God Preserves the Faithful

Open your bibles to our new book, to finished the Book of Romans. And now we are heading back to the Old Testament, and we are in the Book of Daniel. Daniel, chapter one. The Book of Daniel has much to say about living in the midst of turbulent times. It would be a fitting title for the Book of Daniel, would it not Hope in the midst of turbulent times? Whatever you have gone through, I guarantee it has not risen to the level of Daniel's despair. I guarantee you that your worst day was better than what Daniel experienced when he many of his countrymen were dragged off in chains to a foreign land. And yet the Book of Daniel's stands to give us hope in the midst of those turbulent times. Listen to this from one commentator over against the might of Babylon and the seeming superiority of her gods, two questions face exiled Jews. Is Israel's God truly God as compared with the Babylonian ones? And will God forgive the sin of his people and resume fellowship with them? The first question is answered in Daniel by his recounting of the might of Israel's God as he exercises his sovereignty over all human kingdoms. The kingdom theology of the Book of Daniel is an answer to the exile's concern over the uniqueness of Israel's God. The Book of Daniel also answers the second question. Not only is the theme of kingdom present, but also that of covenant. Covenant is present implicitly in the narrative sections of the book, with the infant on the distinctiveness of Daniel and his companions in their exilic setting. However, in chapters nine through eleven, the covenant theme appears explicitly. Is our God truly God? And will he forgive us and redeem us? Those are the questions, not just for Daniel, those are the questions for us. Is my God truly God? And in the light of my circumstances? Will he redeem me? Will He rescue me? Will it eventually be all right? If you have not asked those questions, you just haven't lived long enough. Amen. Those are the questions with which we all wrestle, And those are the questions that Daniel answers. Daniel is one of those books that we know about but only in part, and we know about it only in part because most of us have only ventured to try to understand the first half of the book. Amen, and that badly because oftentimes when we go to the first half of the book, there's several ways that you can divide the Book of Daniel. There's two halves. There's the narrative half chapters one through six, and most of us know about the narrative halves. In chapters one through six. It's narrative, like forty percent of the Old Testament is narrative. And we get there and it's great. Of course, the way we deal with it is not so great because again we don't have a redemptive historic approach. We don't have a Christ's centered approach. So all we're left with is moralism. Daniel and his friends are great. Be like them, like your song. Dare to be a Daniel, dare to stand alone. Hey, that's the way we look at the Book of Daniel. It's moralism, pure and simple. Here's what they did that was good. Do that so that God will be pleased with you and that all may go well with you. We messed that up, and that's the easy half. The difficulty comes in the second half. In the apocalyptic section beginning at chapter seven, where there are all these dreams and visions that Daniel is interpreting, and for most of us we don't even bother reading through those. We just go get a good study Bible or something that will tell us what we're supposed to believe about the symbols. If you can't say amen, you ought to say ouch. Okay, we don't even wade through that, And of course, why should we wade through that, because after all, it really doesn't have any valuable, any value except for maybe to interpret some of the signs of the end times. Isn't it amazing that we're okay with that idea? That God gives a book and the Book of Daniels written probably somewhere around five thirty BC. Okay, some folks will put it later than that, and there's several reasons for that, but Daniel's probably dated somewhere around five thirty BC. The events in the Book of Daniel take place between six oh five and five point thirty seven BC. The book is written shortly thereafter around five third or complete it shortly thereafter around five thirty. But isn't it interesting that we're okay with the idea that God would have a book of the Bible written and half of it is absolutely meaningless to all people in all times except those who happen to be here at the end. Really, is that what you think? Now? I know what's going on inside you right now, because inside you, right now you're going I know, I'm supposed to shake my head no to pastor Voti right now because it just really sounds bad the way he put it. But before he said that, Yeah, So my answer is no, God did not give us a book that was without meaning or is without meaning for everyone except those who are alive at the end of the age. It had meaning for the exiles, and it has meaning for us. Every last bit of it has meaning for us. Not only can you divide it into two halves, but you can also divide it into two languages. This is unique about the Book of Daniel. Daniel chapter one through Dannuel, chapter