The Monday Memo from John Stanko

921: Forgiveness in Babylon

Last week, we looked at Daniel's position in Babylon, which was one of influence and not control. While he had access to the king from his high position, Daniel could not control anything or anyone. He could only influence them and their decisions through his godly presence, wisdom, and cooperation. He did influence the king to the point that the king was confronted with the reality of Daniel's God being "the Most High God," but the king maintained loyalty to his Babylonian gods as well. 

Daniel was a remarkable young man, on par with Joseph, for they both served pagan kings in heathen cultures and did so with distinction and grace. That is what it will take for us to serve in our Babylon, which is an accurate description for the modern world. That is the reason we are studying Daniel, so we can extract the lessons there to assist us so we can not just survive our stint in Babylon but thrive there.

This week, let's look at an essential attitude Daniel had to have if he was going to prosper and be God's agent in Babylon and that attitude (or behavior) was forgiveness.

LEST WE FORGET    

It is important that we not romanticize Daniei's relocation to or role in Babylon. Daniel was there against his will. He was a prisoner or detainee of war, carried off to Babylon in a massive relocation program that was designed to obliterate his nation and people by having them assimilate into the dominant Babylonian culture. He had seen his home city of Jerusalem ransacked and destroyed. Perhaps his family was carried off with him or more probably killed. His future was radically altered from what he imagined it to be and he was forced to learn a new language and culture, while chosen (without his consent) to serve in the king's court. Yes, this was the same king who designed and led everything that Daniel had been through, which included ordering the unsuccessful execution of Daniel along with his three friends as described in Daniel 1 through 3.

We cannot forget what Daniel went through as we approach Daniel 4 and read how the king called on Daniel to interpret yet another dream. We would understand if Daniel was suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome after all he had been through. We could identify with his decision if he had chosen to have no part in assisting or comforting the enemy of his people. Yet Daniel performed nobly and well in Babylon and he could do so because he had learned to forgive his enemies and make peace with God's plan for his life.

"FOR YOUR ADVERSARIES"

How do we know that Daniel forgave the king and his captors? Let's read one verse that describes Daniel's disposition toward those among whom he was forced to live and work:

Then Daniel (also called Belteshazzar) was greatly perplexed for a time, and his thoughts terrified him. So the king said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its meaning alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered, “My lord, if only the dream applied to your enemies and its meaning to your adversaries!" (Daniel 4:19).

There are two options to explain Daniel's response when he heard the king's dream. He was either being polite and deceptive, hiding his true feelings because he was in the presence of the king who could have his head, or Daniel had made peace with his purpose and had forgiven the king and his people. I choose to believe it was the latter. Daniel had forgiven those who had done him wrong and thus was in a position to inject his spiritual gift and divine wisdom to benefit or at least advise the king. That is remarkable. 

I had a supervisor once who was nothing short of a rascal. He lied to me on numerous occasions, did not follow through on promised raises, paid me half-time instead of time-and-a-half for overtime, and stole from me and others. Then one day, my own finances were drying up (I was paid by commission at the time) and when I sought the Lord, He revealed my leanness was due to my unforgiveness toward that man. I cried out, "Why are you picking on me? I'm not the one with the moral problem; he is!" God would not relent and I learned an important lesson that God expected me to do right and be a servant to others regardless of their worthiness.

That is a lesson we tried to impart to the inmates when I was involved in prison ministry. They had to forgive those who had betrayed, disappointed, abandoned, or despitefully used them--and often there were many they had to forgive. They included police, attorneys, guards, lovers, family, children, themselves, and even God. Their forgiveness was not to be given according to the response of those being forgiven, but in response to God's will:

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Ephesians 4:32-5:2).

We taught them that they could not truly serve another unless they had dealt with anything they held against them. We also helped them understand that forgiveness is often progressive, which meant they would forgive at a certain level and move on, only to confront deeper levels of bitterness and anger. They then had to repeat the process.

