When All Seems Lost

Isaiah 11[i]

Isaiah wrote to a prosperous, proud nation. 

Sure, they had their problems.  Years of civil war between the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah had divided the descendants of Jacob; call it family in-fighting.  However, economically they were well off.  A descendant of David sat on the throne in Jerusalem, and the temple of God continued as a centerpiece of national life.

In their apparent prosperity, they hid a cesspool of corruption.  Isaiah pointed this out when he said:

See how Jerusalem, once so faithful, has become a prostitute.  Once the home of justice and righteousness, she is now filled with murderers.  Once like pure silver, you have become like worthless slag.  Once so pure, you are now like watered-down wine.  Your leaders are rebels, the companions of thieves.  All of them love bribes and demand payoffs, but they refuse to defend the cause of orphans or fight for the rights of widows.  (Isaiah 1:21-23)

Because of this corruption, Isaiah also says:

For Jerusalem will stumble, and Judah will fall, because they speak out against the LORD and refuse to obey him.  They provoke him to his face.  The very look on their faces gives them away.  They display their sin like the people of Sodom and don’t even try to hide it.  They are doomed!  They have brought destruction upon themselves.  (Isaiah 3:8-9)

Time proved the truth of Isaiah’s prophecies.  History shows that Isaiah spoke for God.  Jerusalem fell.  The people went into exile, and the house of David no longer ruled the nation.  A descendant of David has not sat on the throne of the nation of Israel for approximately 2,600 years.

Isaiah 11:1 calls the house of David, “the stump of the line of David.”[ii]

A stump is what is left when a tree is cut down.  A stump is all that remained after the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem in 586 BC.

Joseph and Mary were descendants of David.  However, they were not royalty.  He was a carpenter.  Of course, Joseph was not Jesus’s father, but as the husband of Mary and since Jesus had no earthly father, Joseph establishes Jesus’s legal right to the throne of David.

When it seemed that all was lost for the house of David, God brought forth a Son, the Messiah.  Isaiah 11:1 calls Him a “shoot.” 

Isaiah says of Him:

And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.  He will delight in obeying the LORD.  He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay.  (Isaiah 11:2-3)

During His 33 years in Judea, Jesus demonstrated the truth of this statement.  Isaiah foretold his work on the cross when he said:

But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.  He was beaten so we could be whole.  He was whipped so we could be healed.  All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.  We have left God’s paths to follow our own.  Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all.  (Isaiah 53:5-6)

This shoot out of the stump of the line of David has paid the price for the sins of all mankind.

However, His work is not yet done.  2 Timothy 2:13 tells us, “Evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”  (ESV)

Isaiah 11 speaks of a day, yet to come, when all rebellion against God will be put to rest, and perfect justice and peace will rule throughout the whole world.  Isaiah says:

In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat.  The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all.  The cow will graze near the bear.  The cub and the calf will lie down together.  The lion will eat hay like a cow.  The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra.  Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm.  Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the LORD.  (Isaiah 11:6-9)

Some people mock this idea.  2 Peter 3 speaks of this when it says:

Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires.  They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again?  From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.”  (2 Peter 3:3-4)

However, in verse 9 Peter explains the delay.  He says:

The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think.  No, he is being patient for your sake.  He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.  (2 Peter 3:9)

When it seemed all was lost, when David’s line seemed cut off and dead, God brought forth a Savior. 

The world situation will continue to go from bad to worse, but then Jesus will return to rule the earth.

I hope you see a pattern in how God works.  When all human effort and wisdom fail, God does the impossible.  Where our sin is the darkest, His grace shines brightest.  When our need is greatest, His strength shows clearest.

God does not take pleasure in our suffering.  God says he takes no pleasure in anyone’s death.  (Ezekiel 18:32)  Humanity brings suffering on itself.  You and I bring some suffering and hardship on ourselves.  Our sin brings us heartache.  God does not wait because of some morbid desire to see us suffer.

God lets us choose.  He lets us go our own way if that is what we want.  He calls to us.  He pleads with us.  He sends messengers like Isaiah to tell us what is going to happen.  When we finally stop to listen and call on His name, He steps in.

