The Inevitable Test of Loyalty

While there is much more to be said about bringing both churches and preaching into the 21st century while at the same time remaining true to scripture in this post I want to return to the book of Daniel.  We have already seen that it is possible to be preserved in a pagan education system in a foreign land if we are upheld by God and we are determined to put him first. Then we saw how the world and its kingdoms are answerable to God and that in the end his kingdom which is centered in his Son will triumph over all opposition to his reign. At the end of Daniel 2, King Nebuchadnezzar was deeply moved by Daniel's words and the dream that had been made known to him. But we observed that his amazement was short lived for when we come to chapter 3 we find that Nebuchadnezzar has legislated national idolatry perhaps in an attempt to unify the kingdom around himself.

The careful reader cannot help but notice that Daniel is not present in chapter 3. Instead the focus falls on Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. We do not know if Daniel was away on business or if he was considered politically untouchable at this time no matter who had a jealous grudge against him. But whatever the reason, he is exempt, for the time being! His time of testing will come in the future (cf. Daniel 6). In this chapter the focus is on his three Hebrew friends who had been promoted in the province of Babylon (Daniel 2:49). From them we learn that sooner or later our allegiance to God will be tested.

Initially all three moved ahead in Babylon. They were the toast of the town. But eventually the time came when their faith was tested in such a way that there was no way out. This is how it will be with us as well. Our loyalty to King Jesus will be tested. When that time comes we must decide in advance how we will respond. Will we stand for what is true and right? Or will we compromise to escape trouble? Compromise often seems like the prudent way to go initially. Imagine how these three exiles could have rationalized bowing before the image. Just this once -- who will take our place -- we can do more good alive than dead! But if they had capitulated we would not be reading their inspiring story. Even if God had not rescued them from the furnace, their loyalty to God in the face of death would inspire others in a way their compromise would not. We are called to stand for what is right and to leave the results with God. He will sort out the details.

To be continued... next time some things we can learn from the actions of Nebuchadnezzar.

Some Thoughts on Preaching

I have always believed that the ability to preach the word of God is a God-given ability that you either have or you don't have. While preachers should work at improving their communication skills and there is room for the development of the gift, today in some circles there is too much emphasis on "learning how to preach."

But in spite of the trend I am not the least bit convinced that peer review and audio and video analysis will produce better preachers. Rather all I fear it will produce are self-conscious clones of this or that supposed model of preaching excellence. Clones that are both predictable and incredibly boring. People crave the fresh originality of someone whose mind and heart are on fire even if it breaks with rhetorical conventions as opposed to the slick carefully measured presentation of the professional talker who is working hard to emphasize the right points and the right time.

The simple truth is that there is no right way to preach. Surely one of the lessons of church history is that God delights to use different preachers and preaching styles to save and sanctify his people. What is needed today is what has always been needed, and that is men filled with the Holy Spirit through whom God can speak his truth and reveal his sovereign glory and power.

Without a doubt there is no shortage of bad preaching. But the antidote is not play preaching before a pretend audience of self-appointed judges and pseudo experts. We need men genuinely called by God and so gripped by his truth that they cannot help but speak with an eloquence that those who have not been called to preach can never understand nor duplicate.

Simply put if God has called you to preach his word he will give you opportunities to do exactly that. If he has not practice preaching will not change that. It may turn you into an actor (although not necessarily a good one because that is a gift too) but not a preacher. Rather than waste valuable time it is better to discover other ways to serve the Lord. There is a difference between living in a ministerial fantasy world and actually doing real ministry that builds the church and blesses God's people. Today there is no shortage of talk but not enough spiritual power.

Effectual Grace

The last lesson in Daniel 2 that I wanted to mention is the very scary possibility of a superficial, temporary response to the gracious revelation of God. When God speaks through the prophet Daniel and tells Nebuchadnezzar are will happen in the future, he is overwhelmed. The king falls prostrate before Daniel and pays him honor and orders that offerings and incense be present to him. He acknowledges Daniel's God as "the God of gods and the Lord of kings and the revealer of mysteries." And then, like Joseph, Daniel is given a high position and many gifts. He is also made ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed in charge of all its wise men. And yet, for all that, when chapter 3 opens we find that Nebuchadnezzar has made an enormous golden image, either of himself or his god, and he requires everyone to bow down before it.

Nebuchadnezzar was impressed, very impressed, but not impressed enough! He was not impressed enough to abandon his idolatry and put his faith in the Lord. From this we learn that "common" or universal grace is not enough if human beings are to be saved. Such is the blinding power of sin that God must come to us in saving grace or we will not leave our idols no matter how God demonstrates his power to us. Thankfully, God does more that just come to us with external demonstrations of his power. He works internally in his people so that we run to him with all of our hearts.