two and verse four A is written in Hebrew. Daniel chapter two, verse four B through the end of Daniel chapter seven is written in Arabic. Then it goes back into Hebrew again. So three sections, two different languages, the Hebrew section, the Aramic body, and then the Hebrew closing of this letter. It's another way that you could divide it, but since we're not going to be reading Hebrew and Aramaic, we won't divide it that way. There's a third thing that you see here in the Aramaic section. There is a chiasm. Now we've talked about chiastic structures before. You know the structure kind of like a cross, if you will. There's a chiasm in the second section, the Arameic section, which is very important that it's written in the Arabic language and has a chiastic structure. And it is just the Aromatic Aramaic portion that has the chiastic structure. What is the chiasm? Now, again, we don't have a chart of here for you, so it's difficult for me to show you. So I will try to walk it out for you and think about it going on a piece of paper like this, Okay, in and and out, but visualize it as I move. In chapter two, there's a dream of a statue representing four kingdoms. Chapter three there's worship of the golden statue or perish in a pit. Chapter four there's the judgment of King Nebuka Nezzer. Now we're going to start the same thing in reverse. Chapter five, there's the judgment of Belshazzar. Chapter six, worship Darius or perish in a pit. Chapter seven, a dream of four b beasts who represent four kingdoms. Perfect chiastic structure, very rarely seen anywhere, but here in the Aramaic portion, there is a perfect chiasm, and there is a message there in that structure. We'll talk about that as our time goes on. But here in this section Daniel, chapter one, verses one through seven, we see, as I said, a tale of two kingdoms. Let's read this section together. In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, Neverkdneszar, king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem and besieged it. Let me just sort of put a footnote here. We'll just put a pin in it at this moment, because there are people who would say, we'll see there's already a problem, because the Bible contradicts itself, because Jeremiah says and it was in the fourth year of his reign, and here it says that it was in the third year of his reign. Just know this, Just let me answer that as simply as I possibly can remember that Daniels in Babylon. He's using the Babylonian rendering of the reign of the king. Remember, Jeremiah is using a Palestinian rendering of the reign of the king for Daniel. The reign goes like this, there's the year of ascension where you become the king. The next year is your first year, the year after that your second. The year after that you're third. Palestinian rendering would be the year of your ascension is your first year. The you after that your second, You after that your third, you have to that your fourth. An example of this is if you've ever been over in Europe and you get on an elevator. Here in America, if you get on an elevator and you go up one floor, you're on the second floor. In many places in Europe, you get on an elevator and you go up one floor and you're on the first floor. It could mess you up. Now, imagine hundreds of years from now, somebody finds documentation and there was an author in England who wrote about something that happened on the second floor, and an author in America who wrote about something that happened on the third floor, and the people say there's a contradiction here, it must not be true. That's the same thing here in Daniel chapter one and verse one. Okay, it's just a different rendering of how you start the first year of the reign verse two. And the Lord gave to Hooyakim, king of Judah, into the hand, I'm sorry, into his hand with some of the vessels of the House of God, and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his God, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his God. Then the king commanded Ashfanaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, youths without blemish of good appearance, skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding, learning, and competent, to stand in the King's palace and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. The king assigned them daily portions of the food that the King ate and of the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king. Among these were Daniel, Hananaiah, Michael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. Don't think for a minute that that's unimportant. They're in the midst of exile, and there's a book that's written basic. He says to the people of God, God is going to preserve his people in the midst of it. There's four characters that he picks out as the principal characters of the story, and they are all from the tribe of the Promised Seed, from whom the scepter is never going to depart. That's just, amen, Holy you praise the Lord right there, just by itself, just that these four guys are from the tribe of Judah, and the chief of the eunuchs gave them names. Daniel he called Beltishazar and and I he called Shadrak, Michel he called Mishak, and Asaraiah he called a bed Nago. There you have it, the Tale of two Kingdoms, and it's set up perfectly. First, in the Tale of two Kingdoms, we see a tale of two kings. We see on the one hand, the king of Judah, Jehoiakim, and on the other hand, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. Now Johoikim was the son of Josiah, he was an ungodly king. Listen to this in Tewod Kings, chapter twenty three, beginning verse thirty six. Johoikim was twenty five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zebedah was Zebeda, the daughter of Pediah of Ruma. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done in the days. In his days, Nebkadezer, king of Babylon, came up and Johickim became his servant for three years. He was an awful king. His father was a good king. He was an awful king. He was put on the throne by an Egyptian pharaoh named Nico as he attempted to exercise control over Syria Palestine. Think about these two major superpowers, Egypt in the south just below Israel, Babylon above Israel. They are fighting for dominance in the region, and the crossroads between the two is this little sliver of land and a small country called Israel. When Josiah was killed in battle, the people that had en throned his son, Jehoah Has, who represented an anti Egyptian faction. This situation lasted for three months while Niko was busy in Haran. Nico basically deposed Jehoya has and sent him off as a captive in Egypt. Pro Egyptian Jehoiakim was then placed on the throne with the expectation that he would be loyal to Egypt because they're all afraid of the Babylonians coming down from the north. The situation changed dramatically when nebukand Nezar gained control of that region following the Battle of Carcamish remember this one from your ancient history. There he put down the Egyptians for good and established their dominance in the region. The guy on the throne in Egypt when the Babylonians established established their dominance over the region and the Battle of Carcamission six ' oh five by wiping out the Egyptians was Jehoya Kim, who had been loyal to the Egyptians. Jehoiican played the role of relooked Babylonian vassal for several years, but after Nemagandasi's failure to invade Egypt six oh one, he again broke with Battle Balon and sought to support Egypt and the rebellion. This disloyalty proved fatal and led to the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, ultimately finishing them off. And that started in five ninety seven. So there you get a little picture of the history of this that's basically summed up in this phrase. In the third year of the reign of Jehoia Kim, king of Judah, Nebuchadneza, king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the next verse you see that there are things that are carried off. You assume that the king was probably carried off as well. But note that in this tale of two kings, here's what you don't see. You don't see here is a godly king in a godly nation and a godless king and a godless nation, and they battle to see who's supreme. No, you see a godless king in a godless nation who comes through wipes out a region, and the king, who was faithful to God happens to be on the throne when God judges. As people see, we love to sort of reduce the Bible to good guys and bad guys. It's not that simple. And one of the reasons is not that simple, is they're all bad guys, amen, just like you and I are all bad guys. So if you want to understand the difference between these two kingdoms, you don't necessarily just look it's the two kings. There has to be something else. Not only is there a tale two kings, but there's also a tale of two gods. You see in the ancient Near East, when you go to battle, you go and call upon your God. This idea of these secular nation is like we have today, not so much in the ancient Near East. In fact, that's very recent. When you look at world history, the idea has always been that you call upon God to go before you in battle. You want to fight on the right side, and God to be with you on your side as you go into battle. And the ancient Near East, if you defeated a foe, you always brought their gods with you as captives, just like their people are captives, because when you defeat their gods, you say to them, our God is stronger than your god. You belong to us. Your god bows down to our God. So Nebu Canazar comes in and doesn't just take Jehoyakin. He goes to the temple and he takes away artifacts, making a statement about his God compared to the God of Israel, which would lead to the dejection, the further dejection of the people of Israel. Remember, they're not reading Daniel, they're living it, so they don't have For example, verse two, and the Lord gave Hoyakin, king of Judah, into his hand with some of the vessels of the House of God. The Lord gave him into his hands. Folks, the Lord is doing this. God is sending his people away into exile. God is allowing them to be wiped out. God is allowing the nation to fall. God is doing this. And if there is a message in the Book of Daniel, that's the message God is in control. See, oftentimes we like to say that God is in control when things are going the way we want them to go, and all of a sudden, when things don't go the way we want them to