Seasons of Change: Part 2 Daniel 2:20-23

Read Daniel 2:1-28a

We ended last lesson by asking what gave Daniel courage, confidence and decisiveness in the face of trouble. Was Daniel a superhuman? Was he just so extraordinary in character that none of the rest of us could ever be like him?  What was it that enabled Daniel to overcome and push through despite the stark truth that just about everything changed in his young life?

Remember that it was the intent of the Babylonians to use the best and the brightest to increase their nation’s abilities and power. Therefore, in Chapter 1 we can see the systematic structure designed to start the assimilation and reprogramming of these young Israelite men. They were to be given a particular diet, they were to be taught the native language, they were given new and pagan names, and they were schooled in all aspects of literature and languages.  The Babylonians were quite sure that their program would work.

But they knew very little about the faithful Israelites and their God. Daniel and his friends understood who their God was despite everything that had changed. They understood that God’s ways were perfect and his character was sure and steadfast even in the face of everything changing. Despite the fact that their home and families were far away, despite the fact that their city had been razed and ruined, despite the fact that their place of worship had been utterly destroyed, they had another fact—their God was still on the throne.

Having an unwavering faith in the nature and character of God can give anyone the ability to rise above any kind of trouble and change. This must have been what was at the rock bed of Daniel’s choice to not be completely assimilated into the Babylonian culture and religion. I hope you didn’t missed what 1:8 says, “But Daniel resolved . . .”

What is resolve? Is it the good, old-fashioned “I will pull myself up by my own bootstraps” attitude? That kind of attitude is based on self-reliance. Frankly, when you have lost everything self-reliance is shifting sand. 

Resolve can be defined as reaching a decision or making a determination or having a fixed purpose. Now, I can be resolved to get myself out of a mess. But can I really? Let’s think about those taken into exile. They had no means of escape—the Babylonian army and might were extraordinary. They had no means of rebuilding their wall or their temple—they no longer had any financial or building resources, plus they were 1,000 miles away from home. They had little or no choice in how they lived—they were told what to do every hour of the day. But they did have something that could never be taken away from them. They had a deep and abiding faith in God and the will to trust Him no matter what. These two things cannot be taken from any human being. If you do not have them, it is because you have simply surrendered them to your conqueror who has laid siege to you for so long.

Through the example of a young man who did not surrender his right to believe in God, we can learn how to overcome. John E. Goldengay, a fine commentator on the book of Daniel, made some note-worthy statements about Daniel.  Read carefully:

“. . . the fruit of [Daniel’s] work is not merely rewards and promotions (v. 48) but obeisance and recognition of his God (vv. 46-47) . . . Daniel is portrayed as a model for spirituality in his attitude of trust, expectancy and gratitude, expressed in his practice of prayer and praise in the fellowship of his friends. The contents of his praise expresses key affirmations about God’s sovereignty over human affairs and his revelation of the secrets of history which he alone knows . . .”[1]

O.K. Can we be truthful here? Not many of us know how great and good God is. In fact, our images of God are often distorted by broken human relationships, disappointment, sin, and disillusionment. How many times have we prayed and not yet heard the answer we wanted? How many times have we made deals with God and he didn’t hold up the end of the bargain, even though we failed? How often have we tried to conjure up a god that will always give us what we want when we want it? How many times have we given in to the siege works of addiction, selfishness, deal-making and manipulation? 

In the middle of changes that wrenched everything away, Daniel and his friends knew how to be stable and secure. They found resolve based on the true character of God. This resolve came from a deep understanding that God was indeed sovereign, trustworthy, powerful and gracious.  And because of this resolve, God honored them with great things. In 1:15-20 we see the specific things God gave to these men of resolve:  greater health, knowledge and understanding and, to Daniel, the understanding of dreams and visions. These three young Israelite men became ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters of the entire Babylonian kingdom! God gave them what He valued and knew was best for them. He gave to them precisely what they would need for the trials ahead and the decisions they would have to make. We see this specifically in Daniel 2.

Once again, we can observe the violent and unstable nature of the Babylonian way, and in particular, this is demonstrated in the character of King Nebuchadnezzar.  Let’s look at a couple of key verses that show this: 

Daniel 2:5-6

The king replied to the astrologers, "This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble. But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So, tell me the dream and interpret it for me."

