Daniel chapter 1 verses 8 through the rest of the chapter through 21. Here for this is the word of the Lord. But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs. And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, I fear my lord the king who assigned your food and your drink, for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king. Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, test your servants for 10 days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king's food be observed by you and deal with your servants according to what you see. So he listened to them in this matter and tested them for 10 days. At the end of the 10 days, it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king's food. So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables. As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king spoke with them, and among all of them, none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king, and in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king required of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. And Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. There is a point in every Christian's life where we will find ourselves in a situation that will make us feel out of place, that uncomfortable feeling telling us that we do not belong. Whether we are firsthand witnesses to the moral decay of this world, or we're being asked to do something that is wrong and a violation of God's law, or simply standing up for the truth of God and his gospel in the face of atheism and false religion. Or even the regret that we feel when we sense our own sinfulness. These awkward and uncomfortable situations are just part and parcel of what it means to be a dual citizen. Although we are all citizens of our earthly nations, Yet at the same time, we are also pilgrims in a strange and foreign land. Because in Christ, we are also citizens of heaven. And as we grow closer to taking up residence in our eternal home, the feeling that we are in a strange place will only continue to grow. But the challenge before us on a daily basis is how do we live as dual citizens? Depending on who you speak with, you'll get a variety of answers from both ends of the extremes. When Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were held captive and brought over to Babylon, they had to face the reality of their own dual citizenship, their dual identities. And as demonstrated here, their resistance to Babylon was not an unreasonable resistance. They allowed themselves to be addressed by their Babylonian names, by the Babylonians, while at the same time, They kept their Jewish identities among themselves. This was to remind them of their homeland and especially to remind them of their God. Evidence of this is found in that Daniel, who was the author of this book, wrote and continued to refer to himself and his fellow pilgrims by their Jewish names. Also, they would accept the Babylonian re-education without forgetting their Israelite education. They would know and learn Babylon's culture, literature, and language. They would assimilate to a certain extent to this new nation and their new identity, yet they would not forget their God. So they submitted to God's providence in bringing them to Babylon. They didn't question God's providence. They submitted to his providence, which meant they were also to submit to the rulers placed over them by God. While at the same time, there was resistance to be conformed to the world around them. These are some of the same difficulties we face as Christians who live in a world that is hostile to us and to our faith. How do we get along in the world with unbelievers sharing the same earthly identities while at the same time maintain our heavenly identity? How do we live in this world knowing that we belong to two kingdoms? Just one example, we ask these questions when we're trying to decide how to educate our children, whether it will be homeschooling, private Christian schooling, or public schooling. Any one of these options are valid for the Christian, but depending on your situation and circumstances, it takes wisdom and careful consideration on the part of the parents to find a way to maintain our heavenly identity within the family. Another way we seek to maintain our heavenly identity is when we gather together on the Lord's Day with fellow believers to worship God and to fellowship with one another. Because left on our own, we would assimilate fully into Babylon. We demonstrate that we are in fact distinct from the rest of the world when we gather to worship and enjoy sweet fellowship with one another. And when we gather, we're not just gathering so that we can become better people. This is the way the world views the church, that we gather only to become better people. But that's not the primary reason why we gather. Now hopefully we are becoming better people, But the primary reason that we gather is to worship our God through the means he has provided, the word, sacrament, and prayer. And through these means, we become more heavenly-minded as we are reminded of our heavenly destination to be with God, and that this world is not our ultimate home. We gather, as Paul told the Colossians, to set our minds on the things above. We gather to rest in the promises of God in Christ Jesus, the promise that there is much more to life than all that we've been through during the week while living in Babylon. These reminders are found in the word of the gospel, which calls us to himself. the sacrament of baptism, which we observe today, which reminds us of how God set a seal upon us, and the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, which is a reminder of Christ's sacrifice for us as we spiritually feed on His body and on His blood. This gathering marks us as a distinct people from the rest of the world. But yet, the question is still, how? Because we can put all these things into practice and still come up short. We can resist and live distinct lives and still have no hope without faith. So first, we are to trust God in our exile. This was the source of Daniel and his friends' resistance. They trusted in God despite their situation. Notice what it says. But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs. And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, I fear my lord the king who assigned your food and your drink. For why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king. Then Daniel said to the steward, whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, test your servants for 10 days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king's food be observed by you and deal with your servants according to what you see. So we listened to them in this matter and tested them for 10 days. At the end of 10 days, it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king's food. So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables. So Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the king's food and the king's wine. Now this defilement had nothing to do with Jewish ceremonial dietary laws and