Introducing Daniel
Ishtar Gate, Pergamon Museum, Berlin
In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it. The Lord handed King Jehoiakim of Judah over to him, along with some of the vessels from the house of God. Nebuchadnezzar carried them to the land of Babylon, to the house of his god, and put the vessels in the treasury of his god. – Daniel 1:1-2, CSB
“Here then is God in his sovereign role, but a sovereignty not visible to the world.” -Dale Ralph Davis
“…growth in grace and usefulness in God’s service does not begin in the world of our dreams but in the context of life’s harsh realities. So it was for Daniel; so it will be also for the Daniels of today.” – Sinclair B. Ferguson
It isn’t often that we get to see what ancient people saw. Above is a picture of the restored “Gate of Ishtar” which was built by King Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah saw this same gate. It was part of the wall around a city that shouted of the power and wealth of Babylon. The same city which had a temple to a god of Babylon which contained sacred articles from Jerusalem’s Temple. The gate and the city which it allowed entry to stood in mockery over these young men and their God. They were once proud nobles in “the city of God” now, they were slaves in the city of their enemies. Yet, these same young men, found the moral courage to stand on their convictions against the mighty empire. They found the faith to believe in God and to follow their convictions rather than to take the easy road. That is a remarkable thing. As a friend pointed out after yesterday’s message, it was kind of God to put these 4 young men together. Daniel is the one who refused to defile himself, but his friends stood with him. I can only imagine that it strengthened his resolve to stand firm. As we will see, each of these young men will grow up quickly and much will be asked of them. Knowing how God works, it is hardly a surprise that they were given the opportunity to follow their conviction in a seemingly small matter before far greater measures emerged. Again, it is striking how God works in similar ways in our lives. He asks us to obey in small matters and then in ever greater matters where the stakes are higher and the consequences more severe. As for Babylon, it won’t outlast the royal service of Daniel- but young Daniel looking up at the deep blue of that gate didn’t know that to be true. What he did know was that even when it looked otherwise, he could trust God. And he did.
A helpful book overview video for Daniel.