Influencing Others Exemplified By Daniel
Daniel 1:8-21[1]
8-14-05
Intro
“You are the salt of earth.” “You are the light of the world.” That’s Jesus’ description of his followers in Matthew 5. Both metaphors are about influence. In that culture salt was primarily used to preserve meat—to keep it from corrupting and spoiling. Light drives away darkness and establishes an environment. You and I are called to be salt and light in this ungodly world.
What does it take for you and me to be the influence God wants us to be? What makes a person influential? What caused Daniel to be such a powerful influence all the days of his life? Those are some of the issues we want to address this morning as we look at Daniel’s experience in our text.
Our story in Daniel 1 takes place in Babylon[2] located the area of the world known today as Iraq. Follow with me as we read Dan 1:1-2—the year is 605 B.C.[3] “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.”
These are hard times for the people of God. The cruel king of Babylon has conquered Jerusalem—plundered the temple of God—taken the holy articles from the temple to make them treasures in the house of the Babylonian god. Can you imagine the discouragement that must have settled over God’s people with that kind of defeat? Verse 2 specifically tells us that “the Lord delivered Jehoiakem” into the hands of their enemy—Nebuchadnezzar.
Then the next few verses tell us that the brightest and best of the young captives were taken to Babylon as slaves to be indoctrinated in the Chaldean way of thinking and placed in service to the pagan king. Among this group was a young teenager[4] named Daniel. In the verses that follow three characteristics of this young man stand out as major factors in his influence with others.
I. Commitment: Passion for values and purpose.
Everything about this situation was designed to change Daniel’s values and personal identity. The 3-year program of indoctrination was geared toward making these slaves forget their former loyalties and align themselves with the Babylonian way of life. Their diet was changed. Their environment was radically changed. No doubt the way they dressed was changed. They were taught from the Babylonian textbooks. Even their names were changed.
The purpose of Nebuchadnezzar’s program becomes evident when we look at the name changes imposed upon Daniel and his companions. Dan 1:6-7 “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.”
Daniel’s name meant “God’s prince or judge”.
His new name, Belteshazzar, meant “Bel’s prince”
Hananiah meant “Mercy of Yahwah.”
His new name, Shadrach, meant “Command of Aku (the moon god).”
Mishael meant “Who is what God is?”
His new name, Meshach, meant “Who is like Aku”
Azariah meant “Whom Yahwah helps.”
His new name, Abednego, meant “Servant of Nego.”[5]
Everything was designed to undermine their sense of Jewish identity and to assimilate them into the ungodly Babylonian culture.
Verse 8 tells us why it didn’t work “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself...”[6] NKJV says “But Daniel purposed in his heart...” He believed in something so deeply that the radical change in circumstances could not altar those beliefs. Think about what it must have been like for young Daniel as he was taken into captivity and led away into Babylon. First, he has seen the temple in Jerusalem plundered and destroyed by the enemy. Perhaps one might be tempted to ask—where is God? Why would He allow a nation more wicked than Israel to defeat God’s people? Why would He allow His holy temple to be invaded and plundered? Might that not shake some people’s faith?[7]
Imagine this young teen coming into the affluent metropolis with walls 300 feet high and 80 feet broad. Flowing through the city is the Euphrates River with canals something you would see in Venice today. And next to the king’s palace was one of the Seven Wonders of the World—the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Even more spectacular than all that was the temple to Bel-Meroacach. It was 600 feet high.[8] Long before these young men arrived in the city they could see the walls towering in the horizon. But twice as high as that was this pagan temple central to life in Babylon. It was food that had been offered to Bel-Meroachah that was set before Daniel and the three Hebrew children. The grandeur and affluence no doubt captured many young hearts. But Daniel had a different value system.
Daniel could have been bitter toward God rather than devoted toward God. He was of royal blood – but instead of being a king he is a slave to wicked people. Instead of enjoying a wife and children he was probably emasculated and had no hope of ever fathering children as a eunuch.[9] There was plenty of reason to be mad at God. No doubt many of his fellow captives were.[10] But Daniel had a love for God that wouldn’t quite. Where did that come from?