restrictions. They were not in the Promised Land, they were not in Israel, so there were no temple sacrifices. This means there were no ceremonial laws in place. It was not because Nebuchadnezzar's food wasn't kosher. That's not what this is about. Also, it wasn't about the fact that Nebuchadnezzar's food and wine would have been offered to idols and would have made them unclean. No, it was not about that either because the vegetables they requested would have been offered to idols as well. And there is evidence later on in Daniel chapter 10 verse 3 that Daniel would eventually partake of the food and the wine of Babylon or better Persia when he fasted from these things in order to pray. So this was a temporary thing. So what was this really about? Well, they didn't want to repeat the sin of Hezekiah. which landed Judah in Babylon in the first place. This is found in 2 Kings chapter 20. And that sin was to trust and depend on the king of Babylon rather than to trust in God. So this was to demonstrate that they were trusting in God rather than trusting in Nebuchadnezzar. Remember, Nebuchadnezzar tried to strip them of their identity and replace it with a Babylonian identity. He also provided for their every need so that they would depend on him rather than the God of Israel. So this was about who they were to depend on for food and everything else for that matter. Notice, they requested to eat just vegetables, which grew naturally from the ground, and to drink just water, which didn't have to go through the process of fermentation, and it just flowed naturally. This was to demonstrate their utter dependence on God and how He would provide for their every need. We are aware that we live in a time where there have been many technological advances and ways of providing for our needs. Many of our farmers, have seen such changes in the way they do farming over the last few decades. And we thank God for our farmers, and we thank God for the people who think of these innovative ways to provide for us. But ultimately, we must acknowledge that God is the one who provides for us. We must be reminded of what James wrote in this letter, that every good gift and every perfect gift is from above coming down from the Father of lights. We are to acknowledge and give thanks to God for our every need that has been supplied and every blessing he has bestowed upon us. But also, notice the demeanor of Daniel and friends. It reflected their trust in God. They did not form an armed rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians. They remained civil and they trusted God within this new foreign and pagan system. Notice in the interaction between Daniel and the chief of the eunuchs, Daniel didn't demand anything. This wasn't an act of rebellion. In fact, he asked for permission that he be allowed not to defile himself by eating the king's food and drinking his wine. And the chief of the eunuchs was sympathetic, yet he was afraid of what the king would do if they were not physically fit. So from the chief, Daniel moved down in the chain of command and asked the steward. or the guard who is placed over them for a 10-day trial run of just vegetables and water, then he was to deal with them accordingly afterward. And so the steward listened to them, and after 10 days, they were better in appearance, they were more physically fit than those who were living on a high-calorie diet. So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables and water. He continued to give them what they asked for as they continued to trust in God for their sustenance. We would conclude that this was a miracle. But notice, like I said before, we can't escape the Babylonian system. We are in it. We are in it. So we need to find ways to be faithful to God while living within the Babylonian system. And it is not to take the Babylonian system, baptize it in the name of Christianity, and turn it somehow into a Christian system, because as history recounts, that so-called Christian system eventually becomes Babylonian as well. Nor is it to take down the Babylonian system in some physical warfare. Rather, it is seeking to be faithful to God while in the system, while surrounded by unbelief. Notice, they didn't rebel, nor did they seek the collapse of the system. Rather, they trusted in God, And they knew that He is the one who raises up kingdoms, and He is the one who brings down those same kingdoms. So, they sought to be faithful within Babylon, and even to serve Babylon. That was God's plan. They submitted to God's plan. They submitted to His providence. They weren't trying to uncover the secrets of His providence. God sent Judah through this judgment to refine her and to save her. And so Daniel and his friends trusted in God's plan. And look what happened. God showed up. God showed up. So again, this wasn't about dietary laws, nor was it about dietary advice. I'm sure many of you have heard of the so-called Daniel diet. If you haven't heard of it, good. This is not about the Daniel diet, okay? That is not a good application for this text. Whether or not vegetables and water is better for you than meat and alcohol is not the concern of this text. That's not what this is about. If you wanna eat just vegetables and drink water, go right ahead, that's your preference. But this was about these four young men trusting in God and God showing up. This was to manifest the power of God. It was a miracle, folks. Why? Well, nature tells us you don't get fat by eating only vegetables. You need to consume fat to get fat. That's the point. They weren't just making a declaration that the king's food was unclean. What would make them unclean was if they placed their trust in someone else rather than God. So they placed their trust in God and God was using them to manifest his power through them. It was God getting the Babylonians attention. They weren't trying to topple the king's system, nor to purposely rebel against the king. God was sending a message through them to Nebuchadnezzar. Whether or not he got the message, that will be for a later sermon. But what conclusion did King Nebuchadnezzar come to when he saw all that God had done? Listen to what he says. As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the king of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king spoke with them, and among all of them, none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Nazariah. Therefore, they stood before the king, and in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them 10 times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. And Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus. Nebuchadnezzar spoke with them and concluded None were like these four young men in skill, in learning all literature, that is Babylonian and pagan literature, by the way, and in all wisdom. The king would go on to favor these youths, and these youths would serve the king in this foreign kingdom because they acknowledged that God placed them there for a reason. And the reason was, as we will find out, for God's honor and glory. So although there were lines of resistance drawn