Daniel 1:8-16

II. PERSEVERANCE ACTUATED

TEXT: Daniel 1:8-16

8

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king's dainties, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

9

Now God made Daniel to find kindness and compassion in the sight of the prince of the eunuchs.

10

And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your food and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse looking than the youths that are of your own age? so would ye endanger my head with the king.

11

Then said Daniel to the steward whom the prince of the enuchs had appointed over Daniel, Hananhia, Mishael, and Azariah:

12

Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.

13

Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the youths that eat of the king's dainties; and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.

14

So he hearkened unto them in this matter, and proved them ten days.

15

And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer, and they were fatter in flesh, than all the youths that did eat of the king's dainties.

16

So the steward took away their dainties, and the wine they should drink, and gave them pulse.

QUERIES

a.

What sort of defilement was Daniel anxious to avoid?

b.

Was the physical development natural or miraculous?

c.

What is pulse?

PARAPHRASE

Daniel solemnly resolved that he would not deny the God of Israel by eating food and drinking wine, from the king's table which had been dedicated to the worship of idols. He courteously requested from the king's chief servant that he not be forced to participate in the worship of idols by partaking of this food. Now Daniel allowed God to live in and through him to such an extent that the chief servant of the king was inclined toward Daniel with kindness and compassion. Yet, as kindly disposed as he was to Daniel's regard for principle, he explained his own predicament, saying, I dare not grant your request because my king shows no mercy to those who disobey him, He has ordered this food for you, and if you do not eat it and your physical development deteriorates, he will execute me without mercy, Afterward Daniel politely asked the under-steward assigned to serve them their food if he would be willing to perform a simple test which would involve no personal danger to himselfGive us a simple vegetable and water diet for just ten days. Then, at the end of this short period, compare our physical development with that of those young men who eat the king's rich delicacies and decide upon our request according to what you see, So the servant agreed to Daniel's proposition and fed them vegetables and water for ten days, and at the end of ten days he saw that their physical development was even more what the king desired than those who had been eating the king's food and the steward did not bring them food from the king's table any more but continued to give them vegetables to eat.

COMMENT

Daniel 1:8 DANIEL PURPOSED IN HIS HEART THAT HE WOULD NOT DEFILE HIMSELF. The godly parents of this young Hebrew must have been of the same caliber as the parents of John the Baptist, righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless (Luke 1:6): They had done a superb job of rearing their son in the admonition and nurture of the Lord. Daniel was possessed of the great principles of righteousness and holiness and faith. He was not one who sought to be justified by a righteousness which is of law-keeping but by a righteousness which is by faith.

Leupold points out that there are three aspects of Daniel's heathen environment about which he had to make moral decisions as affecting his relationship to the Living God: (1) the acquisition of heathen wisdom; (2) the bearing of heathen names; (3) the eating of heathen food sacrificed to idols. Daniel knew that in studying heathen sciences he could not be compelled against his conscience to believe those elements of that science that were false. He may have taken Moses and Joseph as his examples of guidance. Their exposure to heathen sciences and myths did not destroy their faith. Daniel's second experience, that of being given a heathen name, he simply had to endure as something he could do nothing about. It had no bearing on his relationship to God any more than children today who are given heathen names deliberately or unconsciously by their parents.

The matter of eating from the king's table was much more serious. It was a matter which would involve his relationship with God. All meals served at the king's table were of foods (especially wine and meats) which had been used in worship ceremonies dedicated to heathen idols. To share in such a feast was, according to an eternal principle, the same as worshipping the idol (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:20 ff). The significance of Daniel's act does not, as Lange comments, consist in a legalistic asceticism but in the proof of resolute faith and obedient devotion to the Living God rather than giving the slightest respect to a pagan idolatry.

But notice the courteous and amiable manner Daniel displayed in expressing his faith and devotion to righteous principle. He displays no fanaticism or rudeness, but honestly and frankly states his intention to the chief servant and asks his help.

Daniel 1:9. GOD MADE DANIEL TO FIND KINDNESS AND COMPASSION. Most commentators speak as if God worked a miracle of irresistible grace upon the heart of the chief eunuch so that he could not help himself but to show kindness and compassion toward Daniel. We prefer to presume, in the light of biblical teaching that man is a free moral agent, that the Spirit of God working in the heart of Daniel and subsequently in his actions toward this chief eunuch moved the eunuch to kindness and compassion. All the glory is to be given to God. For it is God who works in Daniel to strengthen him that he should not yield in devotion to hold principle while at the same time being respectful and kind to the chief servant. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy (Matthew 5:7). The chief eunuch recognized that Daniel's request was made upon the basis of principle and he respected the request. The response of this pagan was, in the ultimate sense, to the grace of God manifested in the life of Daniel.

