Faithfulness Rewarded | Daniel 1:8-21 | Gary Hamrick

Daniel chapter one is where we are I'm gonna read starting at verse eight down through verse 21 picking up where we left off last week Daniel chapter 1 starting at verse 8 says but Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the Kings delicacies nor with the wine which he drank therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself now God had brought Daniel into the favour and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel I fear my lord the king who has appointed your food and drink for why should he see your faces looking worse than the young men who are your age then you would endanger my head before the king so Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel Hananiah Mishael and Azariah please test your servants for 10 days and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink then let our appearances be examined before you and the appearances of the young man who eat the portion of the Kings delicacies and as you see fit so deal with your servants so he consented with them in this matter and tested them 10 days and at the end of 10 days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh that just means healthy-looking not gaunt then all the young men who ate the portion of the Kings delicacies thus the steward took away their portion of delicacies and the wine that were that that they were to drink and gave them vegetables as for these four young men God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams now at the end of the days when the King had said that they should be brought in the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar then the King interviewed them and among them all none was found like Daniel Hananiah Mishael and Azariah therefore they served before the king and in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the King examined them he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm and thus Daniel continued until the first year of King Cyrus now by the way that last sentence there just simply tells us that Daniel had a very long and prolific career working there in the king's palace until the reign of King Cyrus so Daniels going to be employed there serve there work there and during the reign of four or five kings and gods going to use him to really be influential here in the palace so we're gonna pick up where we left a last pick up where we left off last week and study through some of these things into the rest of chapter one and into chapter two but let's first have a word of Prayer Father in Heaven we just thank you for meeting us here time and again where two or more gathered here you are in our midst and lord I thank you for all those who are here today and those who are watching online and we just want to offer all of our worship to you all of our praise and adoration because you are exalted Lord and you are high and lifted up in this place we worship you and we ask now that you would speak to our hearts through the pages of this ancient text with all of its timeless truth and we love you and we praise you together in Jesus name we ask these things and everybody said amen in 606 BC thousands of Jews were taken as prisoners of war by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and then they were subsequently deported all the way from Jerusalem the 900 miles or so to Babylon located along the Euphrates River and what is modern Iraq among the thousands of Jews who were taken as prisoners were Daniel and his three friends Hananiah Azariah and Mishael Daniel becomes the primary character in this book that bears his name he was the one inspired by the holy spirit to write these things so we're we're looking at his life or looking at life at least through his lens and there he is now living in Babylon taken forcibly from his country from his people most scholars as I mentioned last week believe that Daniel and his friends were around the age of 15 when they were first taken as exiles to Babylon and the Babylonians as I said last week they did not treat their prisoners of wars their prisoners of war in humanely they treated them actually by by being merciful to them by bringing them to Babylon and then seducing them with the Wonder and the beauty and the opulence of ancient Babylon which again it was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world so you'd come into Babylon wide-eyed and wearied after a long journey across much of what was desert and you would come into a very beautiful and wealthy and spacious place and eventually the Babylonians would attempt to indoctrinate you with their language their literature their customs their practices and even the worship of their God gods plural I should say until you behaved like them thought liked them believed liked them worship liked them that was their tactic so they didn't mistreat they're prisoners of war they they just seduced you and assimilated you into the Babylonian culture but among those Jews taken captive these four guys Daniel Hananiah Azariah and Mishael determined that though they were in babylon babylon wouldn't get in them and they were gonna live lives that were distinct for god they knew who they were in the lord and for that reason they refused to compromise they refused to allow the culture in the environment to shape them to mold them and and and because they knew who they were though they had been forcibly taken from everything familiar to them their families their homeland their language the worship of their gone in the temple of jerusalem they continued to stand strong in their faith and their values and their principles they honor God they glorified him in their lives and so what we find here in Chapter one is that these four guys were chosen from among a select group to be trained to go into a three-year training program for the purpose of preparing them for service in the king's court and so these guys were selected and they enter into this like three-year training program and at the end of the three years they come out the top of their class so much so that when they are examined by King Nebuchadnezzar when King Nebuchadnezzar examines the graduating class he says about these four guys in verse 20 we