2 Peter 3 says, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.” Then it asks a question. Since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness?”
Obviously, Daniel
and his friends did not see the day of the Lord mentioned above, but they did
see Jerusalem, their city and their temple destroyed and burned. They were
taken from their homeland, family and culture and dropped into a very different
world. These young men from the elite families in Jerusalem were now slaves in
Babylon. This new culture that was now their home was totally different than
anything they had ever known. It was a sudden, drastic change from the familiar,
and they had to find a way to cope. What manner of
persons did they need to be? They knew and served their God well.
So they learned to cope, not by working against the system, but working with
the Lord God Jehovah even within it. And God used them to give messages and
show His glory to kings during the 70 years they were there.
We have also
been removed from our culture to a totally different one, not physically, but
in thoughts and beliefs. It has happened over the course of years, subtle at
first and now more sudden and drastic. In this new culture, we are expected to
accept new ideals that are false and contradict the Word of God. Common sense
has been abandoned to accept abstract views that not only go against The Word
of God, but also defy science. These new ways of thinking about the obvious
concepts of life are being accepted by many. Yet Truth will never change. So
how do we deal with the deception and godlessness of this new world? We can
follow the path Daniel and his peers followed. They went along with what did
not go against God’s commandments. Yet they purposed not to break covenant with
Him, even when it caused them problems. They didn’t start trouble. They simply
stood firmly on God’s Word when trouble came to them. They did not plan a revolution
to overthrow the government. Instead of fighting against it, they simply worked
at their duties with excellence and kept doing what was right in God’s eyes. It
was not always easy, but God was with them through it all. Let’s look at some
of the problems they faced in a pagan nation. It was especially difficult for
these young men, because they were in the palace to serve the king himself. Yet
they purposed in their hearts to stay true to their God even in a hostile
environment, and even when facing great peril.
Their names were
changed to reflect the gods of Babylon, but they refused to allow it to change
who they were. These four young men knew who they were and that they belonged
to the Lord God Jehovah whether they were in Jerusalem or in Babylon.
What manner of persons ought we to be? Are we like
Daniel and his friends, or are we more like a chameleon that changes with our
surroundings? We need to be fully surrendered to Jesus. If we go along with
ideals that are in opposition to His teachings we will lose our relationship
with Him and our ability to bring light. In our culture today, we need to
remember who we are. We are children of God and need to purpose in our hearts
to act accordingly. We need to walk in His ways. In a dark culture we can
simply be the light Jesus has called us to be. Instead of fighting against the
darkness, we can shine a light that will show truth and grace.
When the food
that was assigned to them by the king was brought, it was food that God had
forbidden the Jews to eat. Daniel didn’t stage a rebellion. He simply spoke
with the chief of the eunuchs, telling him this would defile them according to
their God. Then he diplomatically worked out a plan with him that they could be
given vegetables and water instead of the kings “delicacies and wine”. However,
when they were required to go through the Babylonian training they did it
without objection. They were taught the Chaldean language and were trained in
the ways of Babylon to make them fit to serve the king. There was nothing there
that would defy God, so they complied with this training for three years. The
ironic part is that after all that training, the wisdom that Daniel used in
serving the king never came from it. His wisdom came from the Lord God and
caused the king to take notice. Daniel was always quick to let the king know it
wasn’t his own wisdom, but that it was revealed to him through God. Daniel 1:17
tells us, “As for these four young
men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom;
and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.”
What manner of persons ought we to be? We are to do
our best and glorify God where we are. We are to serve others. If it goes
against God, we are to turn from it.
When king
Nebuchadnezzar had a huge statue of himself made and commanded everyone in the
kingdom to worship it, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to worship the
idol. They had gone along with all the things that didn’t go against God’s
commandments, but to worship an idol was in direct disobedience to God. When
they were given another chance to obey the king, they refused and were thrown
into a fiery furnace, but God delivered them and they didn’t even smell like
smoke when they came out. It was a testimony to the king of God’s power and
control over everything and everyone…even the king. It could not have been easy
to allow themselves to be thrown in the fire, but they had rather die than turn
from Jehovah God.
What manner of persons ought we to be? Is it okay to
go along with the crowd on the outside as long as we don’t agree on the inside?
No. We should be so committed to Jesus Christ that we will not turn from Him no
matter what the consequences. Jesus said that to be His follower, we must
forsake all. If He asks us to represent Him in a pagan culture, then let’s do
it well.
Daniel’s
personal integrity and his excellence in serving the king made him a target of
jealousy. King Darius planned to put Daniel over all the other leaders in the
nation, so they formed a plot to have Daniel thrown in the lion’s den. They tricked
king Darius into signing their law that no one could pray to anyone except the
king for a month. If they did, they would be thrown into the lion’s den. They
knew Daniel would not stop praying to God. What they didn’t count on was that
God would stop the mouths of the lions and keep Daniel safe and that they would
be thrown to the lions when Daniel walked out unharmed.
What manner of persons ought we to be? You may say,
“How will I know God won’t let me get hurt in the fire or the lion’s den.” You
won’t until you plunge ahead in His will trusting Him that He will do what is
best. The three Jewish young men said, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to
answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able
to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O
king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve
your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”
That is faith and total surrender. We are not promised the outcome. We are
simply told to trust and obey.
How can we be
that kind of Christian who stands firm in a pagan land? Only through the Spirit
of the Lord God within us. I see clearly the evidence of the Spirit of the Lord
resting on these young men. How else could they have such wisdom, strength,
understanding, wise counsel, knowledge and a reverential fear of God that
caused them to love Him so much that they were more afraid to live outside His
presence than they were to enter a lion’s den or fiery furnace?
What manner of persons ought we to be? This same
Spirit has been given to those who are born again into the kingdom of God. In
Isaiah 11:2 we are given a list of spiritual attributes that would rest on
Jesus. It says, “And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him - The
Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and strength, The
Spirit of knowledge and of the [reverential and obedient] fear of the Lord.”
He has made His Spirit available to us
if we will receive Him, commit totally to Him and follow Him.
When wisdom and
understanding are needed, God will give them to us if we are living in His
presence and surrendered to His will. When we don’t know the answer to our
dilemma, He is our Counselor and will give us Strength to do whatever He shows
us to do. His Spirit gives us Knowledge that those without Him do not have.
Those who are not born into the kingdom of God cannot understand the things of
God. Do you have the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of wisdom and
understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, The Spirit of knowledge and
of the fear of the Lord? Daniel 11:32 says, but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and
do exploits. In
these days, we need the Holy Spirit within us.
We cannot make
it on our own,
but with the
Spirit of the Living God inside us, we can do exploits.