Daniel 2:10-13

The astrologers answered the king, "There is not a man on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer. What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among men."

    This made the king so angry and furious that he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon. So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.   

In the face of impending destruction and death, what would your reactions be? Would you capitulate and surrender yourself to the siege? Would you fold and let go of your God? What would you do? What could be done? John Goldengay reflected on this point of temptation:  “Jewish exiles might be tempted to find Israelite wisdom and Israelite faith in their God as Lord of history looking extremely unimpressive compared with the resources and power of Nebuchadnezzar.”[2]

Can we get a grasp on how crazy this situation was? There was no logic, no recourse. The king could not be reasoned with and lives were at stake. King Nebuchadnezzar was a wicked man whose mind and heart were torn with confusion and selfishness. He really had no idea that his own soul had been under siege and taken captive by evil and sin.

But Daniel was not tempted to give in to fear and hopelessness. He knew what could and should be done. Never surrender and never retreat because God is still on his throne. With a boldness and surety of who his God was and what He had given to Daniel, Daniel thrust himself into the throne room of King Nebuchadnezzar and begs for time! What boldness, what courage! Where did that come from? It came from Daniel’s firm faith in the one, true living God who was far more powerful than any Babylonian King. 

Daniel 2:17-18          

Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

The “natural” response from an individual who understands God’s will and character is to go to God. Daniel did not engage all the occult and magical practices he had been exposed to in his Babylonian training. He did not try to bribe or manipulate anyone. He did not curl up in a corner and escape the world. He did what he instinctively knew to do as a person after God’s own heart—he prayed to God whom he trusted. And more than that, he urged his fellow believers to pray with him, to plead the mercies of God. They prayed not only for themselves, but also for all the other wise men who were under death sentence.

When a situation is hopeless, the God of hope steps in.  Only God could rescue Daniel, his friends and all the wise men of Babylon.  And so he did.

Daniel 2:19

During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision.

Oh, the great power of God! Not only did he give Daniel the gift of understanding dreams and visions, but he revealed to him the dream the king insisted on keeping secret. This was a path of deliverance personally delivered by the Highest Power in the universe. No earthly king could match that kind of knowledge, wisdom or power. Daniel had full confidence in his God and trusted deeply in the mercies of God Most High. Out of his resolve and out of his trust he sang a wonderful song.  It is a song of truth and mercy, a song of praise and thanksgiving. It is a song of worship.   

  “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;

       wisdom and power are his.

    He changes times and seasons;

       he sets up kings and deposes them.

       He gives wisdom to the wise

       and knowledge to the discerning.

    He reveals deep and hidden things;

       he knows what lies in darkness,

       and light dwells with him.

    I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers:

       You have given me wisdom and power,

       you have made known to me what we asked of you,

       you have made known to us the dream of the king."

Daniel 2:19b-23

Oh, do you know who God is? He is the One who wants to deliver you from your enemies. He is the One who wants to give you a way where there seems to be no way. He is the One who wants to help you in the midst of your trouble. He is the One who has already been working things out. 

In Daniel 10:12 we can read of the experience of God appearing to Daniel. It is a remarkable scene that holds a key to understanding how God works. This is what was told to Daniel, “Since the first day that you set your mind to understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard.” God is the One who loves you enough to work His miracles on your behalf even before you know He is working. And he is the One who is greater than any force that can come against you. 

How do we become like Daniel, who as Dr. Goldengay so aptly put it, was a model for spirituality in his attitude of trust, expectancy and gratitude, expressed in his practice of prayer and praise in the fellowship of his friends?

The first thing we need to do is to let God re-form his image in us. As we have observed before, our image of God can become warped or tarnished from human tragedy and disappointments.  Only as we let the Spirit of God transform our understanding of him can we begin to grasp who he is. Only as we let go of all the things that seem to be our security can we find the true Security of our lives.

Then we will be able to pray effectively, fervently and with great confidence expecting God to deliver us in His perfect way. We can release our humanistic and selfish expectations of God doing it our way and let him do it His way. We can erupt in praise and thanksgiving for Him. 