Daniel 1:10. I FEAR MY LORD THE KING. SO WOULD YE ENDANGER MY HEAD WITH THE KING. The chief eunuch was under great psychological stress and, had not Daniel displayed the grace of God in his request, probably would have responded very inconsiderately with so unimportant a character as this Hebrew captive. He could very well have considered Daniel's request as insubordination and impudence, This chief steward was a trusted servant of an absolute monarch, Failure to carry out his emperor's wishes meant, if discovered, immediate death.

Yes, the chief steward sympathized with Daniel's principles, but it meant almost certain execution for him and so he was about to deny Daniel's request. Surely, he reasoned with Daniel, you young men would not want to be responsible for me losing my head to the king's executioner!

Daniel 1:11-13. PROVE THY SERVANTS. TEN DAYS. GIVE US PULSE TO EAT. AND AS THOU SEEST, DEAL WITH THY SERVANTS. Daniel now proposes to one of the under-servants appointed by the chief servant to serve Daniel and the three lads their fare, a very simple, reasonable and relatively safe experiment. For ten days Daniel suggests, they be fed pulse and water. Zero-'im literally means, things sowed. Things sowed were not customarily offered by pagans as food to their gods. This Hebrew word could be translated in a general sense as vegetables. It involves more than legumes (peas and beans) and would include wheat and other grains so that bread would be in their diet. Wine was not, of course, foreign to the Hebrew diet, except in this case the wine would have been associated with pagan worship ritual.

Ten days is reasonably short enough not to arouse the suspicion of the king and yet long enough to test the merits of the case. There are probably two elements involved in Daniel's proposalhis faith that God will provide and his common sense that overrich fare such as the luxurious table of the king, offered in unlimited amounts, is not as conducive to good health as is plain, substantial food. The Mosaic law implies this in its prohibition of eating fat (Leviticus 7:22-24; Leviticus 3:17; cf. also Titus 1:12-13).

Young argues that Daniel received a special revelation from the Spirit of God and. in speaking he was acting in accord with that revelation. He says that if Daniel had made this offer merely upon his own initiative he would have been guilty of presumption. He asks, What warrant could faith have that at the expiration of a short period of time such a change would be apparent in the physical appearance of the youths as is suggested here? This in turn would imply that the resultant physiological excellence of the Hebrew youths over their contemporaries was miraculous. Such a miracle is not, of course, out of harmony with the historical record of the Old Testamentmany such miracles are recorded, and did occur. We simply do not have a sufficient amount of testimony from Daniel to make a final decision in the matter of how it occurred. It would seem that a combination of three elements may be involved: (a) a direct revelation to Daniel plus (b) Daniel's common sense based on past experience and (c) faith in the directions of God as revealed in the Mosaic law concerning the eating of certain foods. Whatever the case, we consider Daniel's proposal a direct expression of his trust and devotion to the Living God.

Daniel 1:14-16. AND AT THE END OF TEN DAYS THEIR COUNTENANCES APPEARED FAIRER. SO THE STEWARD TOOK AWAY THEIR DAINTIES. AND GAVE THEM PULSE. The remarks of Leupold are appropriate here: It may -seem that a disproportionate amount of emphasis is being given to a secondary matter. But the meticulous care exercised by these young men in doing the will of their God is perhaps the strongest indication that could be found of their complete allegiance to their God. Their determination shows how clearly they discerned what issues were at stake, and how correctly they were getting their bearings in the matter of making an adjustment in reference to daily contact with heathen life. The issues involved were not trifles. In this matter they had to take a stand.