He stepped into the World at the Manger in Bethlehem.  He will step into your life any time you ask Him.  However, it always means the death of all other hope.  We cannot call on God and hold on to our pride as Israel tried to do in the days of Isaiah.  We cannot hold on to the Savior and be our own savior at the same time.  We cannot hold on to the hope that we are somehow good enough to be saved and acknowledge there is only one way to be saved at the same time.  It is one or the other.  Either I am a sinner in need of a Savior or I am not.  History demonstrates that we usually get desperate before we acknowledge our need.

Millions of Jews are still waiting for the promised shoot from the stump of the line of David.  People all around the world celebrate Christmas, and yet those who have the most interest in Him still do not recognize Him.  What will it take?  It will take the Great Tribulation foretold in the book of Revelation for the Jewish nation to finally recognize their Messiah.

What are you holding on to today?  Are you hoping you are good enough to earn eternal life?  The Bible clearly tells us all that we are not.  Are you hoping you are strong enough to fix all your problems?  If you are, why did God send His Son to bear all of our sorrows?  Either God is our hope and salvation, or He is not.  Oh, how happy is the person whose hope is in the Lord!  Cast aside all foolish pride and call on Him today.

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[i] Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation.  Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188.  All rights reserved.

[ii] NLT marginal reading

The Most High God Rules

Daniel 5[i]

Nebuchadnezzar was Babylon’s greatest king.  At his death, his son, Awel-Marduk, became king in his stead.  After only a couple years, the husband of one of Nebuchadnezzar’s daughters, Neriglissar, murdered Awel-Marduk.  After 4 years, Neriglissar was succeeded by his young son, who, after only a few months as king, was murdered by Nabonidus, who happened to be the husband of yet another of Nebuchadnezzar’s daughters.

Nabonidus was the last ruler of the Babylonian empire.  He spent much of his time away from Babylon on foreign expeditions, and left his son and co-regent, Belshazzar, in charge of the kingdom in his absence. It is interesting to note at this point that for many years critics of the Bible pointed out that the only place Belshazzar appeared in history was in the Bible.  However, in 1854 and 1881, archeological finds of the historical records kept by Nabonidus have established the identity of Belshazzar,[ii] and the authenticity of Daniel’s account.

When Daniel chapter 4 ends, Nebuchadnezzar is king over Babylon.  Daniel chapter 5 is an account of the last night of the Babylonian Empire.  Nebuchadnezzar died in 562 BC, and Babylon fell in 539 BC.  Therefore, Daniel chapter 5 begins roughly 23 years after Daniel chapter 4 ends.

The book of Daniel starts in 605 BC when Daniel was a young man.  When chapter 5 takes place, it is 539 BC, 66 years later.  If Daniel was 14 years old when the story started, he is 80 years old when he stands before King Belshazzar.  Daniel saw the comings and goings of the Babylonian Empire and the changes in dynasties from a unique vantage point.  He was advisor and prime minister under the great king, Nebuchadnezzar, and continued to serve in the administration of the Empire when the Medes and Persians took over.  From his vantage point, he drew the following conclusion:

The Most High God rules over the kingdoms of the world and appoints anyone he desires to rule over them.  (Daniel 5:21)

This is the point of Daniel chapter 5.  God rules over the affairs of humanity.

This is precisely where many people object to Christianity.  If God is good, why is there evil?  However, God has given us free will.  We bring the evil on ourselves.  This is what happens with Belshazzar in Daniel 5.

Daniel chapter 5 starts out with a proud king, Belshazzar. 

He is having a party, and calls for the gold and silver cups that Nebuchadnezzar had brought from the temple in Jerusalem.  This was an act of defiance.  The aged and wise Daniel said to Belshazzar:

When his [Nebuchadnezzar’s] heart and mind were puffed up with arrogance, he was brought down from his royal throne and stripped of his glory.  ²¹He was driven from human society.  He was given the mind of a wild animal, and he lived among the wild donkeys.  He ate grass like a cow, and he was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he learned that the Most High God rules over the kingdoms of the world and appoints anyone he desires to rule over them.

