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Now, let's dive into today's teaching from Pastor Skip Heitzig. The world demands Conformity.
Now watch this, verse 3. Then the king, that's Nebuchadnezzar, instructed Ashpanaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel. And some of the king's descendants, and some of the nobles, young men in whom there was no blemish, but good looking, gifted in all wisdom. Possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king's palace. and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans.
And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king's delicacies. and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them.
so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king.
Now, from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. To them, the chief of the eunuchs gave names. He gave Daniel the name. Beltashazzar, to Hananiah Shadrach, to Mishael Meshach, and to Azariah. I bet nickel.
We live in a world that has values and standards That they want you to conform to. They are uncomfortable with you not conforming to their idea of tolerance, their idea of what's important and not important. The world wants you to conform.
Well It was that way also in Nebuchadnezzar's world of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar has a well-formulated, time-tested plan of taking the cream of the crop of the Captives he had taken. training them brainwashing them so to speak and letting them serve him in his palace. He has a four-pronged approach. In fact, As you listen to this four-pronged approach, notice how It is still effective today.
Number one, isolation. Isolate the people, take them from their homeland to My land. They're away from their family, they're away from their peers, they're away from their priests, they're away from the reading of their law, their scriptures, the worship of their God, and bring them over here. Isolate it. Number two.
indoctrination. Notice it says in verse 4, they were taught the language and the literature. of the Chaldeans. What's wrong with that? Nothing.
However, the point here isn't just to train them academically. but to brainwash them. to steep them in the literature as well as the language. It's that literature. that would influence their world view.
It would challenge their worldview. You can just imagine how. esteemed, trained. Babylonian professors could make an impact on young, teenage, impressionable Jewish minds. Everything they had been taught would be challenged.
Their view of God, their view of man, their view of sin, their view of redemption, everything they learned growing up would be challenged by a new Babylonian pagan worldview. Archaeology has also shown that among Other things, they would be trained the Babylonian art of divination, fortune telling, telling the future. Babylonians believed in omens. They were very superstitious. They believed that there were terrestrial as well as celestial signs.
And when those signs happened, they were either bad omens or good omens. And get this, they also predicted the future by looking at sheep livers. I don't know when they wiggle and squiggle or point in a certain direction, that meant something to them. Can I just say that's a bad idea? I couldn't resist.
They believed in these omens, and I just think they were really trying to pull the wool over their eyes.
Okay, I repent. I'll stop. No more she jokes. This was basically a three-year graduate course. to make them forget everything they had learned growing up.
And supplant that with new ideas. It's not terribly unlike What many Christian college students find on many secular university campuses. I've always found it interesting and I've experienced it. Why teachers who are paid To teach English or chemistry or biology go out of their way to undermine. The belief system of some of the young people in their class targeting them, zeroing in, trying to dismantle everything they've learned.
Isolation. Indoctrination. Third. Concession. Let's get these young people to concede to give up something.
We'll make This so amazing for them, they wouldn't want to go back. Look at verse five. They were given daily provisions of the king's delicacies and wine which he drank. In other words, Nebuchadnezzar brought in the best caterers. With the finest menu, the royal menu, food fit for a king literally was given to them.
Why?
So they'd go. We never ate like this in Jerusalem. It was all about falafels and hummus.
Now this is food. You just have to imagine what what kind of impression Babylon would make on a young teenager. If you were to walk up to the city of Babylon at that time, You would see walls, historians tell us, 300 feet high. 85 feet thick. Fifty Six miles long that circumference that city.
The Euphrates River running through town, In the middle of the town were the hanging gardens of Babylon, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, tier upon tier of Verdant Greenery. If you were to walk through the Ishtar Gate, the most prominent gate, you would be on a boulevard that was 65 feet wide. tiled with limestone and marble. and flanked by red tiled sidewalks. And so you're a young guy from Jerusalem, your mouth is hanging open, going, wow, man, this is amazing.
And we're being treated royally. And besides that, Our God didn't protect us from these guys. Maybe. It's not real. Everything that we learn maybe isn't real.
Fourth, What's confusion?
So you have Isolation, you have indoctrination, you have concession. And the first step was confusion. Let's give them. New names. Let's take away from them the most personal, precious thing they have, their own name, their identity, and change their identity.
Have you followed this news article about the girl in Iceland, 15 years of age? She's been named something by her mother. And she's been called that for 15 years. But the government of Iceland doesn't recognize that name because it's not on the list of approved names you can call your child. There's actually a list of names and you can't go beyond that.
So on her passport Her legal document, the government Puts on there, girl. That's her name, girl. Not her name. Her name is taken away, supplanted by the name Girl. And so now there's this lawsuit going between her and her family and the country of Iceland.
Notice that Daniel, whose name means God is my judge. It's changed to Beltashazzar, which means may Bel protect the king, Bel being one of the gods in the pantheon. of Babylon. Hananiah is a Hebrew word that means beloved of The Lord Yahweh. He's given the name Shadrach, which means illumined by the sun god Rock.
