How to Live in Sin City
Dan 1:1-21
1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
2 And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god.
3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility--
4 young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians.
5 The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.
6 Among these were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.
7 The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.
9 Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel,
10 but the official told Daniel, "I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you."
11 Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah,
12 "Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink.
13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see."
14 So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.
15 At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food.
16 So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.
17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.
18 At the end of the time set by the king to bring them in, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar.
19 The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service.
20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.
21 And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.
I found the perfect illustration for the theme of this message at the grocery store. It was on the side of a half-gallon carton of milk. The words were, Grade A, Pasteurized, Homogenized Milk.
Pasteurization has to do with heating the milk to a certain temperature and holding it there until certain harmful bacteria are killed. Homogenization is the process of mixing up the milk until it has a uniform consistency. We might say it is “fully blended.” You can always recognize non-homogenized milk because the cream separates and rises to the top. My mother would always take in the milk from the porch and skim the cream off and make whipped cream with it!
It occurred to me that homogenization is exactly what the world wants to do with Christians. The world wants to shake us up and blend us so effectively that there is no longer any difference between us and them. The cream no longer comes to the top. Phillips paraphrase of Rom.12:2: “Don’t let the world squeeze you into its mold.”
DANIEL LIVED AND FUNCTIONED IN A PAGAN SOCIETY, where he was a statesman and politician. Today we say it is impossible to be both a believer and a politician—but Daniel was both of these.
His life wasn’t lived with man of the blessings that you and I enjoy—a family, nice surroundings, a free society. He was yanked from this kind of pleasant environment and taken to another nation and culture. In the beginning he lived as a slave. Yet here was a man full of integrity.
He lived in Sin City, but he didn’t become part of it!
I’d like to know WHAT MADE HIM TICK! I’d like to know how he was able to do it—you know, stay clean for God in those difficult circumstances.
Daniel had some interesting things to say about himself that will help us understand how he faced this sudden turn of events.
1) First of all, he was a teenager when he was taken by force from Israel to Babylon. He had a lot going for him in terms of natural attributes. He was intelligent and wise for his age. The king of Babylon spotted that immediately.
2) We can see from his Hebrew name that he had a godly upbringing. Daniel’s name means, my judge is God. Hananiah means Jehovah is gracious. Mishael means, who is what God is. Azariah means, the Lord helps.
These young men were undoubtedly raised by devout Jewish parents, having had excellent educations. Yet at that very early age they are suddenly transported to an alien culture and made slaves with no rights at all—and they were subjected to religious practices that were very odious to them personally.
And to top it off, they were to spend three years being “brain-washed”—taught the languages, customs, and religious practices of the Chaldeans. They were “re-educated.”
Babylon was not the most pleasant of places to live—especially if you were trying to live for God!
Wonder of the ancient world—walls were 60 miles long, on top of which 2 or 3 chariots could be driven side-by-side.
Given over to the worship of many gods and the zodiac.
Special temples reaching high into the sky where they could chart the stars and everybody had his personal horoscope by which he lived his life.
Worship also involved perverted sexual practices that were abhorrent to Jews and contrary to the Word of God.
3) As part of their re-education, the four Hebrews were given new names—Chaldean names:
Daniel to Belteshazzar: “Baal protects his life”
Hananiah to Shadrach: “command of Aku”
Mishael to Meshach: “he who belongs to Sheshach”
Azariah to Abed-nego: “servant of Nebo”
You see, the Babylonians were trying to “homogenize” them.
What would you do in a situation like this? Well, Daniel is given a choice right off the bat. Verse 4 says, And the king appointed for them a daily ration from the king’s choice food and from the wine that he drank.
It was the Babylonian custom to take all of their food, particularly the king’s food and dedicate it to the gods. They would then eat it with the clear understanding that the spirit of this god would pass into them from the food they ate.
Daniel could have said in his heart, Now the Lord knows what I truly believe and it isn’t going to hurt me if I eat this pagan meat, because I know there isn’t any pagan god at all. After all, what good will I be to God if I’m dead?
Or he could have thought, Now is the time to take a stand. I’m going to tell the king what I think of him and his food! Chances are that if he had done so, it would have been the end of him.
So how did Daniel handle the situation? How did he respond to this challenge to his faith? In Daniel, chapter one, we have the answer. There are 4 steps that we can identify in the process he used. They form the pattern that we too can use to live in Sin City.
