2015 Advent Devotions (11/30/15)

11/30/2015 Monday

Daniel 1      Daniel, a Man of Faith

The book of Daniel opens with the besieging of Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in 597BC. Ten years later he destroyed the city and exiled many of its inhabitants to Babylon. Daniel was one of a number of young men chosen to serve in the King’s palace. They were to be taught the literature and language the Chaldeans (ruling social class) and educated for 3 years. In short, they were to be assimilated into the culture of which they were now a part. Daniel was renamed Belteshazzar, and you may recall his companions Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo. This is what conquering nations have done for centuries. Taken the best from the conquered lands and assimilated them into their own society. It’s even the stuff of science fiction. Remember the Borg in Star Trek? “Your culture will adapt to serve us. Resistance is futile.”

But Daniel and his companions would not adapt. We read in chapter 1, “Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal rations of food and wine…” Remember, these guys were kosher. They considered some of the foods that they were being fed unclean. So Daniel asked his guard, “Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink.” Maybe these guys were the first vegetarians. But in any case, they chose to follow their traditions rather than conform, and they thrived! Later we read that, “In every matter of wisdom and understanding … the king found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.”

Daniel and his companions took their chances. Later in chapter 6 Daniel is thrown into the lion’s den and in chapter 3, his buddies, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo are thrown into the fiery furnace. Following God can be dangerous.

What does it mean to be assimilated into the American culture of the 21st century? It can be argued that “contemporary Christianity” has become complacent and that “moralistic therapeutic deism” has replaced Christianity as the dominant religion. Moralistic because it says we’re supposed to be “good”; therapeutic because it says that God just wants us to be happy; and deistic because it does believe in a god, although it be one that demands little of us. But there have always been those who refuse to be assimilated. Resistance is not futile, but neither is it easy. Sometimes we don’t like those who resist because they make us uncomfortable. Sometimes we see them as heroes or special people. But much more often they are just ordinary people like us, who put their trust in God and so can do extraordinary things.

Deacon Charlie Germain