go, our first question is where is God? Why? Because according to our theology, when God is in control and doing what he's supposed to do and paying attention, he's making stuff happen the way he and I agree it ought to happen. But if he's not a agreeing with me, then he's slumbering or sleeping or falling down on the job. And we kind of go, you know what, God, I know you're busy and everything, but can you fix this because this is not how my life is supposed to go. Let's look first internally and then externally to see the hand of God all this. Look at chapter two and verse eight, and God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief eunuchs. Chief of the eunis, I'm sorry. Chapter one, verse eight. Chapter one, verse seventeen. As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding and visions and dreams. Chapter two, verse eleven. The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh. Then, in chapter two, beginning of verse twenty, Daniel praises God forgiving him. What these men have already said only comes from God. Chapter two, verse twenty eight. But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebecon Nezer, what will be in the latter days? Look at chapter two, verse forty four. And in the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. Look down with me. At the end of verse forty five, A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this? Look at verse forty seven. The king answered and said to Daniel, truly your God is God of gods and lord kings, and the revealer of mysteries. For you have been able to reveal this mystery. Let's go to chapter three and look beginning of verse seventeen. If this be so, our God whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, o King, go down to verse twenty five. He answered, and said, but I see four men unbound walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt. And the appearance of the fourth is like the son of the gods. Go down to verse twenty eight. Nebukon Nezer answered and said, blessed be the God of Shadrack Mishak and Abitdnigo, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him. Now let's go to chapter four and look, beginning in verse thirty four, this is nebukon Nezer, after his seven years of what we would call schizophrenia. At the end of the days, I Nebuchadnizzar lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me. And I blessed the most High and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion as an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing. And he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand or say to him, what have you done? Yes, this is a tale of two gods, but only one of them is God. Nevericannessa's gods not God. And throughout this what do we see that God is in control? But here's the question. If God is in control, why or Daniel, Shadrack, Me, Shaka Betenigo and all the other young men taken away castrated and it made to serve a pagan king. Why for that we go outside the judgment of God against Israel Habaccic one five. I went to I did an event a while back, This is several years ago, and it was a Missions conference, and they had as their theme. Their theme was beyond belief, and it came from Habaccic one five. Again, theme of the conference is beyond belief, and their theme versus the back at one five. Look among the nations and see, wonder and be astounded, For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe even if someone told you. Wow, Missions Conference, beyond belief. Look among the nations, I'm doing something that you wouldn't believe even if someone told you. And so they wanted me to preach from a back at one five at the Missions conference. Small problem. I kept reading. Listen to six through eleven. For behold, what's the thing that God is doing that you wouldn't believe even if somebody told you. Look among the nations, there's something happened and that you wouldn't believe even if somebody told you. For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans. There's Babylon, that bitter and hasty nation who march through the breath of the earth, to seize dwellings not their own. They are dreaded and fearsome. Their justice and dignity go forth from themselves. Their horses are swifter than leopards, more fierce than the evening wolves. Their horsemen pressed proudly on their horsemen come from Afar. They fly like an eagle, swift to devour. They all come for violence, all their faces forward. They gather captaives like sand. At the king, they scoff at the rulers, they laugh, They laugh at every fortress, for they pile up earth and take it. Then they sweep by like the wind and go on guilty men whose own might is their God? What's the thing that God's doing that you wouldn't believe? I'm going to bring a wicked king to judge my people. But wait a minute, God, where are your people? How are you going to use a godless nation to punish your people? Is there another godly one? Find me a godly one, and I'll use them. Oh, you can't. Okay, Here come the Babylonians. Jeremiah five point fifteen. Behold, I am bringing against you a nation from Afar, old house of Israel. Declares the Lord. It is an enduring nation. It is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know, nor