CHOOSING WISELY
(THE RIGHT STUFF)
Daniel 1:1-21
Prayer
[Note: The idea for this
sermon came from a message I heard Dr. Ed Young
of Winning Walk preach]
When I was growing up, the
New York Yankees had one of the most
dominant baseball teams ever.
Yankee teams played in the
World Series fifteen times in the seventeen years
between
1947 and 1963.
They won the World Series
five years in a row between 1949 and 1953.
Some of their most famous players
were Mickey Mantle, Bobby Richardson,
Roger Maris,
Hank Bower, Moose Skowran, Yogi Berra,
Whitey Ford,
Tony Kubeck and Phil Rizzuto.
Mickey Mantle stood out as a
slugger.
He was a switch hitter with
power.
He led the American League in
home runs four times,
He was Most Valuable Player
in the American League three times,
He hit eighteen home runs in
World Series games.
He also had great speed;
Great
enough to play center field in the big park at Yankee Stadium.
The team was NOT just famous
ON the field.
It was also famous OFF the
field.
Many of the players were
famous for drinking and womanizing.
The media lapped it up.
They called these players the
ìParty Crowd.î
And Mickey Mantle was one of the
ìParty Crowd'sî main members.
He loved alcohol and women.
Bobby Richardson was
different.
He played second base.
He was a league all-star;
A committed
Christian.
While the ìParty Crowdî was
drinking and womanizing Bobby Richardson
was playing ping pong,
Attending prayer meetings,
And little league ballgames
He was determined to remain
faithful to God.
That's the way Daniel was.
He was a Jew.
It's not known exactly when
or where he was born.
But most scholars think he
was born about 620 B.C. in Jerusalem.
That would make him about 13
or 14 years old when king Nebuchadnezzar
destroyed Judah.
He was just a teenager when
he was captured and carried to Babylon.
The first two verses of his book
read, ìIn the third year of the reign of
Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto
Jerusalem, and besieged it.î
ìAnd the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand:î
1st---I want you to
notice that, ìthe Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into
king Nebuchadnezzar's hand.î
The fall of Judah was God's doing.
The people went their own way
for hundreds of years.
God asked them to repent
again and again.
They refused to do it.
Finally, God got tired of the
situation.
He showed His displeasure by
having the nation destroyed.
This tells us something about
the patience of God.
He is very patient because He
put up with their rebellion for hundreds of
years.
But there is a limit to His
patience because He finally destroyed the nation.
If we have sin in our life,
God will probably put up with it a long time.
He will probably give us many
chances to repent.
But if we refuse to repent, a
day of reckoning will come.
And that day of reckoning
will not be easy.
God knows how and when to
apply the rod of correction.
2nd---I want you
to notice some things about Daniel.
Notice,
verses 3-4.
ìAnd the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of
his EUNUCHS, that he
should bring certain of the
children of Israel, and of the KING'S SEED,
and of the PRINCES;î
ìChildren in whom was N4 blemish, but well favoured,î
ìAnd skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding
science,î
ìAnd such as had ability in
them to stand in the king's palace,î
ìAnd whom they might teach
the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.î
Womanizing wasn't a problem
for Daniel.
The king had him emasculated.
But Daniel was a member of the
royal family.
He was in excellent physical
condition,
Very popular,
Very intelligent,
Trained in many subjects
including wisdom and science;
Wise beyond
his years.
We ask, ìWhy did king
Nebuchadnezzar want highly qualified young Jews
like Daniel in his court?î
He wanted people he could
indoctrinate,
People he could place in
positions of authority over other Jews.
He thought he could take
these young Jews, Change them,
Make them loyal to Babylon, Put them in high positions,
And use them to control his
Jewish captives.
3rd---I want you
to notice some things about king Nebuchadnezzar's tactics.
Notice,
verses 5-7.
ìAnd the king appointed them
a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the
wine which he drank:î
ìSo nourishing them three
years, that at the end thereof they might stand before
the king.î
ìNow among these were of the
children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael,
and Azariah:î
ìUnto whom the prince of the
eunuchs gave names:î
ìFor he gave unto Daniel the
name of Belteshazzar;î
ìAnd to Hananiah,
of Shadrach;î
ìAnd to Mishael,
of Meshach;î
ìAnd to Azariah, of Abednego.î
Most captives would be lucky
to receive just a little bread and water.
But Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego received
food and wine from
the king's own table.
Most captives would be lucky
to receive any kind of education.
But Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego received the
finest education
money could buy.
Nebuchadnezzar even commanded
that they should receive these things for a
period of
three years.
Then, he wanted them to
receive good jobs,
Positions
of honor and trust in the Babylonian kingdom.
He also changed their names.
Daniel whose name means ìGod
is my judgeî was renamed Belteshazzar
after the
pagan god Bel.
Hananiah whose name means ìGod is graciousî was renamed
Shadrach after
the sun god
Shad.