Do you really want to succeed and not just exist in your Babylon? Have you made peace with those who wrongfully used you? Have you forgiven them to the extent that you can do them good, just like Daniel did in Babylon? Your purpose and creativity are not your own; God gave them to you and wants to direct how they are used. If you have not forgiven, however, it is like a knot in a garden hose. The water may be on but it can't get past the knot and your purpose is the same. It cannot get past the knot of unforgiveness. When I forgave my boss, my finances were restored and I later realized he was part of my seminary training for the ministry, for he taught me lessons no classroom could impart. I pray that you will make the most of your lessons too so you can take your place on a Babylonian stage as a main actor in a purpose play that was written, directed, and produced just for you. Have a blessed week!

*****

2020 TRIPS: I am heading with a group to Kenya in February and Israel/Jordan in April next year. Write for information if you would like to be among those going.

920: Influence in Babylon

We move on this week to Daniel 4 where Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, told us his own story of his encounter with the "Most High God," to use his own terminology. So far, we have seen that Nebuchadnezzar was the king who conquered Judea and brought Daniel and his friends to Babylon. While he was at it, he conquered much of the known world at that time as well, and he acted like a man who was used to getting his own way on his terms. We have read about his dream, Daniel's interpretation, the golden statue, and the king having Daniel's friends thrown into the fiery furnace (and surviving). Nebuchadnezzar played a central role in all these stories.

In chapter four, we read the following account from the king:

King Nebuchadnezzar, to the nations and peoples of every language, who live in all the earth: May you prosper greatly! It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me. How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation. I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home in my palace, contented and prosperous. I had a dream that made me afraid. As I was lying in bed, the images and visions that passed through my mind terrified me. So I commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be brought before me to interpret the dream for me. When the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners came, I told them the dream, but they could not interpret it for me. Finally, Daniel came into my presence and I told him the dream. (He is called Belteshazzar, after the name of my god, and the spirit of the holy gods is in him) (Daniel 4:1-8).

Let's examine that passage more closely.

GOD TALK

As I have pointed out, Babylon was a place where there was what's called a mixed bag of spirituality. There were lots of gods, philosophies, religious and spiritual practices, and idolatry. The name Babylon is used five times in the book of Revelation, and always to denote spiritual uncleanness and wickedness: "With a mighty voice he shouted: “‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’ She has become a dwelling for demons and a haunt for every impure spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal" (Revelation 18:2). Yet God transferred Daniel and his friends to this wicked city and idolatrous ruler to bear testimony to God's supremacy.

We will delve more deeply into Daniel 4 in future weeks, but this week, I want you to see what it took for Daniel to be successful in Babylon. Daniel had to be content with influence, for he was not going to "convert" the king to Judaism. Instead, Daniel introduced the king to Daniel's god, which unbeknownst to the king was also his God. God partnered with Daniel and worked to bring the king to a place of humility and revelation. Even when that happened, the king's God talk was a mixture of his knowledge of the true God coupled with his devotion to his personal Babylonian god.

THE MIXED BAG

I mentioned that Babylon was a mixed bag when it came to spirituality. God has His witnesses there, but they functioned in the midst of wise men involved in all manner of forbidden spiritual practices Jehovah had forbidden. Yet that did not keep God from revealing Himself. Notice that the king referred to Jehovah as "the Most High God" in verse two but then referred to his personal god, Bel, in verse eight when he referenced Daniel's Babylonian name, Belteshazzar. It appears that the king accepted Daniel's god as the chief God while clinging to the worship of what he considered a lesser god.

Daniel's role in Babylon was to influence those around him, and the same is true for those of us called to serve in modern Babylon. When I worked with inmates, we urged them not to feel like a failure if their witnessing fell short of conversion and baptism, for God's purpose may be something beyond individual salvations. God also wants to help His people influence those around them to make godly decisions and live more holy lives. We saw corrupt guards begin to change their behaviors and inmates influence (fro the good) prison policies and practices.

While we have the same objective as God's "who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4), we must at times be content with doing what Daniel did: standing for the truth even though most will either ignore or oppose it. In Daniel's story, the one who was least likely to be influenced was, and he became the first Gentile author in God's inspired word when he wrote what is now Daniel chapter four.

Are you in a place of influence even though you are in a spiritual environment that is a mixed bag of philosophies and practices? Are you content with influence while allowing God to use that influence to touch lives at a deeper level? Are you willing to sow seed and allow God to oversee the seed in the hearts of others, bringing it to harvest long after you are gone from that harvest field? You need to have the right goal if you want to be successful in Babylon and that goal should be influence as an ambassador for the truth of God in Christ. If you do your part, then God will do His, and no king, not even the great Nebuchadnezzar, can withstand the grace of God when He decides to pour it out on any underserving soul. Have a blessed week!

