Daniel 1:1-2 “History and Sovereignty”

INTRO> Does anyone recognizes the picture of this young lady? (PIC) This is the famous young women, Anne Frank lived close to the Netherlands and lived during WWII. When the Germans occupied the Netherlands Anne and her family hid in a secret attic in a home for two years, they never left the home. Just before Anne’s 13th birthday she got this (PIC) a red diary. Anne would write in that diary everyday for the two years they where in hiding. It was later published as “The Diary of Anne Frank”. In 1944 they were found and sent to a concentration camp and in 1945 Anne die from typhus in one of the camps. The diary is considered princess and is on display. To show you how valuable her writings are, one of her poems sold for $148,000 in an auction.

APP> Why do I tell you that? Because that’s a lot like the book of Daniel but Daniel isn’t some “valuable collection of memories” It is the very words of God to us! It is God reveling to us how he works and what his purposes are. Before we jump in and before we ever dive into a book of the Bible, we have to get some Context first.

Author: Daniel (8:15, 14 when captive, 70 yrs of his life)

Date: 6th Century B.C

Location: Babylon (modern day Iraq) *Map

Genre: OT History & Prophecy

• • • In the early 60’s there arose a little bit of criticisms against the book of Daniel, Imagine that. “According to the consensus of modern critical schoollarship, the stories about Daniela nd his friends are legendary in character, and the hero himself most probably never exisited.” John J. Collins One of the things we always have to do is let scripture interpret scripture.
    • “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),” Matthew 24:15
    • “And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,” Hebrews 11:32-33

Purpose: The purpose of the book of Daniel is what our theme is going to be for this series, and we can find the purpose in a song that Israel sang while they where in Captivity. “How shall we sing the LORD’s song in a foreign land?” Psalm 137:4 APP> How to live in exile.  APP> You see Israels story is our story.

Context> God promise to Adam and Eve.. then Cain. God’s promise to Noah… then Noah. God’s promise to Abraham.. then Isaac.. then Jacob.. then David… then Solomon… Then Israel spilts and goes into captivity because of their sins. God’s people where to live distinctly but the culture kept getting them off track.

• “ I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” John 17:14-16

*ILL> My brother Joe at a ASU football game wearing a MIZZOU shirt

APP> We are just like Daniel and God’s people, living in a foreign land, always being pressured to water down what we believe, or turn and worship idol.

Stats on the Christians:

• • • A recent survey taken by people who claimed to identify as Christian where asked this question: “Do you believe the Bible to be God’s true word, Jesus to be the son of God who died and resurrected, every person needs to be born again and do you believe that  Christians should practice their beliefs outwardly.” Guess how many said “Yes, I Believe that!” 8% – Source: A Call to Resurgence, pg 13
    • According to Berkeley and Duke University in 2013 “religious affiliation in the United States is at it’s lowest point since it began to be tracked in 1930’s”

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Big Idea> The only way to stand in a culture that is fallen is to stand on the truth that God is sovereign.

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CONTEXT> Now we are into the text, we are in Daniel now. King Neb has made his way there, and “besieged it” those are strong words. But look at verse 2 everything is in verse 2, it’s where the big idea comes from. “And the Lord gave…” Wow telling us something here, that no matter what, God is in control. What do these 4 words tells us?

1. A reminder that he is in control.

• • “took the vessels of the house of God..” The writer

is giving us some context as to how big of a deal this is. This is to compare the control of King Neb to God. APP> God never says, “uh,oh”

• • • “The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord. And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” Isaiah 39:6-7

APP> God is in control of the chaos.

2) A reason to not give up.

• • • “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” Jeremiah 29:7

*ILL> Courtnee being a hoarder not wanting to throw anything away, “Im using that.”

APP> Failure doesn’t define you it refines you.

3) A rescuer that would save them.

• • • “ Jehoiakim king of Judah….” This guy, he is a real winner in the scripture. He did what all the other kings did, which is cave.
    • “Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God.” 2 Chronicles 36:5

APP> King Jehoiakim isn’t the savior , Daniel isn’t the savior.. the needed a better king.. just like we do.

• • • “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

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Big Idea> The only way to stand in a culture that is fallen is to stand on the truth that God is sovereign.

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Ending Application questions:

• • • Do I feel the tension of following Christ in a broken world?
    • Where is my hope in this broken world?
    • Am I trusting in Christ or myself?