²²“You are his successor, O Belshazzar, and you knew all this, yet you have not humbled yourself.  ²³For you have proudly defied the Lord of heaven and have had these cups from his Temple brought before you.  (Daniel 5:20-23)

According to Daniel, Belshazzar proudly defied the Lord of Heaven by having these cups brought out, and he knew better.  He knew what his grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar went through.

The party’s whole focus was having a good time.  The text says the king drank wine with 1,000 of his nobles.  The cups were brought out to drink wine.  With the focus on wine, the purpose of the feast is clearly pleasure.

History is unclear whether the city was under siege or if Belshazzar had no idea that a great army was gathering outside his city.  However, it shows the human tendency to grow overconfident, proud and arrogant.  Belshazzar and his nobles felt secure inside the walls of their city, and were boastfully confident in their own wisdom and strength.

The text says that as the nobles, Belshazzar’s wives and concubines drank, they praised their idols made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone.  (Daniel 5:4)  Their confidence was in gods that did not and do not exist.  These idols were empty, vain statues that showed the foolishness of those who made them.  However, their pride and confidence rested on the mighty empire they ruled, the magnificent city they lived in and the symbols of success they enjoyed such as the spoils of war, abundant wine to drink and the ability to host magnificent feasts.  They thought they achieved all of this by their own cunning, strength and power.  Therefore, they proudly defied the God of heaven.

Modern man is no different. 

I am not a financial wizard.  However, the financial crisis of 2008 is an example of how we can become proud and arrogant, worshipping gods of our own making. 

James speaks of our over confidence when he says:

¹³Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year.  We will do business there and make a profit.”  ¹⁴How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow?  Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.  ¹⁵What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”  ¹⁶Otherwise you are boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil.

The planning is not evil.  The boasting is evil.  It is human to think of ourselves in god-like terms, as if we can make things happen.  To live life without acknowledging the God who gives us life, is evil.  To drink the wine He provides while boasting in our own greatness without gratitude to Him, is evil.

There is accountability when we live in a world ruled by the Most High God.  If we are the highest power in our universe, there is no accountability.  We can do as we please and do not have to answer to anyone.  Humans are quick to forget what the Lord says in Psalms 94:8-11:

⁸Think again, you fools!  When will you finally catch on?  ⁹Is he deaf—the one who made your ears?  Is he blind—the one who formed your eyes?  ¹⁰He punishes the nations—won’t he also punish you?  He knows everything—doesn’t he also know what you are doing?  ¹¹The LORD knows people’s thoughts; he knows they are worthless!  (Psalm 94:8-11)

He knows our thoughts.  In Psalm 139:4, it says that he knows what we are going to say before we say it.  However, we live and carry on as if He does not know or care and we are the masters of our own destiny.

Belshazzar carried on until it was too late. 

Daniel read the writing on the wall to Belshazzar and explained it to him.  First, Daniel explained the meaning of the history that Belshazzar had lived through.  Daniel explained that God had humbled Nebuchadnezzar until Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged that God rules over the affairs of men.  Next, Daniel explained that Belshazzar was ignoring these lessons and should have known better.  Finally, Daniel interprets the message written by the hand on the wall.

The message was a pronunciation of judgment.  This was not a “turn, repent and be saved” message.  This was an “it is over” message.

Belshazzar ignores this news and pronounces Daniel the third highest ruler in the empire.  Nabonidus is number one.  Belshazzar is number two, and Daniel is number three.  Wow, the seat of power for an hour or two!

This points out another human tendency.

The nation of Israel ignored God’s warnings until the country was finally destroyed.  The kingdom of Judah ignored God’s warnings until the country was finally destroyed.  Jesus warned the Jews of His day of the coming destruction of Jerusalem, but they also ignored the warnings.  This same pattern will continue to the end.  The Great Tribulation will be a seven-year period when God gives humanity one last chance.  The vast majority will be like Belshazzar and his nobles, partying until the very end.

God has always kept a remnant for Himself.  For example, Daniel was a godly man in an ungodly nation.  After the seventy years of exile, thousands of Jews returned to Jerusalem under Ezra and Nehemiah, people who had remained faithful to God.