919: Fired in Babylon

The story of Daniel's long and successful career in Babylon is important for us to study, for he modeled how to be faithful to the Lord in a hostile spiritual environment, something believers must learn to do in our world or risk retreating into a spiritual ghetto where it is safe but cut off from the people who desperately need to hear about and know the Lord. This week, let's move on to Daniel 3, which contains the famous story of Daniel's three men and their encounter with the fiery furnace. I suggest you read the story before you go on.

FIRED

Even though he was only the head of gold in his dream, the king ordered a huge statue of gold be made of himself and further commanded all his subjects to worship his image. If there was one thing that was abhorrent to a Jew, it was idolatry, so it is not surprising that Daniel's friends refused to bow down before the statue, and let their refusal be known to all. Their rivals, seeing a chance to knock the Jews from their leadership roles, reported this to the king, who was filled with rage:

Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” (Daniel 3:13-15).

When the three men stood their ground, the king decided to "fire" them on the spot by throwing them into a blazing furnace. What was the purpose for this furnace? The Middle East is a hot place, yet there was a furnace that the king ordered to be heated seven times hotter than usual. I would assume this furnace was for sacrifice, and I would also assume the three men were not the first to be thrown into that fiery grave. This then became a confrontation between the God of the three men and the idols of Babylon, something akin to the meeting between Elijah and the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18.

SUBMISSION, NOT OBEDIENCE    

The three men submitted to the king, which we are commanded to do as believers, but they did not obey the king--and there is a difference. Submission is an attitude and the three men were willing to submit to the consequences of their decision. They did not scream at the king or threaten him with divine retribution. They simply said, "You have the authority from God to do what you are going to do. We recognize your authority and will submit to it, but we cannot obey you." 

When we taught these principles in a prison setting, we urged the men and women to maintain a respectful attitude and submit to the authorities without obeying them if they gave an order that was contrary to God's will. If they were ordered to lie or cheat, they could not obey but then had to submit to the consequences for their choices with a godly attitude--just as Jesus did when He was condemned to death. He submitted to Pilate and the authorities, all the while obeying the Father, who was a higher authority.

What happened to the three men? Even though they were "fired," they met the Lord in the midst of their flames. Not only that, but the things that had bound them were burned off and they were free to walk around in the fire. It is of note that when they got free, they did not run out of the furnace. They had to be called out by the king and when they came out, they did not even smell like smoke. 

Are you serving in Babylon? Are you being asked to compromise what you know is righteous but are afraid to disobey because you may lose your job or reputation? Are you giving in to peer pressure to be like everyone else in your Babylon? Is the king's anger intimidating you and causing you to obscure your faithful witness? If you have asked the Lord to be closer to Him, is it possible that you must enter your own fiery furnace to meet Him there? 

Babylon has many fiery furnaces and many kings with an anger problem. I urge you to focus on the King of kings and determine to be faithful to Him while the many other kings in Babylon vie for your heart and affection. If you remain faithful, you will be a worthy servant of the Most High even if you get "fired" for your righteousness. Have a blessed week!

918: Leadership in Babylon

This week, we continue with our Success in Babylon series as we study Daniel's recipe for success in a hostile environment. Last week, we saw that Daniel was given a chance to serve with God's help in Babylon, which tried to assimilate him and his friends into their culture for their own purposes. God had His own reasons for sending Daniel there, and He revealed Himself and His will in a setting where the Jewish people would never have chosen to be. Let's look at that more closely, for you also may be in a place where you question God's assignment for you at this time.

THE KING'S DREAM

Nebuchadnezzar was not a God-fearing or God-worshiping man, yet God chose to put him on the throne:

“This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold" (Daniel 2:36-38).

Daniel clearly understood that God had put Nebuchadnezzar in charge, and Daniel's role was not to oppose him, but rather to serve him. Daniel has no ego that drove him to be the main leader, and he was humble enough to submit to God's choice, even though the king was not part of his culture. When I worked in prison settings, I tried to help the prisoners recognize and submit to authority, not because the authority was perfect, but because God had placed them there. 

