Different God; different people
Daniel 1
The text of this talk can be downloaded from the Bethany City Church website here
The last week in September 2009 was a significant week in world politics. The meeting of world leaders at the United Nations HQ in New York highlighted again a key question that has reverberated around the corridors of royal courts, governments and regimes since the world began. Who is in charge?
Who is really in charge?
Colonel Gadafi of Libya, given 15mins, to address the congress took 75 mins, attempted to rip up the UN charter in the process and told the current crop of world leaders to move over and let some of the smaller nations have a go.
Meanwhile Mr Brown, the British PM, tryed to arrange a meeting with President Obama and ended up having a indepth conversation over a chicken sandwich in the UN Kitchens!
And then there is President Ahmadinajad of Iran, seeming to oppose world agreements on nuclear proliferation. Whatever your stance, the question ‘who is in charge?’ is never far away. It always has been.
But it is not just the answer to that question that is important, appearances are important too. 15-20 yearsa ago at a different UN gathering the British delegation, involving Mr (now 'Lord') Howe met President Miterand and his French team on the narrow stairs. Who should move? Who should let the other delegation by? The Western European stand off was finally resolved when ,in the end, they pushed past each other, with neither backing down. We often place so much on appearances
As Daniel walked the corridors of power in his day, and as he peened the book of Daniel, he was deliberating over the same questions. And the issues are the same as today.
'Who is in charge? Who does it look like is in charge? How do we live under the authority of a God who is in charge even when it doesn’t look like it?'
God, on the rocks? (Daniel 1v1-2)
And the book starts with exactly that issue.
It is 605 BC and it looks like the end of the road for the historic nation of Israel. And for her God too! Jerusalem, her capital is under siege. The Babylonian oppressors are powerful, equipped and prepared for destruction. The city is ramsacked and as a result, it looks like Israel's God has conceded to a greater force. King Nebuchadnezzar walks into the most holy of Jewish places, the temple courts in Jerusalem where even the Priests fear to tread, and removes all the articles used in the worship of God. And he places them in the temple of his own god back in Babylon. To all and sundry, it looks like God is dead.
But the verses don’t allow us to get away with that view.
Verse 2 tells us that ‘The LORD gave him victory over King Jehoiakim’.
What has happened? God has turned his back on his people. He is siding with the Babylonians who serve foreign gods rather than standing with his own people. He has responded to his people's persistent rebellion.
Reprogrammed identity (v3-7)
But Nebuchadnezzar has a bigger plan than just Jerusalem. He is intent on showing who is in charge by ruling the known world so he embarks on a plan to take the cream of the world’s nations, and make them Babylonian. And so, for the first time, we meet Daniel.
Daniel was one of the best. A young man who stood out in a crowd. He was from royal or noble blood, of good stock and he was strong, healthy and good looking. A sort of Prince William meets OK magazine meets university challenge. Popular would be a word we might use!
And he was taken captive by King Neb with a purpose. He would go to Babylonian university to be trained for King Neb's service – the service of the ruler of the world. In one sense it seems Daniel had everything to gain, but King Neb knew that before he could reach his potential and benefit Babylon with all he had to give, he had everything to lose.
So they embarked on a systematic removal of his identity and reprogrammed him from bottom to top.
Just look what happens to him. He is ripped from his home, and his roots (v3). He is taught the language of the Babylonians, no doubt a new language to him (v4). He is taught the literature (v4) which probably included the history, background and virtues of Babylon. Effectively he is being brainwashed. He is given the best food he could ever want from the Kings table itself, and was no doubt given every other creature comfort a young man might desire.
And, he is given a new name(v7), as were all the other new recruits. Daniel, named after the God of Israel, is replaced with Belteshazzar, named after a god of Babylon. And so, his reprogramming is complete.
And don't forget, it looked like the God of his Fathers has failed (v1-2)
How would you cope with this systematic conforming of your identity to the 'norm'? What would you have done under the circumstances?
Now, don’t confuse this with fiction. You can walk round the British Museum today and see records and artifacts of the time that back this up as real history. This is not some myth, it was reality. So, how would you have responded? Made the most of it? My suspicion is that most of us would have started out trying to be strong, but after a while our will would break. We would concede to our new leaders, and new god.
