This past week, I went snorkeling with my daughter. It was her first time going, so she stayed with the coach. I, however, ventured out on my own. Things were great at first, and the fish were beautiful. Every time I popped my head above the water, I was not where I thought I’d be. I could feel the current pushing me out to deeper water.
When I decided to swim back, I became aware that I was having trouble going where I wanted to go. My arms were starting to fatigue. I knew it was time to wrap up and head back to shore. That proved to be difficult. For every stroke that brought me closer, I saw my goal slowly moving farther away. I had to work double time to get back. Now, fortunately, the current wasn’t too difficult, and there were two coaches to help me if I needed assistance.
It was a good reminder, though, of cultural currents. You know the ones that push us into situations we know we aren’t supposed to be in. The situations that tempt us to compromise our faith and our beliefs. They are like currents carrying us away from the safe shore of Christ. Sometimes they are subtle, like the current I experienced this past week. Other times, they are like a rip current that dangerously carries us away to deeper seas.
It shouldn’t be a surprise to you that someone in the Bible felt this same pressure. Daniel and his friends were young men, maybe about 14, who were carried far away from their homes. Their country had been destroyed, and they were exiles in a new land. They were immediately swept up by the current of Babylon's culture, language, and religion. Daniel stood firm on his commitment to honor and follow God. As a church, we must resist the cultural currents by clinging to our commitment to Jesus and God’s sovereignty.
Resolve To Be Faithful
1:1-7
Judah had followed after idols. King Jehoiakim was a wicked king. He led many to worship other gods alongside the God of Israel. This led to their defeat. Daniel makes it clear from the beginning that no king or other god won the battle. The defeat of God’s people was God’s judgment and will.
Even as His people fell into disobedience, God’s plan remained unchallenged. Yes, He handed them over to another king. Yes, He sent them into exile. We already know why. They were wicked from the top down. Starting with the king.
I said when we were studying Lamentations that not everyone had followed after idols. We will meet four young men who experienced the weight of judgment, even though they were faithful. They resolved to be so. They would not let the current of Babylon’s victory wash them away into idol worship.
Daniel, from the very beginning of his book, notes that their defeat was God’s plan. He understood that everything that was happening was never outside of God’s power and control. As we seek to be faithful followers of Jesus, we must see world events as under the control of our King. I’m not saying we attribute every disaster to Him, but that we understand that He reigns sovereign over all things. Nothing happens outside of His control.
Sometimes, He allows sinful people to do sinful things. This is part of the curse of sin. God doesn’t stop every hurt, but every hurt will cease in Him. So let us never waver in our trust that God sits as victor over all, even when we feel like it's a defeat.
The young men who are taken are the best of the best. Notice that the king wants the best-looking, fittest, and smartest exiles to serve him. This was a tactical move. He then indoctrinates them into Babylonian culture and language. They are given new names, too.
All of these things were a way to strip them of their national, cultural, and religious identities. Daniel and his friends were swimming in the current of Babylon. The goal was to sweep them far away from any other allegiance and God. They were being pressed. But as we will see, these men had long ago resolved to be faithful to their God.
The culture today will do the same. We don’t necessarily have a king doing this, but we have phones, social media, music, etc (the list goes on). All of these things seek to take us away from the safe shores of Christ and place us into the cultural currents of the day. Beloved, we belong to Jesus; therefore, we must resolve to be faithful to Christ above all worldly allegiance.
I’m not saying we should avoid all of these things. We can’t anyways. Daniel and his friends couldn’t create a safe bubble. Their faith, like ours, must be tested in the heat of battle. Beloved, resolve today to be faithful to Christ through knowing His word and obeying His way above the way of the culture. My highest citizenship, like yours, is not to a flag or country, but to the King and His Kingdom.
This may look like having a close brother or sister that you can call or text when you feel pressured at work to compromise your beliefs. This means you may resolve to know more about God’s Word so that you are armed with the sword of truth. Pray to be a beacon for Christ in a place, work, school, or a friend's gathering before you enter. It starts with a resolve not to compromise with the world’s expectations.
Refuse to Compromise
1:8-16
As Daniel and his friends began their training for the king’s court, they were offered the king's food. After all, the king wanted to have their allegiance. Food is a great way to do that. Another reason for feeding them is to fatten them up. The king wanted his helpers to look well taken care of. Fatness, thus, was a sign of prosperity and status. Whatever the reason, Daniel saw this as a compromise to his faithfulness to God.
We’re not really sure of the reason Daniel felt this way. Perhaps it had something to do with the dietary laws in the Old Testament, of which Daniel was an avid student. Or perhaps it was a recognition of the national deities to eat this food. Regardless of the reason, Daniel called it a defilement, and he would have no part in defiling himself. The currents were pushing him away from God, but he refused to compromise. He swam against them.
Daniel was in the service of the king, so he couldn’t simply choose what to eat and not eat. He asked the chief in charge of him. Of course, the chief was scared for his life. The king would have killed him if the men weren’t plump enough. Daniel was not stopped by the threat of death. He set up an impossible test. He would eat vegetables for ten days and would be fatter for it. If not, he was ready to die if need be. Notice the level of commitment and faith on display.
