What you will find below is one of several lessons through Daniel that Judy Doudoukjian is writing for God’s glory and our good. Our Women’s Ministries’ intention was to cover the book of Daniel in its entirety this year. Now we all get to enjoy it! These will roll out with the regular rotation of MWF written devotions. Be on the lookout for these, and blessings,
Jeremiah
Introduction and Lesson One
Looking at the book of Daniel through the Lens of COVID19
The Jerusalem Class of (about) 605 BC never got to celebrate their senior year. The top students of the class were hauled off to Babylon by the troops of King Nebuchadnezzar. There they were to be “retooled” into Babylonians, if you will. In modern terms, we would say they were to be brainwashed. I used the comparison to our own times where our own children and grandchildren have been stripped of their anticipated activities as the graduating class of 2020 by this COVID19 virus. We all have questions about how this will all turn out, not only for the senior high school students, but also for the rest of us.
I have always thought that the book of Daniel was so unbelievably applicable to our own uncertain times. Even for a non-Christian reader, it is a fascinating story of incredible courage in the face of extreme difficulty. For us Christian readers, there is another dimension entirely. Through the eyes of Daniel and his three friends, we are reminded of a faithful God who does not desert us or leave us to our own devices. We can count on him to be there, whatever the circumstances.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 reminds us:
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
These young men did not yet have the New Testament, but they did know the first five books of the Old Testament, especially Deuteronomy 6:4-9. I have to use my imagination a little bit, and wonder if they might have thought about Joseph, another teenager cruelly snatched from his family, stripped of everything familiar, and taken to a new land, a new culture, a new language, a slave, but ultimately becoming Prime Minister of Egypt.
Well, of course, this is where these youths find themselves. The king only wanted the best and smartest. He wanted to reeducate them, strip them bare, and make them over into his minions. A word to the wise here: this is sometimes what universities try to do to our own young people. They are impressionable, idealistic, and are often brought to doubt the very things they have been taught all their lives.
Chapter One hinges on a couple of important things. I am not the first to say them. In one way or another every commentary I read mentioned them:
Daniel 1:2 “And the Lord gave…” Nebuchadnezzar certainly thought he was in complete charge, but surprise! The Lord is in the driver’s seat.
Daniel 1:8 “Daniel resolved….” Dale Ralph Davis says in his commentary that Daniel drew a line in the sand. He was not ugly or belligerent about it, but by this resolve, he was an example to all around him when it came to preserving his identity as a child of God.
So here we have four young men – new names, new language, new culture, but faithful to the God whom they may feel has deserted them. Their stand in this first encounter really sets the stage for all that they will face in the future. We are not sure what became of the other three, but Daniel lived in Babylon the whole rest of his life. The exile was to last 70 years, and he was there for all of them.
Likewise, we don’t know what is just around the corner, but we still serve the same God, and He is in control. Now is the time for our resolve. We must draw that line in the sand, so that we may stand as beacons – as light in a dark world; as good neighbors, showing kindness to those who would try to lead us the wrong way. We can stand firm in our convictions, but try to be examples of quiet and respectful leadership.
Judy