1. He Made Up His Mind
That’s what is meant in verse 8, when it says, he resolved. He set it upon his heart, he made a specific choice—a conscious, deliberate choice. He was not going to defile himself with the king’s food. He saw what the issues were and said, “No compromise for me!”
This was going to be a testimony to the king. He knew all about the beliefs of the Jews. He knew what it would mean for Daniel. It would also be a testimony to his 3 companions.
Its interesting to notice that when Daniel made up his mind, God worked! Look at verse 9: Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel.
I believe that this is the way God often works. He waits until you and I decide according to principle. Are we going to defile ourselves or not? When we set our minds and choose, God begins to work!
The poet caught the sense of this when he penned these words…
To every man there openeth
A Way, and Ways, and a Way.
The high soul climbs the High Way,
The Low Soul gropes the Low.
And in between, on the misty flats,
The rest drift to and fro.
But to every man there openeth
A High Way and a Low
And every man decideth
The which his soul shall go.
Illus.: “Whose Side Are You On?”
During one of the Italian Wars, some recruiting officers came to a small town. Men and boys of all ages were recruited and joined in a parade, armed with swords, guns and sticks. An old lady was so stirred by the spectacle that she shouldered her broom and fell in line. Proudly, she marched along, keeping perfect step with the others. Onlookers jeered at her, They asked, “What could you do in a battle?” She replied, “Not much, but I want everybody to know whose side I’m on.”
Well, make no mistake about it, the Babylonians knew whose side Daniel was on! How about you, my friend?
Illus.: Giving the Ranch a Name”
A family from New York City bought a ranch out West where they intended to raise cattle. Friends visited and asked if the ranch had a name. “Well, “said the would-be-cattlemen, “We wanted to name it the Bar-J. My wife favored Suzy-Q, one son like the Flying-W and the others wanted the Lazy-Y. So we’re calling it the Bar-J Suzy-Q Flying-W Lazy-Y.” “But where are all your cattle?” the friend asked. “none survived the branding.”
2. Daniel Acted Upon that Decision
He took the obvious step of asking permission not to eat the king’s food (8b). He had set his mind and now he was willing to step out on that decision.
Illus.: Joe Mutton’s Stand
We’re not told at this point whether or not Daniel prayed before he asked permission, but knowing the rest of his life, I think we can safely that he did. In fact, during this same 3-year period of instruction in the Chaldean language, we have an incident in chapter 2 which again caused a major problem for Daniel and his friends.
The king had dreamed about a statue and he demanded that the wise men of Babylon tell him not only the interpretation, but also what the dream itself was. In verses 17 and 18 of chapter 2 we learn that Daniel went to his house and informed his friends in order that they might request compassion from the God of heaven. So they had a prayer meeting. It was their custom to inquire of the Lord when a difficult decision had to be made.
3. Daniel Developed a Creative Solution
He asked for permission not to eat the king’s food, but the commander has carefully told him that if he were to grant his request, it would cost him his life (v.10).
So Daniel, under God’s direction, comes up with this solution: Please test your servants for 10 days (v.12). He did it in such a way that the burden would rest on the 4 Jews. They were willing to take the consequences of the test. This solution came from the Lord in answer to prayer.
When you and I ask God for wisdom, He has already promised us that we have the mind of Christ. But our problem is that we are often prone to doubt it. See James 1:5-7.
These young men were willing to take the consequences if God did not act. And so it must be with us.
4. Daniel Gave Thanks
Although it’s not precisely recorded in this first test, I believe there is a 4th step. It comes from the second example in chapter 2. After Daniel and his friends had been granted the revelation about the statue, notice his response even before he went to the king (read verses 20-23)
20 and said: "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.
23 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."
So the 4th step is to give thanks. I believe that’s exactly what Daniel did in this instance found in chapter one. It’s really this attitude that says, “Lord, I’ve asked You for wisdom, and I have proceeded on faith that You have acted in and through me as I responded to the circumstances. And so I give You thanks. The final result is in Your hands.”
Starting from the first instance, these young men were able to learn the wisdom and literature of the Babylonians. They knew their religious practices, their idol worship, but they were not touched by it personally!
They had already learned how to handle “Sin City.” And if we follow this same 4-step process, we can do the same.
CONCLUSION
Do you have what it takes to live in this world without compromising? Can you be in the world, but not of the world?
May the Lord help us to be God-pleasers, regardless of the cost!
