Courage in adversity

 

I am intrigued by the young lads that we meet in the first few chapters of Daniel. We meet them as teenage captives, and hear snippets of their experiences as they have become embedded in the court of the Babylonian king. First off we meet them as captive trainees, then see them as graduates from the enforced leadership program, and we watch as they develop into young men entering the kings court as his servants - all in the first couple of chapters!

One of the things I am struck by as I read about Daniel and his friends, is their courage. They, as teenage boys have been through so much, but they seem to know what is worth standing up for. Reading through these passages  it is easy to forget that they are captive Jewish boys. Yet we see boldness in them which is produced by the faith they have in God.

We first see this displayed when Daniel asks the chief of the eunuchs (who is responsible for the captive trainees welfare) if he can be excused from eating the king’s food - He, a captive boy, approaches the chief to make a request, don’t you think that’s a bit cheeky, even presumptuous? 

Then, even when the request is denied, Daniel doesn’t give up. Instead,  he rethinks, reprocesses and tries again. This time he has the courage to ask the steward for he and his friends to have a vegetable only diet for 10 days.  That took courage, he must have been disappointed and a bit scared by the chief’s response, but he did not give up. He continued to pursue his request because he so desired to honour God. This overtook the fear and worry he must have felt. I admire him for standing up in the first place, let alone trying a second time. He did not give up. Sometimes we can, can’t we. Sometimes when we have built ourselves up to do something that terrifies us, and then it doesn’t work out, who then thinks, ‘well, I tried it, didn’t work, I’m done’?! Some of us do. Daniel didn’t. He built himself up again, and thoughtfully considered another way to achieve what he needed.

I have had to conquer fear a lot in my life. Growing up I was know as a ‘worry wart’ and i was told ‘you worry about worrying’. Maybe that’s why I admire Daniel, Azariah, Mishael and Hananiah so much, because they do not hide away from the scary stuff, but they confront the problems and trust that something will happen and that God will help them. I could not imagine myself as a young teenager standing up to any authority, especially not any cruel institution like the Babylonians. 

This isn’t the only instance that we see these four young men show courage either. 

When the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, is outraged with some of the ‘wise’ advisers in his kingdom, (the; enchanters, astrologers, astronomers) he directs his captain to slaughter all of them. This includes the Jewish young men; Daniel, Mishael, Azaraih and Hananiah.  The first they know about it, is that the captain comes along to get Daniel to kill him.  

Daniel responds quickly and bravely. He asks the chief of the kings guard  what is going on and why is it so important that the order is completed right away? He doesn’t stop there either - he is even brave enough to ask to go straight into the king and ask for more time!

Don’t you think that’s a bit outrageous?! Daniel is handed a death sentence and asks to see the king first and to ask for an extension of time! Daniel does not just accept the order, he challenges it.  He stands up and speaks out. How brave is that?! When others would have been terrified and confused about what is happening, Daniel is gifted with courage and wisdom in his response. As a result of his courage to ask and put himself forward, he saved the lives of himself and his friends as they trusted in God to solve the problem. 

These examples may seem extreme. Many of us are not captives or threatened with murder, but that does not mean that we cannot learn from the faith of these lads. Surely we can learn a lot. None of us are likely to experience the trials they faced, and yet, how many times have you or I given into fear rather than stand up for what we know is right, even if it could cost us? 

We could pay the cost of losing favour, losing friends, even losing a job. These young men could have lost their lives. But, as Jesus says, ‘Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.’ (Luke 17:33). 

Daniel, Azariah, Mishael and Hananiah did not value their own lives more that following God. They were prepared to lose their lives in order to continue honouring him. Another great example of this is when they were headed to the fiery furnace; 

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (Azariah, Mishael and Hananiah) replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. *17*If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us[] from Your Majesty’s hand. *18*But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Daniel 3:16-20

These men were more concerned about worshipping their God than anything else, that is evident, even when they had no clue about what was going to happen. They all stood up and stood out when others didn’t. They displayed great courage because they knew their God was greater than their circumstances. They didn’t know what was coming or how these situations would pan out, but they stepped out anyway. 

Are you willing and prepared to step out in faith, boldly standing up for what you know is right in the face of adversity? Is there some area that you can begin trusting God in where you need courage? Ask God to help you, and trust that He will. 

Tough Times

So, I have just begun to read and consider the book of Daniel, so far we have met; Daniel, Hanahaih, Mishael and Azariah; teenage lads who have been exiled from Israel and are now enrolled into an enforced leadership program in the Babylonian empire. They are specially selected Jewish boys of royal/noble birth, good looking and intelligent. They are also young lads that we discover have an unshakeable faith in God. Even though these young men have been snatched away from their country and thrown into a different context and culture, they still seek to honour God. They have kept the Law and lived their lives acknowledging, following and serving Him all whilst in captivity. For three years, these teenage boys, along with others, have been indoctrinated into Babylonian culture and affairs, and are likely about 17 years old as we read verse 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. 

Clearly these 'youths' stand out from the others around them, other young teenage lads, also in exile, also in the same program. Yet Daniel, Hanahiah, Mishael and Azariah are beginning to be recognised as different, as those of 'learning and skill'. They are different and it is not for being extremely religious or as nerds, but they become known for the favour God has on them. They stand out for the understanding and knowledge they have that is not at the same level as the others. In fact, this is the summary of the end os their training when they are met and assessed by the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar;

 At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom.