Daniel grew up in the days of King Josiah. Those were days of revival. Before Josiah, Israel was in a spiritual draught. But King Josiah turned to God at an early age. He ordered the temple to be restored. While construction was going on in the temple the book of the Law was discovered and read. There was a national repentance and the Passover was celebrated for the first time in many years. As a young boy Daniel was impacted by the revival going on. No doubt his parents were as well. There was a powerful preacher giving the word of the Lord during this time. His name was Jeremiah. The revival was short lived and when it ended most of Israel went back to their old ways. But Daniel was changed forever.[11]
There is a message in this for every parent, every grandparent, every children’s worker in this church. What if you have a Daniel or an Esther or a David in your class? What if you are influencing a person who will one day turn the world upside down with the message of Jesus Christ? Would it then be worth the extra effort to teach that class? We don’t always know why God tells us to do something. We must simply obey His voice and serve.
My drive to serve God goes all the way back to one Friday night when I encountered God for the first time. Nothing will fill your life with purpose like a divine encounter with the living God. Nothing will put fire in your bones like revelation from God’s word and a realization that God has a purpose for your life. Why was Daniel such a powerful man of influence? He was passionate about His God. He was committed to the values he had learned at an early age during times of revival. He was a man of purpose and was determined to live according to that purpose.
Commitment to values and purpose is essential to powerful influence. People respond to passion. People respect commitment. Commitment to God fortified Daniel against the influences of his ungodly environment and made him an influence upon others. We see it in his youth. Here in chapter one even as a teenager he knows who he is and what he is about and nobody can shake that. He is no tumbleweed blowing in the wind. He is an unmovable rock in his resolve to serve God. That passion and purpose continue even into old age. Do you remember his encounter with the lion’s den in chapter 6? Daniel was probably about 90 years old at that time.[12] Where did he get the courage to stand firm in his old age? It came from that deep sense of purpose in God. Passion for a righteous cause will bring courage to a person’s heart.
Every season of life has its challenges and temptations. I don’t care what phase of life you are in you can find a reason to not serve God if you’re looking for one. The teenager can say, “I’m young. I want to sow some wild oats and have some fun. I’m too young to work for God. Let the older ones do it.” The young couple can say, “I have my hands full with these kids and starting a family. Maybe when they are older I will serve. Let those who have no kids do the work.” The middle age people can say, “I have too many responsibilities in my career. My kids are more expensive than ever. I’ve got to make money to pay for their education and clothes. Let the retirees do the work.” The retired people can say, “I’m tired. I’ve worked hard. I want to enjoy the latter years of my life. Let the younger ones do the work. They have the energy to do it.” Daniel never made excuses. In every phase of his life he was serving God and influencing others. Beware that you don’t miss the opportunities God has before you in the “now”. When its all said and done your service to the Lord will be what you did in the now—not what you intended to do some day.
Commitment to values and purpose fortified Daniel to be an influence on others.
II. Empathy: Sensitivity to others made him effective in his influence.
Did you notice the favor Daniel had with the chief official over him? Something about Daniel was likeable. Verses 19-20 make it clear that he also had favor with King Nebuchadnezzar. “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.”