Jesus said:

¹³“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate.  The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.  ¹⁴But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.  (Matthew 7:13-14)

The question for each one of us today is, “Will we choose to acknowledge God today, or will we blindly rush on to destruction?”

The Bible is clear.  We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  (Romans 3:23)  The handwriting is on the wall.  The Bible says, “For the wages of sin is death.”  (Romans 6:23)  However, this is not an “It is over” message.  Because, this handwriting says, “But the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Romans 6:23)  All one has to do to avoid the penalty of death is to accept this free gift of God.

The Lord Jesus will be returning soon.  He promised to return.  Meanwhile, the world is feasting, drinking wine, watching movies and celebrating its gods of gold, silver, iron, wood plastic and chrome.  The first time he came as a baby, and died to be our Savior.  He rose from the dead, ascended into heaven and will return as a victorious conquering King.  Those who are not ready will find themselves, like Belshazzar, lost and without hope.

We all need to humble ourselves and call upon the Name of the Lord now, while there is time.

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[i] Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation.  Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188.  All rights reserved.

[ii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cylinders_of_Nabonidus.  Note also, Schultz, Samuel J., The Old Testament Speaks, Harper & Row, San Francisco, 1980.  pg. 370

Nebuchadnezzar's Huge Idol

King Nebuchadnezzar built a huge idol.

Dr. W. A. Scott writes:

We are not without historical confirmation of the narrative as to the existence of gigantic idols of gold among the Babylonians.  Herodotus writes that in his day there was at Babylon an idol image of gold twelve cubits high; and, what is still more remarkable, another authority, obviously speaking of the same statue, mentions that every stranger was obliged to worship it before he was allowed to enter the city.[i]

Herodotus was a Greek historian who wrote about 100 years after the events of Daniel.

Pride.  Pride is why Nebuchadnezzar built his idol.  He said:

Look at this great city of Babylon!  By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor.[ii]  (Daniel 4:30)

He made a name for himself, a name that is remembered to this day.

Nebuchadnezzar had at least four godly men in his service:  Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.  God used these men to confront Nebuchadnezzar’s pride.

However, Nebuchadnezzar was king.  He had authority over all the high officers, officials, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials.  (Daniel 3:2)  He insisted that all the high officers and officials worship the image that he had set up.

What is the point of that?

Pride.

He could tell them what to do and they had to do it; such power, such control!

Consider how he responded when he was refused.  He did not get his way.

Three men, three Hebrew men, refused to bow down before his idol.  His goal was blocked.  He wanted to demonstrate his absolute power and these three had the audacity to refuse.

Nebuchadnezzar was furious.  He threw a kingly fit.  What is the point of heating the furnace seven times hotter?  It is unreasonable.  The scriptures tell us that his face was distorted with rage!  (Daniel 3:19)  His command (read tirade) was so urgent that they heated the furnace so hot it killed the soldiers throwing the three Hebrews into the fire.  (Daniel 3:22)

Before we go on to consider how this situation worked out, let’s consider how this applies to our lives.

We all build idols.  Our idols are not 90-foot tall statues of gold, but we still expect others to bow to them.

Galatians 5:17 says:

The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants.  And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires.  These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.

These idols I am speaking about are the desires of the sinful nature that are opposite of what the Spirit wants.  The real idol is self.  Whether Nebuchadnezzar’s image was a statue of himself or an image of one of his gods, it represented his high opinion of himself.  We, as believers, have been crucified with Christ.  (Galatians 2:20)  God should be on the throne of our lives, but sadly, too often self is on the throne.

.

For example, with self on the throne, we will set a goal, and believe we have the power to make it happen.  It may be something as benign as a nice family outing.  However, any member of the family can block that goal.  When the five-year-old decides he does not like the family outing, the goal is blocked and self sees the offense against its power.  The family spends the next few days in the fiery furnace of self’s kingly rage.