can you understand what they say. We could go on and on and on and on. They're here because of wickedness and sin. They're here because of kings like Jehoyican. They're here because of idolatry. Here's the irony. They serve the one True and Living God, and for whatever reason, they keep going after other gods. And God says, you want to go after other gods. I can arrange that God, we want a king so that we can be like the other nations. Really, you want to be like the other nations. I can arrange that they were wicked and God judged them. Remember those two questions. The first question, is our God really God? That's the first question. Is our God really God? The answer is yes, and he proves that even in the midst of the most horrible circumstances have you ever been there? Is our God really God? I know you've asked that question. I've prayed with some of you as you've asked that question. Why is this happening? If God is really God? But understand the theology on the other side, of that question. Here's the theology on the other side of that question. If God's really God, then bad stuff shouldn't happen to people who belong to him. Really, the spotless, sinless lamb of God was crushed and killed by the Father for the Father's glory, But you shouldn't experience bad stuff. Who do you think you are? Do you have any idea what you deserve? Do you have any idea what justice would look like in your life today based on what you thought, said and did on yesterday? Have you any idea? We still live in a fallen world. God owes us nothing. He is sovereign over all things. And like I said, the last time I checked, the death rate was one per person. Itoates us all, It wates us all. The question is our God? Truly? God? Is not answered by your circumstances. Daniel screams that to us, is our God really God? Really? You're asking that question because Memchania has got all these guys and they can't figure out his dreams? Who can God's people can? Really? You're asking if God's really God? They throw us in the fiery furnace and we didn't burn, and we weren't alone by the way, and you're asking if our God is really God? Are you serious? Really? They threw Daniel in a lion's den with lions who were hungry, and they did not eat him. Really, is our God really God? Yes he is. Yes, he is the creator and sustainer of the universe, and nothing catches him by surprise. And he will even turn your trials into a testimony. This is the only thing that keeps us from spiraling out of control when difficulties come. Amen, Yes, our God is God. Yave. Though I walked through the valley of the Shadow of Death, you are with me. There's also the action of Demaganeza against Daniel, as we see this battle against God even in their names. Look at what he does at the end, be getting verse six. Among these were Daniel, Hannanaiah, Michael, Azariah, or the tribe of Judah. The chief of the Eunuchs, gave them names. Daniel he called Belshazzar. Now Daniel's name means my judge is God, don and l Dan judge l from Elohem, my judge is God. This Beltizar means something akin to the protector of the king. Hannanayah's name. Again, you see ya in there Hannanayah's name means Yahweh has shown grace. They changed his name to Shadrach. It's a combination of Aku, a Sumerian or Elamite moon god. Aku is gracious Mishall, which is very similar to Micah, who is what God is. Micah is who is like God, Michael Mishao. They changed his name to Meshak or mesa Aku, who is what Aku is. As Arayah again, you see Yahweh there, Mishall. You see el Eloheim as Aaryah. You hear yah Yahweh again, it means Yahweh has helped. They changed his name to Abidnigo or Abednigo, servant of the god Nebo. All four of these young men have names that speak to who their god is. All for these young men are renamed to speak to who Babylon's gods are. Yet, interestingly enough, as you go through this book, though Daniel was renamed, and even when he's forgotten, the Queen, when she sees the handwriting on the wall, does not say, hey, I remember a guy named Beltishesar. He should be about eighty years old. Now, she says, how about Daniel Amen Hallelujah, Praise the Lord. How about Daniel. Here's what's so ironic about this. Their names are changed in order to strip them of their god given identity. And if you say to the average Christian Hannahayah, Michael, and Azariah, they don't know who you're talking about, you have to say Shadrack, Misha, and abidin the go, we still allow their identity to be robbed from them. Not only is this a tale of two kings and two gods, but it's a tale of two cultures. Look at verses three through five. Then the king commanded Ashphan as his chief unit to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility. That's very important. Of the royal family and the nobility youths. So we know they're of the royal family. We know they're of the nobility, youth without blemish, good appearance, skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding and learning, competent to stand in the king's palace. So at least eight things about these guys very important. This is not random. This is not random. He wants specific people from Israel for specific task. What is that task? And teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate and of the wine that he drank. We're going to change their names, We're going to change their learning, and we're going to change their diet. