We are walking in today: Men of Torah Day--Men of Torah are Submissive to The Most High in Separation, Sukkot A Time Of Separation Part 2
Witness humble throughout the Bible: H8213 shaphel spelled shin, peh, lamed--to be or become low, sink, be humbled, be abased, to lay or bring low, humiliate, to set in a lower place, sit down
Psalm 149:4 The Lord is pleased with his people, and he gives victory to those who are humble.
Torah:
Prophet: 1 Samuel 2:7; 2 Samuel 22:28; Isaiah 2:9, 2:11-12, 10:33, 13:11, 25:11, 26:5, 40,4; Jeremiah 13:18; Ezekiel 17:24
Writings: Job 22:29, 40:11; Psalm 18:27, 75:7, 113:6, 147:6; Proverbs 25:7, 29:23
Ezekiel 21:26 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high.
Daniel 1:8-16
8 But Dani’el resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food or the wine he drank, so he asked the chief officer to be excused from defiling himself. 9 God caused the chief officer to be kind and sympathetic toward Dani’el; 10 however, the chief officer said to Dani’el, “I’m afraid of my lord the king. After all, he has given you an allowance of food and drink; so if he were to see you boys looking worse than the others your age, you would be putting my own head in danger from the king.” 11 Then Daniel said to the guard whom the chief officer had put in charge of Daniel, Hannah, Misha ’el and ‘Azaria, 12 “Please! Try an experiment on your servants — for ten days have them give us only vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then see how we look, and compare us with how the boys who eat the king’s food look; and deal with your servants according to what you see.” 14 He agreed to do what they had asked and gave them a ten-day test. 15 At the end of ten days they looked better and more robust than all the boys who were eating the king’s food. 16 So the guard took away their food and the wine they were supposed to drink, and gave them vegetables.
Avoiding Defilement Without Offense
From an immature spiritual minded person--the offences of a name change learning a new religion, participating in a government position that worshiped pagan gods, eating foods that came from the king’s table while under captivity. All these things these Hebrew boys had to overcome. Yet out of the four changes brought on by their Babylonian captures, only one out of the four did the Hebrew boys find defiling and offensive to The Most High. That was to eat the king’s food. Why would this cause Daniel and his friends to stand and separate themselves from the rest of the Hebrew captives in this area and not the other three? We’ll take a look at each of them briefly in this teaching.
RECEIVING A BABYLONIAN NAME
(1) In the first place, the Babylonian names were not a matter of choice for either Daniel or his three friends. We know that the names we are called are not a matter of our choice, or even our preference. The king (not to mention anyone else) could call Daniel whatever he wanted.
(2) Likely Daniel was aware of an Old Testament precedent for a heathen king giving a new (foreign) name to a Hebrew in his service. Pharaoh gave Joseph the name “Zaphenath-paneah”. Joseph did not reject this name, nor is there even so much as a hint that God considered the name defiling to Joseph.
Genesis 41:45
45 Pharaoh called Yosef by the name Tzafnat-Pa‘neach and gave him as his wife Osnat the daughter of Poti-Fera priest of On. Then Yosef went out through all the land of Egypt.
(3) In the Old Testament Scriptures, name-giving was most significant when God gave the name. In some cases, God gave a person’s name before or at the time of birth. This was the case with the Lord Jesus. Also God changed the names of some individuals. He changed Abram’s name to Abraham, and that of Sarai, his wife, to Sarah The change of a person’s name had to do with a change God was bringing about in their destiny.
Luke 1:31 Look! You will become pregnant, you will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Yeshua.
Genesis 17:4-5, 15
4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you: you will be the father of many nations. 5 Your name will no longer be Avram [exalted father], but your name will be Avraham [father of many], because I have made you the father of many nations.
15 God said to Avraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are not to call her Sarai [mockery]; her name is to be Sarah [princess].
To change ones name, is to claim authority over the one named. Adam, who was placed in authority over all the creatures in the garden, including his wife, gave each of them names. The commander who was placed over Daniel and the other Hebrews changed their names, he was expressing his authority (and thus that of Babylon) over them. The renaming of the four Hebrews is therefore shown to be inconsequential, because these men belonged to God and were under His authority and control.
ATTENDING A BABYLONIAN SCHOOL
The purpose of the Babylonian education was not to brainwash the Hebrew captives, in my opinion, but to teach them to speak, read and write Aramaic, the language of the land. As polytheists, the Babylonians were not threatened by differing religions or other gods. Second, education, even a secular education, is not intrinsically evil. Education is not to brainwash but communicate ideas. The student is not compelled to agree, or to believe what he is taught.
Third, these young men were not highly impressionable children who would unquestioningly accept anything they had been taught. These were well-taught men grounded in the Old Testament scriptures. Daniel is certainly familiar with the prophecy of Jeremiah at least, and probably much more. They had the Old Testament scriptures as the standard by which to judge all they were being taught, and they evidenced the courage to stand on their own. The Law of Moses provided Daniel and his friends with the example of two Hebrew youths, both of whom were raised in a foreign land and well-educated in the ways of those who did not believe in the God of Israel—Joseph and Moses. I believe Daniel, gaining from the example of these two godly men, did not consider attending a Babylonian school defiling but rather an act of obedience to the God of Israel.
BECOMING PART OF THE GOVERNMENT OF BABYLON
Why did Daniel have no difficulty with becoming a part of the government which defeated his own nation and destroyed the temple?