Just as Daniel understood, sometimes this takes praying together. He was quick to gather his friends and urge them to pray specifically. Perhaps that’s what needs to happen right now. Do you need prayer about a specific, seemingly undeliverable situation? Do you need the intercession of other believers so that the erroneous images of God and your off-target expectations of him could be removed? Do you need to spend time in prayer with your God who is willing and able to work his perfect will and future on your behalf, if you will only fully submit to Him?

Amen

M.R. Hyde

Copyright 2019

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[1] Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 30 Daniel, John E. Goldengay, Word Publishers, Dallas, TX 1989, p. 42-43.

[2] Ibid, p. 54.

Seasons of Change: Part 1 Daniel 1:1-21

Read:  Daniel 1:1-21

We’re living in some troubling times, aren’t we? Economies rise and fall. Terrorist activity and natural disasters put us on edge. Some politicians and world leaders abuse their powers. In this first of three lessons, our scripture focus is planted firmly in an even worse situation.

As with all good Biblical study, we must first seek to understand the context and situation of the Scripture at hand. It is then that we can start to draw application and contemporary meaning. So, let’s set the stage.

The nation of Israel had been split in two following Solomon’s reign – Judah (South) and Israel (North). Because of ongoing sin and idolatry, God’s only recourse was to punish them for their sins, of which they had no intention of repenting. In the very first chapter of Jeremiah, where the prophet hears the call of God to be one of Israel’s premiere prophets, God’s intent is made clear (Jeremiah 1:13-16).

    ¹³ The word of the LORD came to me again: "What do you see?"
      "I see a boiling pot, tilting away from the north," I answered.

    ¹⁴ The LORD said to me, "From the north disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land. ¹⁵ I am about to summon all the peoples of the northern kingdoms," declares the LORD.
       "Their kings will come and set up their thrones
       in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem;
       they will come against all her surrounding walls
       and against all the towns of Judah.

    ¹⁶ I will pronounce my judgments on my people
       because of their wickedness in forsaking me,
       in burning incense to other gods
       and in worshiping what their hands have made.

They had some terrible neighbors who had pressed and oppressed them for a very long time. The Assyrians, a fierce and warring nation, had been mighty in the land, but Babylonia was on the rise. Babylonia was led by a king named Nebuchadnezzar. His desire was to conquer not only Assyria, but to take as much land as he could in the process. Of particular interest to all of the largest and warring nations was a little strip of land known as Israel. This area was important for several reasons. It was the primary passage way between Northwestern Asia (modern day Iran, Iraq and Syria) and Egypt. It was a vital shipping area. It was God’s country and covetous nation-builders wanted it because they had not yet been able to get it. Some of the ways that oppressive nations warred against their neighbors. Taxes and tributes were required – paying these let the people stay in their nations and not receive any punishment. Human exchange – a conquering country would take some of their own people and plant them in the conquered country to infiltrate and influence their cultural and religious practices. Exile – Conquering nations would destroy all places of worship and culture, often exporting all or most of the people. Some conquerors would leave behind the poorest and feeblest to till the land for the conquering nation. (the Babylonian way). Decimation – Conquering nations would leave nothing alive or fit:  fields would be burned, wells filled, all or almost all of the people would be killed or taken as slaves (the Assyrian way) Which of these would you choose?

The book of Daniel takes place after a significant exile by the Babylonians was put upon the nation of Israel and specifically on the city of Jerusalem.  This was a major turning point in the spiritual life of God’s chosen people.  They had consistently refused to completely obey God’s law as handed down through Moses. Isaiah prophesied that this would happen in 2 Kings 20:12-20. See what Isaiah said in verses 16-18.     

Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Hear the word of the LORD: The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood, that will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon."   

It’s pretty easy to just read that Scripture, isn’t it?  It just kind of rolls off of our tongues and doesn’t become real for us. So, let’s try to flesh this out. Stay with me because there’s a lot of good news ahead. Sometimes the good news gets better when we really know how bad the bad news is.

