Good morning and welcome to those listening on the radio, it’s an honor to have you with us.  Today we begin a sermon series about 4 courageous teenagers by the names of Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Daniel.  These stories are amazingly relevant for our world today!

 

Open your Bibles to Daniel 1. The year is 605 BC. 250 years after the battle between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. The 10 tribes that made up the northern kingdom of Israel continued their rebellion against God and as a result disappear from history.

 

The two remaining tribes that made up the southern kingdom centered in Jerusalem followed the same road. Now, just as the prophets warned, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has come as God’s agent of judgment and Jerusalem has fallen.

 

Nebuchadnezzar was a brilliant strategist. When it came to worldly wisdom, he was at the top. He took the brightest and best students from the nations he conquered and put them in his own schools. They were given the best of everything he could provide. They were trained for three years and after that they entered into the king’s service.

 

Among these exiles were 4 Hebrew teenagers from Jerusalem. How old were they?  Maybe 12 to 16 - too young to be considered warriors.  It’s very possible that their parents, maybe their whole families had been killed in the siege of Jerusalem. Now they have a choice, some might call it an unprecedented opportunity. Either die or become a trained and privileged leader in Nebuchadnezzar’s growing bureaucracy. But there’s a problem and it begins in the cafeteria.

 

These teenage boys find themselves in a plush dormitory at Nebuchadnezzar University, eating 3 times a day at the Royal Pork cafe.  Remember, up to this point, they had lived in virtual starvation in Jerusalem under siege by Nebuchadnezzar’s army.  Siege means the invading army camps around your city wall and doesn’t let anyone in or out. They starve you into submission. How will Daniel and his 3 friends respond to this lavish treatment? 

 

They have 4 options. Which one would you chose? They could say, “Wow, look how the Lord has provided for us!” and grabbed their forks and dug in. Some, I’m sure made that choice.

 

They could have said, “Wow, it appears that Marduk, the god of the Babylonians is mightier than the god of Israel.  Jerusalem is gone and this god seems mighty indeed. Guess we better switch our allegiance!”

They could have said, “We better go with the flow. We’re no good to anybody if we die!”

Or they could remain steadfast to the Word of God they had been taught as children. “You shall have no other gods before me. I have laid up your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” And that’s what they did!

 

Someone invested themselves in the lives of these boys, wouldn’t you agree!  Parents, grandparents, adults, Logos leaders, Sunday School teachers, listen up.  Our kids need your input if they are to have any chance of standing when the tough times come. “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” Prov. 22:6

 

Somebody deposited the truth of God’s word into the lives of these young men and that empowered them to take a stand. Let me explain the issue. The Israelites considered the food from Nebuchadnezzar’s table to be contaminated because the first portion had been offered to idols. Likewise, the wine was first poured out on a pagan altar. Ceremonially unclean animals were used and butchered in a way that didn’t meet the requirements God had given Moses.

 

Jesus changed these food laws when he came, but they were still in effect for Daniel and his friends. These boys chose to obey God rather than the king even at the risk of their lives.

 

One of the questions they faced was this “If we aren’t in Jerusalem anymore, is the Lord still sovereign?”  Our college students face that same question. “I’m not at Christ Lutheran Church anymore, not living at home anymore, is Jesus still Lord in this dormitory?”  What do you think? How about where you work? How about when you lose your job? Does Jesus still reign?

 

There is an odd statement in the Apostles’ Creed that says, Jesus descended into hell. It means not only did Jesus truly die and go to the place of the dead; he kicked the door down and set the prisoners free.  There is no place on earth, under the earth, above earth, beyond the earth where Jesus is not LORD and KING - even in Babylon. Do you believe it? These boys did!

 

Which brings us to the next question!  Who holds the lives of these boys in his hand?  Nebuchadnezzar or the LORD God?   Who holds your life in his hand? The LORD or the recession?  The Lord or the shifting winds of political correctness? We could learn a lot from kids like these!

 

Back to 1:10. Daniel asks to be exempted from eating the king’s food but the king’s steward said, “I’m afraid of my lord the king. He assigned me to fatten you up  (remember, Daniel and his buddies had grown up under siege, then they were hauled 1000 miles across the desert as captives to Babylon. They must have looked like starved cats)  If the king finds you looking worse than the other students, he’ll have my head!”

 

So Daniel proposes a test. This shows God’s gift of spiritual maturity and wisdom. Want wisdom? The Bible says wisdom is a gift from God and that it begins with the fear of the LORD. Fear of the LORD means to love, trust, and obey God over and above everything else.

 

Daniel’s test is to lay off the baron of beef, the BBQ pork loin, the fricasseed frog legs, and the $200 a bottle wine. Hey, discipleship isn’t easy!  Daniel said, “Bring us vegetables and water.”  Now for you broccoli and spinach lovers out there that are elbowing some of us meat eaters, leave us alone, the point here is food sacrificed to idols, not broccoli and spinach!

 

So the guard agreed.  And just as you would expect, at the end of 10 days, Daniel and his friends looked a lot healthier than those that had stuffed themselves with the king’s rich food.

First question: “Is the LORD or Nebuchadnezzar sovereign even in far off Babylon?   Let’s look at the text!

 

 

Second question: “Does it pay to obey the LORD above all else?”  Evidently! The LORD told Moses he would bless those who obeyed his commands. This seems clear evidence that he does! Life often throws us into circumstances where our own wisdom fails. We’re confused as to what to do. Voices around us shout conflicting messages. But the LORD promises if we make it our aim to listen to him, obey his Word, commit ourselves to his way, he will direct our paths.

 

Martin Luther and his theologian friends wrote that God gave us the law for three reasons. First, God’s law reveals sin. It’s like a mirror held up in front of us so we can see ourselves as we really are and turn to him to save us, rather than trusting in our own strength or effort.

 

Second, God’s law restrains sin. Like a fence, it sets boundaries on our sinful behavior. It clarifies right and wrong so that we don’t just run around doing what is right in their own eyes. Without God’s law to restrain us, we inevitably fall into anarchy and bondage.

 

Third, God’s law shows us the way of life and blessing.  This blessing is not only for us, but flows through us to others including those around us and those in generations to come. Just like it did through Daniel. No wonder the LORD said, “This is the way, walk in it!” 

 

Israel didn’t wind up in Babylon by accident. They refused to obey the Lord. The question of whether God allowed them to suffer the natural consequences of their sin or if he brought judgment on them is hidden in the mystery of his will. That’s God’s business. But one thing is sure - God didn’t abandon them. And he doesn’t abandon us either.

 

He was right there with them, and he will be with us, through every circumstance, every difficulty, delivering and bringing to completion his saving purpose in our lives.

 

The question is will we trust him enough to obey him? Will we listen to his voice above all others?  Or will try to save ourselves and make up our own rules as we go along?   

 

“There is a way (my way) that seems right, but it ends in death.” Prov 14:12  God’s way may not make sense in the world’s eyes but it’s the only way that leads to life!  Read the first 6 chapters of Daniel this week and ask God what he wants to teach you this week!   Next Sunday, Chapter 2  AMEN