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Text: Daniel 6 “How many of you would like your life-story re-enacted on the flannel-graph throughout history?” Main characters… Daniel, lions, the King, officials. ● Daniel 6:24 was the part that our Sunday School teacher left out (probably because there were no flannel-graph characters available to depict such a mauling!) The emphasis of the story? The miraculous intervention of God in shutting the lion’s mouth, right. Or, vegetables are not always ‘good for you’! (three vegetarians landed in the fire pit and one ended up bunking with the lions). ● So Daniel is, by lineage, a Hebrew; descended from Abraham and one of a people chosen to reflect and embody God’s dream for all of creation. The Jews had been consistently presented with the offer of life (when lived from God’s perspective) and warned about the inevitable death associated with pursuing life apart from him. As a result, the Jews find themselves in ‘exile’- a word used to not only described their geographical location, but also as a metaphor for the sense of ‘captivity’ and ‘bondage’ associated with having someone else’s rule imposed upon you (they were meant to live under the loving-rule of the Creator-God). Context… ~ In the 6th century B.C., Babylon was the world leader. In their initial wave of attacks, they seized Jerusalem and Judah became a vassal state. Like in a ‘hostile corporate takeover’, the ruling powers would retain those who they felt would contribute to the success of the empire. The list included Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), Azariah (Abednego) and Daniel (Belteshazzar). The boys are given a ‘full-ride’ to U. of B. (University of Babylon) including room, board and meal allowance. ● No one can ignore the miraculous in the story, but what’s remarkable to me is Daniel’s ability to live ‘counter-culturally’ and maintain such favorable relationships with those who did not necessarily share his values. The story of Daniel is about how to live out our values in our culture; how to remain faithful to God’s design and maintain our ‘distinctiveness’ without ‘distancing’ ourselves from the ones we are called to influence. ● When we speak of our ‘values’, we think of worth; that to which we have attached significance. It’s sort of a ‘rating’ system for life (only without Bob Barker). So, in essence, our values assign worth and determine our actions. ● Although there are a number of variables involved in shaping our values, it seems that they are predominantly either determined by the prevailing attitude of the culture (‘conformity’- external pressure to succumb; strong suggestion), or by God’s representation of life… truth (the way things really are). Every day we deal with contrasting messages; conflicting paradigms. ● The really paradoxical thing about conformity is that it is marketed as ‘individuality’ or ‘self-expression’; but in the end, you just end up like everyone else! ~ Convictions are ‘embodied’ values. Convictions are those values/determinations that we make about life and God which originate in our hearts, and alter our lifestyle. It’s not just what we ‘say’ we believe. A value, without conviction is merely an ‘opinion’. ~ Convictions limit our options and foster courage. The value you assign to any attitude, behavior, decision, etc. will ultimately determine how quickly you are willing to discard them for a more desirable option. Your devotion (‘single-hearted’; refusal to consider any other options) fosters a tenacity that seems to allow you to realize consistency. ~ Convictions are never determined by ‘consensus’. In fact, those who adopt a God-inspired approach to life will most often find themselves in the minority. Have you ever noticed how much of what we believe is determined by ‘on-line polling’? (‘Let us know what you think? Should he be thrown in the den of lions?’ Log on now to www.herekittykitty.org). And, with everything in our culture being so ‘subjective’, it makes it virtually impossible to be a hypocrite! ~ Convictions are ‘pre-determined’ obedience. It’s choosing in advance how you will respond. It’s winning the battle before you fight it. Without it, you face an internal ‘tug-o-war’ with each decision. Here’s another way of saying it (for all of you sports-addicts): the bottom of the ninth, with the bases loaded and score tied is no time for you to be developing a curve ball! The ‘heat of the moment’ is no time to be hacking out a moral strategy. Postponing obedience only intensifies your desires and makes it more difficult to say ‘no’. An intellectual belief will always lose out to the ruling passions of your life. ~ Conviction is often ‘risky non-compliance’. Choosing to live by your convictions often means a willingness to face the consequences. Conviction says, “I don’t know the immediate implications of my decision, but it will not dictate my decision”. ● Notice the context of Daniel’s faith-expressions: (1:1-5) religious pluralism (vs.2)- a sense that all religious expressions are equally valid; “build-your-own” god. human worth is assigned, not inherent (vs.4)- your ‘chosenness’ is determined by your ability to contribute to the progress of the culture- or at least keep it ‘entertained’! Substance surrenders to image. enculturation- the process whereby an established culture teaches an individual by repetition its accepted norms and values, so that the individual can become an accepted member of the society and find their suitable role; it takes the person and teaches him or her the ways of life of their people or country. It is a life-long process (Wikipedia). ● So, there’s this sense that, either intentionally or unconsciously, we are being ‘trained’ how to live; what’s valuable; what’s acceptable. And, we live within the constant tension of wanting to be ‘distinct’, but wanting to ‘fit in’. Sometimes our convictions are over-ridden by our desire to be accepted. Reflections… ► Living with conviction will involve stubborn commitment and frequent failure. James 3:2 “We all stumble in many ways…” It begins with the humble confession that we do not always live according to our convictions (refer to that as ‘out of character’). ► “Engage” Make sure that it’s really your convictions that are setting you apart and not just the distance you are creating through self-righteousness. Remaining outside (separated from) your culture will leave you critically disconnected; more prone to identifying the problems and less likely to become part of the healing solution (ever noticed that spectators make the best critics?) ► Live restoratively. Be ‘good for’ the culture! Jeremiah 29:4-7… Develop homes and establish relationships which reinforce the rightness of kingdom living and persuade others that there’s a better way to live! Be part of the ‘reclamation project’ God has begun. We are told to seek the restoration of our society, not its ruin! People are most often shaped by ‘influence’ (persuasion) than by ‘resistance’. ► Eat your vegetables! Make room for God to show up (prove himself) in your life! Maybe we don’t have great faith because nothing in our life requires it!? ► Someone is hoping you’ll be rescued!
While we should never expect
everyone to applaud our convictions, we should expect that there are some who
genuinely hope that we’ll succeed; some who need to experience the validity of
our trust in God. |
