Last week we started our new series titled "Success in Babylon," in which we will look at Daniel and his friends and what it took for them to thrive and prosper in Babylon, a spiritually hostile environment. This week, let's look at the next few verses in Daniel 1:
Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility—young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. The king assigned them a daily amount of food and winefrom the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service. Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego (Daniel 1:3-7).
I mentioned last week that I was part of a team of people that would teach this material in a prison setting, but the implications and lessons learned from this story are applicable to any of us, especially if we find ourselves in a culture (business, government, or school) that is neutral or hostile toward God and His values. Let's look at what we can learn from these few verses to help us be successful in our own Babylon.
WHAT DO THESE VERSES TELL US?
In these verses, we learn these young men were:
- Drafted into service in Babylon; they did not volunteer.
- The best of their generation, voted most likely to succeed in their high school class. They were handsome, intelligent, and good students—otherwise the king's official would not have chosen them.
- Forced to attend a Babylonian university and learn a whole new language, currency, culture, and career.
- Given new names. Every measure was taken to strip them of their previous identity so they could blend into Babylon and serve the king—the same king who had ravaged their land, perhaps killed their families, and forced them to come to Babylon.
- Placed under the care of the chief of the eunuchs according to one translation. Why would they be placed there unless they had been made eunuchs themselves? Their manhood was altered, through no fault or choice of their own, and at a young age they found themselves far away from home, serving a pagan king.
DANIEL'S RESPONSE
After all that happened to him, Daniel made a startling decision as described in Daniel 1:8: "But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way." After all that he had been through, Daniel's main concern was still first and foremost serving the Lord and being true to His people's way of life. If I was a teenager or young adult and had been the through what Daniel had, the last thing I would have been concerned with was maintaining a kosher lifestyle. I would have been angry, mourning what I had lost.
Yet, Daniel was not mourning or miserable; he was focused on being true to who he was and determined not to defile himself. That commitment is admirable, but certainly reveals the reason Daniel distinguished himself from all the others. Even though hundreds of miles from home, even though his whole life and future had been drastically altered, Daniel was a man of principle and refused to surrender to the force of culture or the bitterness of resentment. Daniel's behavior was not affected by or related to his environment; he was true to his values and his God. He was determined not to waiver from his trust in God.
What about you? Is your resolve equal to that of Daniel? First, make peace with your past if today you are not doing what you had envisioned yourself doing earlier in life, or doing it where you had never intended to be. Like Daniel, you may be in your own Babylon, far from the place you intended to be. For me, that is church work, for I was headed to Harvard and a career in business—but God had other plans. Resolve that you are in the right place, if not your chosen place.
Second, commit yourself to excellence, both in character and work, no matter where you are and what you are doing. Even if you are surrounded by those who do not share your values, be true to what you know that the Lord has taught you, and strive to produce good work from a willing heart. Finally, deal with any bitterness toward those who have mistreated you or abandoned you in your day of trouble.
We will see in this series how well Daniel served those who had mistreated and oppressed him, and God wants you to do the same. You cannot serve those whom you hate or resent. And, make sure you are clear with God and don't hold anything against Him because you had to make a change of plans concerning your life and where it would be expressed. If you will take this advice, you will be well on your way to laying the foundation for a successful stay in Babylon, whether for a season or for life. Have a blessed week!
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