read at a moment ago in verse 20 that they are ten times better than anyone else in matters of wisdom and understanding so God had blessed them and what we see happening here in the lives of these four guys and with Daniel in particular is that when you stand strong in the Lord and when you know who you are in him and when you therefore live a life that honors and glorifies God he will take care of you he will bless you and he will use you we see this in their lives here these guys were committed to stand strong in a world that was constantly assaulting their faith their values and their principles they work in a compromise and as a result of living a life that honored God and glorified him God took care of them God blessed them and God used them David would say something similar in Psalm chapter 18 verses 24 to 27 when he wrote this the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight to the faithful you lord show yourself faithful to the blameless you show yourself blameless to the pure you show yourself pure but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd you save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty so they've been even right similarly in Psalm chapter 18 listen when you live for the glory of God you live a blameless life God will be blameless under you live a faithful life God is faithful under you live a purer life God is pure unto you you live a crooked life it doesn't go well for you and so God honors those who live a righteous life he honors and blesses them that uses them for his glory Daniel Hananiah Azariah and Mishael were as I just read from the words of David in Psalm 18 they were faithful they were blameless they were pure and they were humble and so let me show you what God did for them as a result how how faithfulness was rewarded in their lives and how God took care of them and blessed them and used them the first thing that God gave them in terms of rewarding their faithfulness number one was influence influence still here in chapter 1 look again in verse 9 where it says now God had brought Daniel into the favour Circle that word and good will of the chief of the eunuchs whose name by the way earlier in chapter 1 is ashpenaz so it just simply says there in verse 9 that Daniel brought that rather God brought Daniel into the favour a good will of his boss I mean the chief of the eunuchs ashpenaz he was like the commanding officer Daniel and his friends were recruited into this training program it was a three-year boot camp and so ashpenaz is giving oversight to all of these guys these young men who were being trained in this three-year program and Daniel makes a special request of Ashman eyes and he basically says to him listen you know you may have heard about the Daniel fast you know the Daniel died and Aspen as and it's a really popular thing you know right now and how many of you heard of the Daniel Fast and like the Daniel okay some of you have it's like it's like what prophet diet are people gonna come up with next you know I was like this is Daniel faster you are you eating Ezekiel bread Ezekiel bread make sure you eat Ezekiel bread and the Daniel fast it'll go well for you you know such fashionable diets these are you keto or you keto where are you paleo what are you paleo or keto Ezekiel bread Daniel fast what in the world people ask me sometimes pastor G would died are you on I'm on the seafood diet if I see food I'm eating it that's what I'm doing so Daniel comes to Ashburn and he says listen listen listen I don't want all the king's food here now he had a reason because he's a young Jewish boy and it's not kosher all the king's food this is Babylon and the Babylonians worship false gods and they offered food and wine to these false gods and then they would eat it and drink it Daniel knowing this says it's against my conscience this stuff isn't kosher I can't eat it plus it's probably not good for you you know and here's the spread of all this wonderful food you know pulled pork barbecue and and you know and grits and mashed potatoes and bacon you know and all this and just all the desert tables incredible and a cream pie tiramisu chocolate pudding I mean it's just like and and all these things and and then the wine you know when Daniel goes you know what can't eat this stuff and so he makes a special request of Ashbourne ass now ashpenaz says to him are you kidding me became the king has given you all of this wonderful delicacies and you're telling me you don't want to eat this do you know if you don't eat this and you don't look you know if I don't present you ripped and you know ready and smart and savvy the Kings gonna have my head so you can have to eat the King's food and Daniels like I don't eat the King's food it's not good for me please would you reconsider well actually what happens is look at verse 14 it actually says to us that he consented that is the steward appointed under ashpenaz he consented with them in this matter so Daniel got his way and why did Daniel get his way because God had given him favor you see that's what verse 9 says favor and goodwill with the chief of the eunuchs and when you have favor than you have influence when God gives you favor with people then you have influence with them if you aren't favorably disposed toward them they will not allow you to influence them but God had done this for Daniel that's why proverbs 16 verse 7 says when a man's ways please the Lord he makes even his enemies to be at peace with and so Daniel is experiencing this he makes a request it's a request that could have gotten ashpenaz killed but nevertheless ashpenaz acquiesce is he he considers it and he obliges Daniel in his request because God had given Daniel favor you see Daniel basically convinced ashpenaz why don't you just go ahead and and put it to a test you know why don't you just go ahead and give me vegetable ten days that's all I'm asking ten days vegetables and water by the way the Hebrew the word vegetables also can translate grains so it wasn't just strictly celery and carrots all right but he says why are you just going to give me the vegetables and water while all the other guys are eating pasta and there and you know they're drinking the