Three stories in Daniel show us how to live out God’s agenda for our lives while in exile.

Daniel and his three friends refuse the Babylonian diet and offer a creative alternative. Daniel 1. Daniel and his 3 friends are healthier and wiser than all the others. Daniel and his 3 friends are blessed by God as they live as strangers in Babylon. The Bible says a lot about the food we eat. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and we must care for them. What other “diet” does our culture offer? Padding the expense account? Gossip with the neighbor? We must refuse to eat the world’s diet.

Daniel’s 3 friends refuse to worship an idol of Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel 3 Nebuchadnezzar’s officials are jealous of Daniel’s 3 friends and seek to trap them in a crime. Nebuchadnezzar builds a 90’ statue of himself and decrees that all must worship it; Daniel’s 3 friends, loyal to God, courageously refuse. Daniel 3:17-18 As punishment Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are thrown into a fiery furnace, but are not killed. A fourth person is seen in the fire. Nebuchadnezzar gives glory to the God of Israel.

In the meantime, the Medo-Persian Empire swallowed up the Babylonian Empire. Nations are born, they live and they die. They rise and they fall with great regularity in history. The Medo-Persians employ Daniel to help them rule what used to be known as Babylon. Nations rise, nations fall … they come and go. But the Bible tells us in Acts 17 that the times of the nations are bounded by the sovereignty of God. Daniel and his people ride through the ebb and the flow of nations. Nations come and go and God’s work goes on. And no nation is really significant when set against the backdrop of eternity and God’s Story. In Isaiah 40 and verse 15, it says: “Behold the nations are like a drop of a bucket and are counted as the small dust of the balance.” A very interesting statement. Nations are like one drop that spills out of a bucket. The only word I can think of is inconsequential. Nations come and go, and whether they be Babylonian or Medo-Persian, but when God puts His men in the right place, His Story gets through.

Daniel refuses to pray to Darius, the Persian king who conquered the Babylonians, and is thrown into a pit of lions. Daniel 6 Darius’s officials are jealous of Daniel and plot to trap him by convincing Darius to have all people pray to Darius for 30 days. Daniel, as his habit is, opens his window toward Jerusalem and prays to God. Daniel is spared by God after he spends a night in the lions’ pit because he disobeyed Darius’ edict.

After living for centuries in a culture in which the cultural institutions supported their belief in God, the Israelites, in the Book of Daniel, found themselves in Babylon, a religiously pluralistic society where all the cultural institutions, the government and the media and the education and the arts, all the public institutions were committed to religious pluralism. In other words, they were committed to the principle that there were many gods and many moralities, all equally valid. That almost automatically sets up tension, because if you are someone who believes in the biblical God and believes he is the God and the only true God, that creates tensions in a pluralistic society that says, “No, no, no. There are many valid gods and moralities.” How do we live as believers in a pluralistic society? That’s the question you see in Daniel.

The whole history of the world can be summed up as a tale of two cities. We see them contrasted; it’s Babylon versus Jerusalem.

“Babylon” is the city of man, Augustine would contend. It’s characterized by pride. Everyone is trying to make a name for themselves. They want love and recognition and notoriety. They want an identity and work hard to create it. The citizens in the city of man are driven to exhaustion. In contrast, “Jerusalem” is the city of God. It’s where God in grace pours Himself out for the world. We can cease our striving. We have a new identity, a new citizenship in God alone. True justice and joy and peace are found there. As a result, we offer our lives in shared service to make things better, even in the “Babylons” of the world.

Three quick POINTS to help you follow...

Salt
Hurt
Light

Key Question: What makes a man or a woman have an impact that is as far reaching as an Empire? What is it in Daniel?

Let me suggest some things (with help from John MacArthur). I’m going to run them down, just listen to them, think them through.

First of all, this man transcended history. He was great and he was useful to God because he transcended history. He got his feet out of the muck of human issues. He sought the kingdom of God.

Secondly, he lived a consistent life from start to finish. He was virtuous when he was young and so he was virtuous when he was old. And I, really believe that there’s no way to measure with a human measure, the power of a virtuous life of that many years. The tragedy is that most of us find our virtue coming and going through those years … not Daniel. What are the lessons we learn about a man of God? He transcends history.
He lives a consistent life from youth to old age and this makes for great usefulness in his old age.

Thirdly, he utterly fulfills his calling. In other words, he lives in the absolute center of God’s will. His only desire is that God’s will be fulfilled.

Fourth, he has a right attitude. They kept saying about him he has an excellent spirit … he has an excellent spirit.

Fifth, he will be envied and he will be hated by the world around him, but he will never be bittered by it.

Sixth, he is condemned but if he is condemned, he is condemned for his righteousness for there’s no other flaw, he is as an elder of the church should be … what?… blameless.

Seventh, he is known for his virtue and integrity even by his enemies.

Eighth, he is a faithful citizen. He is subject to human laws until they would cause him to violate the laws of God.

Nine, he is willing to face any consequence within the framework of God’s will and leave the outcome to God.

Ten, he will serve faithfully no matter what it costs him personally.

Eleven, he never defends himself. He leaves that to God.

Twelve, he strengthens the faith of others giving them hope in God. Didn’t you see this in the king? I mean, the king was even believing because of the great faith of Daniel.

Thirteen, he is delivered from all harm and he is preserved for every purpose within the will of God.

Fourteen, he is a vehicle for God’s glory. I wish we could just preach on that. We … we as Christians are to be, above all things, a vehicle for God’s glory.

Fifteen, he will be avenged by God. He will be avenged by God. His enemies will be dealt with by God, he doesn’t have to deal with them himself. And finally, he is exalted by those around him as well as by the One above him.