The "Stone" That Will Demolish Babylon

Continuing on from last time, in Daniel 2 the third thing we see is that this world and its kingdoms belong to God. The mystery of Nebuchadnezzar's dream is solved by divine revelation and Daniel is careful to give the glory to God. Daniel is not only able to tell the king what he saw in his dream, but he is able to interpret its meaning from his vantage point in redemptive history.

Thus Nebuchadnezzar is the head of gold, an Adamic-like character who is given dominion and power and might and glory. God has placed in his hands all people everywhere and the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky. Wherever they live, God has made him ruler over them. Then Daniel explains that after Nebuchadnezzar there will be a series of kingdoms, each inferior to his.

This degradation is indicated by the successive kingdoms being described by metals that are less valuable, going from gold to silver to bronze to iron and finally iron mixed with clay. It is also indicated by moving anatomically from head to chest to core to thighs, and feet and toes.

But the main point of the dream is the establishment of a supernatural kingdom, a rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands, that demolishes all the kingdoms of the world so that they are blown away like chaff on a summer threshing floor. This "stone" is not fully explained here in chapter two but if you remember the chiastic structure I spoke about earlier which results in the pairing of chapters 2 and 7 you will see that this stone is none other than Jesus the Christ, the Son of Man, who would receive a kingdom from his Father, a kingdom that will endure forever (Daniel 7:13-14).

However we identify the kingdoms that follow Babylon, and I think they represent the kingdom of the Medes and Persians, the Greek Empire, and finally the Roman Empire, the basic lesson is clear. In the end the kingdom of God will be the only one left standing. It will outlast and in the end overpower all the historical manifestations of "Babylon" that will exercise dominion during the time allotted to them by God. If these things are true, surely the course of wisdom is to know that God who reigns, to make peace with him, and to bow to his authority.

But there is one more thing to observe before we leave chapter 2... to be continued...

Nebuchadnezzar's Dream

In Daniel 1 we read of four young Hebrew men who were carried off to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. Together they resolved not to defile themselves with the delicacies of the king's court. In Daniel 2 the spotlight shines on Daniel because of his extraordinary ability to "understand visions and dreams of all kinds" (1:17). Furthermore, this chapter has something to say that is universally significant because starting in chapter 2:4 the text is written in Aramaic, not Hebrew, which was the language of the day in the Babylonian Empire. Structurally, the chapter has 4 parts: (1) Nebuchadnezzar's dream, desperation and decree, (2) Daniel's prayer, (3) Nebuchadnezzar's dream decoded, and (4) Daniel promotion within the kingdom of Babylon. Keeping the structure in mind I want to draw your attention to four main points of application.

First, as great as King Nebuchadnezzar was, he was not sufficient in himself. During the second year of his reign when he had a dream that troubled him there was no one in Babylon who could interpret his dream for him. Though he had access to magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers, he was stymied! It was not until Daniel, one of the Hebrew captives and a servant of the living God, interpreted his dream that he understood anything. Dreams were very important in the ancient world because if you were a king like Nebuchadnezzar you believed that the gods spoke to you by dreams. At this time Nebuchadnezzar was pursuing an aggressive foreign policy and divine "intelligence" was extremely valuable. But in spite of his angry, almost paranoid threats, there is no one in Babylon who could tell the king the meaning of his dream. This is a reminder that the real control of the universe is not found in Ottawa, or Washington, or New York, or London, or even Dubai. Nor is it found in Pentagon, university or corporate board rooms. This universe belongs to God and he rules over it and all human beings, no matter how big and powerful, need him.

Second, in times of trouble we should pray. We learn this from Daniel, who seeks the face of God in prayer in order to save his life and the lives of his Hebrews friends and the lives of the wise men of Babylon. He and Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah gave themselves to earnest prayer and God answered their prayers in a most wonderful way. While Daniel lies in his bed at night--not researching in the archives but resting in God--the meaning of the king's dream is revealed to him. In response he immediately praises God for his goodness and grace, for sparing his life and the lives of his friends, and for making known the meaning of the king's dream. When we are in trouble we should pray, and then, thank God for answer to our prayers. Prayer brings us into the presence of God who holds the mysteries of the universe in his hands. There is no better place to be.

To be continued...