wine and and they're eating you know Blizzard's at Dairy Queen and you watch at the end of ten days and you take a look and see who's healthier you know and who's been is more ripped and ready and so that Ann Ashman has okay I'll give me ten days and at the end of ten days at the end of ten days look at verses 15 and 16 again at verse fifteen and at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh in other words it just means that they looked healthy they didn't put on weight eating salads but they just looked healthier not gaunt then all the young men who ate the portion of the Kings delicacies verse sixteen thus the steward took away their portion this is interesting took away their portion of delicacies and the wine that they were to drink and gave them vegetables now Bible scholars are divided on what verse sixteen means that either means that when ashpenaz saw that it worked for Daniel and his friends that instead of it just being a 10-day experiment he extended it permanently for them but other Bible scholars believe that it might mean that when ashpenaz looked at daniel and these four guys and thought you guys look really good and looked at the other guys eating all the delicacies that you guys look really sad your your flabby the you know what's wrong with you that he took away all of their delicacies too and made them eat rabbit food now we don't know for sure but that would have been a bad day wasn't it for you of you if you're like wait what happened to the buffet and I was just ready for some pulled pork barbecue what happened you're eating vegetables from now on why these four guys you can thank them but its influence its influence and they had influence because they had favor and they had favor because God had given it to them and God gave it to them because they honored God and glorified God with their lives and that's the way it works I've heard countless stories over the years in ministry from people who were facing a difficult challenge of some sort on the job or at home or at school somewhere that involved a difficult meeting or a difficult conversation of some kind that went smoother than expected and the outcome was better than expected because God had given them favor with the other party I can't tell you how many stories I've heard you know somebody asking me hey can you pray for me I got AB you know I'm gonna ask for this promotion I need a raise and I don't know my boss is either gonna look at me and say you know sorry no more room for you here or you know I hear Stewart and then people come back said you won't believe it you know what my boss gave me a promotion even more money than I thought I mean it's just that kind of a thing and not that again that it's all about money it's not all about you know money in life but I'm just giving you examples of when people have testified to me in different situations at work at home at school where they had a difficult conversation and how much better it went why because God gave him favor why does God give us favor because we walk in a way that honors him and glorifies him and thus we have influence in psalm five verse 12 it says for you O Lord will bless the righteous with favor you will surround him as with a shield the righteous this is what God does for the righteous you see different examples of this in the Bible the story of Joseph in the Old Testament of Genesis Joseph was a young man who had been betrayed by his family by his brothers sold into slavery left for dead and God took care of him God rewarded him God used him that's the way it works because Joseph was a man of integrity that he honored God and he lived for God even though in a similar way he was thrust into an environment that he had no intention of going to but sold into the Midianites by his own brothers who wanted to just do away with him ends up in Egypt rises to basically the right-hand man of Pharaoh becomes the most powerful man next to Pharaoh in the world and God promoted him used and blessed him all because Joseph was a man of integrity the bible says in genesis 39:2 2 for the Lord was with Joseph and he was a successful man and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian meaning Potiphar and his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand so Joseph found favor in his sight and served him Esther is another example in Esther chapter 2 verse 15 the queen of Persia in a similar situation as Daniel in fact the story of Esther overlaps the story of Daniel and an Esther - 15 it says an Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her why because she was a woman of integrity who lived to honor God and glorify Him Jesus even it says about him and Luke 2:52 and Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man they had influence because they had God's favor and they had God's favor because they walked in a way that honored him and glorified him number two they also were given by God in sight still here in chapter one let me read again verses 17 to 21 verse 17 says and for these four young men God gave notice this wasn't just book knowledge God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams you can underline that by the way because going forward the Book of Daniel is all about visions and dreams there are a total of six visions and dreams that he has that have interpretation with it that Lord gives him verse 18 now at the end of the days when the King had said that they should be brought in the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar then the king interviewed them and among them all none was found like Daniel Hananiah Mishael and Azariah therefore they served before the king and in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the King examined them he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in his realm and thus continued into the first year of king cyrus why was it that they were 10 times better because they had been enlightened they had insight from God it's not just about book knowledge we need insight and wisdom from above Daniel understood in his day I hope that you understand it in your day we need God's wisdom we need his insight into things so they were the smartest guys in the room for sure now I'm not suggesting