* Notes from a Bible study I did recently.
Daniel: Living in an Alien Culture
· We are living in a unique cultural moment!
o Need to learn to live as Christians in a post-Christian era
· 1 Peter 1.1; 2.11 à“Aliens”
o Leslie Newbigin, in discussing 1 Peter, drew attention to some of these differences that should be honored. Michael Goheen summarizes Newbigin's discussion this way:
“Newbigin warned of three "vast differences" between Peter's time and ours that makes an application of Peter's words to our situation complex: (1) the church in Peter's time was a tiny minority with no responsibility for the political order, whereas today the church has power and influence in public life; (2) between their time and ours the entire story of the rise and fall of Christendom has dramatically changed the situation; and (3) today's culture allows an element of choice in these institutions, for example, in whom we marry, whom we work for, and whom we elect to positions of political authority.”
Goheen then adds:
“The church today is a minority and has lost cultural power in recent decades. Western culture today is more hostile to
· Israel in Exile as an example for us
o Israel is to be a light to the nations: Isaiah 42.6; 49.6
§ Genesis 12.1-3 àAbrahamic covenant
§ Exodus 19.1-6 àMosaic covenant
§ Psalm 2, 72 (esp. vv. 8-11, 17), 117; Isaiah 11.10 (cf. Romans 15.12) àDavidic covenant
o Exile calls into question all the covenantal promises
§ No land
§ No Davidic king
§ Looks like the gods of Babylon have prevailed
o “We must not underestimate the identity crisis precipitated by Israel’s exile and the two grave dangers that exile posed to Israel’s missional identity: withdrawal or assimilation. David Burnett comments on these two perennial temptations for Israel: ‘The first was to isolate themselves from the surrounding nations in order to protect their own beliefs and practices, but in doing so they would fail to be the blessing to the nations that God intended. The second was for them to become so identified with the surrounding nations that nothing would distinguish them.’ “[2]
· Jeremiah 29.1-9 à“Seek the welfare of the city”
o Letter to the exiles (v. 1)
o Daniel in Babylon would have known of this letter
§ Daniel quotes Jeremiah in Daniel 9.2 concerning the 70 years
o “Seek the welfare of the city” àagainst isolation and withdrawal
o The book of Daniel will give
§ Daniel 1-6: Stories (often seen as for children—past)
§ Daniel 7-12: Vision (often seen as for scholars—the future)
· Tonight:
o Read chapter one
o Develop some themes from the text
o As we go, we will dip into some of the other chapters briefly
o Goal: Think about how we ought to pray and act in our cultural moment
· (Read Daniel chapter one)
· Theme One: The Sovereignty of God
o Theological perspective:
§ 1.2: “The Lord
§ 1.9: “Now God grantedDaniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials.”
§ 1.17: “As for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams.”
o Theme repeatedly comes up on Daniel and is often confessed—even by unbelievers!
§ Daniel 2.20-23, 28, 47
§ Daniel 3.28-29
§ Daniel 4.1-3; 34-37
§ Daniel 5.18-28
§ Daniel 6.26-27
o “Nothing is more important, especially at this point in the history of theology, than for God’s people to be firmly convinced that Scripture teaches God’s universal control over the world, and teaches it over and over again.”[3]
o God’s sovereignty gives perspective
§ Present
· God is in control
· Does not
o Active in petitioning political leaders and in prayer
§ Future: Chapter two
· Empires and nations change and fall but God’s kingdom will endure!
o We need to learn to measure history by a large vision—not by four-year election cycles.
§ Daniel was given a vision of the next 500 years
§ What if we were still 500 years out from the return of Christ Jesus and the culmination of the kingdom of God?
o History is moving toward an appointed goal.
§ Being on the “right side” of history means being in relationship and in accord with God’s kingdom.