Mishael means who is like God. Meshach means who is like Aku, the sun goddess. Azariah means the Lord is my help. He's given the name Abednego, which means servant of the shining one, Nego, also one of the Babylonian gods.
So Life happens unexpectedly. The world demands conformity, and now we come to the very heart of the message. It's embodied in the third principle. And that is commitment begins. inwardly.
Look at verse 8. But Daniel. Purposed in his heart. that he would not defile himself with a portion of the king's delicacies, Nor with the wine which he drank, therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs. Mm-hmm. And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who has appointed your food and drink. For why should he see your faces looking worse than the young men Who are your age? Then you would endanger my head before the king.
So Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Please test your servants for ten days. Let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king's delicacies. and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.
So he consented with them in this matter, and tested them ten days. And at the end of the ten days, their features appeared better and fatter in flesh. That was a good thing back then. Today, that wouldn't be a compliment, then it was. Then all of the young men who ate the portion of the king's delicacies.
Thus the steward took away their portion, that is the other trainees. Of delicacies and the wine that they were given to drink, and gave them vegetables. Which I'm sure didn't go over very well, and Daniel was now public enemy number one after this, with all the other cadets in school. Great, from the king's menu to vegetables and water. But the principle is in verse 8: Daniel purposed in his heart, commitment begins inwardly.
Daniel made a choice. Deep within himself, in fact, I would say it's this choice that makes him effective the rest of the book. If he doesn't make this singular choice, he will not be able to influence this nation like he did. It's this choice, this purpose of heart. that made Daniel become the man that he was.
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Now, let's get back to today's message from Pastor Skip. One author puts it this way, and I want you to consider it in your life. All of life is filled with crises and decisions. There are right decisions and wrong decisions. High roads, and low roads, and almost every day there will be a fork in the road.
Where you are today is due to the turn in the road that you took. Yesterday.
So, what was the turn in the road for Daniel? What was the fork in the road where Daniel is at? Simply this. He made a choice. And the choice was to be distinct, to not go along with the crowd.
in the words of the text, to not defile himself. What does that mean? Defile yourself. There are things in life that can defile you. that contain you.
Things in life that can corrupt or pollute you. See, for Daniel, I'm okay. He's thinking, I'm okay learning this stuff. I'm okay learning the language. I'm okay learning the history.
I'm okay serving the king, but I will draw the line when it comes to what I'll eat, and here's why. Daniel was Jewish. He was used to certain kinds of food, kosher foods. There were certain foods that were prohibited by his law. the laws of Leviticus, which we've been studying on Wednesday nights.
Not only that, but history tells us that the foods in Babylon before they got to the king's table. were sacrificed to idols in pagan temples. And to eat them is to partake of part of the worship ceremony. of idolatrous paganism.
So Daniel said, draw the line here. I'm not going to defile myself with this food.
Now, some reading this would go, what's the big deal, Daniel? I mean, you're 650 miles away from home. Nobody's there to see you. You're in Babylon, dude. When in Babylon, do as the Babylonians.
Or they would have said, Daniel, I feel you're a little bit too legalistic. You're so narrow-minded. Danny said, Don't care what you think, don't care what the king thinks, here's where I will draw the line. You see, Daniel wasn't looking for an excuse because Daniel had a purpose. Only people that don't live with purpose are always looking for an excuse.
It's been well said that an excuse is the skin of a reason stuffed with a lie. Daniel didn't need an excuse. He lived with purpose. And his purpose was: I am not going to defile myself, and so I make this inward commitment right now, right here, to be distinct. You know how important that is?
The book of Proverbs says Keep your Heart. With all diligence, for out of it proceed the very issues of life. It all begins with the choices that you make deep in your heart.
So question. What's defiling to you? Certain books that you read. or magazines that you look at, or television shows that you allow in your home. Oh, it's okay.
They only kill forty people and save 150 cuss words in this movie. It's really good. Is it company you allow yourself to hang with, or relationships that you're toying with, that are defiling you? Because the secret to living a distinct life It's simply this. Living a life with the awareness of Nobody else may be looking.
But God is always looking.
Solomon in Proverbs put it this way: the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he ponders all his goings. The writer of Hebrews even said, All things are naked and open before the eyes of the one to whom we must give an account. You see, your reputation is what you are on the outside. But your character is who you are when nobody's looking. And a person has purpose and character because he realizes.
At all times, God is looking. Remember the story of Moses when he was just getting started and he was still living in Egypt, and he's out there one day and he's observing how an Egyptian is mistreating a A Jewish person, a person of the children of Israel. And so he inserts himself. And he kills the Egyptian and buries him in the sand. You know what the Bible says?
It says Moses saw this and he looked this way. And he looked that way. And he killed him. You know what his problem was? He didn't look that way.
He just looked this way. And that way nobody's looking, boom. If you were to realize God is looking, that's purpose of heart. That's desiring and deciding to live distinct.
So Commitment begins inwardly. Here's the fourth principle. And we'll close with this. When you live that way, When you're loyal to God, God always honors. loyalty.