For the believer in God there are three areas of morality: (a) that which is always right; (b) that which is always wrong; (c) that which is a matter of opinion (which the believer is at liberty to choose, guided by love for God and fellow-man). Daniel was called upon to act in all three realms. It is always right to be kind and courteous to one's fellow manDaniel did so, It is a matter of opinion about learning from the literature and culture of the worldDaniel did so and used it to serve God and man. It is always wrong to blaspheme God by worshipping idols-Daniel refused. The believer's liberty is bounded by Divine authority as revealed in a propositional revelation and is also bounded by the principle of lovelove for God and His will first, and love for man second. The only way the believer knows a proper action or expression of love is by direction of the revealed will of God, A believer does not live by practising any ethic or moulding himself on any ideal, but by a faith in God which finally ascribes all good to Him and seeks His will as it has been revealed through His prophets and His Son and recorded inerrantly in the Bible.

QUIZ

1.

What were the three aspects of Daniel's heathen environment about which he had to make moral decisions?

2.

Why was the matter of eating the king's dainties more serious than the other?

3.

How does Daniel behave toward his captors in resisting defiling of himself?

4.

How did Daniel find favor in the eyes of the chief eunuch?

5.

What are the three areas of morality for the believer in God?

6.

How did Daniel behave in these three areas?

7.

What is the believer's ultimate source of knowing what is right and wrong?

SERMON NUMBER ONE
DARE TO BE A DANIEL.

Text: Daniel 1:8

INTRODUCTION

I.

WHY WAS DANIEL IN BABYLON?

A.

He was one of the first groups of captives carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon during the period of Judah's downfall and the Captivity of the entire nation of Judah

The captivity of the Jews was prophesied by Jeremiah

B.

Daniel's subsequent life indicates that he could not have been one of the many reprobates who brought God's wrath upon the nation of Judah causing the captivity

We assume therefore that God had special need of Daniel and allowed him to be taken to Babylon to serve Him and those who would repent while in captivity

C.

John Noble came to this conclusion concerning his imprisonment in Communist Russian prison camps for some 12-13 years

... there were those cynics and skeptics among my fellow prisoners who asked how anyone could give thanks to a God who was permitting us to suffer as we did. I always answered to such criticism that while I did not know what purpose was being served by the suffering we were enduring, I was sure that there was a reason. I felt that God would deal in due time with the atheists of Russia and that meanwhile the world must see by the suffering of the victims of communist tyranny what an evil system it is.

II.

WHAT WAS BABYLON LIKE?

A.

The city was surrounded by 60 miles of wall, 300 ft. high, 80 ft. thick, submerged underground 35 ft. (in order to keep enemies from tunneling under). The Euphrates river split the city in the middle. The temple of Bel contained a golden image and golden table which weighed more than 25 tons. It had 53 temples and 180 altars and some 4000 gods.

B.

The king's palace was perhaps the most magnificent building ever erected in antiquity. It was protected itself by 4 succeeding walls plus moats and other defense mechanisms.

C.

The hanging gardens, built by Nebuchadnezzar for one of his homesick queens, consisted of several tiers of arches, each holding up a solid platform 400 ft. sq. upon which would be planted trees, shrubs, flowers, gardens of all kinds. These platform gardens were watered by hydraulic pumps pumping water upward from one level to another.

D.

Their society and culture was what would be expected from a pagan empiresensual, luxurious, indulgent, cruel, proud and powerful.

E.

In such a land and amongst such a people was the young man Daniel.

DISCUSSION

I.

DARE TO BE A DANIEL, DARE TO STAND ALONE

A.

He had his friends with him; he was not all alone

1.

They stood many of the tests of loyalty to God with Daniel

2.

What a blessing believing and faithful friends can be

3.

The great apostle Paul was blessed with a few faithful friends Luke, Barnabas, John Mark, Silas, Titus

4.

It is a great consolation to a believer who has to suffer to know there are other believers sharing in the same experiences and remaining faithful

5.

As Christians we are one body of believers and when one member suffers we all suffer (cf. Romans 12:15; 1 Corinthians 12:25-26)

6.

Yet, each believer must ultimately stand alone when his faith is tested

B.

He had his God; he was not all alone

1.

He undoubtedly was reared in a God-fearing, God-worshipping Jewish home and knew by the experience of faith that God was with him

2.

He knew by God's supernatural manifestation of Himself in miraculous deeds that God was with him; physical development on a diet of vegetables; supernatural learning and wisdom and ability to interpret dreams

3.

His providential reception by this pagan court should indicate to him that God was protecting him

4.

Yet, God could not make Daniel's choices for him. SO DANIEL WAS, IN A VERY REAL SENSE, STANDING ALONE

5.

