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When the World Does Its Worst ~ Daniel 1:1-21

When the World Does Its Worst
Daniel 1

I. God is faithful in judgment.

A. In Daniel chapter 1 three times God is said to give something to His people. Daniel 1:2, “And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god.” Read what God said would happen if Israel disobeyed God from Leviticus 26:33: “And I will scatter you among the nations, and I will unsheathe the sword after you, and your land shall be a desolation, and your cities shall be a waste.”

B. God threatened judgment for disobedience, and God was faithful to keep His promise to judge Israel. In 2 Kings 20:17 we read what the prophet Isaiah said to King Hezekiah: “Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord.” If God was in control when the worst thing that could possibly happen to Israel happened, then who would be in control of Israel’s future? Israel had hope because God is always in control.

II. God is faithful in mercy.

A. The second place in Daniel chapter 1 where we read that God gave something is in vs. 9: “And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs.” God gave Daniel mercy. Daniel and his friends were under a massive reprogramming effort by the Babylonians. Daniel drew the line with the king’s diet for the students. Daniel chose a simple menu of vegetables and water as a way of telling the king that he and his friends were going to depend on God for their food and not on the king.

B. God was merciful to Daniel in allowing this test to be allowed, and God was merciful in giving Daniel and his friends better health with this diet (vs. 15). Daniel did not choose fight or flight when he came into conflict with the Babylonians. Daniel sought to work within the Babylonian system. He asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself (vs. 8). Daniel asked. He worked within the system of the ungodly superpower of his day, and God was merciful to Daniel. When the world does its worst, God’s faithfulness is enough.

III. God is faithful in giving wisdom.

A. The third place where we see God giving His people something in Daniel 1 is in vs. 17: “As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.” God was faithful to give Daniel and his friends wisdom. We need to pray for the wisdom that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 10:16: “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” People of faith live in a dangerous world, but God gives us the wisdom we need.

Application:
Trust in God and ask Him to develop in you true faithfulness.

Sources:
The Prophecy of Daniel
Commentaries by Iain Duguid, Joyce Baldwin and Tremper Longman III