I learned this lesson once when I had a job and was placed under a man who had serious moral issues. I was young in the Lord, and not aware of my attitude, but God knew. When my finances dried up and I sought the Lord for the reason, He revealed that my lack was due to my lack of respect for my supervisor. I cried out to God, "I am serving You. Why are you picking on me? My boss it he one with the sin problem!" Yet God taught me that how I served that boss was an indication of how I would serve Him, using 1 Peter 2:18 to admonish me: "Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable" (NASB). The NASB version has a footnote by the word unreasonable that indicates another acceptable translation is the word perverse. My overseer was perverse but God wanted me to serve him because God had sent me to my own Babylon. Daniel came to the same conclusion concerning his Babylon.

GOD SPOKE TO HIM

Not only did God place Nebuchadnezzar where he was, but God spoke to him and used Daniel to do so: 

Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you were lying in bed are these" (Daniel 2:27-28).

If Daniel had received the dream, no one would have paid attention to it or its meaning. Because God works through leadership, however, He gave the king the dream and then the supernatural interpretation through Daniel so the king would know God had spoken to him. God not only assigns your purpose but where you will fulfill and express it. My purpose is relevant anywhere, but it is the most effective when I am in Africa. We taught the inmates to assume that they were to fulfill their purpose in prison instead of waiting until they were released to serve God. God wanted to use them (and you) to reveal His will to Babylon, and He doesn't need permission or doesn't have to explain His reasons for using anyone to do so.

When I realized that God has sent me to the place with the "perverse" supervisor, I surrendered to His will, asked Him to help me adjust my attitude, and determined I would stay there the rest of my life if that was what He wanted. Lo and behold, that job and that supervisor were my springboard to ministry. When God adjusted my perspective on leadership and His role in it, He was free to promote me to other situations where I could serve His purpose not just for the church, but also for the world at large.

Are you in Babylon? Are you chafing under the leadership of someone who is ungodly? Do you resent being there, and are holding back your gifts and purpose? If you see that God has assigned you where you are, you can thrive and prosper even in the worst of environments. When you see that God wants you to serve the leadership where you are, you are free to be used to speak to those leaders on God's behalf, and who knows, God may reveal His mysteries to you in a place not of your choosing while He works out your purpose after the fashion of His will. Have a blessed week.

917: Promotion in Babylon

This is our eighth week in our Success in Babylon series, in which we have been examining the reasons for Daniel's success after his exile to Babylon. If you missed any of the series, you can access them all here, but for now, let's go back and reexamine Daniel's promotion to be the chief of all the wise men and see what lessons we can learn for us today.

MODERN BABYLON

We have entered a world that is similar to Daniel's world in Babylon, which is the reason we are studying his life to see how we can survive and thrive in a spiritually-hostile environment like he was. Babylon was a magnificent city and culture. It had massive buildings, a strong economy, and because of its military conquests, a diverse culture made up of the many people Babylon had conquered. When Daniel arrived, he had come from a culture where everyone thought, worshiped, and worked the same. In Babylon, Daniel was only one voice among many, and that is the situation the church finds itself in today.

There was a time when the church was the dominant and main, if not the only voice, in Western cultures. Now that's changed, and believers don't quite know what to do. In a sense, the church and its members have retreated, hoping and waiting for a revival or reversal that may never come so they can regain their dominant voice. That is why we as individuals, and the church in general, needs to study how to survive in a spiritually-hostile world, and that is why Daniel is the perfect role model. We must now be content with influence because there are many voice vying for the hearts and minds of people.

We passed over rather quickly that after his interview with the king and then his interpretation of the king's dream, Daniel was promoted to be over all the wise men of Babylon (see Daniel 2:48). Think about that. Daniel has responsibility to oversee the soothsayers, necromancers, magicians, sorcerers, and conjurers in the realm. What were those business meetings like? "We will now hear a report from the sorcerers in south Babylon to hear what they are conjuring up these days?" This was nothing like what Daniel had grown up with in Judea. 