Daniel, all alone, had to CHOOSE whether to self-righteously refuse training in the wisdom of the Chaldeans or to recognize there was nothing basically immoral in studying in a selective way and making the most of every opportunity to glorify God among the heathen.

C.

Daniel had choices to make and so he was all alone

1.

His friends could not decide for him; HE MUST STAND ALONE

2.

God will not choose for him; HE MUST DECIDE FOR HIMSELF

3.

Daniel and his three friends STOOD PRACTICALLY ALL ALONE AS THEY CHOSE TO REFUSE PARTICIPATION IN IDOL WORSHIP

4.

Every believer must make personal choices which no one else can make for him

5.

Every believer must realize that those who truly trust the Lord are in the minority and often times it will appear as if no one but themselves are standing up for righteousness and truth

6.

The Bible teaches that believers are to be set apart from the world (2 Corinthians 6:14 to 2 Corinthians 7:1; John 17:14-17; Matthew 7:13-14, etc.)

D.

Examples of those who have stood alone (except that God was with them):

1.

Noah (preached 120 years only 8 were saved)

2.

Abraham (left his own country and wandered)

3.

Moses (stood against Egypt and Pharaoh)

4.

David (stood alone against Goliath, then against Saul)

5.

Paul (stood against the heathen world; against Judaizers)

6.

Martin Luther (stood against powerful world church)

7.

Alexander Campbell (stood against denominationalism)

8.

PERFECT EXAMPLE: JESUS CHRIST, even His friends deserted Him; was forsaken by God in order to suffer our eternal punishment for us

9.

John Noble, I was increasingly certain that many of these Russians respected the courage with which prisoners held to their faith in God and that they would have liked to join us if they could.

II.

DARE TO HAVE A PURPOSE FIRM

A.

Definition of Dare: resolution; bravery, courage; backbone; venturous; challenging; unflinching.

1.

Standing alone without a godly purpose is vanity and pride; such are rebels without causes for any cause that is not godly is a losing cause!

2.

Daniel had purpose because he had conviction. He was fully persuaded that God exists and that He is a jealous and loving God

B.

Daniel's Purpose

1.

To glorify God. This was Daniel's targethis main concern in every experience that life brought him.

2.

He refused to eat from the king's table because in so doing he would be participating in the worship of idols. Practically all the rich and luxurious food and wine the king and his court ate had been devoted as sacrifices to pagan idols. To eat this food Daniel would give the king the impression that he was willing to worship idols. Daniel's purpose was just the opposite.

3.

It may also be that some of the food from the king's table was unclean according to Mosaic law. Daniel's purpose was to uphold the law of God in every instance possible.

4.

Daniel knew that if he trusted God, God would manifest His power and it was Daniel's purpose to let his life and his mouth be a testimony to the True and Living God.

5.

In doing this Daniel would become a source of light to the darkened pagan society dwelling in ignorance and sin. He would at the same time become a source of encouragement and strength to his Jewish brethren in captivity.

C.

Every believer needs to have a purpose firm

1.

I have a sermon entitled A Life Worth Living with three main points: (a) Have a Belief Worth Trusting; (b) Have a Job Worth Doing; (c) Get a Reward Worth Having.

2.

Daniel could have rationalized like so many of us do today and said, When in Babylon, do as the Babylonians do. BUT HE KNEW HOW TO SAY NO! AND MEAN IT! It was not easy for him. Consider all the pressures he had to endure.

3.

Self-control is the mark of real man-hood. Strong men, cruel men, shrewd men may control nations and empires but if they cannot control self they are the weakest of all men: cf. Alexander the Great; Hitler, etc.

4.

The world, for the most part, respects purity, courage, honesty, conviction.

5.

The people who have done the most for mankind and in a lasting nature are men who have had the one purpose which counts the mostTO GLORIFY GOD! Think of Joseph, Esther, Francis Bacon, Michelangelo, Handel, Lincoln, David Lloyd George, Pascal, Michael Faraday, etc.

6.

Such a purpose will come only with persuasion that God is, that Jesus Christ is the living, reigning, returning Lord, and that the Bible is the Word of the Spirit, SUCH A PURPOSE WILL COME ONLY WITH DAILY, SWEET COMMUNION WITH GOD THROUGH HIS WORD AND PRAYER! This is where Daniel's purpose came from.

7.

