Daniel 1:1-21
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Daniel & His Friends in Babylon
Summary
"Daniel...explained the matter to his friends...He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven" Gospel grace + community -> mission
GOSPEL: Left to ourselves, we will wander from God, and compromise our obedience. Only by the grace of God can we remain faithful, through Jesus Christ, the even-better Daniel who left his home to redeem a world that did not receive him.
COMMUNITY: Faithfulness is pursued together--in fellowship with God (through prayer) and in community with one another (Daniel and his friends).
MISSION: By grace, and in community, we can redemptively engage the culture around us while still remaining faithful to God.
Text
Daniel 1:1-2
Jerusalem had been besieged many times before, but this time the enemy succeeded. Babylon took their King, and their tools for worship from the Temple. This was an intentional double humiliation, robbing Judah of their royal family and political leadership, AND their worship.
Q: Babylon represented a different King, and different gods. What are the dominant authorities and things people are tempted to worship today?
A: (for example) Knowledge and education; Politics, Money/Wealth; Pleasure, Sex, Partying
Daniel 1:3-4
Then another insult: Babylon took the best and brightest from Judah, and brought them back as exiles to Babylon. These were the nobility, the royal familiy, the handsome, and the smartest. Daniel and his friends were the cream of the crop. Why would the Babylonians do this?
1. To utterly crush and subdue their conquered foe (who would lead the revolt if all the leaders are under their thumb in Babylon?)
2. To harness another nation's best and brightest for their own ends. This is a vivid demonstration of "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."
We are immediately introduced to the tension the young Israelites would face. They were to be instructed in the language and literature of the Babylonians, which would be thoroughly pagan and idolatrous to the core. They would be forced to become experts in the kinds of practices which are condemned in Deuteronomy 18:9-11, and which Israel/Judah engaged in and were punished for! (2 Chronicles 33:6)
Daniel 1:5-7
This training was subsidized by the King with food from his table. This was akin to spending 3 years in college on scholarship, in exchange for service, like being on a varsity team or ROTC.
Daniel and his friends are renamed, taking their Hebrew names (which all honor God) and replacing them with new names (which honor Babylonian gods). They are rebranded, and marked as belonging to the Babylonians.
Q: What are some ways in Daniel and his friends' situation is similar to college?
Daniel 1:8
"But Daniel." Up until now, the passage has described the standard practices of the Babylonians. But Daniel isn't following the plan. In many ways, this book is about "But Daniel." He "resolved not to defile himself." Why? 1) Because of Jewish laws about what they could and could not eat, and 2) it was a form of idolatry to eat food sacrificed to pagan idols. Daniel demonstrates this is where he draws the line, where he will not compromise. He is willing to be different, counter-cultural, even though it could have severe consequences for him.
Q: What are ways in which Christians are pressured to compromise?
However, Daniel doesn't file a lawsuit or stage a protest. He "asked the chief official for permission." This illustrates two important principles for faithfulness:
1) Don't obey human authority if it causes you to disobey or disregard God's authority; but also
2) First look if there's a way to obey God without disobeying human authority. Ask permission. Seek a way out without starting a fight.
Q: What are some other ways that Daniel might have handled this? How about us?
A: He could have compromised and accommodated--but then he would be unfaithful. He could have tried to be faithful through deception--but that's a different kind of unfaithfulness. He could have tried to fight--and quickly lost. He could have retreated altogether--but then he would have been unfaithful to the charge of Jeremiah 29, which instructed the exiles to "seek the peace and prosperity of the city." Engagement without compromise is the only faithful posture.
Daniel 1:9
"God had caused the official to show favor"
This demonstrates that God knows Daniel's predicament. Though they are removed from Jerusalem, God has not forgotten them. And God is still in charge--he is ultimately sovereign over every human authority (a big theme in Daniel).
Daniel 1:10-14
The official is worried about repercussions if Daniel goes off the diet. But Daniel's wisdom is seen as he strikes a deal that preserves their holiness, yet works within the system. It's initially only a temporary solution, and there's no guarantee that it will fly. Daniel is walking by faith and trusting in God to continue to let them find favor.
Q: Why is it important to be conscious of God's sovereignty when our faithfulness is tested?
Daniel 1:15-16
The experiment works! Not only do they survive, but they thrive! They are healthier, more nourished--and only on vegetables. (Share this story with your vegetarian/vegan friends).
Daniel 1:17-21
Q: God gave the young men knowledge and skill in pagan learning. This is surprising. Why did he allow this?
Daniel and friends excel in pagan learning. This included magic, enchantment, divination, witchcraft, necromancy; in other words, things explicitly forbidden in the Old (and New) Testament. They learned these things, inside and out, so that they excelled in the schooling beyond their peers--no one is their equal (v.19), and they are 10 TIMES better than everyone else! (v.20). The text states that God gave them this ability.
However, at no point in Daniel do we see them using these practices. In fact, several times in this book we see that God's methods for interpreting dreams (in particular) are vastly superior to anything the pagan deities have to offer. They excel so that they have influence and an audience, and ultimately so that God can glorify Himself in the court of the most powerful King in the world at that time; but they aren't compromised by participating in idolatrous behavior.
This is a great example of being "in the world but not of it." They aren't being deceptive or fearful, but neither are they compromising.
Q: Why is it important to not put spirituality in a "box," but to excel in EVERYTHING God calls you to?
1 Corinthians 10:31 makes it clear that God is glorified when we make worshiping him the goal of everything we do. What does that look like in school, at work, at home, for you?