A CHANCE TO SERVE  

When no one could interpret the king's dream after first telling the king what his dream was, the king ordered all these wise men to be put to death, including Daniel and his friends. Daniel's attitude could have been, "Good. They are all a bunch of sinners doing things Yahweh forbids. I didn't want to be here in the first place, so if we all die, we die." Instead, Daniel intervened and saved all their lives. He was not bitter and did not have victim's mentality, or an attitude that said, "Uh, this is not in my job description and is above my pay scale. Sorry."

This is the reason we chose Daniel when we taught inmates, for their prison environment was similar to Babylon. We encouraged them not to sit out their sentence playing cards or pool. We urged them not to just to survive but thrive by finding opportunities to display excellence in their work and behavior. Many of the guards harassed them, but we taught them to submit to unfair treatment with joy and patience. Some of the inmates were promoted to positions of significance and trust because they learned how to exist and prosper in their Babylon. It may be time for you to do the same.

If your purpose is expressed and fulfilled in the church, that's great and you have important work. Most people's purpose and creativity, however, are not expressed in church but in the spiritually-neutral (or worse) spheres of business, education, the military, or social work. If we learn to do what Daniel did and, more importantly, be who Daniel was, then we will be promoted in Babylon, just like he was: "The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom" (Deuteronomy 28:13).

THE EARTH IS THE LORD'S

The Lord was the one who orchestrated Daniel's relocation to Babylon, just like He did Joseph's to Egypt. And there is a good chance God has you where you are for a purpose, and it's not just to work out something in your heart. God wants you to give the best of who you are and who He made you to be to Babylon because He loves all His creation. He has sent you because He is reaching out to the Babylonians and is taking care of His creation: "The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters" (Psalm 24:1). God cares about Babylon and because He does, He assigned you a place there. You are not to tolerate that position, you are to celebrate it and represent the Lord well.

Good took some of His best and gave them an assignment in Babylon, where there was great danger and risk. They accepted their lot and God was with them. They were never totally in sync with Babylon and faced harassment and persecution their entire stay, but God preserved them and they continued to excel and stay true to their values. The same may be true for you, and it will be important for you to keep your eyes on the prize of the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant" as you serve your time in Babylon, not because you have done something wrong, but because God had a purpose for you being there. Have a blessed week.

916: Worship in Babylon

In case you are just tuning in, I began a series titled Success in Babylon in response to a challenge from friends who heard me talk about teaching this series years ago when I was doing prison ministry. I accepted the challenge and intend to convert these entries into a book when we finish at year's end. While some of these messages were delivered to an audience of inmates, they are relevant for anyone who is serving the Lord in a spiritually-hostile environment and there will be many new messages I have never written or spoken about before.

Last week, we saw Daniel's faith in asking the Lord to reveal to him the king's dreams along with their interpretation. No other wise man in Babylon thought this possible, but Daniel knew that his God majored in the impossible, so he did not hesitate to ask, expecting an answer: "At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him" (Daniel 2:16). All the wise men were granted a reprieve from the king's death edict, and Daniel and his friends went to work.

DANIEL WORSHIPED

Even though Daniel expected God to answer his request, he was still overwhelmed with joy and gratitude when He did. His first response was worship:

“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king" (Daniel 2:20-23).

It is one thing to worship God for who He is, and we should do that with intelligence and eloquence because He is a great God if He never does another thing for us. It is quite another thing to worship Him because of what He does for us, and we should be asking and expecting God to do marvelous things, even if we are serving Him in Babylon. One time, i was on a board of directors for an organization whose finances were a mess. I offered to take the records and try to make sense out of them. The board agreed, so I took all the records, spread them out over a large table, and prayed, "Lord, You know where the money is and where I need to go." Immediately, I found the trail of the missing money. Guess what I did after that? I worshiped the Lord, thanking Him for His help.

Then I took my report to my fellow board members and they were all pleasantly surprised to hear what I had to say (there was no criminal activity; just bad record-keeping). Someone asked, "How did you find all this out so quickly?" My response was, "I prayed." The members looked around at each other nervously and repeated, "He prayed. Yeah, he prayed," and then one person yelled out, "Well, praise the Lord!" and everyone laughed. That is exactly what happened when Daniel gave his report. 

THE KING WORSHIPED

When the king heard someone tell him both his dreams and their interpretation, he was amazed. What was his response? He worshiped:

Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him. The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery" (Daniel 2:46-47).