In 587 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylonia found his way through the weakened Assyrian ranks and attacked Jerusalem. He did this by several ways including a war tactic called a siege.  The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia helps us to understand this tactic in detail: “The siege was a strategy intended to bring the population of the city and its surrounding territory under the control of the attacker. The siege might represent an initial conquest by the hostile force or an effort to regain control of her rebellious city. The siege of the city by a hostile force involved pitching camp near it, blocking the roads, and cutting off access to sources of water outside the city. A fortified city could be captured by six possible actions.

1.  An approaching army could take a position outside the city and by this show of force intimidate the population into surrendering without a fight.

2. A city might be taken by a ruse or a trick, a strategy successfully used by Joshua and the conquest of Ai (Joshua 8:10 – 23).  If these two methods fail, four other actions could be attempted, either singly or in combination, but they all required more concentrated force: going over, through, or under the wall; or establishing a prolonged siege.[1]

3.  The quickest way to gain access to a city was by going over the wall of the city.  However, this was dangerous to those who climbed the ladders and ropes and many soldiers were lost.

4.  Another approach would be by use of a battering ram or some type of leverage to beat down the gate of his city.

5.  Access to walled cities could be gained by earthen or wood ramps that enabled large numbers of soldiers to charge the wall and quickly drop down into the city.

6.  One more method would be to cut off all sources of livelihood for the inhabitants which would include water and food supply.[2]”

Jerusalem, a mighty walled city, was besieged for three months! Let’s imagine what that means. Day and night residents of the city might have heard the booming of the battering ram on the city gates. Day and night people in their homes might have heard the incessant hammering of wood as ramps are built against their sturdy wall. Water rations began and thirsty children would cry to their mothers for a cup of cold water. Meals became sparser and, as the siege went on, there was less and less fresh produce from which to choose. No one could go outside of the city for fear of being captured or killed. The men of the city were constantly armed and had stations across the wall. Fear and restlessness prevailed for three months. 

For centuries the Israelites had known their God to protect and save them from their enemies. Although several times Israel had fallen to some of their enemies, God had always brought them back. There was a deep and abiding belief that God would never let Jerusalem be destroyed.[3] However this belief was based on a Pollyanna-type of untruth. Although God had chosen them as a people to bring his message to all the nations of the earth, the covenant made between God and Moses had conditions. In Leviticus 26:27- 45 and Deuteronomy 28:15-68 we can read extensive lists of consequences for the Hebrews had if they do not keep the covenant God had so graciously offered to them and to which they had agreed. These passages of Scripture are commonly known as curses, which are the consequences of breaking the covenant with the holy God. These are not fun lists to read. They include things like piles of dead bodies on tops of idols, cities in ruins, sanctuaries laid waste, failed crops and herds, confusion, evil, no rest, constant weariness and longing, wasting away. But this nation was made up of people just like you and me. Sometimes we forget about these consequences because we are so busy convincing ourselves that God has chosen us that we no longer see the need for careful review and realignment of our lives.

And with God there is always redemption. In Leviticus 26:40-45 we read that God created a loophole. Essentially, he tells them that if they confess their sin and repent (turning back to God) he won't remember those sins. As a people, he will not reject or abhor them forever. Always with God our consequences can have a better end. And with God our consequences can be carried with his great help.

The Israelites had lived so long believing that because of God's promises for an eternal nation under his rule, no matter what they did God would save them. When they could hear the siege works against the city walls it may not even have occurred to many of them that they should throw out their idols, they should stop practicing magic arts, that they should stop cheating their neighbors and that they should stop lying to God.

But Israel's sin was so pervasive, was so normalized and so predictable that God's patience had run out. Therefore, God permitted the Babylonians to destroy the city of Jerusalem, the Temple which was the very center of the entire nations worship, and the city where they believed God dwelled with them. Babylon carried off ten thousand people as captives in exile.

This was not a random picking of people throughout the city. For, remember that part of an exile by a conquering nation was to capture the best of the conquered nation—people, animals and material goods. We can imagine that they lined up all the best and the brightest in the middle of the market. We can imagine that they got the city records and discovered who were the most influential families and then systematically seized their sons and daughters to be used in the Babylonian empire. One of the most devastating things an enemy can do to any nation or people is to take away their children and cause them to be raised outside of their own culture–assimilating them into a culture so different from their own that the children would forget. And these children would still make valuable contributions to the capturing nation.

