Focal Passage: Daniel 1:3-13, 17-19
I love quoting Charles Spurgeon when I preach. He had a way of taking deep theological truths and communicating them with profound simplicity.
Let me provide his perspective on circumstances and I think you’ll agree. He said, “Had any other condition been better for you than the one in which you are, divine love would have put you there.” By this statement we learn that Spurgeon believed that an individual’s circumstances are ordained by a sovereign and loving God.
In contrary circumstances we tend to disconnect God’s love from His sovereignty. When we do this we will find it difficult to keep our convictions. How we view God’s involvement in our circumstances will deeply impact how our convictions develop. Daniel displays this truth well.
Daniel 1:1-2 makes it clear who was calling the shots. Nebuchadnezzar may have successfully besieged Jerusalem, but it was God that allowed Jehoiakim, King of Judah to lose the battle. Let’s not romanticize these events for Daniel and his fellow young Judeans. They were essentially prisoners of war and though we can’t be sure of the specifics, their families must have certainly suffered great violence.
Bosak
Daniel remained faithful to God despite the difficult circumstances he was thrust into. Daniel’s blessing in chapter 2 is incredible and will perhaps provide us some insight into how he remained steadfast through such immense difficulty. Check out Daniel 2:20-23.
Daniel must have been considering Jehoiakim, the fallen king of his homeland when he talked about the changing of seasons and sovereigns. What others might have seen as illogical and unloving, Daniel viewed as a part of God’s good work. Daniel viewed God’s work as something beyond him that must be revealed. Keep in mind Daniel’s experience as you consider verse 22, “He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.” Daniel expresses an intense humility here.
The truth is God’s to possess and reveal as He rules and reigns over the universe. While these verses relate specifically to God revealing Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams to Daniel, we would do well to broaden these truths out and apply them to Daniel’s life as a whole.
At the time Daniel couldn’t have fully grasped the reasons why he was in his current state, but he trusted that God did and that He was lovingly directing his path.
How could Daniel remain steadfast in his convictions after he was kidnapped and forced into his enemy king’s service? Because Daniel saw even these horrific circumstances as a part of God’s loving work. We know that Daniel’s convictions would stick within throughout his time in captivity. Daniel is most well-known for his night in the lion’s den.
One of the most amazing parts of that story is the confession of a pagan king about the power of Daniel’s God. Read Daniel 6:25-28. There is no way Daniel could have known that his convictions would eventually have such a profound — impact on Darius and his kingdom. In the end, God was glorified by a pagan king through the convictions and courage of one of His people.
If you are in a difficult circumstance, perhaps God is preparing you for your own “lion’s den” moment. Don’t give up. B&R