When God sends us to Babylon, He desires that we represent Him well so that others will know and worship Him. Therefore, our goal in Babylon is worship (both personal and corporate) from both those who know Him and those who don't. When is the last time someone worshiped your God because of the job you did in Babylon? The same thing happened when the Queen of Sheba came to visit Solomon. Like Nebuchadnezzar, she was blown away by what she beheld from one of God's servants and said, "Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness" (1 Kings 10:9). This praise in or from Babylon is not only to be for who God is, but for what He does. They will only see what He does when they behold the work we do and the attitude of joy we have as we represent Him--no matter how tough things get.

Are you in Babylon? Is your goal survival and self-preservation, or is it worship? Are you expecting the impossible and then worshiping God when He delivers it? Are you serving the heathen "kings" in your assigned sphere and causing them to think about and maybe even worship your God? I hope you are, but it's not too late if you're not. Simply change your mindset from that of being a prisoner to being a servant of God who is free (even if you are bound and chained) to do His will. When you do, God will enhance your worship and that of those around you when you show forth the glories of His love and grace in the work that you produce. Have a blessed week.

915: Doing the Impossible in Babylon

As we continue with our Success in Babylon series, this week we look at Daniel after he and his friends were promoted after they had distinguished themselves in their period of training. No sooner had they distinguished themselves, they faced a crisis:

In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep. So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. When they came in and stood before the king, he said to them, “I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means.” Then the astrologers answered the king, “May the king live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.” The king replied to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble. But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and interpret it for me.” 

Once more they replied, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it.” Then the king answered, “I am certain that you are trying to gain time, because you realize that this is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me the dream, there is only one penalty for you. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the situation will change. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can interpret it for me.” The astrologers answered the king, “There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer. What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans" (Daniel 2:1-11).

Nebuchadnezzar was a difficult man to work with and for. He obviously had a short fuse on a bad temper, and he had high expectations for his advisors and officials. No one believed his standards could be achieved, and they were all about to get permanently "fired" for their inability to measure up.

DANIEL TO THE RESCUE

Daniel was included in the king's death edict, but when faced with this dilemma, he did not panic or hide. He simply applied his faith in God, right there in Babylon, on behalf of a heathen king and empire that had done him and his friends much harm:

When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact. He asked the king’s officer, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him (Daniel 2:14-16).

Daniel believed that his God could perform the impossible, but it wasn't just something he talked or sang choruses about. Daniel acted on his faith and saved not only his life, but also the lives of the other wise men, most of them engaged in practices like soothsaying, consulting the dead, and sorcery--all practices prohibited by Daniel's God. Of course, we know the outcome:

Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision (Daniel 2:17-19a).

It is remarkable that Daniel received not just the king's dream interpretation, but also had the exact same dream! How did Daniel know he had the correct dream? How was he so sure? He was confident because he was an Old Testament man living in New Testament truth:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do (James 1:2-8).

THE LESSONS

If you are in Babylon, you can trust God to act according to your faith, even if you are serving what seems to be a secular or non-Christian entity. God responds to faith, and God still does the impossible, but usually for those who trust and ask Him to do so. What's more, God can assign you to express your purpose and faith in a setting that is less than ideal, a place not of your choosing or liking. I would tell the inmates in prison that God wanted them to express the best of who they were for guards and authorities who were sometimes harsh and demeaning. What's more, God expected them to be involved in making their Babylon a better place to live and work, and God expects the same of you, no matter how difficult your conditions or oversight.

Many saints tell me their favorite Bible verse is Philippians 4:13: "I can do all this through him who gives me strength." When they tell me that, I usually respond by asking, "So what are some of the 'all things' you are doing?'" They usually look surprised, for they are stating that they can do all things; not that they are doing all things--and there is a big difference, which distinguishes productive, doing Christians from non-productive, talk-only ones.

Are you giving your best in Babylon? Are you heeding God's directive in Jeremiah 29:7: "Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." Your "city" may be a place of business, a prison, a school, or even a church located in our around Babylon. Wherever it is, God is watching and waiting to get involved, and doesn't mind doing the impossible for His servants who ask and believe. The problem is not whether or not God can do it, but whether His people are willing. He is, if you are, so this week, find a place to insert your wisdom-giving God into your wisdom-starved Babylon. Have a blessed week.