Or, for another example, with self on the throne, we set out to control the people, circumstance and events in our lives.  This control might express itself in perfectionism.  The books on the table are always arranged just right.  The silverware in the drawers are always lined up and stacked just so.  The kitchen counter is always clean and neat.  The person, usually a family member, who ruins this perfection is thrown into the fiery furnace and suffers under self’s kingly rage.

Or for yet one more example, perhaps self has exalted self to law giver and judge.  We are always right.  James 4:11 speaks of this when it says:

Don't speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters.  If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God's law.  But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you.

We judge our brothers and sisters and even know their motives.  When others do not do right in our eyes, we send them to hell, the ultimate fiery furnace.  We write them off.  We do not speak to them.

Anger most often shows up when our goal or goals are blocked.  When we find ourselves getting angry, it is a good practice to ask, “What goal is being blocked?”  Ask God to help using the words of the Psalmist:

²³Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

²⁴Point out anything in me that offends you,

and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

(Psalm 139:23-24)

Nebuchadnezzar did not see that he was wrong.  He was the mighty king of Babylon and had the right to require the worship of his subjects.  However, God used those who were powerless to shame this powerful man.  (1 Corinthians 1:27)

These three Hebrew men told Nebuchadnezzar:

O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you.  ¹⁷If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us.  He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.  ¹⁸But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.  (Daniel 3:16-18)

I love the boldness and faith of these men.  They stood up against something that was clearly wrong.  God says, very clearly, “You must not have any other god but me.”  (Exodus 20:3)  These men were also willing to pay the price for their boldness.  The king had the authority to throw them into the blazing furnace, and in their response, these men showed they were willing to face those consequences.

I want to be sensitive in drawing the application in our lives, but if we love someone, we will not pander to their huge idols.  Relationships are often the battlegrounds for huge power struggles.  If I find myself, like Nebuchadnezzar, in a rage, my problem is me: no one else, me.  In contrast to this, God calls us to a standard of Love.  He commands us to love our neighbor as our self.  1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says:

⁴Love is patient and kind.  Love is not jealous or boastful or proud ⁵or rude.  It does not demand its own way.  It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.  ⁶It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.  ⁷Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

With self on the throne, this is impossible.  However, the fruit of the Spirit is love. 

Sometimes being loving means we have to stand up against something that is wrong, no matter what the consequences.

There are times in life when we, like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, are thrown into the furnace, even for trying to do the right thing. 

At times like this, it is helpful to remember 1 Peter 4:12-14:

¹²Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.  ¹³Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.

¹⁴So be happy when you are insulted for being a Christian, for then the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you.

Do you see these words, “So that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory revealed to all the world!”  This is exactly what happened with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

Being angry because my goal is blocked, and standing up for my faith in Jesus Christ are not the same thing.  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were used by God to confront the pride of Nebuchadnezzar because they chose to obey God rather than man.  God honored these men, because they honored God.  They consistently honored God.  When all the other captives accepted the food and drink provided by the Babylonians, these men decided to honor God and ate vegetables and water.  They put God above their bodily comfort.  When these men were faced with bowing before another god or dying, they chose dying.  They put God before their lives.

When you and I honor God more than self, He honors us.  When you and I honor God more than our job, He honors us.  When you and I honor God more than family, He honors us. 

We must seek to honor God above all else, especially self.  Jesus said:

²⁶“If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life.  Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.  ²⁷And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.  (Luke 14:26-27)

Look at the results of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego’s actions.  The proud king, Nebuchadnezzar, acknowledged the greatness of God.  The Name of the God of the Hebrews was proclaimed throughout the lands under the rule of Nebuchadnezzar as he issued a decree that to speak against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego was a capital offense.

Pride would lead us to set up meaningless, fruitless and empty idols, huge idols.  However, if we would live fruitful, powerful lives, we must honor God above all else.

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[i] http://biblehub.com/sermons/auth/scott/gigantic_idols.htm

[ii]  Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation.  Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188.  All rights reserved.

Living for God in a Messed Up World

Daniel 1[i] 

Genesis 10 tells of the descendants of Cush.  If you remember, Noah had three sons with him on the Ark: Shem, Ham and Japheth.  Cush was the son of Ham.  One of Cush’s descendants was a mighty warrior named Nimrod.  According to Genesis 10:10, Nimrod built his kingdom in the land of Babylonia.