Trust the Lord and Pass the Veggies

The last lesson we learn from Daniel 1 (see previous posts) is that by God's grace we can stand, even in the middle of Babylon. We can see this lesson lived out in the lives of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, for even though they were trained for 3 years in the language and literature of the Babylonians, they stood their ground and never forgot who they were and who they belonged to. In fact, when the king examined them to see if they were fit to serve in his royal court, he discovered that they were 10 times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom. God was with them, and therefore they possessed knowledge and understanding that far surpassed any of their peers, and Daniel in particular, could understand visions and dreams.

Without minimizing the "supernatural" element, I think it is true to say that with God's help Christians ought to be able to excel in this world because we have some grasp of the "big picture." Sin makes us stupid but righteousness can give us a wisdom and perspective that the world does not understand. This will not happen by accident, but only as we immerse ourselves in God's word. However, there is another factor we need to consider if we are going to grasp what is going on here. We must not miss verse 8: "But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way." In this regard there are a number of things we should observe.

First, the gracious way that Daniel took his stand. There is nothing to be said for ugly arrogance when it comes to doing what is right, because ironically arrogance spoils whatever good we might have done. Second, the request of the young men for vegetables and water is not an endorsement of vegetarianism. Rather, Daniel and his friends did not want to be seduced by the lavish provision of the king's court so they deliberately chose a simple diet and cast themselves on the provision of God. They deliberately set themselves apart from others so they would be tempted to compromise because of their enjoyment of the good life. Third, the key to their survival (and ours) from a human perspective is to know where "Babylon" is making it possible for us to live as though God is not there. We must not allow this world to force faith to the sidelines and reduce our hunger and thirst for God and the righteousness of his kingdom and the world to come. We must "stay hungry!"

Daniel 1 closes with a reference to Cyrus who came on the stage of history years later when the Babylonian kings were gone. Although there was a day when the world wondered if Babylon would last forever, she did not, and in the fullness of time she gave way to the Medes and Persians who took over the reigns of power. Notice that while the kings of Babylon were gone, Daniel was not. He remained and lived on to see a new day. This is far more than political savvy and longevity. This was the blessing of God. Daniel lived to see the end of the time of exile. He lived to see the promises of God fulfilled, and so will we, if we put our faith and confidence in God.

The Threat of Assimilation

The next thing we see in Daniel 1 is that assimilation is one of the world's most effective methods of neutralizing the kingdom of God. Along with Jehoiakim, the Babylonians carried off some of the Israelites from royal families and the nobility--young men without physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to learn and qualified to serve in the king's palace. These young men were to learn the language and literature of the Babylonians. In other words, they were to be immersed in the culture and the public education system of the day!

The Babylonian deportation policy was shrewd. It simultaneously reduced the chance of rebellion among the exiles and it enhanced the king's court by making sure that the brightest and the best of the captives were indoctrinated into the political-religious system of their captors. Caught up in these events were Daniel, whose name means "God is judge," Hananiah, "Yah is gracious," Mishael, "Who is what God is?" and Azariah, "Yaw is a helper." Upon their entry into Babylon each were promptly renamed Belteshazzar, "Bel protect his life or the king," Shadrach, "command of Aku (the Babylonian moon god)," Messhach, "Who is what Aku is?" and Abednego, "servant of Nebo (the shining one)."

It is important to notice that they were not killed or imprisoned. Rather the Babylonians tried to assimilate them, to conquer them by compromise, to 'baptise' them into the Babylonian system of thinking. To this end they were renamed which was an attempt to cut them off from their families and their history as Israelites. Then they were re-educated in the hope that they would buy into the Babylonian program.

The world continues to use this policy very effectively. It is not the world's own strategy, but it has proven irresistible time and time again. The world tries to push faith to the periphery of life, it tries to undermine the authority of the Bible and to cut us off from the true and living God who is revealed in the Old and New Testaments as well as in nature and most clearly and fully in Jesus Christ. Never has the world had so many ways to do this. We are bombarded daily with the "spirit of Babylon" in the education system, our system of government and finance, the mass media, advertising, celebrity opinion, and in other ways too numerous to mention here.

Many have been assimilated over the years. The flattery of the world along with its language and literature has proven too alluring. What about you, my reader? What about me? Are we resisting assimilation into that"Babylon" that will be destroyed in the end? Something to think about this Saturday.

To be continued...

Looking at Life Through The Eyes of Faith

Returning to the book of Daniel... the book begins in the third year of Jehoiakim, king of Judah. As predicted by the prophets, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had come against Jerusalem, besieged it, and carried off Jehoiakim along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he took to the temple of his god and he deposited them in the treasure house of his god in Babylonia. This was actually the first of 3 waves of deportation, the first, taking place in 605 BC, the second in 597 BC, and the third in 586 BC.