914: Suffering in Babylon

Let's review what we have learned so far in our Success in Babylon series we began five weeks ago. Our focus for the series is Daniel in Babylon to learn how we can be as successful in our spiritually-hostile environment as he was in his. To date, we have learned that:

1. Daniel was in Babylon not by choice, but by conscription.
2. Daniel and his friends had a bright future in front of them, but it suddenly change and they had no say in the matter.
3. When they got to Babylon, they were given new names, transformed into eunuchs, and forced to assimilate into a new culture.
4. Even through all their suffering, Daniel and his entourage refused to eat the king's food, staying true to their heritage and values as Hebrew men.
5. God blessed their commitment and they were promoted into the king's service because God's ways always ultimately lead to success and promotion.

You can read any of the previous entries before you on to read this week's lesson.

DRINK THE CUP

Before we move on to Daniel 2 next week, I want to look at one more concept in Daniel 1, which is one that is implied but not specifically mentioned and that concept is suffering. We read 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." It would be simple to read through Daniel 1 and not take a moment to reflect on what these young exiles went through emotionally to get to Babylon.

These young men had seen their homeland and Temple invaded and destroyed by foreigners, things some prophets had predicted would never happen. Perhaps they saw their families killed, or they at least were separated from their loved ones when they were taken to Babylon, never to see them again. These captives had to walk the 600 miles to Babylon from Judea, and were probably not given the best of treatment. All these events would add up to significant trauma that they would have remembered for the rest of their lives. 

In the midst of all that, they refused to drink wine from the king's cup because they had their own cup to drink from, and it was the cup of suffering. Jesus had His own cup of suffering to drink from and he implied that anyone who followed Him would have their own cup as well:

Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down,asked a favor of him. “What is it you want?” he asked. She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.” "You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them.“ Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?" “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father" (Matthew 20:19-23, emphasis added).

Later, Jesus addressed His own cup of suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane: "Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, 'My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will'" (Matthew 26:39). The cup was a reference to the agonizing suffering Jesus was about to endure, and Jesus knew it was going to be a struggle even for Him. Yet He endured and we are instructed to do the same:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart (Hebrews 12:1-3).

GET READY

When I spoke in prison settings, I reminded the inmates that part of their lot was suffering, something many of them had either experienced or committed crimes to avoid. Either way, they were going to have to deny themselves, pick up their crosses, and follow His example--and that was going to cause them to suffer. The same is true for you, regardless of what situation you find yourself. If you are going to fulfill your life purpose and be true to the Lord's will, you will suffer. Paul understood this and rejoiced in the privilege to do so: "Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church" (Colossians 1:24).

Daniel was successful in his Babylon because he embraced suffering and did not allow it to deter him from serving God. He was not bitter and he willingly gave the best of who he was to his captors, as we will see in later Memos. Can you do the same? Can you give your best to your Babylon as you serve your Nebuchadnezzar? Can you follow Christ not only when the blessings flow, but also when the sufferings abound? I close with this admonition from Hebrews:

Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For, “In just a little while, he who is coming will come  and will not delay.” And, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.” But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved (Hebrews 10:32-39).

Have a blessed week.

913: God's Ways Work in Babylon

We continue this week with our ongoing series titled "Success in Babylon," in which we are focusing on Daniel and the steps he took not just to survive but thrive in Babylon after his forced deportation. Last week, we saw that Daniel and his friends refused to eat the king's food, asking for permission to maintain their simpler diet of vegetables. They received permission to do so for only a few days and then they would be evaluated to determine if their diet was indeed superior to that of the king's training center. Let's look at the rest of the story from there.

IT WORKED

Daniel's experiment of not eating the king's food produced good results:

At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead. To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds. At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom. And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus (Daniel 1:15-21).

Daniel proved that his diet and way of life were superior to that of the Babylonians, and the king's official, who wanted results, was only too glad to comply. Not only did Daniel and his friends look better than the other young captives, they also outperformed their peers. Since God promotes people who develop their potential dnd not those who only have it but do nothing with it, it was only a matter off time before these men were noticed and given more responsibility. 