Daniel 1:18-20

What a commendation!

They are assessed by the Babylonian king and his eunuchs and no-one matches up to these four, faithful Jewish boys. As a result they 'stood before the king', instead of being the captive interns, they became the kings servants! What a promotion, and they certainly deserved it, they were 10 times better than anyone else, above all the other advisers and those of insight - these lads were better than them all! 

Yet, who do they acknowledge for their abilities? 'God gave them....' these young men do not attribute their success or promotion to their own capabilites, hard work or loyalty, they attribute it all to God. They recognise that they would not be the best, have the skills they do or the understanding they are gifted with without God. God is what makes them stand out, and they know it. They acknowledge that their progress is because of God's favour upon them. 

Isn't that something?!

How many times have you or I commended ourselves, privately or in front of others, because we have achieved something? How often do you or i acknowledge that it is not in our own strength that we have what we do, that we are capable of what we are? 

Is it any wonder that God chose to favour these young men? They had faithfully followed Him when others hadn't, they had been obedient to God, and submissive to the authority in charge. For 3 long years they had been immersed in intense inculturation into the Babylonian culture and expectations, for 3 years they restricted their diet and committed themselves to continue to honour and serve God above all else. Can you imagine the ridicule they must have endured from their captors as well as their fellow captives? The hardship, the restrictions, the challenges would have been enough to make anyone feel fed up and potentially give up their faith, yet these Jewish boys kept going together. 

I hope that inspires you. Especially if you're having a hard time right now, or you have had a hard time to keep hold of faith over the past; weeks, months or years. During the tough times, have you got a tough faith? Do you remain faithful and loyal to God, or do you get lax or even give up? If so, get yourself some faith-filled friends, and trust them to uphold you in life and in prayer like these lads did. They had a ton of challenges and hardships as exiles. 

How do you respond when life gets difficult? Where do you turn? What can you learn from Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah?

Simple, everyday decisions

Today, we are staring to explore the book of Daniel. This book follows Daniel from a young man at the beginning of the book (that is named after him), and sees him grow up in exile. He starts off when we meet him as a captive of the conquering nation, Babylon. The Babylonians had fought against Jerusalem and won, so they ransacked the city and captured the people. Daniel and his friends were amongst those wrenched from their homeland. 

The book of Daniel introduces the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, and explains that he decided that he wanted some of those captured to be educated in their ways. So they set about choosing the right kind of people. They didn’t just choose to educate a random selection of people, but carefully selected the best of the best as they wanted to produce good, capable leaders. So they had set criteria; young men, attractive, noble/royal heritage, intelligent, capable. The Babylonians carefully selected those that would already have been looked up to by the captured Israelites, those of royal/noble birth who would have some understanding of what having leadership and influence was like. Yet young enough to mould and develop (likely young teens) into the kind of leaders they desired in their kingdom. These select few were then educated for 3 years in the ways of the Babylonian empire. This ensured that they would have capable leaders amongst the conquered nations that can instruct, guide and rule. It was a smart, long-term strategy to control and envelop the conquered nations into the growing Babylonian empire in order to develop one mighty culture and nation. 

Daniel and his friends;  Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were amongst the new recruits, the carefully selected teenage boys of 'good stock' that are inducted into the Babylonian leadership program. They weren't the only ones, but they are the young men that this book of Daniel focusses on. Once chosen it seems that these lads were treated pretty well - they were given somewhere to live, educated and even had the same food as the king! Doesn't sound too bad for an exile does it?!

The thing is though, that right from this early stage of this new life that Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah encounter, they start to stand up for what they believe and they stand out from the other potential leaders. There would have been other youths from Israel in involved in this setting, but it is only them that make a bit of a radical decision. As Jewish boys, they clearly knew the expectations of the faith they had, and they wanted to follow it. When offered the king's food, they decline and instead request to eat just vegetables and drink only water. These are teenage boys remember…teenage boys choosing a vegetable only diet! That's a bot odd, don't you think? Yet they knew the Law, they knew that God had said to not eat certain things, so they were obedient and faithful. Whilst others maybe didn't even think of it, or were perhaps too scared to speak out to their captors on this issue, Daniel and his friends made a decision to keep themselves pure and made it simple for those who were in charge of them, they asked for just vegetables. They didn’t do it for fun or as an experiment, they probably felt like they were missing out at times when others were enjoying a tasty bit of meat, but they had a firm grasp of the Jewish faith and it's requirements. They chose to honour God in the simple matter of what they ate. The others just went along with what was going on, who did not think about denying themselves the king’s food - I mean, who would when you’re offered the very same things as the king?! The other young noble Israelite lads just went with what came.

Are you in danger of doing the same?

Just keep going, keep your head down and don’t make a scene. That’s what the other teenage boys did, and they are barely mentioned. However, as we go through the book of Daniel, we will see more of the adventures of faith Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah go through. It is by no means easy, but it all starts here with the simple, everyday decision of what to eat. 

What simple, everyday decisions are you facing today and can you honour God in them?