§ “Summing up of all things in Christ” Ephesians 1.10
o Not our job to figure out time-tables but, rather, to be filled with the Holy Spirit and be Jesus’ witnesses—Acts 1.7-8
· Theme Two: Cultural Engagement
o Two dangers for the church in a hostile culture
§ Isolation: closed off from the world in our own little Christian subculture
§ Assimilation: become just like the culture; no distinctiveness
· Important points:
o We do need to maintain a distinct identity as the people of God
§ Remember the past: Psalm 137
§ Faithful obedience in the present: Jeremiah 29
§ Hope for the future
o Proper approach to our non-Christian culture
§ Constructive interaction: with the structures and systems for the sake of promoting God’s kingdom goodness
§ Creative and courageous resistance: against the idolatry of our time
· Constructive interaction
o Brings value to the alien system: Daniel 1.20-21
§ Public faith and theology—not merely a privatized faith
"Daniel's story is one of extraordinary faith in God lived out at the pinnacle of executive power in the full glare of public life. It relates pivotal events in the lives of four friends--Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah--who
"What makes the story of their faith remarkable is that they did not simply continue the private devotion to God that they had developed in their homeland; they maintained a high-profile public witness in a pluralistic society that became increasingly antagonistic to their faith. That is why their story has such a powerful message for us today. Strong currents of pluralism and secularism in contemporary Western society, reinforced by
"The story of Daniel and his friends is a clarion call to our generation to be courageous; not to lose our nerve and allow the expression of our faith to be diluted and squeezed out of the public space and thus rendered spineless and ineffective. Their story will also tell us that this objective is not likely to be achieved without cost."[4]
§ Longevity: approximately 60-65 years of ministry
· Dates:
o Daniel 1.1: “the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim” (605 BC)
o Daniel 1.21: “the first year of Cyrus the king” (539 BC)
§ Also Daniel 10.1 mentions Cyrus’s third year: 537 BC
o 586 BC àdestruction of Jerusalem
o Daniel has a long ministry. He ministers throughout the exile and is involved with the administrations of two super powers: Babylon and Persia
· Faithfulness over the long haul marked by…
o Personal discipline of prayer: Daniel 6.10
§ “Toward Jerusalem” (1 Kings 8.47-50)
“Daniel did as King Solomon suggested and prayed towards Jerusalem—a city we have not heard named since the beginning of the book. Daniel lived in Babylon, and was faithful in the service of its
· Hebrews 11.8-10, 13-16; 12.18-24; 13.11-14 (cf. Galatians 4.25-26)
· Creative and Courageous Resistance to idolatry
o Creativeresistance to idolatry in chapter one
§ Three challenges
· Changed names: reflect
· Pagan education: Babylonian pagan practices
· Eating the king’s food
o Here they resist! Why?
o “Daniel and his three friends are in a process of education and preparation for service. Their minds
§ Note: Daniel later (seemingly) did eat the royal food àDaniel 10.3
o Symbolic action to honor God
o Private action ànot fully blown public confrontation
§ Nebuchadnezzar wouldn’t have known when the youths stood before him
· Prudential reasoning: “…test your servants for ten days… let our appearance be observed… deal with your servants according to what you see.” (1.12-13)
o Courageousresistance to idolatry in chapter three
§ Outline of chapter
· (
· (
· (
§ “When the State Becomes God”[7]
o Daniel 1: Relativizes the absolute
§ Taking the vessels of the house of God (1.1) and putting them with other artifacts
o Daniel 3: Absolutizes the relative
· The state is made to be absolute instead of the high King of heaven
· Chapter three
· Verses 1-7
o “The fact that all peoples, nations
o Music and furnace: Seduction and threat[9]
§ Mark 4.13-20
· Soil #2: “affliction or persecution arises because of the word” (THREAT)
· Soil 3: “the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the other desire for other things” (SEDUCTION)
· Verses 8-12: Public resistance to idolatry
o Temptation to rationalize away the challenge
§ “We all know that this idolatry is bogus—there is nothing real in it except the emperor wishing us to acknowledge his authority. What does it matter if we outwardly bow down to him? It doesn’t mean that the controls our heads and our hearts. And if good men like you three—men of proven ability and integrity—refuse to bow down and get killed, that will make the situation even worse. You are top people; if you are not there to continue your powerful influence for good at the very highest levels of the state, what hope is there for the rest of us? And think of your wife and your children. What are they going to do if you throw your life away like this—needlessly? No, you must take part in the ceremony like everyone else for our sakes. We need you there in the corridor of power.”[10]
· Verse 15
o Nebuchadnezzar’s question: “What god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?”
§ Called “the heart of the theological teaching of the chapter”[11]
§ cf. 2.11: “Who could declare it to the king
§ Nebuchadnezzar has recognized Yahweh as a God
§ “By contrast, it is only the true God who can proclaim that ‘no one can deliver out of my hand’ (Deut. 32:39). And this great God was a proven deliverer. After all, when he rescued his people from Egypt centuries before, Moses told the Israelites that it was God who ‘brought you out of the iron-smelting furnace, out of Egypt, to be the people of his inheritance, as you now are’ (4:20).”[12]
o Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego manifest exclusive devotion to God and reject idolatry
§ Their answer to Nebuchadnezzar:
§ Not prudential reasoning (like in chapter 1)
There is a place for “prudential” types of arguments as well as deontological arguments. Consider the example in Daniel chapter one. The argument Daniel makes is a prudential argument:
Please test your servants for ten days, and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance be observed in your presence and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king's choice food
This is
The words of Old Testament scholar Christopher Wright are also worth considering:
“It is interesting that a consequentialist view of ethical decisions is found precisely in the Wisdom literature, which tends to be grounded in creation rather than a redemption theology.”
“Possibly the most interesting example concerns the Wisdom tradition’s sexual ethic. It is in full accordance with the law, of course, but it is not explicitly sanctioned by law. Whereas the law simply says, ‘Do not commit adultery, on penalty of death’, the Wisdom teacher says, ‘Do not commit adultery because of the appalling consequences that you will expose yourself and your whole family and property to. It isn’t worth the risk’ (cf. Pr. 5; 6:24-35; 7). Common sense itself warns against what the law prohibits.”[13]
§ Rather, an absolute rejection of idolatry
§ “Sometimes, when the story of Daniel’s three friends’ deliverance from the furnace is explained, the impression is given that because God eventually rescued them and they were found to be unhurt they did not suffer. A moment’s thought, however, will show us that this is far from the case. They suffered—not in the furnace, but before they were thrown into it. They were human beings like the rest of us, presumably with families, and so, from the moment the edict was announced by the emperor, these men inevitably went through mental agony.