There are many ways to say a thing. There are many ways to approach a problem or difference of opinion.[13] The way we do something can make a lot of difference about the outcome. When I was young a zealous for God I had very little savvy about how to approach people with the gospel. God was gracious and gave fruit in spite of my stupidity; but I had to learn to be sensitive about how I communicated with other people. I remember one Saturday night I was in a cafe on Amarillo Boulevard in Texas. It was a rough area of town and a guy came into the cafe pushing his weight around intimidating some of the people across the room. When I looked over at him God gave me a prophetic word for him—so far so good. The word was a true word from God but the way I delivered it was not sensitive to the situation at all. I got up and walked over to the man and bluntly said, “I’ve got a word for you from God.” At that time I told him that he had a Christian wife who had prayed for him for years. He had turned down the opportunity to repent over and over. And his time of grace was coming to an end. He needed to humble himself and turn to God now! The man already had everybody’s attention when he was bullying those people and I didn’t whisper my message. So you can imagine what it was like at that moment in the room. I turn around and walked back to my booth and sat down. At first the man was stunned because he knew it was supernatural. But after a few minutes he became furious. Just as he started toward me my brother unexpectedly walked into the cafe and came over to me. That too had to be God’s timing. It confused the man and halted his plans for beating me up. So he cussed some more and said something about a gun and walked out the door. Well I really didn’t want to go out to that parking lot after that. I drank another cup of coffee and took my time! But the place was about to close and I finally had to go to my car. To my relief the guy was gone. I did a lot of tossing and turning that night. The next morning I went to church and after church went to a restaurant in another part of town for lunch. As I sat down, to my horror, there was the guy already at that restaurant. I’m thinking this can not be happening. What are the chances of me running into this guy? I noticed him staring at me and I figured he would take up where he left off last night. It got worse when he stood up and started coming at me. I thought this is it right here right now. When he got to me he said, “I want to thank you for talking to me last night. I was in church with my wife this morning for the first time in many years.” You can not imagine the relief I felt at that moment. God touched the man’s heart because he knew it was a word from God. But I would not deliver that word in that way today. It was totally insensitive to his feelings. It forced an unnecessary confrontation. I would now look for the right timing to share my concern for his well being and tell him as kindly as possible what God was saying. I would not put him on the spot in front of everybody. In reality I was operating in as much pride as he was. I just had a spiritual spin on my pride. God helped that man in spite of me. Just because you have a word from God does not authorize you to give it any way you want to.
In contrast to that story, look at the way Daniel approaches the chief officer. He does not tell him arrogantly that God has told him to stay pure and the man better not resist Almighty God. He humbly appeals to the authority over him. I doubt seriously that that chief officer was a believer in the true God. But he was in authority over Daniel. Daniel does not approach him with a demand but with a request. Daniel 1:8-14 “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.”
Empathy is the capacity to see a situation from the other person’s perspective.[14] Daniel was sensitive to this man’s concerns. Daniel’s proposal took those concerns into consideration.
In other situations in the life of Daniel this same sensitivity and delicacy is evident as well. Daniel 2:14 says that Daniel spoke “with wisdom and tact.” I wish someone could have prayerfully laid his hands on me years ago and imparted tact. But that’s not the way we get compassion and sensitivity. Suffering is a great teacher in this realm if we respond correctly. Tact and sensitivity is something we can learn from experience if we will do so. Without it our influence is minimized.
Later we see empathy and sensitivity in Daniel as he interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in chapter 4. Perhaps you remember Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the great tree that is cut down. The dream is a prediction of God’s judgment on Nebuchadnezzar. It puts Daniel in a difficult place. He must tell Nebuchadnezzar what the dream means. It is certainly not something Nebuchadnezzar wants to hear. But listen to the way Daniel communicates this negative message. Dan 4:19-27 “Then Daniel (also called Belteshazzar) was greatly perplexed for a time, and his thoughts terrified him. So the king said, ‘Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its meaning alarm you.’
Belteshazzar answered, ‘My lord, if only the dream applied to your enemies and its meaning to your adversaries! 20 The tree you saw, which grew large and strong, with its top touching the sky, visible to the whole earth, 21 with beautiful leaves and abundant fruit, providing food for all, giving shelter to the beasts of the field, and having nesting places in its branches for the birds of the air- 22 you, O king, are that tree! You have become great and strong; your greatness has grown until it reaches the sky, and your dominion extends to distant parts of the earth. 23 You, O king, saw a messenger, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ’Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump, bound with iron and bronze, in the grass of the field, while its roots remain in the ground. Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven; let him live like the wild animals, until seven times pass by for him.’ 24 This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree the Most High has issued against my lord the king: 25 You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes. 26 The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules. 27 Therefore, O king, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.’”