Immediately after the flood, everyone on earth spoke the same language.  God told Noah, “Be fruitful and multiply.  Fill the earth.”  (Genesis 9:1)  However, we learn in Genesis 11 that the descendants of Noah decided not to fill the earth.  In the land of Babylonia, they built a tower saying, “Come let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky.  This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.” (Genesis 11:4)  Humanity wanted to make a name for itself.  Humanity wanted to make itself, great.

God intervened and spoiled their plans by confusing their language.  This incident is known as the “Tower of Babel,” and Babel is where the name “Babylon” comes from.  A man named “Nimrod” led the people who built the Tower of Babel and the city of Babylon.  His name sounds like the Hebrew word for “rebel.”[ii]  (Nimrod = name of Babylonian king or prince: Nu-marad = 'Man of Marad' compare Genesis 10:8[iii]  “marad = rebel[iv])  Babylon plays the rebel role in history and in prophecy.  Babylon represents the efforts of humanity to reach up to heaven for itself.  Babylon represents the efforts of humanity to make itself, great.

The height of the power and glory of the Babylonian Empire was during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar.  King Nebuchadnezzar marched his army against Jerusalem three times.  Babylon defeated Jerusalem in 605 BC, in 597 BC and in 586 BC, burning Jerusalem to the ground the third time.

It seemed the rebellious city had triumphed over the “City of Peace.”  However, Daniel 1:2 says, “The Lord gave him victory over King Jehoiakim of Judah and permitted him to take some of the sacred objects from the Temple of God.”

Now, I am getting way ahead of myself, but I am going to take some time here to point out that when Jesus hung on the cross, it seemed as if the world and the devil had won.  However, He was handed over according to God’s prearranged plan and foreknowledge.  (Acts 2:23)

At the time the Lord gave Nebuchadnezzar victory over Jerusalem, Daniel and his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were taken captive, and were moved by King Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon.  They were moved from the “City of Peace” to the city of “confusion.”  (Genesis 11:9, Babel sounds like the Hebrew word for confusion.  However, the Babylonian word means “gate of God.”  This idea of a human-built “gate of God” shows the rebellious nature of the city.  There is only one “Gate of God,” the man Christ Jesus.)

The “City of Confusion” immediately began trying to squeeze Daniel and his friends into its mold.

The first line of attack was their identity. 

These were Hebrew young men.  Their names honored the God of the Hebrews.  Daniel means, “God is judge.”  Hananiah means, “Yahweh is gracious.”  Mishael means, “Who is what God is?”  Azariah means, “Whom Yahweh helps.”

The “City of Confusion” gave them names in order to change their identity.  Daniel (God is judge) became “Belteshazzar,” meaning “May Bel protect his life.” Hananiah (Yahweh is gracious) became “Shadrach,” meaning “command of Aku.” Mishael (Who is what God is) became “Meshach,” meaning, “who is what Aku is.”  Aku was the “Moon god.”  Azariah (whom Yahweh helps) became “Abed-nego,” meaning “servant of Nebo.”[v]

In each case, the Hebrew name contains a reference to the true God, and the Babylonian name changes this for a reference to a false god.

The parallel for the Christian living in the world is astounding.  When a person believes in Jesus and receives Him as his or her Savior, that person becomes a new person.  (2 Corinthians 5:17)  He or she is born again.  (John 3:3ff)  He or she is given the right to become a child of God.  (John 1:12, 1 John 3:1)

The “City of Confusion,” in which we live, attacks this identity in subtle ways.