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of the time they were to stand before the king listen to this from George Swab. They used were expected to eat new foods, were given new names, and forced to learn the culture of Babylon. They were being systematically indoctrinated and distance from their Israelite heritage. At the end of the process, they would no longer be Jews, but Babylonians. They would have new identities. That was the goal. That was the goal, to destroy their identities. How do we destroy their identities through education? You know? The great irony. The great irony is that people run to this passage of scripture in order to justify sending Christian children to government schools. Well, the fact of the matter is this text teaches us that if you want to destroy someone's identity, you have to re educate them. There are some myths about Daniel that are important in this regard number one, there's a myth that Daniel and his friends were very small boys. In fact, often referred to as the three grew boys like their little kids, you know, eight nineteen years old or so. Secondly, that Daniel and his friends gained their knowledge from the Babylonians. That's why they were so brilliant, because they learned the Babylonian stuff better than other people did. They did better in their education. Thirdly, Daniel and his friends represent the ideal ie we should be willing to send our children to the Babylonians of our day so that they can gain knowledge and status within the context of Babylonian culture. Here's the reality. Number one, Daniel and his friends were young men between fifteen and twenty years old. Secondly, Daniel and his friends had gained their knowledge from the Covenant community in Israel. Listen to the requirements again, he says, beginning at verse three, the king commanded Ashman, as his chief Unich, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility. So first, their families were important. He wanted them to have a certain family background so that they could be useful to him. Secondly, youths without blemish. He wanted them to be of good appearance, so there's no defects, and they're very attractive, skillful in all wisdom. Why because they've already completed their education by the ages of fifteen to twenty. They're already very well educated, and they've demonstrated the fact that they're skillful at all knowledge. Not only were they educated in the Covenant community of Israel, but they were the best and brightest at the end of their Israeli education, endowed with knowledge, understanding and learning, and competent to stand in the king's place. This means that they were sharp young men who already demonstrated the kind of not just skill and intelligence, but also the kind of demeanor and personal presence that made them capable to stand before the king long before they learned their first Babylonian word. You see, the message here in this clash of cultures is not that we run to the Babylonians to gain their knowledge so that we can be elevated in their culture. No, the fact of the matter is the message is the opposite. When we understand who God is, God is the one who makes us knowledgeable, skillful, and wise. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, not just downloading information. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. What we see here is not just the superiority of their gods, but the superiority of their culture, because it is ordered by God. So much so that we'll see next week that when they finish their training, the young men are ten times better. Why because they really picked up on that Babylonian stuff. So, folks, this is the occult. They're learning the occult. They're learning occultic practices. And note also that when it comes down to it and the king needs somebody to do what these guys were trained to do, nobody can do it. Daniel does not come back and serve the king because he learned occultic practices better than the people of the occult. He goes back and prays to God. He doesn't even do what they taught him to do. So, far from being a picture that would encourage us to embrace the Babylonian culture and to see ourselves as part of the Babylonian kingdom, this is a picture that says, you don't need the Babylonians, They need you. God, is enough. You see, when we find ourselves outnumbered and we find ourselves in pressure situations, we have a tendency to turn to whatever's close. The fact of the matter is, Daniel says to all of us, or you turn as to God. There's two questions. Remember those questions. Number one, he is our God, truly God. Secondly, will he and really can he redeem us? The answer to both of those is a resounding yes. But hear this. Daniel and his friends died slaves. They did not die in a rebuilt Jerusalem and a reconstituted Israel, holding their hands up high and victorious before Almighty God. And yet their God is still God. Daniel and his friends were castrated, They did not have children to be the next generation to go and change the