In sum, these young men had a strong faith nourished by their exposure to the Word of God (cp Ro 10:17- note), and God's Word provided a grid through which they could filter the godless Babylonian brainwashing. (3) Prophets spoke the Word of God - Jeremiah, Zephaniah and Habakkuk were prophesying the Word of God and it is likely Daniel was impacted by Jeremiah's ministry (Daniel later refers to Jeremiah's written word - Da 9:2). They also knew (especially because of the discovery of the Book of the Law described in #1) Deuteronomy 6:4-8 which charged godly parents to "saturate" (the Hebrew word for " teach.diligently" in Dt 6:7 = engrave a stone tablet and figuratively = "teach incisively"!) their children with the Word of God. (2) Godly parents taught the Word of God - They named their children with God honoring names. If Daniel was 15 in 605BC, it mean roughly the first 10 years of his life would have been during this time when the Word of God was once again prized in Jerusalem. (1) Revival of interest in the Word of God - There was a "revival" under King Josiah when the "book of the law" which had been lost in the house of God (the temple) was discovered (2Ki 22:8-11, 23:3-4). Why? How would this have been possible? The answer is not directly stated but there were at least 3 things that could help understand their ability to resist indoctrination. And yet as discussed below in Daniel 1:8 these four took an uncompromising stand. First, recall that most scholars place their age at around 15 which is certainly not a time when one would expect young men to manifest the strength of character to resist the sophisticated Babylonian brainwashing and not compromise their ethical and moral standards! Furthermore, consider the risk associated with resisting the will of Nebuchadnezzar, the most powerful pagan king in the world! And consider how taking a no compromise stand would surely jeopardize the chance for advancement in the Babylonian court. So how were Daniel and his three friends able to remain committed to God and keep from caving in and compromising with the Babylonian brainwashing (Daniel 1:3-7)? Let's take a look at the cultural and historical context for clues.
#Daniel you are loved bible verse full
The exhortation from the writer of Hebrews would be apropos to believers today.Īnd we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Daniel's commitment was so sincere and steadfast that Jehovah Himself testified that "Noah, Daniel, and Job were in its midst (the kingdom of Judah facing impending divine judgment), by their own righteousness they could only deliver themselves," declares the Lord GOD." (Ezekiel 14:14, 20). But sadly commitment to the moral and ethical standards of the Holy God of the Universe is not so "in vogue" as evidenced for example by the high percentage of marital partners who fail to remain committed to their covenant marriage vows. And yet as we study the book of Daniel, we discover that Daniel's commitment to the Covenant keeping God as a young man "set the sails" of his life for the remainder of his time on earth. Commitment describes the person who is willing to give their time and energy to something that they believe in. It is the act of binding oneself to a course of action. Commitment is the trait of sincere and steadfast fixity of purpose.
Commitment is a word we hear frequently in our modern culture ( see graph of frequency of use since 1800).
0 kommentar(er)
