As you may recall from last week's posts, I have begun a personal Bible study based on the book of Daniel. Beth Moore's teaching and writing are excellent, so I don't intend to summarize her work. What I will do is make a few comments on points that have stood out to me and share where my thoughts went as I studied Daniel 1.
The first thing that grabbed my attention is how powerfully this study is mixing with the ministry that's going on at my home church right now. Hang on a minute and you'll see the connection I'm making. In Isaiah 39, we read of King Hezekiah showing all the treasures of Judah to King Baladan of Babylon. Hezekiah's pride was motivating his actions; as a result of his pride, Isaiah prophesied that the day would come when the treasures of Judah would be taken by Babylon.
Remember the post about Joseph in the pit? Joseph's prideful actions landed him in a heap of trouble. If both Joseph and Hezekiah paid dire consequences because of their prideful actions, is it really surprising that pride can be the root of many of the problems we get ourselves into today? Definitely something worth considering!
Once in Babylonian captivity, Daniel and his young friends were taught the culture and traditions of Babylon. . . as well as the best the land had to offer. Daniel denied himself the choice foods of the King's table because consuming these ceremonially unclean foods would have been in violation of God's laws. Furthermore, sharing a meal signified friendship and acceptance. That was not a message that Daniel wanted to send to his captor.
Can you imagine the pressure Daniel and the three Hebrew children must have felt? It seems to me that these four boys were not the only ones being trained for the King's service at the time. This seems to be supported by Daniel 1:10 when the King's official asked Daniel, "Why should [the King] see you looking worse than the other young men your age?" While other boys – probably even other young Judean captives – were choosing to enjoy the pleasures of Babylon, Daniel and his friends displayed great integrity by saying "no" despite the prevailing consensus that surrounded them.
Do I have that same level of integrity? How often do I find myself skirting around issues, choosing to accept the comfortable (although somewhat questionable) action rather than standing for right in the midst of opposition? Sadly, I must confess that it happens more often than I want to admit. I have been indoctrinated by the modern Babylon that I live in to believe that such choices are acceptable.
Daniel was not some super-human. He simply resolved within himself that he would be faithful in the midst of a faithless society. Daniel 1 does not suggest that he refused the training and education that the Babylonian society offered. Education and knowledge are not presented as a source of evil. Rather, it appears that Daniel embraced learning of all kinds while filtering it through the foundation of his faith. This was extremely beautiful to me as a lover of learning. Beth Moore makes this point so eloquently:
Whatever Babylon taught them, God interpreted to them. They learned the language, literature, and customs all right, but only so God could use them in the midst of it. They read the language of their culture with the lens of God. Thereby, they became culturally relevant without becoming spiritually irrelevant. Against all odds, they retained a God-centered worldview so that ultimately the world could view their God. [Beth Moore, Daniel (Nashville: LifeWay Press, 2006), 26.]
At the beginning of this new week of Bible study, my prayer is that I will be both culturally and spiritually relevant so that the world I encounter daily might see Jesus in me.
No comments:
Post a Comment