Look again at Daniel’s statement at the end of verse 19. “Belteshazzar answered, My lord, if only the dream applied to your enemies and its meaning to your adversaries!’”
I do not hear self-righteousness in his tone. I think I hear a tender element of gentleness and empathy. He is pursuing Nebuchadnezzar’s best interest. His approach in verse 27, “Therefore, O king, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.” Daniel could have stopped at simply giving the interpretation. But he risked his own neck to try to persuade Nebuchadnezzar to do the right thing.
Now what was the end result of Daniel’s influence upon Nebuchadnezzar? He ultimately led this tyrant to the Lord. That is evident in Nebuchadnezzar’s testimony at the end of Daniel 4. How many Americans pray for the salvation of Saddam Hussein? If Daniel were living today I think he would. Nebuchadnezzar had done some terrible things to Daniel. He had taken him from his home and family and made him a slave. He had make a eunuch of him so that there was no hope of having his own family. He had even tried to turn Daniel from his God. But even—to this man, Daniel operates in an amazing level of tenderness and empathy. Do you see God’s work of grace in Daniel? He is not only forgiving toward Nebuchadnezzar but empathetic toward him as well.
We have seen two characteristics of a person of influence: (1) Passionate commitment to values and a purpose (2) Sensitivity to others—the capacity to see the situation from the other person’s perspective and communicate with empathy. We will conclude with one other characteristic.
III. Confidence: Faith in God.
In our text in chapter 1 Daniel is confident that God will work in his behalf. He is willing for his suggestion to be put to the test. What if they had looked dull and sickly at the end of the ten day test? Would that cost him his favor with the chief officer? Maybe it would cause that man to never turn to the true God. Haven’t you found that those kind of questions tend to arise when its time to step out in faith. There are almost always fears that we must move past in order to obey God and see His hand at work.
Faith in God is the third part of this three-legged stool. I may be passionate about a cause. I may be sensitive in how to proceed toward that cause. But if I am unwilling to act in faith very little will happen. The early church turned the world upside down. But they didn’t do it cowing down in some safe corner. They went forth everywhere preaching the good news. It took faith for Esther to go before King Xerxes and ask him to reverse Haman’s evil plan. It took faith for Nehemiah to ask permission to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. “Without faith it is impossible to please God.”[15] And without faith it is impossible to be much of a positive influence. For influence to happen some kind of action must take place in word or in deed.[16]
In Daniel 2:16 it took faith for Daniel to step out from the crowd before he had the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and ask for time to get the interpretation.[17] The tendency at a time like that would be to try to just blend in with the crowd and hope that others take the hit rather than you. But by faith Daniel stepped up to the challenge at hand. As a result his influence was enlarged.
Even as an old man of 90 years old Daniel is still operating in courageous faith. In chapter 6 we know that he was being an influence because evil politicians wanted to get rid of him. In Luke 6:26 Jesus said, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you,
for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.” No matter how tactful you are if you are being an influence for God some people won’t like it at all. These leaders hatched a plot to silence Daniel. They persuaded King Darius to sign a declaration essentially prohibiting prayer. It took faith for Daniel to open his windows and continue to pray. At 90 years old it may have been tempting to seek peace at any cost and simply comply. But Daniel knew that if he would obey God, God would take care of him. Pray was always a vital part of Daniel’s life and was essential to his influence on others.[18]
Most of you know the story of the lion’s den. God shut the mouth of the lions. God came through for Daniel and the king had Daniel’s accusers destroyed. But consider how Daniel’s faith resulted in enlarged influence. Dan 6:25-27 “Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language throughout the land: "May you prosper greatly! 26 "I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. "For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. 27 He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions."
Everybody in that vast kingdom was impacted by Daniel’s confidence in God.