that just become a Christian you're gonna be the smartest guy they're smartest woman in the room alright there's plenty of smart people and and and in terms of smartness doesn't have anything to do with whether you're a Christian or not okay but what I will say but by the way it is ironic however that the world thinks that if you're a Christian you're actually the dumbest person in the room okay so we know that right that's what they think so I'm not going to swing to the other extreme and say yeah well as a Christian you're actually the smartest person no but I will say this but I believe being a Christian being a follower of Christ having a relationship with them there by having the Spirit of God within you gives you insight and wisdom into matters and situations and people that you otherwise would not have without the Spirit of God okay now you know I've said this before you know one of the most influential men in my lives growing up but when I first begin with Christian when I was 15 was a guy by the name of buck Louis at a third grade education but that in terms of knowledge but that guy was one of the wisest men I've ever met because as a man who loved Jesus and just yet just you know Jesus just constantly was spilling out from this man there was there was an insight and wisdom into situations into life into matters that did not come because of his education the guy had a third-grade education so all I'm suggesting is that we may not be the smartest person in the room in terms of knowledge but knowledge without wisdom and insight is just more information and I don't know about you but we are inundated with information this is the information age and it hasn't made us any wiser it might have made a order but again all the amount of knowledge without insight and wisdom is just superfluous information you know if you think that one more book is going to help your marriage if I just read one more book is gonna help my marriage if I just have what are you saying if you just have more information and please let me just say this because I just know over 32 years of life and ministry the difference between men and women in some areas ladies ladies listen to me on this if you think that you can just leave that marriage book on the coffee table and he might read it he won't if I just leave this Christian marriage book right here in the coffee tables I just slightly push it there put it there yeah just put it there when he sits to watch the Redskins today at one o'clock instead he's gonna pick up that book [Music] he's gonna turn off the TV and he's gonna read it no he won't he's gonna use it as a coaster all right he ain't gonna read it now again is there anything wrong with more information or knowledge more books no read books but I'm telling you what if we don't have insight and wisdom from above all all of that is just more information another book it's not going to help you with the problem you're having with your with your kids another book is not going to solve the problem on the job another book is not going to give you an answer to God's will what we need is wisdom and insight from above and that's what God gave them because these guys were walking in a way that honor God and glorified God and when we live in such a way God cares for us blesses us and uses us and so they were given insight here 1st Corinthians 1 3231 says but of him you are in Christ who became for us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption that as it is written he who glories let him glory in the Lord and so we have wisdom from above because we have the Spirit of God we just need to pray and ask God to just unfold that insight and wisdom in our lives that we would then be guided and governed more by his wisdom and insight than just information so make sure that you recognize where your wisdom and insight comes from and give God the proper glory instead of thinking you are that smart it's from it's from God the third and final thing that God gave Daniel was interpretation now this comes from chapter 2 and I'm only going to read a couple of verses from Chapter two next week we're going to spend more time in Chapter two actually talking about the specifics concerning the dream that Nebuchadnezzar has what it means that is for next week but for today on this third point I just simply want to talk about the backstory to chapter two and how God gives Daniel this interpretation so here's the backstory in Chapter two Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has a dream and the dream is so troubling to him that he can't sleep he wakes up in the middle of night I'm sure we've all had dreams like that and then he can't get back to sleep and he's so tormented and troubled by it that he calls in a group of no different translations you'll notice in the first few verses of chapter two use different words astrologers sorcerers enchanters Chaldeans Chaldeans is just a broad term that means wise men so these were these are people who were counselors to the king who had special knowledge and special abilities to discern things now I will tell you that based on the words that are used in the Hebrew like astrologers and chander sorcerers they're the the basis for their insight and knowledge was demonic you you can trace this is just an historical fact you can trace all occult worship today back to its roots in ancient Babylon all a cult worship today can be traced back to ancient Babylon so this is where they they didn't just study the stars like astronomy they worshiped the Stars astrology let me just say you know all the zodiac stuff and the horoscopes and and if you're into those things and tarot cards and all this kind of stuff trying to discern and omens and all that stuff it's just demonic and you need to stop looking at that kind of stuff I'm just telling you and and so those that was the basis behind these guys these enchanters astrologers these dividers these sorcerers nebuchadnezzar calls them all and like guys I've had this dream it's been very troubling to me I want you to tell me what it means and so they're in his chambers there and they're like okay well why don't you first tell us what the dream is and then we'll tell you what the