An Uncompromising Life

AN UNCOMPROMISING LIFE

Read Daniel 1:1-21

Read Daniel 1:1-21

But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself. Daniel 1:8

We will spend this week’s devotions in the Book of Daniel (my favorite book of the Old Testament). Daniel divides itself into two parts and two languages. Part one (chapters 1-6) contains stories about the experiences and exploits of Daniel and his three friends: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. The stories in part two (chapters 7-12) are all about grand visions of world history from Babylon to the Roman Empire, and the future Kingdom of God. The book uses Hebrew in 1:1-2:3 and Chapters 8-12. But in Daniel 2:4-

7:28 the language switches to Aramaic, the court language of Babylon. Why? Most likely because these middle chapters address issues of universal scope and significance, and not just things peculiar to Israel.

In 605 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took captive the young royalty of Israel and carted them off into Babylon in what was the first of three waves of exile (605, 597, and 586 B.C.). Daniel and his three friends would have been mere teenagers at the time of their deportation to Babylon (“youths,” v. 4). You can imagine the trauma and trials of four young men, uprooted from their homeland, demoted from princes to servants, witnesses to the death of family and destruction of their homes, and forced to become Babylonian instead of Jewish.

But these four young men were a cut above the rest. The tragedy of these events brought out in them a living faith in God. I remember that after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, our Governor, Haley Barbour, told his fellow Mississippians that the tribulations of that storm would bring out the best in some and the worst in others. He was right. Daniel and his three friends rise to the challenge.

They decide to live on the razor’s edge of commitment to God. First, on the one side, they would follow God’s Word given through Jeremiah. Please read Jeremiah 29:4-14.

They chose to live in Babylon, serve the Babylonian king, seek the welfare of the Babylonian Empire and love the Babylonian people. We have every reason to believe that these four young men married Babylonian girls, gave their children Babylonian names and entered into family and friendships with Babylonian people. They did as God commanded.

But second, on the other hand, they refused to become Babylonian inside––in their souls. They refused to eat meat, delicacies and wine of the royal palace because it would “defile” them. How so? First, it was not clean and not kosher; it violated the Levitical code. Even beyond that, these foods and drinks were offered to idols. To eat them was thus idolatry in a vague form. But the primary reason was this: To eat the fine foods of the kings’ palace would have seduced and ensnared their souls and led to their complete enculturation. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah chose to be holy––to be “set apart” for God. Only in this way could they live with and love the Babylonians and serve as missionaries who would lead their family and friends to saving faith in God.

Two young men of our time have chosen to be Daniels. Their names are Alex and Brett Harris, brothers and the sons of Joshua Harris, Senior Pastor of Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland. At age 16, these two young men chose to be different from all other teens. They tell their story in a fascinating little book: Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations. Their experiences led to a web-site called “Rebelution”––from “rebel” and “revolution.” Alex and Brett write:

We’ve been motivated by a simple but very big idea. It’s an idea you’re going to encounter for yourself in the pages ahead. We’ve seen this idea transform “average” teenagers into world-changers able to accomplish incredible things. And they started by simply being willing to break the mold of what society thinks teens are capable of.²⁸

Daniel and his friends chose to “do hard things” because they saw their young manhood as the launching pad for the rest of their lives. What a launch it was, and what an impact these four boys had on their people, their time and their world. They did hard things. They lived holy lives. They had heavy responsibility. And in it all Christ used them for the Kingdom of God. Where are the likes of these young men today?

PRAYING FOR THE PCA

AC: Join us as we thank our Father for the service of Wayne Sparkman, Director of the PCA Historical Center in St. Louis, MO. He records and chronicles the faithfulness of the Lord to His people in the PCA as he has been tasked by the Assembly’s Administrative Committee.

CTS: Pray for Jay Sklar, Covenant Seminary’s associate dean of academics and director of the Master of Theology (ThM) program, that God will grant him wisdom and grace as he works with students seeking deeper understanding of God’s Word and more effective ways to teach and communicate the beauty of that message to others.

MTW: Pray for the children of our missionaries as they make continual adjustments back and forth from the U.S. to the field. Pray for wisdom for their parents and mentors to assist them through these difficult transitions.

RUM: Many of our interns and Campus Ministers have experienced great suffering and loss over the last year. Pray for those who have lost unborn children and family members, battled with cancer and chronic illnesses, and those who have encountered heart breaking family struggles. Pray that the grace of the Lord will be abundant in their daily lives and the abiding love of their Heavenly Father will sustain them through these difficult times. . RBI: The RBI leadership developed a Vision Statement that states, “To glorify God by helping our ministry partners achieve financial security.” Pray RBI can bring glory to our great God by fulfilling this vision statement.