MORE PROOF

There are many places in the Bible where the success of God's people is promised or at least insinuated. Here are a few:

• Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank (Proverbs 22:29).
  
• The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom (Deuteronomy 28:13).
  
• Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers (Psalm 1:1-3).

In my busy days doing prison ministry, I would encourage the inmates to be true to their Christian values, for God watched and worked even in prison settings, just like He did in Babylon. There were times when God tested the inmates by giving them lowly positions or harsh overseers, but I never saw it fail that if they were true to God's ways and persevered, God would promote and prosper them. The same is true for you, no matter what situation you find yourself in. 

While we must be careful not to worship at the altar of success, we must also acknowledge that God's ways work, and, if we follow them, He will exalt us in whatever sphere He calls us to serve. Therefore, if you are not advancing, you must ask the reasons why and examine yourself to see if you are the problem. Are you bearing fruit? Do you have favor with those over you? If you have leadership power, do you champion the cause of those who are faithful, skilled, and honest? Success in Babylon is no different than anywhere else, for God is the same no matter where His people are called to live and serve. Have a blessed week.

912: Values in Babylon

We are well on our way in my latest series titled "Success in Babylon," which examines how you can survive in a spiritually-hostile environment, just like Daniel and his friends did. This is important because modern societies, at least in the West, are becoming increasingly antagonistic to believers and Christians values, yet Jesus prayed, 

"My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified" (John 17:15-19).

God is not interested in removing His saints from the world, but wants them to thrive and prosper there, providing a witness for Him to all those who will pay attention. In a sense, Daniel was one of the first missionaries in history, sent to another culture where God expected him too serve. The same may be true for you, so let's look at another lesson we can all learn from Daniel's sojourn in Babylon.

TRUE TO HIS VALUES

We learned last week that Daniel was subjected to a total makeover in Babylon that included a new name, education, and identity as a man. Any plans of marriage were out of the question. His family was probably dead, and he found himself far away from his homeland. Keep in mind that Daniel was undoubtedly a teenager while all this was going on. If I was in Daniel's situation, I would have been tempted to abandon my people's values after all I had been through, but that was not who Daniel was. We read,

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. Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you" (Daniel 1:8-10).

What can we learn from those verses?

1. Daniel did not rebel but kept a good attitude. He did not refuse to eat the king's food, he asked permission not to do so. We can speculate what would have happened if his caretaker had refused his request, but the good news is that he did not and gave Daniel permission to abstain.
2. God was intimately involved with Daniel in Babylon. Note that He gave Daniel favor with his guard. That means that God was up to something according to His own purposes in Daniel's life, and He often is doing the same in yours.
3. Daniel's supervisor feared the king; Daniel feared God.
4. The chief feared what would happen if Daniel did not eat the king's food; Daniel was concerned what would happen if he did. Yet Daniel realized what the guard was after, and helped him obtain it.
5. Daniel cooperated with the king's plan and the supervisor's objective, but he had a better way to achieve the same purpose.

Daniel did not boycott the king's food; he did not go on a hunger strike. He did not withhold the best of who he was from people who had misused and abused him. Daniel had confidence that if he obeyed God, then God would work on his behalf and God's role would benefit all involved: Daniel, his friends, the supervisor, and the pagan king. Daniel stayed true to his values and God strayed true to him, and this set Daniel on a path that would lead to promotion and success in Babylon.

LESSONS

It has been said that your character is revealed when you are alone and no one is forcing you to do anything, and you respond according to what's in your heart. Daniel's values were deeply embedded in his character, and he stayed true to them, even when he was suffering and under pressure. Can the same be said of you? Tribulation reveals character, and Daniel could have easily totally assimilated into Babylonian culture, but he did not cross the line into disobedience.

Do you live two lives, one a church life and one a non-church life, or do you have and follow the same values in both worlds? Do you count on God's favor in your own Babylon? Are you even recognizing His favor, thanking Him for it, and taking advantage of it? Is your attitude godly, even when you are mistreated or misunderstood? If you are going to succeed in your Babylon, you must take Daniel's example seriously and look to model your own after his. If you do, God can use and even promote you in Babylon. if you don't, you may survive but you won't thrive, and your days will be much more difficult than they should be if you cooperated and did it God's way. Have a blessed week!