interpretation is he's like no no no no no I really want to know that you guys are legit you tell me what my dream was and the interpretation like nobody can do that King you know it's kind of an unreasonable request you know why don't you just go ahead and think it through slow down think it through give us the dream and then we'll give you the interpretation he says I'm not going to tell you again you're just stalling for time and if you don't get me the dream and the interpretation I'm gonna have every this is in the Bible I'm gonna every single one of you cut into little cubes put on shish kabob sticks look at that part I added but cut into little cubes and all of your houses burn to the ground and these guys are like we know we don't have the ability to do it so okay so they're they're put in the blender and off they go well the King says I want you to go around killing not just the guys who were in the chambers but you go find all the wise men astrologers and Chander's and chanters and you go kill them all and so he sent messengers to go kill every but now Daniel because he's come through this program is considered in this class of wise men now he doesn't tap into any of the demonic stuff he's head and shoulders above all that standing alone for Christ and with his with his three buddies but but the guy comes to his door and and Daniels like yeah I could help you yeah I've been sent for the kit from the king great what for what purpose to kill you what yeah see you missed the meeting he didn't get the email but there was a meeting back in the king's palace and and all those guys are dead now and because you're in that category you're gonna die too so daniel says to the guy whoa before before you cut me into cubes would you mind if I went and go and and talk to the king again he gets favored the guy says okay go talk to the king he goes to the king he says King King listen before you kill me can you just give me a little bit more time you know it's interesting Nebuchadnezzar didn't give any of the original wise men time he just cut off their heads but with Daniel because he has the favor from the Lord he says I'll give you some time but you have to tell me the dream and the interpretation and Daniel goes back to his house where he his roommates are Hananiah Azariah and Mishael and the first thing that he does is he calls a prayer meeting look here chapter 2 verse 16 so Daniel went in and asked the King to give him time that he might tell the king the interpret station then Daniel went to his house and made the decision known to Hananiah Mishael and Azariah his companions that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven we're gonna pray guys that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men in Babylon then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision a dream so Daniel blessed the God of heaven notice with me if you would your attention again the first thing Daniel does when he thinks he could be dying is he calls a prayer meeting he prays what's the first thing you do when you think you're dying you Google am i right come on let's be honest like I've had an eye twitch for three weeks let me Google this oh my gosh I've got a brain tumor no you just haven't been getting enough sleep get off Google and pray and Daniel first thing he does is he prays it's often the last thing we do have you ever noticed that after you have googled and gotten yourself more anxious than before talk to your friends who have relayed some rare isolated story of their former mailman's girlfriend who who died this way from from that rat bite you know and that you think you then we get ourselves all wound up in a knot and then we finally pray Oswald Chambers said quote we tend to use prayer as a last resort but God wants it to be our first line of defense we pray when there's nothing else we can do but God wants us to pray before we do anything at all pray when Daniel was confronted with this situation he needed an interpretation to all this and so he prayed so should we whatever confronts us when you have questions in life pray when you have fears about something pray when you're anxious about something pray when you need wisdom and insight about something pray when you're afraid of the future pray when you cry about the past pray when you need to know God's will pray pray continually Paul said in 1st Thessalonians 5:16 2:18 be joyful always pray continually give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus pray and let God give you the answer that you need Daniel then praised the Lord after the Lord gave him an answer and so we'll close by looking at his words of praise here in chapter 2 verses 2223 Daniel answered and said blessed be the name of God for ever and ever for wisdom and might are his and he changes the times and the seasons he removes Cain and raises up kings he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding he reveals deep and secret things he knows what is in the darkness and light dwells with him I thank you and praise you O God my father's you have given me wisdom and might and have now made known to me what we asked of you for you have made known to us the King's demand Lord we thank you and we worship you and we glorify you as Daniel did we pray Lord that we would be men and women and young people who live a life in such a way that it honors you and glorifies you and then you will take care of us you will bless us you will use us just as you did in the lives of these four young men Lord do in our lives as you find us faithful when we walk with you trusting you living for you in a world that's constantly trying to squeeze us into its mold we pray Lord that you would look at our lives and be pleased that though these guys were living in Babylon Babylon was never allowed to live in them help us Lord in our own day-to-day living that as we walk with you and live for you that you would be glorified in all things thank you Jesus we pray in your precious name and everybody said amen and amen god bless y'all

Channel: Cornerstone Chapel - Leesburg, VA

Views: 76,710

Keywords: Cornerstone Chapel, Calvary Chapel

Id: z_W174Ay9eg

Length: 34min 18sec (2058 seconds)

Published: Mon Sep 09 2019