John Noble, This I found that honesty paid even in a Russian concentration camp where it might seem that only a fool would try to hold to a conventional moral standard. I had resolved to try to show. by example, what the faith of a Christian could do. Many times thereafter I dis covered that no matter where I was, honesty got me further.

III.

DARE TO MAKE IT KNOWN

A.

Daniel had conviction and purpose and was not afraid to make it known

1.

There were plenty of excuses Daniel might have had to keep silent about his faith in God

2.

To the contrary, Daniel took every opportunity to testify concerning the True and Living God

3.

There was the time he prayed to Jehovah with his windows open in defiance to the king's edict

4.

There was the time he delivered the true message of God to Nebuchadnezzar about his insanity

5.

There was the time he delivered the true message of God to Belshazzar

6.

And, of course, there were many other occasions

B.

This world needs people, Christian people, who will dare to make their purpose knownto glorify God.

1.

Our heathen world needs believers with conviction. About the only conviction most people have today is that it's wrong to have convictions.

2.

Dare to proclaim the counsel of Godthe whole counsel of God

3.

Dare to make the most for God of every situation

4.

Dare to be honest with self, with God, with associates in every situationDaniel did not give up, but neither did he cause undue alarm or antagonism in the heart of his pagan ruler. Joseph and Moses and Paul are prime examples.

5.

Believers will never be encouraged and strengthened unless there be those who have purpose who will dare to make it known

6.

Unbelievers will never become believers unless believers dare to make the gospel known (Romans 10:17)

C.

Examples of those who dared to make it known

1.

All the Old Testament prophets; Isaiah (ch. 6); Jeremiah (ch. 1 and Jeremiah 20:9); Jonah, Ezekiel, Amos, Hosea, etc.

2.

John the Baptist: one of the loneliest men who ever walked the earth was fearless in making the glory of God known

3.

Paul the apostlepreached from house to house, night and day, with tears; preached to kings and authorities

4.

Jesus Christthis was His food (John 4); Zeal for the house of God consumed Him (John 2). Jesus dared to tell it like it is (cf. Jn. 7-8-9; Matthew 23, etc.)

D.

How may every believer dare to make his purpose known?

1.

By personal evangelism with his neighbors, friends and relatives

2.

By teaching a Bible School class (elders are to be apt to teach)

3.

By supporting various arms of evangelism with financial means: Bible Colleges; T.V. Programs; Missionaries; Printing Efforts

4.

By writing letters to unconverted friends and relatives

5.

By living lives that do not compromise with worldliness but yet do not withdraw into a monastic life and dissociate from the daily affairs of needy men.

CONCLUSION

I.

HERE IN THE FIRST REAL TEST OF DANIEL'S FAITH WE SEE VICTORY

A.

God providentially cared for them in the matter of food and they developed physically to a state more to be desired than their heathen contemporaries

B.

God providentially supplied greater knowledge, learning, wisdom than all their contemporaries

C.

Notice: these providential blessings were not afforded for Daniel to indulge himself but to give him greater opportunity to serve the Lord

D.

God has promised to give every believer such an abundance of opportunity to serve the Lord (cf. Ephesians 3:20; 2 Corinthians 9:6-15) Joseph recognized this, Genesis 50:20

II.

AT THE END OF DANIEL'S LIFE AND BOOK (ch. 12 WE SEE VICTORY

A.

It is significant that of all the Old Testament books, Daniel is the one which deals most of moral courage and faithand it is the one which deals the most with the resurrection

B.

Daniel is given a vision of victory like the aged John in Revelation. Daniel's curiosity almost gets the best of himhe wants to know the why and wherefore of all that he had seen in vision but God knows that what he needs most is assurance of victory.

C.

They that be wise, shall shine like the brightness of the firmament; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.

D.

But go your way till the end; and you shall rest, and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.

E.

DANIEL, WHO HAD WITNESSED SO COURAGEOUSLY AND FAITHFULLY TO HIS LAST DAYS IS TOLD, YOU SHALL REST.

DANIEL, WHO DARED TO STAND ALONE, DARED TO HAVE A PURPOSE FIRM, DARED TO MAKE IT KNOWN. SHINES AS THE BRIGHTNESS OF THE FIRMAMENT, ONE OF THE BRIGHTEST OF THOSE STARS WHICH HAVE TURNED MANY TO GOD AND RIGHTEOUSNESS

III.

WILL YOU DARE TO BE A DANIEL. A JOSEPH. A MOSES. A PAUL?