God has called you and me to be salt and light. That influence will occur as we nurture (1) Passion for the values and purpose God has for our lives (2) Sensitivity to how we are to communicate that passion to others. (3) Faith to step out and obey God in whatever He tells us to do.
I want to share this scene from the movie “We Were Soldiers” as an illustration of these three factors. Lt. Col. Hal Moore is preparing his men to go into battle for the first time. See if you can identify purpose, empathy, and confidence in his message.
(Ch 6) (0:32:38 to 0:35:07) of “We Were Soldiers”.
John Maxwell defines leadership as influence.[19] You don’t have to have position to have influence. In our text Daniel is a slave yet his influence is evident. Position can leverage influence. God may promote you as He did Daniel and the influence can increase through that. But you can be an influence right where you are, as you are, right now. You can go to your job tomorrow morning and impact others for Christ whether you’re the CEO or the janitor. It is my assumption that every Christian here wants to be salt and light and make a difference in the world. Ask God to help you develop in these three dynamics: (1) Your commitment to His values and purpose for your life (2) Your sensitivity to others and ability to communicate with empathy (3) Your confidence in God and willingness to step out in faith and do what He tells you to do.
Prayer & Invitation
Richard Tow
Grace Chapel Foursquare Church
Springfield, MO
www.gracechapelchurch.org
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[1] Text was read at beginning of service. All Scripture quotes are from New International Version unless otherwise indicated. Another possible outline for this chapter: (I) Daniel’s Reslove (II) Daniel’s Appeal (III) Daniel’s Vendication.
[2] J. Hampton Keathley III points out that “Babylon is mentioned 260 times in Scripture, and is second in importance only to Jerusalem. Biblically it is viewed as the Devil’s city while Jerusalem is viewed as God’s city.” His sermon entitled “Babylon As Seen in Scripture” can be accessed at www.sermoncentral.com
[3]Wood, D. R. W., Wood, D. R. W., & Marshall, I. H. 1996, c1982, c1962. “Jehoiakim” in New Bible Dictionary. Includes index. (electronic ed. of 3rd ed.) . InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove. This reference give historical details surrounding the event.
[4] DANIEL (from International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Electronic Database Copyright (c)1996 by Biblesoft). Also see Nelson’s Bible Dictionary.
[5] Daniel 1:7 (from The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1962 by Moody Press)
[6] Consider what might have happened had Daniel not made such a steadfast choice. Rather being a world-changer he would have probably just been another one of the many carried into slavery and lost into obscurity.
[7] See my sermons from the Book of Judges preached July 2005 for discussion of God’s judgments of this kind.
[8] W.A. Criswell, Expository Sermons on the Book of Daniel, Vol. II (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1970) 27. Most sources cite the wall as wide enough to drive chariots on it but do not indicate the 80’ dimension.
[9] DANIEL (from Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright (c)1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers). The text does not specifically say Daniel was made into a eunuch but it is probable and that was common practice at that time.
[10] Ezekiel 18:1-2
[11] W.A. Criswell, Expository Sermons on the Book of Daniel, Vol. I (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1968) 102-112.
[12] Criswell, Vol. II, p. 13.
[13] Criswell, Vol. II, p. 29-31. Criswell gives a moving story about Henry Wilson that powerfully illustrates both tact and resolve.
[14] Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee, Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence (Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business School Press, 2002) deals with issues of empathy from a secular point of view but with great insight concerning it’s impact upon relationships and influence.
[15] Hebrews 11:6
[16] Lifestyle evangelism is a valid approach but at some point we must speak the message—proclaim the gospel.
[17] “Dare to be a Daniel—Dare to stand alone; Dare to have a purpose firm! Dare to make it known!” from Daniel the Prophet by M.R. DeHann (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1947) 43.
[18] This is a whole message in itself and must not be forgotten as we study Daniel’s influence. He received from God therefore he was equipped to minister to others. It is the Spirit of God flowing through us that is the ultimate agent of influence.
[19] John C. Maxwell, Developing the Leader Within You (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1993) 1.