Verse nine is key here. Daniel again relied on the sovereignty of God over worldly powers. “God granted Daniel favor from the chief.” God would get the ultimate victory. Daniel was assured that God would deliver him, and if not, God would receive Him into His presence. Watch God at work.
After ten days, they were fatter than the others eating the king's food. God had delivered them. Their refusal to compromise led to the chief and the guard seeing the power of God to deliver His people. For the rest of their time in the program, they would not have to eat the king’s food. They could honor God with their obedience to His Word. Their unwillingness to compromise was their act of worship, in the current of Babylon, far away from home.
This is not an advertisement for a vegetarian diet. I say that because there are books about the “Daniel Diet”. Remember, they looked fatter or fuller than the other people, not thinner. Such books miss the greater point of Daniel's faithfulness and God’s sovereignty. Perhaps a better name for a book would be “ The Daniel Faith.” God’s sovereignty and His servants' faith are what is on full display.
Beloved, may we be people who recognize currents of compromise in the culture we find ourselves in. When I was trying to make it to shore, I would pick an immovable spot in the coral and on the beach. I measured my slow progress by my distance from these points. We have such immovable points as well. The Word of God acts as an anchor point. As we navigate the currents of culture, let us do it with our Bibles open. Let God’s Word be found on your mind, in your heart. Let you see everything around you through the lens of God’s truth.
We also have the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we swim in the culture. Sometimes the Holy Spirit is like the lifeguard throwing us a line to hold on to, or guiding us back to shore. Let us listen to the Holy Spirit as we go throughout our day. He will call us to obedience. The Spirit will help us to see where the culture conflicts with God’s Word. But, Beloved, we must listen and learn to listen. This is a daily choice and resolution.
Let us look to Christ. For He showed us how to live. He called us to follow after Him. This involves “denying ourselves.” That means we live for Him and not ourselves. He refused to compromise. He was beaten, killed, and rose again. Following Jesus will not always be easy. Sometimes we will face hardships and pains. We are not alone, Jesus did. We may even die, but we will live again with Jesus! Follow Him in your daily lives.
Build habits of prayer. Carve out space in your day to pray, read, and think about Jesus. In doing so, we will see the currents of the culture. We will also see the anchor point of Jesus. Take the rope and cling to Him. He will never let the current sweep you away.
Receive a Divine Gift
1:17-21
As the chapter closes, Daniel and his friends are given knowledge and understanding in their studies. I sometimes wish this were a standard gift of faithfulness. That is not the point here. God gives them the gifts they need for the task of glorifying Him in Babylon. God had not abandoned His people in exile, far from it. God was close to those who were far away from home.
God’s gift to Daniel and his friends was in preparation for the trials they would face. We will see that next week. God was setting His people up in a foreign land and a hostile culture to be in a position to bring Him glory and honor. If the kings in Jerusalem would not glorify Him, His people would do it in exile. Location was of no matter to God.
As we resolve to be faithful and refuse to compromise, God will give us the gifts we need to bring Him glory, where we are. We have a similar picture presented throughout the New Testament. God equips His church with gifts so that they might serve Him and bring Him glory. May we, as a church, receive these gifts. These gifts are not for our glory. Daniel’s ability to read dreams will save his life in the next chapter.
They are tools to be used. What has God gifted you with? Has he gifted you to teach? Then find a way to teach. Has God blessed you with hospitality? Use it to glorify God in the church and the community. These gifts are like the life vest I was wearing. They are a tool to keep you afloat in the current. Let us receive the gifts God grants us for His glory and to his purpose!
Conclusion
As we leave this story of Daniel in a faraway land, let us resolve to be faithful this week. Let us be faithful in our time together, in the way we pray for each other. Let us intentionally resolve to glorify God in our lives.
Let us also refuse to compromise our faith. The world has a counterfeit joy. It’s like a sugar rush with all of the sugar crash as well. Instead, let us cling to the promise of Christ. Let us cling to the sovereignty of God. Let us fix our eyes and hope on Jesus. Therefore, let us see the things of this world as trash, compared to knowing Christ (Philippians). Don’t compromise the riches of God for the trash of this world.
Finally, let us receive the joy and gifts of God; we need to bring Him glory in our Babylon. We are far away from our home. Therefore, let us, like Daniel, use the gifts God has given us to show the world the true King.
Let us point others to Jesus in the way we live, speak, and work. As we do, let us be faithful, never compromising our faith, and relying on the gifts and power of God. We don’t live on our strength, but through God’s. Let Him be your guide in the currents of this world, tugging you homeward. Will you swim with the current, or with Christ?
“Father, we are far from home. We still live in Babylon. We await our true Home in You. Let us resolve right now to be faithful in all things. Let us be unwilling to compromise Your glory and Your riches for the counterfeit joy of this world. Grant us all gifts of the Spirit, that we may use them for Your glory throughout our week. Be our anchor point, guide us ever toward You. Christ, have mercy on us. Let us fix our eyes on You. Amen.”