up, there are lines of resistance that we all need to draw up so we don't assimilate to the sinful system around us, yet Christians are still called to seek the good of the town, the good of the city, the good of the state and the country that we're living in. But before we think that this is all practical, before we think that this is all about Daniel's faithfulness, I know many of you have heard the song, Dare to be a Daniel. Unfortunately, it's in our hymnal. Ultimately, that is not what this chapter is about. It's not just about Daniel's faithfulness, nor our faithfulness, as it is the faithfulness of God. Are Daniel and his friends examples of true faith? Yes, they are. But we would be missing the point if we make that the point of this chapter. Remember, it was God who handed them over to Babylon in chapter 1, verse 2. Also, when Daniel asked that he be allowed not to defile himself with the king's food and drink, it says in verse 9 that it was God that gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs. God. is the ruler of hearts, and it was God who softened the heart of the chief, and it was God who granted Daniel and his friends the faith to ask this of the chief. The chief could have easily reported the request and possibly had them imprisoned or worse. This occasion was an answer to King Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the temple, that if the people sin against the Lord, And yet turn back to him and pray to him. He asked the Lord, forgive your people who have sinned against you and all their transgressions that they have committed against you. And grant them compassion in the sight of those who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them. This is exactly what happened here. Then after 10 days of eating just vegetables and drinking only water, It was God who sustained them and made them more fit than those who were consuming the king's food and drink. Notice in verse 17, it says that it was God who gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom. And Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. So it was God who granted them favor in the sight of King Nebuchadnezzar, where he found them 10 times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. And because of this, they would go on to serve Babylon and help build this great city, much like Joseph served Egypt. While at the same time, God granted them faithfulness to serve Him as well. See, serving Babylon and serving God are not always mutually exclusive. They are not always in contradiction to one another. You can do both while not compromising nor serving the nation's idols. But it was God who granted them the opportunity to do so. It was God who brought them here for this purpose, that His name may be honored and glorified. And it says they would remain in Babylon, as it says, and Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus. Now, why is this important? Well, King Cyrus would conquer Babylon 70 years later, Babylon's kings would be replaced by a Nato-Persian king. And this marked the end of Jewish Babylonian captivity as King Cyrus would return the Jews to their homeland. So what the author is saying is that God is faithful to the end of their captivity and their exile. He would remain faithful to Daniel for the next 70 years and throughout his life, he would see kings rise and he would see kings fall. Yet God was faithful and sustained him till the end. And guess what? He would not see the promised land in this world again. He would die in Babylon, but God was faithful to Daniel and his friends. Just like God is still faithful to his people today until the end of our own captivity. Let us not ignore this. This is a great encouragement and comfort for believers. Remind yourself of this when you're faced with unbelief and wretchedness of this world. This is a comfort and encouragement for believers who are surrounded by unbelief and the enemies of God. Believers who are trapped under the rule of tyrannical governments around the world. If God kept these four young men faithful, he can keep us faithful to him as well, under all of the world's pressures to conform. And like Daniel and his friends, there is a purpose behind wherever and whatever situation God has placed us in, and it is the Lord who preserves and sustains us, no matter how difficult our trials may get. But can we say, in all honesty, that we have been as faithful as Daniel and his friends? Can we honestly say that we have not become fully Babylonian in eating the king's food and drinking the king's wine, trusting in men, or relying on ourselves and our own techniques or knowledge to sustain us? Have we not bowed the knee to the current cultural idols and sins of today by forgetting to acknowledge God as our great provider? If we were to look within ourselves and our own faithfulness, wouldn't we and shouldn't we come up short? See, this is not about us emulating Daniel's faithfulness. This is not a call to dare to be a Daniel. That is not the gospel. because God is not just faithful to the faithful. Our faithfulness is not a condition for God's faithfulness to us in the gospel. We're not saved by our faithfulness, no matter who's teaching it these days. We are saved from our faithlessness, yes, but also we are saved despite our faithlessness. Our salvation from Babylon, is not dependent on how faithful we have been, nor our ability to be and remain undefiled by Babylonian culture. Now, there are Christians within our own country who believe that they are saved because they don't do the things that the Babylonians do. The Babylonians, quote unquote, would be the equivalent of the English to the Amish. They stay away from new technological advancements, but make excuses why they use older ones. Aren't they all Babylonian? See, what Daniel is truly about is the one who is completely and perfectly faithful while living in Babylon, or better, Israel, under Roman occupation. We are to depend not on our faithfulness, but on the faithfulness of Christ. That's what this is about. He made his perfect journey home from his worldly exile to purchase our salvation. He secured our inheritance in the promised land. He made it sure that if we trust in him and in him alone, we will make it home. So when your faithfulness is lacking, when you compare yourself to Daniel and his three friends and say, wow, I don't match up, Well, first thing, join the rest of us. And second, turn to Jesus who was faithful for you. He did what you can never do for yourselves in that he was crucified, raised, and ascended, and exalted to secure your earthly exodus into a heavenly Jerusalem. So turn to him and ask him to make you more faithful. Faithful like Daniel. Faithful as you serve the church. Faithful as you serve the broader community. Faithful as you apply the wisdom that he has given you to make decisions in the home, in the school, or in your field of work. Faithful to when the pressures of society weigh down on you. Look to him, not to yourself. and pray that after all your work is done, that he would give you a longing to be home with him. Amen.