Facing Challenges

 I am not quite sure what happens between the end of chapter 4 and the start of chapter 5 in Daniel, but it does seem that we jump a number of years. It feels like the Nebuchadnezzar story ends abruptly. We do not hear about the rest of his reign, or about his successor. The narrative just ceases.

As we arrive at chapter 5 we realise that we have been fast-forwarded to the end of the Babylonian empire - the last evening in fact - of the last king of Babylon. So, clearly a significant number of years have passed after the last full stop. It is estimated that this happened about 70 years after Daniel and the other jewish captives were exiled to Babylon. We pick up the story in chapter 5, the very end of this epic empire that has reigned for so many years, conquered so many nations, and now itself is waiting to be conquered;

King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand. 

*2*Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. *3*Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. *4*They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. 

Daniel 5:1–4.

Now this sounds like a night to remember, a party of parties doesn’t it? The king has over a thousand people celebrating, eating and drinking. They are getting carried away with themselves - using the holy vessels for unholy tasks. Not that Belshazzar thinks there’s anything significant about these items. He is just having a great big party at his place in Babylon……..at the same time that the city was under siege. 

Don’t you find that crazy?

The city of Babylon is under siege and has been for some time, and what is the king doing? Hosting a lavish party!

Not fighting. Not protecting his kingdom. Not leading the army but eating, drinking, celebrating.

The king is having a big celebration when there’s a battle raging outside the walls of the city. Capture is imminent and he is hosting a bounteous banquet. I wonder if he invited so many people just to drown out the sound at the attacking enemy.

Perhaps the king realised the futility of fighting. Or maybe he felt secure behind the walls, or he might just have been ignoring the fact that there was a real problem that needs dealing with and he was ‘burying his head in the sand’. Whatever the thought process behind it, it is not how we would expect a king to respond. Belshazzar shows no regard for the wider state of affairs, he is only concerned about what he is experiencing right now, so he is levelling up the ‘fun’ factor at his party. He has put aside the wider, national issues to immerse himself in celebration. 

We can look at this situation and shake our heads, or even feel aghast at Belshazzar’s response, but don’t we sometimes do the same? 

Do you ever feel like something is too big or scary to handle? Do you sometimes want to escape the battles of life and have a bit of fun?

It is not a shameful thing to admit that you feel like that - everyone gets fed up sometimes, but don’t forget the revelation of chapter 4 - that there is a Most High God that intervenes in lives, who is right and just. If you live our life with Him at the centre, and focusing on Him throughout challenges then you’ll make it through. Trust in God and take responsibility. You may not be a king, leading a nation, but you are responsible for leading your own life. You will make mistakes, you will face challenges -  are you facing up to them? 

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?