culture, and yet their God is God. Daniel and his friends served not just the Babylonian king, but also the Meds and the Persians. They were slaves to everybody, and yet their God is God. And they learned something that you and I need to learn. Regardless of where you find yourself, the most important thing is that you identify yourself with the covenant community of God's redeemed people who just happens to live wherever you live. That's who we are. Is this not a picture of who we are as Christians? We are redeemed, We find ourselves in Christ. And yet there is a world out there, the kingdoms of this world out there, that is absolutely at odds with us, absolutely against us, absolutely opposed to us, always seemingly finding new ways to try to oppress us and oppose us. And when that happens, all of us need to remember number one, our God is God, and number two, our God will redeem us regardless of the circumstances. And that does not have to mean that everything looks the way we think it ought to look. Is it okay if God redeems you in the midst of slavery and leaves you in slavery? If it's not, you don't understand the gospel. Is it okay that God redeems you in the midst of bondage and leaves you in the midst of that bondage, never to get you out. If the answer is no, you don't understand what it means to be redeemed. Is it okay that God redeems you as a single and never gives you a spouse? If the answer is no, you don't understand redemption. Is it okay that God redeems you in a bad marriage and you spend the rest of your life in that bad marriage and it never gets better. If your answer is no, you do not understand redemption. It okay that God redeems you in the midst of a culture that has absolutely gone astray and in your lifetime never writes the ship. If the answer is no, you do not understand redemption. Is it all right that God redeems you and doesn't save every one of your kids? If the answer is no, you do not understand redemption. Is it alright that God redeems you and you never ever become wealthy or healthy or prosperous. If the answer is no, you do not understand redemption. Is it okay that God redeems you and yet you're sick in your body and or your mind. If your answer no, that's not okay. Then you don't understand redemption because you think that God has created you for Babylon. That's not Daniel's message. Daniel's message is God has me in Babylon, but he didn't create me for Babylon. What did he create me? For here is the beauty, and I don't want to step on chapter two before we get to chapter two. But I cannot imagine what it felt like for Daniel to stand there and interpret Nebukanezer's dream. Nobody would tell him what the dream was or what it meant. Daniel goes and he prays, and he comes back and again in the midst of captivity. We'll deal with it in more detail, but for now, just listen to this. They're in captivity. Daniel, he's gone. Here's Daniel, who basically by this point says, country's gone, being burned with fire. I'm not gonna have any children. My line is gonna be gone. It's over for me. And they're teaching me these occultic practices. I got nothing. But Daniel, who has the ability to interpret dreams, all of a sudden gets a call. Our lives are in danger. Why because the king had a dream and we can't interpret. He won't even tell us what it is. He goes to God and he praised. And not only does Daniel get the dream and its interpretation so that he can stay alive, but here's what he gets to say to Nebucan Nezart there's four kingdoms. You're number one. You don't last. Number two's coming. They're gonna wipe you out. They're not gonna last. Number three's coming, and they're gonna wipe out number two. But they're not gonna last. Why because there is a kingdom coming that is going to stand forever. Not only is God going to get my people out of here, but my king will reign supreme overall of heaven and over all of the earth. I may not ever see it, but I'm standing here to tell you King, you won't either. But the difference between you and me is that, even in the midst of captivity, I am part of the kingdom that will never die. Even in the midst of captivity, all you have to hope for is that you don't see the other army marching to take over. I've already experienced that, and I'm still here. But what I have to hope for is that there is a day coming when the King of Kings and the Lord of lords will vindicate himself. I mean, maybe you were a slave now, but I'm his son forever. So do with me as you must, but I'm gonna be okay. That's what Daniel teaches us. Not you just be a good little boy and try really hard and be like that. That's not Daniel's message. Daniel's message is if you're a good little boy and you study hard, and you're attractive and articulate and intelligent, God may send an army to come and destroy you, kill your family, carry you off to a foreign land, castrate you so that you never have a future or a family, and then teach you occultic practices and have you spend the rest of your days in a land that's not your own. That's what Daniel got for being a good, smart, hard studying little boy. He didn't have kids, but he's got a book in the Bible. Though he is dead, yet he speaks. Let's pray.