One of the most amazing texts of scripture says the eyes of the Lord go to and fro throughout the entire earth. Can you picture that? What a metaphor. To find himself and show himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are loyal to him. It's as if God is looking, on the lookout.
Where can I find somebody who's really totally loyal to me? I want to honor that person. I want to show myself strong. Look at verse 17. 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.
Now at the end of the days, when the king had said that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. Then the king interviewed them. and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, therefore they served before the king. and in all matters of wisdom and understanding, about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better. than the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm.
Thus, or therefore, Daniel continued until the first year of King Cyrus. After three years of graduate school. Daniel is now about twenty years old. At that time, he is brought in for a personal interview with King Nebuchadnezzar himself. Daniel and his three buddies.
In addition to their natural aptitude, their intellectual acumen, they also have God's favor and God's grace. And there's three results of how God honored them. Result number one. Reverence. Look at verse 9.
God brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs.
Now, that doesn't mean life's going to be perfect, the rest of the book. Oh, just wait, he'll get persecuted. Because they see God's favor is on him, so the enemies of God will attack him. But right now, God is moving him into a position so he has favor. Even in the enemy camp.
Great proverb in Proverbs 16: when a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
So reverence. Second result Preference. Prominence. Notice in verse twenty. They graduate at the top of their class.
In all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better. In Hebrew, it's 10 hands better. The idea is. One of you. Four.
is worth ten of the other guys. You are acing the test. You are at the top of the class. You are more valuable in my kingdom. And third, influence.
Last verse, Daniel continued until the first year of King Cyrus. That's 536 BC.
So we started at 605 BC. All the way 70 years later, Daniel has influenced. Four. Kings. He's influenced Nebuchadnezzar I, that's chapters 1, 2, and 3.
He will influence Nebuchadnezzar II, also called Nabonitus. That's in chapter 4. He will influence Belshazzar, the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar. In chapter five, And then, when the realm shifts and is taken over by the Medes and the Persians, Cyrus the Great. He'll be around.
That's Influence, folks, that's longevity. Oh, there's something else I should mention. Another way that I believe God used Daniel. Every Christmas, we talk about these interesting sets of characters that come from the East called Magi. Matthew chapter 2, they're chasing a star and they come to Bethlehem.
You know the story. People say, well, who are the Magi? History tells us they were a priestly cast of Medes from. Babylon. Babylonian priest Medo-Persian priest Who are looking for a Jewish Messiah?
How on earth did they ever get the idea to be on the lookout? For somebody who was gonna come. And be the ruler.
Well, if you've read the book of Daniel, you'll probably agree with most of the scholars who say it had to have been Daniel's influence in the court of all of the Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzars, and Cyrus's that taught and indoctrinated based upon the vision of the future that Daniel gets. to be on the lookout. Here's my challenge to you. Are you going to be a thermometer or are you going to be a thermostat? You know, a thermometer, a thermometer just records what's going on around it.
So if it's hot. goes up. If it's down, it goes down. If it's colder it goes down.
Some people are like thermometers. You know, if the world's into this, I'm into this. The world isn't, I'm not into it. And they're just going along with the pressure, going along with the group. If it's hot, it's hot.
They're hot. But then there's the thermostat. It doesn't Record what's going on, it regulates what's going on around it. Daniel was a thermostat. Are you a thermometer or are you a thermostat?
We opened with a very interesting little quote from our 26th President, Theodore Roosevelt. who talked about getting out of the Gray Twilight stepping into the light and living a daring life. Let me tell you about one gal who didn't live that way. She lived the opposite way. And I close with this.
Her name was Nancy Jones. She was a spinster who lived in some little Midwestern town. She really didn't Do much. In fact, the day that she died, and the editor of the newspaper had found out that. Nancy Jones is dead.
He knew he had to write something in his newspaper. To announce to the community that she died. The only thing is, he couldn't think of anything she was known for. He asked around and couldn't find anybody who knew, so he decided that he would give the job of writing something in the newspaper for an obituary to the first employee of the newspaper that walked in that morning. which happened to be The Sports Editor.
He said Buddy, your job is to write some little word or words about Nancy Jones It will be put in the paper and probably placed on her tombstone since nobody really knows her. or what she's done.
So I hear that there is A graveyard somewhere in the Midwest. And there's a tombstone that says, Here lies the bones of Nancy Jones. Her life held no terrors. She lived an old maid. She died an old maid.
No hits, no runs, no errors. Just like a sports editor would write. Hey, I don't want to live that way. When it's all over, I don't want to say yep. Played it safe.
I'd rather have a few errors. Along the way, but live for those hits and those runs. I dare you. Be distinct. Thanks for listening to Connect the Skip Heitzig.
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or visit connectwithskip.com slash offer. and be sure to sign up for weekly devotionals and get your free one-sheet how to approach studying the Bible. It's a great tool to jumpstart your time in Scripture. Come back next time for more verse-by-verse teaching of God's Word here on Connect with Skip-Heitzig. Make a connection.
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