The Babylonians were idol worshipers. Their high God was Marduk and there were many, many other gods they worshiped. They were a violent people. They were a people set on taking all that was good of these people and reprogramming and reusing them for the benefit of their own culture.

Can you imagine what it would be like to have soldiers come into your home, search for your children and take them away while you were screaming and crying? Can you imagine what it would be for those young people and children? After three months of siege against the city and living in great fear, the soldiers come to their rooms, tied their hands and feet and threw them into carts to be taken away to Babylon.

This is what Daniel and his friends experienced. We have no way of knowing if Daniel and his friends ever saw their parents or family again. We do know that they were from highly respected and influential families and were known to be bright young men. This was precisely the kind of booty that the Babylonians wanted. Not only did they take the treasured items from the temple of God Most High, but they took the human commodity of bright young people to assimilate into their culture and used those skills and those gifts to the advance their own nation.

The trip to Babylon was not a short one. All the soldiers with their captives had to go North for 500 miles, up and around the Arabian desert, and then Southeast for another 500 miles to the center of Babylon. The roads would have been dusty, rough and terrible. Biblical scholars believe that Daniel and his friends were probably only fifteen years of age when they were taken captive by Babylon. Fifteen-year-old boys were covered with dust and their hearts were broken, terrified of what might come next. They did not know if they would ever see their families again or Jerusalem itself, for as they left they could see the great stones of the wall of Jerusalem tumbling down and falling scattered to the earth. They had no idea what was ahead for them—slavery or death?  The city, once defended by a monumental wall quite possibly 39 feet wide 121 feet high[4], was naked, exposing the homes and the marketplaces. No other marauding force would ever have to climb that wall again. The devastation was complete, thorough, and precisely what the Babylonians wanted.

Let’s break this down for today. Not many of us have lived in walled cities. So, what are our walls?  What are the things that help us feel safe and protected?  Home, families, marriages, financial security, credit cards, savings, ingenuity, businesses, good physical and mental health?  You’ve probably got a few of these things in mind right now.

Our literal, emotional or spiritual landscapes change, don’t they?  All of the things that we cling to can suddenly disappear.  Because we live in a fallen world and because we have an enemy who constantly lays siege to our souls, minds and bodies we are subject to change.

When trouble comes, does everything change? For Daniel, and 10,000 of his countrymen, nearly everything changed. They could not recognize land marks, the food was strange and smelled odd, the dress was uncomfortable, the language was hard to understand, the religion was confusing. What gave Daniel the courage, confidence and decisiveness in the face of all of this trouble and while everything seemed to change?

I hope we know the answer. And if we don’t, we’ll learn how to get to the Answer in the next lesson. For now, take a good, hard look at your walls of security. What might change if spiritual, emotional, political or financial siege works would come up against them?  Where has or would our courage and confidence rest?

Answer these two questions right now.

If ___________ were taken away from me right now, what would change?

If ___________ were taken away from me right now, what would not change?

It’s very simple exercise, but it can help to be honest about what happens during seasons of change. In our next lesson we will explore not only how Daniel handled these kinds of changes, but how we can also.

Read aloud this wonderful prayer from Daniel 2:19b-22.

"Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
       wisdom and power are his.

    ²¹ He changes times and seasons;
       he sets up kings and deposes them.
       He gives wisdom to the wise
       and knowledge to the discerning.

    ²² He reveals deep and hidden things;
       he knows what lies in darkness,
       and light dwells with him.” 

Amen

M.R. Hyde

Copyright 2019

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[1] The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Q-Z, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, http://books.google.com/books?id=MHbhdA9U5EwC&pg=PA503&lpg=PA503&dq=biblical+times+siege&source=bl&ots=QVGJPaJyFl&sig=VkmMyoYmCNMeOfD2l1lONNUNvho&hl=en&ei=uADBSpyXLczU8AangK3BAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3#v=onepage&q=times%20and%20seasons&f=false 9/28/09. 

[2] Ibid.

[3] A History of Israel, 3^rd Edition, John Bright, Westminster Press, Philadelphia, p. 269-298.

[4] http://mosaic.lk.net/g-wall.html