First, it tells us we are not good enough.  “If you are a child of God, why do you still sin?”  It tells us, “You call yourself a Christian, and yet you lost your temper with xyz.”  Of course, some truth is contained in these accusations.  A child of God should not continue to sin.  However, God has made a provision for our weakness.  He says, “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”  (1 John 1:9)  The fact that we acknowledge our sin shows that we have the Spirit of God within us.  (1 John 1:10, John 16:8) 

Even more insidious than this attack in our confidence is the subtle trick of getting us to put our confidence in something other than the one true God.  We see this in Daniel’s case in the changing of the names.  However, in our “City of Confusion,” another tool is used.  We have catch phrases or truisms that are accepted by the masses without real question or thought.  One such catch phrase or truism is, “You must believe in yourself.”[vi]

The person in the mental ward of the hospital, who thinks he is an egg, has the utmost confidence in himself, and will put together a rather sound logical argument in defense of his position.  Believing in one’s self is nonsense.  Which one of us, by believing in his or her self, can change one hair from white to black?  Which one of us, by thinking, can make his (or her) own heart beat?  Did David defeat Goliath by believing in himself?  Of course not!  David defeated Goliath because his confidence was in God.

When the disciples faced the biggest test of their lives, Jesus told them, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God, and trust also in me.”  (John 14:1) 

I am not speaking against confidence.  We Christians ought to be the most confident people in the world: not confidence in ourselves, but confidence in our Savior.  “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”  (Philippians 4:13, ESV[vii])  The Bible asks us a question.  It says, “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?”  (Romans 8:31) 

Putting our trust in anything other than God, is a wicked evil trap, and we fall prey to it without thinking.  If God is on our side, who can ever stand against us?  This is our true identity as children of God.

Daniel and his friends were also attacked in their understanding.  In Daniel 1:4, Nebuchadnezzar gives these instructions, “Train these young men in the language and literature of Babylon.” Verse 5 tells us that they were to be trained for 3 years.  For 3 years, these men were immersed in the superstitions, the confusing lies, and the language and culture of the Babylonians.  It was in the air they breathed.  Every newscast, every magazine, every book and every movie was filled with Babylon.  However, they came out unscathed, and, when tested, came out faithful to God.

We need to learn how they did this.

Every newscast, every magazine, every book and every movie in our lives is filled with Babylon.  How can we stay faithful to God in this environment?

Daniel and his friends did it with food.  They remained faithful by controlling their diet.  Now, do not jump to conclusions.  The answer for you and me is not in our diet.  The significance of the diet for Daniel and his friends was in their identity.

The first and strongest attack Babylon made on Daniel and his friends was on their identity.  Therefore, their first and strongest counterattack had to do with their identity.  They had to remember who they were.  They were Hebrews.  They were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, not those silly Babylonian names.  Their tool, method or strategy for remembering their true identity was to keep a kosher diet.  It worked to their advantage by maintaining health and vigor along with setting them apart and keeping them from conforming without expressing rebellion or obstinacy.

The New Testament teaches us believers in Christ a different method.  Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (ESV)

We are not to conform to the world.  God has made us participants in our growth.  Philippians 2:12-13 says, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”  (ESV)  This expresses that we are to work and at the same time says that it is God who is working.  Our confidence is in the work of God in our lives.  It is God who will perform a good work in us.  (Philippians 1:6)  It is this confidence that gives us courage and strength to work.  2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval.”  We are not passive.  “Do not be conformed,” and “be transformed,” are commands to be obeyed.

Start with your identity.  Do you know who you are in Christ?  1 Peter 2:11 puts it this way, “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.” 

Daniel and his friends never forgot that they were sojourners and exiles in a foreign land.  As Christians, we also must never forget that our citizenship is in heaven.  As citizens of heaven, we must eat the food our heavenly Father has given us.  This food is the Word of God, found in the Bible.  Do not give up this heavenly food for the fluffy stuff Babylon calls food. 

How often do you eat?

Daniel and his friends ate every day and every day they were reminded who they were. 

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[i] Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation.  Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188.  All rights reserved.

[ii] Dyer, Charles.  The Road to Armagedddon.  Word Publishing, Nashville, TN.  1999. pg 109.

[iii] http://biblehub.com/hebrew/5248.htm

[iv] http://biblehub.com/hebrew/4775.htm

[v] Ryrie, Charles.  The Ryrie Study Bible.  Moody Press, Chicago. 1978. pg 1307.

[vi] For a better treatment of this subject see:  Orthodoxy, by G. K. Chesterton, Chapter 2.

[vii] Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.