“It would have been immediately obvious to them that this was the hardest test of loyalty to God they had ever faced. Indeed, it was the hardest test anyone could face. It was the ultimate value decision. On the one side of the equation was
· Verses 16-18
o They don’t dictate to God the outcome; they leave it in his hands
§ Deliverance or not (from the furnace), they will not compromise their loyalty to God
o Sometimes the righteous suffer all the way to death
§ Acts 12.1-19
· James put to death by the sword (v. 2)
· Peter delivered from death (vv. 6-11)
§ Hebrews 11.32-38: Examples of faith and faithfulness
· “escaped the edge of the sword” (v. 34)
· “put to death with the sword” (v. 37)
§ Romans 8.35-37
· Verses 19-23
o Nebuchadnezzar’s policy is so overblown it hurts his own people (v. 22)
§ Contemporary applications:
· Transgender policies that hurt women
· Verses 24-25: Only in the fire do they see God!
o Examples from Mark of challenging situations where the glory of Jesus Christ is manifested:
§ Mark 4.35-41: In a storm with Jesus
§ Mark 5.1-20: In the presence of a legion-filled demoniac
§ Mark 6.33-44: Feeding of the 5000 (“You give them something to eat…” v. 37)
§ Mark 6.45-52: Jesus walking on the water (“straining at the oars, for the wind was against them” v. 48)
§ Mark 8.1-21: Feeding of the 4000 (“Do you not yet understand?” v. 21)
§ Mark 9.14-29: Demonized boy; the disciples cannot cast it out
· Verses 26-30
o Nebuchadnezzar speaks highly of their God
§ “Most High God” (v. 26)
§ “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego …” (v. 28)
§ “no other god who is able to deliver in this way” (v. 29)
o Seeing good works and bringing glory to God
§ Matthew 5.16
§ 1 Peter 2.12
§ 1 Peter 3.13-17
· Their faithfulness brings protection to the rest of God’s people
§ “For such a time as this…” Esther 4.14
Conclusion
· Two issues from Daniel 1 and 3
o (1) Bringing value to the city vs. Undermining its idolatry
§ Danger: Thinking we are bringing value when we should be challenging the idolatry.
· Compromise with the world system
o (2) Prudential/practical reasoning vs. Directly scriptural reasoning
§ My attempt to do this with the issue of Transgenderism
· In the Church: I used both Scriptural and prudential reasoning[15]
· On the college campus: I used prudential reasoning and yet I started with a quotation of Jesus[16]
· The need of the hour: Wisdom and Courage
o Wisdom to know how to reason and what to do
o Courage to stand against the prevailing idolatries of our time
[1]Michael W. Goheen, A Light to the Nations: The Missional Church and the Biblical Story (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker, 2011), 188-189.
[2]Michael W. Goheen, A Light to the Nations: The Missional Church and the Biblical Story (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker, 2011), 60-61.
[3]John M. Frame, The Doctrine of God(Phillipsburg, New Jersey: Presbyterian and Reformed, 2002), 76. For a listing out of some of the biblical material on the sovereignty of God see my blog post “God’s Comprehensive Control” White Rose Review(December 8, 2015)—online: https://whiterosereview.blogspot.com/2015/12/gods-comprehensive-control.html.
[4]John C. Lennox, Against the Flow: The Inspiration of Daniel in an Age of Relativism(Grand Rapids, Mich.: Monarch Books, 2015), 1-2—emphasis added.
[5]John C. Lennox, Against the Flow: The Inspiration of Daniel in an Age of Relativism(Grand Rapids, Mich.: Monarch Books, 2015), 203.
[7]John C. Lennox, Against the Flow: The Inspiration of Daniel in an Age of Relativism(Grand Rapids, Mich.: Monarch Books, 2015), 136-137.
[8]Joyce G. Baldwin, DanielTyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, Ill.: Intervarsity Press, 1978), 99.
[9]John C. Lennox, Against the Flow: The Inspiration of Daniel in an Age of Relativism(Grand Rapids, Mich.: Monarch Books, 2015), 141.
[10]John C. Lennox, Against the Flow: The Inspiration of Daniel in an Age of Relativism(Grand Rapids, Mich.: Monarch Books, 2015), 139-140.
[13]Christopher J. H. Wright, Walking in the Ways of the Lord: The Ethical Authority of the Old Testament (Downers Grove, Ill.: Intervarsity Press, 1995), 121.
[14]John C. Lennox, Against the Flow: The Inspiration of Daniel in an Age of Relativism(Grand Rapids, Mich.: Monarch Books, 2015), 139.
[15]My notes from my teaching in the church: “Beauty and the Christian Sexual Ethic: Week Four” (September 30, 2018)—online: http://whiterosereview.blogspot.com/2018/09/beauty-christian-sexual-ethic-week-four.html.
[16]For a video of this event at Glendale Community College: “Gender & Sexuality: Current Controversies and the Common Good” (
