, the child of God must go beyond thinking and learn to start thanking. Yes, God wants you to think, but He also wants you to view everything with a grateful heart. That is where thanking comes in. Thank God for everything. 1 Thessalonians 5:18. Complaining will not get you anywhere but thanking God will get you into high places. It will lift you up when you are down and sustain you when you are weak. So don’t just think about God behind enemy lines, thank Him for all He is and all He has done.
The Saints of God must also pray. Jeremiah’s letter said that they were to pray for the prosperity of Babylon. That was an odd prayer request, but then God would never tell us to do something if it did not serve His Holy purpose. Jesus said, pray for your enemies and do good to those who spitefully use you. If we are going to succeed behind enemy lines, we must pray. Let me take it a step further. Learn to praise God in enemy territory for that is a weapon that confuses even the worst of foes. They don’t expect it. What they expect is for you to fuss and fume, but when you give thanks, they are left without a weapon to defeat you. No weapon formed against us shall prosper. There is no weapon that can overcome praise. Daniel, no doubt, remembered how David the Psalmist had praised God in the midst of his enemies. He probably said, “if King David blessed the Lord, I will praise God also.” That taught Daniel that he had the victory even behind enemy lines.
Jeremiah’s letter also reminded the Jews in captivity that they were to not only live among their enemies but they were also to love them. What we must understand is that we have the love of God and not the hatred of the enemy. As children of God, we must act on the resource that God gives us. We do not have the spirit of animosity. We don’t have the spirit of jealousy or confusion. We certainly don’t have the spirit of fear, but of power, of LOVE, and of a sound mind. As we noted that faith is your weapon; love is also your spiritual weapon. It is not carnal, but it is mighty through God to pull down strongholds and cast down imaginations. What do I mean by love being a weapon. When you know that God loves you, the doubt and anxiety will flee. When you show and share love to your enemies, it disarms them. First, they stop fighting you because you are attempting to help them. Then they start respecting you because they know that you can be trusted. Then they start liking what you have because what you have is real. Love is the key and also the mighty weapon for good. The next thing you know is that the enemy will either be on your side or will be destroyed. When you love, you are demonstrating your true connection with God.
The believer who operates successfully behind enemy lines must never allow any person or anything to block their view of God. Why? You are a conduit of God’s Goodness. Please note that part of the reason “why” you are in enemy territory is to lead them to Christ. Daniel and his friends were faced with a long wait of seventy years. According to Jeremiah, they were to spend that time building their families, building their homes, and building the community in which they lived. One of the worst things a child of God can do behind enemy lines is to go into seclusion and selfish living. Let the mindset of reaching out to others become your goal for being “where” you are. So you have a final choice of waiting and worshipping. To wait is simply to depend solely on God’s timing. They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they will run and not be weary … they will walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31. That waiting includes worship. Worship will keep your mind from wandering while you are waiting. Worship will keep you looking up when you feel like looking down. Worship is really all about you making sure that God is always bigger than the problem you are facing. Worship is saying to God, though you slay me, yet I will trust you. Worship says, Lord – you are first place in my life. Worship expresses total adoration for God’s goodness.
This brings us to one final testimony of how God’s favor is given even while we face hostile situations. Your presence behind enemy lines is no excuse for you to lose your faith in God. No, God is not being harsh or unreasonable. God is showing you that He is God everywhere and not just in your little comfort zone. Do you realize that God sent His Only Son into a hostile world? That’s right. Jesus was born behind enemy lines into a world that was filled with sin. So, where you are today is not unusual to where and when God sends His children behind enemy lines. Jesus was not given all the resources of the rich. He was born in a poor family. There was no room for Him, but He came anyway. There was no formal announcement to the world, but the Prophets knew.
Here is the real point. He did not come to destroy the enemy – he came to seek and to save that which was lost. As part of His training, he was sent into the wilderness and did not eat or drink for forty days. At the same time, Public Enemy No. 1 attacked Him and tried to destroy Him. But Jesus, at His weakest point overcame the Devil with nothing but the Word of God. Not only did Jesus endure the test behind enemy lines, but Jesus set captives free behind enemy lines. He healed the sick right in the enemy’s territory. Jesus went about doing good and delivering all who were oppressed of the Devil. Then the enemy launched an all out assault to destroy Jesus’ reputation, but Jesus kept escaping every trap. The point here is that you should never allow the Devil to trap you. You do that by keeping your hand in God’s Unchanging Hand. Then in a final act of hostility, the Devil turned the minds of public opinion against Jesus. The religious leaders and the Romans condemned Him to die on a cruel cross. Satan said, “I got Him.” Death said, “I’ll keep Him.” Hell gave a parade, but all of this was premature. The party in enemy territory lasted a little over two days. But early on Sunday morning, that third day, Jesus rose from the dead. He arose with all power in His Hands. Jesus not only had success behind enemy lines, He led captivity captive and gave gifts to His children. So, you can make it even if you are behind enemy lines. Keep the faith. Keep moving forward – in Jesus Name. Amen.