And lets be honest, that is what we do isn’t it. We are in not so much of a different position. The culture we live in treats God has though he is dead, or at least does not exist. Who is in charge? Certainly not God!
We have a culture that has stolen the articles used as worship of the God of Israel (our bodies, hearts, money, relationships, possessions...) and placed them in its own temple as means to worship its own gods who are no gods at all. We live in a world where, increasingly, to be a Christian, is seen of as socially and intellectually bankrupt. To believe in God in a world of scientific discovery is popularly considered to be ignorant. Just as in Daniels day, we live in a world that seeks to mould us and shape us in its image because, at the end of the day you are in charge, we are in charge.
But appearances can be deceptive.
Single minded followers (v8-20)
How do we respond to living in this world? How did Daniel respond to the reprogramming he was submitted to?
Firstly, he made up his mind not to allow himself to believe appearances. He resolved to act and respond differently, not in every way but in the important ways (v8). He decided not to eat the food from the Kings table.
Interestingly, we are not told why. Was it offered to idols first? Was it simply because it mean’t sharing with the King? We don’t know, but we do know that he was driven by his loyalty, dedication and devotion to his God, to act differently.
And that is the point. Daniel did not just sit back and concede. He made a stand for his God. What might it mean for you not to concede? What might it mean for you to resolve, to make up your mind? Of course for each of us it will be different, but I think that for all of us it will mean one thing. It will cost us. But more of that in a few moments.
It is much easier to resolve to be different, or to think, speak or act differently when you are already respected (v9). Daniel was. He asked permission, of the chief official. And I suspect that it is no co-incidence that v8 is followed by v9 where we are told that the chief official had great respect for Daniel. Prompted by his faith, Daniel earned respect by his conduct. My guess is that, if Daniel had read these words written by Peter nearly 700 years later he would have nodded in agreement.
‘It is God’s will that your good lives should silence those who make foolish accusations against you. You are not slaves; you are free. But your freedom is not an excuse to do evil. You are free to live as God’s slaves. Show respect for the everyone. Love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God. Show respect for the king.’ (1 Peter 2v15-17)
In fact, this is shown most clearly in Daniels story inv11-14. Daniel understood what it was going to cost the attendant and chief official. It wasn’t just his reputation at stake, it was theirs too. So he proposed a trial period of veg and water, just to see how it went... It is remarkable really, Daniel has clearly been thinking hard about what living as a follower of God looks like, even in a Babylonian culture.
How much time do we spend thinking about what living as a follower of Jesus Christ looks like in a 21st Century western culture? How can I humbly, respectfully, but uncompromisingly show that I serve him?
Of course, God honours the stand of Daniel (v15-20). Sure, Daniel was bright, intelligent and worked hard. At the end of the test period he, and his friends looked healthier and better nourished than anyone else. And God blessed them with the ability to learn the literature and science of the day, as well as making Daniel gifted at interpreting dreams – important for his later work. God honours the stand that Daniel and his friends make. And he will do the same for you. ‘Honour God, and he will honour you’ is true. God is no mans’ debtor. Daniel saw the fruit of God’s blessing there and then, within his own space and time. It may be that we have to wait a bit, but he will always act not because he owes us anything, but because he loves to give! A treasure box of a future awaits those who take a stand for God. Enjoying the glory and presence of God in the face of his Son Jesus Christ is the treasure for those who forsake all other.
And of course, as a result, God, the one who is really in charge creates access and a voice into the most powerful kingdoms of this world (v15-21) through Daniel.
So, to return to our question - who is in charge of this world? Who is in charge of your world? If we would listen to the world we would hear voices, either directly or indirectly saying that something other than the God of heaven is in charge. We live in a world that explains how we are here without reference to God. We live in a world where it is preferable to make my daily choices and decisions without reference to God. We live in a world where the pressure is always to find our identity in other things.
In effect, many of us live without reference to God because it is easier. It seems to cost us too much to be single minded in living for him in this world. But there is only one who is in charge - whether it looks like it or not. There is only one worth living, and dying for.
Maybe today is the day that what we live for, and believe, should change.
Having a different God means being different people. And so, in the heat of battle in our minds, over our time, in our finances, our possessions and our treasure; where do you find your identity?
Header image courtesy of Wikipedia