Now to the casual observer and secular historian it might appear as if Nebuchadnezzar and his gods were greater than Israel and her God. Judah has suffered a major defeat. She had been humiliated along with her God. Imagine the newspaper headlines and coffee shop talk! But the careful reader of Daniel already knows, that things are not always as they appear to be.

Behind the triumph of Nebuchadnezzar and the humiliation of Israel, was the Lord himself. Jehoiakim, like so many of his ancestors, had done evil in the eyes of the Lord and so was carried off into captivity just as the Lord had said would happen if the nation rebel and did not repent. Although Nebuchadnezzar in the military action against Jerusalem was acting for his own reasons, behind the scenes the Lord was enacting the curses of the covenant law. And so what appeared to be the humiliation of the Lord was actually an act of his sovereign will! Ultimately Israel's troubles were not an indication of God's weakness or foolishness, nor a testimony to Babylonian superiority or virtue, instead God was fulfilling his word and was about to show that his grace was sufficient to keep the faithful remnant of Israel safe - even in Babylon  - so he might fulfil his promises in the future.

So it is today. God is working behind the scenes. Most of the time the news headlines don't reveal his work and more often than not seem to chronicle the opposite. But history is moving toward the goal that the Lord of history has set for it. More particularly, God is working to save his people, build his church, and demonstrate his glory among the nations. Because these things are true we must do the following...

1. Resist the temptation to be discouraged.
2. Refuse to judge by merely outward appearances.
3. Look at life through the promises of God and live by faith in Christ.

To be continued...

TBS Graduation and Residence Renovation

March is already here and that means we are less than two months away from graduation at TBS. Therefore it is not too early to post an announcement about Graduation 2009 so that you can mark it down on your calendars if you are interested in attending. Graduation this year will take place on Friday, May 1st at 8 PM at Jarvis Street Baptist Church in Toronto. I am particularly pleased to announce that my brother Dr. Stephen Wellum, the Associate Professor of Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, in Louisville, Kentucky, will be our special guest speaker for the evening. If you would like more information please consult our website at www.tbs.edu. Graduation is a time when we celebrate God's goodness and his provision through another year. This is event is open to the public and we would be delighted to have representatives attend from a variety of Christian churches and denominations. That evening, you will also be able to see the progress that has been made on our residence renovation project. We are very thankful for the support of God's  people and for the money that has been raised thus far even in difficult financial times. It is our prayer that the renovation will be fully paid for prior to its re-opening this September. Please pray with us that God will enable TBS to move forward into the future. If you would like to know more about the renovation or help us reach our financial target please call TBS at 416-925-3263 or write to inquiry@tbs.edu. For those interested in studying with us there is an open house at the school on March 9-10. Details are available on our website.

Authorship and Other Commitments

Continuing on from last time.... as to who wrote Daniel, the testimony of the book itself (9:2; 10:2), and Jesus' statement in Matthew 24:15 in which he quotes Daniel 9:27 and attributes it to the prophet Daniel is decisive for those who hold an orthodox view of Scripture. Objections to the authorship of Daniel are primarily based on an aberrant worldview which does not believe in predictive prophecy, but this is not a problem for those who accept the biblical presentation of God. One of the things that sets God apart from idols -- especially in the prophets -- is his ability to predict the future, an ability which rests on his foreknowledge which in turn rests on his fore-ordination. God knows all things, including what will happen in the future without in any way violating the freedom and responsibility of human beings. A denial of these foundational theological facts not only results in a distorted view of scripture but it involves a serious departure from a biblical and Christian view of God. These points cannot be stressed strongly enough in a day when inadequate views of God are everywhere in the general public, the church and the academy. And so the bottom line is that there is no good reason to revise the traditional authorship of Daniel as being written by Daniel around 530 BC.

One more introductory observation. Daniel has much to say to those of us who live between the times. As foretold in Daniel 7, the "Son of Man" -- our Lord Jesus Christ -- has been given authority, glory and sovereign power. He is reigning until his enemies have become his footstool. But we, as his people, are still in "Babylon" -- that is, this world. While we live here, this world is not our home. We face many challenges, just like Daniel and his three friends, as we try to serve our Lord. If we keep this in mind as we work our way through the book of Daniel we will benefit from our study in many different ways. Although Daniel was written many years ago, it still speaks to us today because it is part of the word of God which finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Daniel is one of those books that Jesus expounded to Cleopas and his companion on the Emmaus road when "beginning with Moses, and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself" (Luke 24:27). May our hearts "burn within us" as they did within them as the Scriptures are opened and we listen to their glorious message (Luke 24:32).

To be continued...