November 9-15

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The chapters that we read from in the book of Daniel this week tell some awesome stories. Babylon had attacked Jerusalem and taken many noble exiles.

Daniel 1:3-4, 6

3 And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes;

4 Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.

6 Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:

Jerusalem has been besieged and delivered into Babylon’s hands. The king talks to his master of eunuchs and in accordance with standard, ancient imperial policy, wants the desirable youth of the nobles to be taken away into Babylon. Amongst these exiles, we find Daniel and three of his friends.

These boys, whom scholars believe were around 16 or 17, were taken from their families, homes, and religion. They would be mentored and raised by people with a completely different culture and faith, a people that had just attacked your own people. They would be raised by the enemies of the Jews.

I want you to think about what this would look like in your own life. I want you to understand what this story looked like and because I live in America, that’s what I’m going with. Feel free to put in another nation that you live in.

America has just been attacked and defeated by a foreign country. We have lost the battle to invaders who waged war on our own land. They came and attacked us, and we lost to them. They start to take precious things from all sorts of religious places, including the temple, but the violation doesn’t stop there.

They start to take the teenagers. They take your teenager from your home, put him on a train, then a boat, and then send them off to this foreign country to be assimilated into a foreign culture, the same foreign culture that just violated your home.

Now imagine being that teenager. You yell goodbye to your crying mother who is being restrained by a guard. You see your father incapable of doing anything about the situation. Overnight, you’re taken from your family and put into a completely different environment. You’re in this new place with all sorts of trauma and longing and mourning. You’re likely never going to see your family again.

Would you follow the Word of Wisdom? Would you worship according to the Law of Moses? Would you stay true to the God of Israel?

Let’s not even talk about the fact that some of our youth have a difficult time following all the commandments at home. Let’s not even talk about the fact that they won’t have parents to support them to stand up for their beliefs. Let’s not even talk about the fact that it would have been easy for Daniel to abandon his beliefs because according to the world’s standards, the God of Israel had just been defeated.

Let’s talk about the fact that you could be mad at God for taking you away from your family. I want to talk about this specific possibility on purpose because I have seen this specific kind of situation occur frequently in our day. Sometimes when families are complicated and messy and separated, we choose to be mad at God. When we’re afraid of what our family will look like on the other side, we lash out and assume that it all must be false. Surely if the God of Israel were real, He would have prevented these things.

I wonder if Daniel ever felt that way. I wonder if he ever had doubts about whether God was real after he was taken from his family and put in a pagan court. I wonder if he was mad at God.

And as long as we’re talking about Daniel, let’s follow this next train of thought.

Do you think Daniel would have done better if he had abandoned God because he was mad? No. Because he stayed close to God, he flourished even in a negative environment. Sometimes, negative experiences need to happen. The Lord, in His infinite wisdom, allows these negative experiences to happen. Could He choose to stop them? Yes. Is He going to? No. He has bigger plans than that.

So negative things are going to happen. We then get to choose how we’re going to respond. Like Daniel, your life will not get better if you abandon God. Perhaps things feel lighter for a moment, but you cannot reach the highest levels of joy without Him. It is simply impossible. There is more to be had than anything the world can offer. We can’t imagine what the Lord has prepared for us.

And in the meantime, He will carry you.

There is a future promised restoration. There are glorious promises about future happiness and joy and purpose. However, there is also a surreal kind of peace right now when you have a relationship with a Being who loves you, knows exactly where you are, and is all powerful. Daniel was taken away from so many things that he loved, but Daniel wasn’t alone. When you know Him, you know what I’m talking about. The companionship of the Lord meant that Daniel wasn’t devastated even as he faced devastating circumstances.

If Daniel had left God behind him, he would have still been in Babylonian court. He would have still been separated from his family. He would have been present under a volatile king who liked to kill people who displeased him. I suppose there would have been some things that would feel easier. I’m sure there would have been moments when it would have felt easier to assimilate, but because of my own personal experiences, I know that life feels so much easier and meaningful and peaceful when I choose to follow God under any circumstances.

I testify that the Lord knows where you are. He knows where your family is. I testify that following Him, even in the face of doubt and devastation, will lighten your load. I testify that it brings meaning to pain and light to darkness.