Mishael whose name means ìGod is greatî was renamed Meshach after the
love goddess Shach.
And Azariah
whose name means ìGod is my helperî was renamed Abednego
after the
fire god Nego.
These Jewish names would make
a great sermon about God:
God is my judge,
God is gracious,
God is great, and
God is my helper.
We should tremble at the
judgment of God.
But everything will be okay
for the Christian because of the grace, greatness
and help of God.
Anyway, Nebuchadnezzar took
way their godly Jewish names.
And renamed
them after his pagan Babylonian gods.
What does a Christian do when
he becomes a celebrity like Mickey Mantle or
Bobby Richardson?
Do we go with the flow?
Do we join the ìParty Crowd?î
Or do we play ping pong,
attend prayer meetings and go to little league ball
games?
We know what Mickey Mantle
did.
We know what Bobby Richardson
did.
And we know three things that
Daniel did.
1st---Daniel
demonstrated conviction.
Verse 8 reads, ìDaniel
purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself
with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine
which he drank:î
Celebrity status didn't
change Daniel's character.
He refused to abandon the
things he had learned from the Scriptures.
He knew that the food and
drink that was set before him had been sacrificed
to pagan
gods.
He also knew that he had been
taught not to consume those things.
So Daniel made a decision
right up front that he was not going to violate his
religious
beliefs.
He was willing to change many
things.
But he was not willing to
change his relationship with God.
Thatís the way itís suppose to be.
We can go with the flow on
many things.
But we dare not go with the
flow when it involves sin.
Sin will change our
relationship with God.
And none of us should want to
go backwards in our relationship with Him.
2nd---Daniel
demonstrated common sense.
Verses 8 through 14 read,
ìTherefore he requested of the prince of the
eunuchs
that he might not defile himself.î
ìNow God had brought Daniel
into favour and tender love with the prince of
the
eunuchs.î
ìAnd the prince of the
eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who
hath appointed your meat and
your drink:î
ìFor why should he see your
faces worse liking than the children which are of
your sort?î
ìThen shall ye make me
endanger my head to the king.î
ìThen said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over
Daniel, Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah,î
ìProve thy servants, I
beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to
eat, and water to drink.î
ìThen let our countenances be
looked upon before thee,î
ìAnd the countenance of the
children that eat of the portion of the king's
meat:î
ìAnd as thou seest, deal with thy servants.î
ìSo he consented to them in
this matter, and proved them ten days.î
This was a delicate issue.
Daniel used great tact.
In essence he said, ìThe king's
desire for me to eat and drink forbidden things
goes
against my religious beliefs.î
ìI don't want to defile
myself.î
ìI want to be faithful to my
God.î
Ashpenaz replied, ìI'm afraid of the king.î
ìIf what you eat and drink
harms you, he will cut off my head.î
So Daniel suggested a test.
ìGive me, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego nothing but
vegetables and
water for
ten days.î
ìWhen the
ten days are up check us out.î
ìCompare us to those who eat and
drink the forbidden things.î
ìSee who is in the best
physical condition.î
Ashpenaz loved Daniel.
He agreed to Danielís
request.
The test went forward.
A well-known poem says:
Dare to be a Daniel,
Dare to stand alone;
Dare to have a purpose firm!
Dare to make it known!
We could say:
Dare to be a Bobby Richardson,
Dare to ignore the Party Crowd;
Dare to be a Christian!
Dare to say it out loud!
3rd---Daniel
demonstrated confidence in God.
If he remained faithful, he
was convinced that God would bless him.
Verse 15, ìAnd at the end of
ten days their countenances appeared fairer and
fatter in
flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat.î
At the end of the ten days,
Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
were
in better
physical condition than those who ate and drank from the king's table.
Verse 17, ìAs for these four
children, God gave them knowledge and skill in
all learning and wisdom:î
ìAnd Daniel had understanding
in all visions and dreams.î
Daniel's parents had given
him a godly education up until he was about 13
or14 years
old.
Then, when he became a slave in
Babylon he put what he had learned into
practice.
So God rewarded him with
great knowledge and understanding.
And God also gave him the
ability to understand visions and dreams.
This would be important all
through his life.
It would get him out of many
tough situations.
I don't know if Mickey Mantle
had a godly education or not.
I doubt it.
He didn't act like it.
He joined the ìParty Crowd.î
He became an alcoholic.
The alcohol ruined his liver.
He had a liver transplant.
His second liver was ruined
by alcohol and cancer.
That eventually took his
life.
His womanizing harmed his
marriage.
His wife struggled with his
infidelity.
She also turned to alcohol.
They had four sons.
They named the first one
after another famous ìParty Crowdî member called
Billy Martin.
This son died a tragic death.
I donít really know, but the
last I heard, Mickeyís other three sons are still
fighting
both alcohol and drugs.
How could they grow up right when
their parents set such a bad example?
