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The materials for this will be drawn from current projects that Perry is working on.

Daniel – Committed to serve

Daniel’s life starts out as a young man in Judah who is taken into exile while a teen. He then receives the finest training in all the knowledge and wisdom of Babylon. At a key point he chooses not to accept the lifestyle and laws of his captors and this decision determines the path that he will follow the rest of his life. At the end of that path he will receive key visions and make another key decision that anchors his life at both ends to God.

It is easy to see aspects of the life and Moses and Joseph in that of Daniel. All three were taken from their homes by force. They all received unique training and experience in the customs and knowledge of the host people. They all rose to positions of authority and power. They all chose to follow the road God laid out for them no matter what the consequences. One a slave, another an exile and fugitive, the last a prisoner of war. Each of these men had to make a key decision that meant the difference between fading into the background to avoid conflict or take a stand and risk their lives. One was a moral decision, one a decision of justice, the other a decision about obedience.

The changes for each were incredible. Free to slave to second only to pharaoh. Slave to member of the family of pharaoh to exile and then leader of God’s people. The last from a member of nobility to a captive to second highest leader of the land. Huge swings in status. Huge swings in lifestyles and existence. Huge changes in what they were allowed to do and their relationship to authority.

The key question is always. What was it that gave them the courage to take a stand? What made them place God and his truth ahead of everything? What was happening in their life to choose to risk their lives to do what was right?

For Daniel the questions are not easy to answer. In comparison to the lives of Joseph and Moses we know nothing of his life and his family. We know the background of the others and how their families likely played significant roles in the development of their understanding of God and who they were. With Daniel we have nothing.

We can make some assumptions. He was born towards the end of the reign of Josiah. Based on the year of his capture and deportation we can estimate that he was about 16 when that happened. That means that he would have been part of the revival that occurred during the reign of Josiah. He could also have heard some of the early warnings of Jeremiah about what was about to happen.  He would have seen the change in religious practice that was happening. The loss of commitment to all that Josiah had accomplished. The falling away and the falseness of many who had given the appearance of fidelity to God’s word and now had abandoned all of that for a life of liberality and sin, of self-gratification and selfishness.

Then the armies of Nebuchadnezzar arrived. Those unfortunate to be away from Jerusalem were captured and so began the long journey on foot to Babylon. A journey that would provide more than ample time to reflect on all that happened. A journey that would allow him to review the words and life of Josiah, to review the idolatry and renunciation of Jehoichim, to review the words of Jeremiah and maybe the warnings of Jeremiah. Ample time to determine if in fact the people of Israel deserved the judgement of God and to decide how he would respond.

Many around him on this journey sought to blame God for all that happened. They avoided any responsibility for their actions. They repeated the promises of God to protect them and claimed he had failed. Few of them wanted to hear the warnings of what would happen if they disobeyed God. Whether slowly or quickly the truth became clear to Daniel. The people were wrong. They had tried to deceive God and he had seen through their deception. They had been warned and had refused to listen. The judgment was correct.

The next step in this process was related to how he Daniel would respond to this truth. Would he hang his shoulders and fade into the earth, another victim, another failure. Or would he choose to change, to begin to follow God’s word no matter what the cost. Would he seek to be worthy of the God who was clearly in control of the world? Step by step mile by mile Daniel reviewed all he had seen and learned and step by step mile by mile his back became straight, his stride more confident. He realized that he served the almighty God and there was nothing more important that serving this God. He would never again set aside the truth of God for the truth of others.

The test of this decision came soon enough. He and three others were selected for service in the court. They were sent to a special school to learn all they could about the life, culture and teachings of the Babylonians. As part of this training they were to be fed from the king’s table and dress like the Babylonians. They were even given new name to further separate them from their past and identify them with all things Babylonian.

Much of what they did was not a problem but in other areas they found themselves being ask to deny their heritage and God’s teaching. Daniel decided that God would not bless them unless they refused to comply with them. The stage was set. Whose God was really in charge? God responded and Daniel’s life and appearance impressed the manager of the school. So much so that he changed Daniel’s diet permanently. This became the benchmark for the rest of daniel’s life. His choice influenced his friends and their decisions not to bow before the idol and risk death in a fiery furnace. His choice gave him the courage to face every challenge that would present itself.

Daniel survived the conquest of Babylon by the Medes and Persians. His status as one of the most important leaders passed from one conqueror to another. An unheard of situation, making a member of the enemy’s court one of your top advisors. Incredible.

Daniel became a beacon of hope to the people. His faith became the evidence many needed to finally abandon the worship of all false gods to serve only God almighty.

It is likely that Daniel played a significant role in influencing the king of Persia to allow the Jews to return to Jerusalem. It is also likely that Daniel played a role in the preservation of the holy scriptures. We know to day that Babylon was one of the locations that maintained a copy of the old testament writings. Many believe that he had a copy of the writings of Jeremiah. The existence of the magi of the east who came to worship the new born king may owe their existence and knowledge to the faithful work of Daniel.

Daniel looked at the truth of God’s word and let it speak to his situation. He allowed God’s word to fill his life with hope and courage so that he could fearlessly follow God’s law. His life is a challenge to us of the importance o letting God’s word speak to our lives and situations. To learning to trust what God says and obey that word no matter what the risk maybe.

As we are plodding through our life it is God’s word that can revitalize us. It is God’s word that can reveal the truth to us about every situation. It is God’s word that helps us understand God’s promises and power for every challenge we will face.