A friend of mine gave me a
poem entitled ìWalk A Little Plainer Daddyî
ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Walk a little plainer
daddy
Said a little boy so frail
ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝIím following in your footsteps
And I donít want to fail
ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝSometimes your steps are very
plain
Sometimes they are hard to see
ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝSo walk a little plainer daddy
For you are leading me
ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝI know that once you walked
this way many years ago
And what you did along the way
ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝIíd really like to know
For sometimes when I am tempted
ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ
I donít know what to do
So walk a little plainer daddy
ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝFor I must follow you
ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ
Some day when Iím grown up
You are like I want to be
ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ÝThen I will have a little boy
Who will want to follow me
ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝAnd I would want to lead him
right
And help him to be true
ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝSo walk a little plainer daddy
For we must follow you.
Author Unknown
Bobby Richardson is a
different story.
He married Betsy his
childhood sweetheart.
Sheís also a committed
Christian.
Like the Mantles they have
four children: three sons and a daughter.
One of their sons is a
successful businessman.
Two of their sons are
pastors.
Their daughter is a pastor's
wife.
A famous poem reads:
One ship drives east
Another drives west
With the selfsame winds that blow.
Tis the set of the sail
And not the gales
That determines which way you go.
Author
Unknown
We are all confronted with
the temptations of the world.
Some like Mickey Mantle give
in.
Others like Bobby Richardson
refuse.
Temptations are set before
all of us.
But its
what's in our heart that determines which way we go.
Being a member of the ìParty
Crowdî was appealing to Mickey Mantle.
But sailing with the ìParty
Crowdî took him through rough seas.
It filled his life with
turmoil, caused a lot of illness, and ultimately brought his
early
death.
Refusing to join the
"Party Crowd" was easy for Bobby Richardson.
Sailing another way took him
through calm waters.
It greatly enhanced his life.
Let's look at the last four
verses of chapter one.
ìNow at the end of the days
that the king had said he should bring them in,î
ìThen the prince of the
eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.î
ìAnd the king communed with
them;î
ìAnd among them all was found
none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael,
and
Azariah:î
ìTherefore stood they before the king.î
ìAnd in a11 matters of wisdom
and understanding, that the king inquired of
them,î
ìHe found them ten times
better than all the magicians and astrologers that
were in all
his realm.î
ìAnd Daniel continued even
unto the first year of king Cyrus.î
Following their three years
of schooling, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego were taken before King
Nebuchadnezzar.
He personally interviewed
each one of them.
He found them far superior to
all the others that stood before him.
He also found them ten times
better than all the wise men who already served
him.
God had exceedingly blessed
Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
So King Nebuchadnezzar kept
Daniel in a high position all the days of his
reign.
And when the Medes and the
Persians overthrew Babylon the first thing the
new king did was to
re-appoint Daniel.
Bobby Richardson talked to
Mickey Mantle four times before Mickey Mantle
died.
Bobby Richardson wasn't a
preacher.
But Mickey Mantle asked him
to preach his funeral.
It was the bottom of the
ninth with two outs for Mickey Mantle when Bobby
Richardson saw him alive for the last time.
Mickey Mantle said, ìBobby, I
did it.î
ìWhat did you do,î Bobby
Richardson asked?
ìI became a Christian,î
Mickey Mantle replied.
Bobby Richardson wanted to be
sure.
He went through God's plan of
salvation with Mickey.
Then, he prayed with him.
He was convinced that Mickey
Mantle's salvation was real.
Mickey Mantle said he wished
that he had accepted Christ many years before.
He talked about his wasted
years,
The harmful effect his
riotous life had on his wife, his children and his team
mates in
the ìParty Crowd.î
Bobby Richardson's wife Betsy
was standing by Mickey Mantle's hospital
bed.
She asked, ìIf God wants to
know why He should let you into heaven, what
are you going to say?î
Mickey Mantle replied, ìFor
God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life.î
Before he died, Mickey Mantle
called several members of the ìParty
Crowd.î
He witnessed to them.
He also gave one final
television interview.
The reporter called him a
role model.
ìRole model,î he said.
ìI'm not a role model.î
ìI wouldn't want anyone to
have a life like the life I've lived.î
Mickey Mantle didn't say it.
But the real role model was
the ping pong player.
After his All-star career,
Bobby Richardson coached college baseball.
He continues to witness to
his living team mates.
He speaks to thousands about
Christ.
He has influenced multitudes
to accept Christ. Dr. Ed Young quotes that
famous poem like this:
One ship drives east (Mickey Mantle)
Another drives west (Bobby Richardson)
With the selfsame winds that blow.
Tis the set of the sail
And not the gales
That determines which way you go.
I pray that you have set your
sails right.
Quite often, the way we go
makes all the difference in the world.
Iím talking about whether you
are going to be a success in life.
Iím talking about whether your
children and your grandchildren are going to
be successful in life.
Deathbed confessions like
Mickey Mantleís are great.
But a life lived for Christ
like Bobby Richardsonís is far greater.