Daniel 1:8-16
8 But Dani’el resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food or the wine he drank, so he asked the chief officer to be excused from defiling himself. 9 God caused the chief officer to be kind and sympathetic toward Dani’el; 10 however, the chief officer said to Dani’el, “I’m afraid of my lord the king. After all, he has given you an allowance of food and drink; so if he were to see you boys looking worse than the others your age, you would be putting my own head in danger from the king.” 11 Then Daniel said to the guard whom the chief officer had put in charge of Daniel, Hannah, Misha ’el and ‘Azaria, 12 “Please! Try an experiment on your servants — for ten days have them give us only vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then see how we look, and compare us with how the boys who eat the king’s food look; and deal with your servants according to what you see.” 14 He agreed to do what they had asked and gave them a ten-day test. 15 At the end of ten days they looked better and more robust than all the boys who were eating the king’s food. 16 So the guard took away their food and the wine they were supposed to drink, and gave them vegetables.
Avoiding Defilement Without Offense
From an immature spiritual minded person--the offences of a name change learning a new religion, participating in a government position that worshiped pagan gods, eating foods that came from the king’s table while under captivity. All these things these Hebrew boys had to overcome. Yet out of the four changes brought on by their Babylonian captures, only one out of the four did the Hebrew boys find defiling and offensive to The Most High. That was to eat the king’s food. Why would this cause Daniel and his friends to stand and separate themselves from the rest of the Hebrew captives in this area and not the other three? We’ll take a look at each of them briefly in this teaching.
RECEIVING A BABYLONIAN NAME
(1) In the first place, the Babylonian names were not a matter of choice for either Daniel or his three friends. We know that the names we are called are not a matter of our choice, or even our preference. The king (not to mention anyone else) could call Daniel whatever he wanted.
(2) Likely Daniel was aware of an Old Testament precedent for a heathen king giving a new (foreign) name to a Hebrew in his service. Pharaoh gave Joseph the name “Zaphenath-paneah”. Joseph did not reject this name, nor is there even so much as a hint that God considered the name defiling to Joseph.
Genesis 41:45
45 Pharaoh called Yosef by the name Tzafnat-Pa‘neach and gave him as his wife Osnat the daughter of Poti-Fera priest of On. Then Yosef went out through all the land of Egypt.
(3) In the Old Testament Scriptures, name-giving was most significant when God gave the name. In some cases, God gave a person’s name before or at the time of birth. This was the case with the Lord Jesus. Also God changed the names of some individuals. He changed Abram’s name to Abraham, and that of Sarai, his wife, to Sarah The change of a person’s name had to do with a change God was bringing about in their destiny.
Luke 1:31 Look! You will become pregnant, you will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Yeshua.
Genesis 17:4-5, 15
4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you: you will be the father of many nations. 5 Your name will no longer be Avram [exalted father], but your name will be Avraham [father of many], because I have made you the father of many nations.
15 God said to Avraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are not to call her Sarai [mockery]; her name is to be Sarah [princess].
To change ones name, is to claim authority over the one named. Adam, who was placed in authority over all the creatures in the garden, including his wife, gave each of them names. The commander who was placed over Daniel and the other Hebrews changed their names, he was expressing his authority (and thus that of Babylon) over them. The renaming of the four Hebrews is therefore shown to be inconsequential, because these men belonged to God and were under His authority and control.
ATTENDING A BABYLONIAN SCHOOL
The purpose of the Babylonian education was not to brainwash the Hebrew captives, in my opinion, but to teach them to speak, read and write Aramaic, the language of the land. As polytheists, the Babylonians were not threatened by differing religions or other gods. Second, education, even a secular education, is not intrinsically evil. Education is not to brainwash but communicate ideas. The student is not compelled to agree, or to believe what he is taught.
Third, these young men were not highly impressionable children who would unquestioningly accept anything they had been taught. These were well-taught men grounded in the Old Testament scriptures. Daniel is certainly familiar with the prophecy of Jeremiah at least, and probably much more. They had the Old Testament scriptures as the standard by which to judge all they were being taught, and they evidenced the courage to stand on their own. The Law of Moses provided Daniel and his friends with the example of two Hebrew youths, both of whom were raised in a foreign land and well-educated in the ways of those who did not believe in the God of Israel—Joseph and Moses. I believe Daniel, gaining from the example of these two godly men, did not consider attending a Babylonian school defiling but rather an act of obedience to the God of Israel.
BECOMING PART OF THE GOVERNMENT OF BABYLON
Why did Daniel have no difficulty with becoming a part of the government which defeated his own nation and destroyed the temple?
First, the Jews had sinned, the judgment of Judah had been prophesied
Second, to seek Babylon’s well-being was to be obedient to God’s instructions, as given by the prophet Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 29:4-7 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, ‘Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens, and eat their produce. Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. And seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare’”
False prophets had been assuring the people of Judah that divine judgment would not come on Jerusalem and its temple. Jeremiah told his fellow Jews that their stay would be 70 years, so they should settle down in Babylon. They were, however, to pray for the well-being of the Babylonians. They were also instructed to work for the welfare of that place. In seeking the good of Babylon, they were seeking their own welfare. Daniel’s years of service to Babylon greatly benefited the king and his captors. It also benefited the Jews. Daniel was not defiling himself by his involvement with Nebuchadnezzar or his government. Instead he was obeying God’s commands as given through Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 29:7 Seek the welfare of the city to which I have caused you to go in exile, and pray to Adonai on its behalf; for your welfare is bound up in its welfare.’
EATING FOOD FROM THE KING’S TABLE
Two reasons seem most likely for Daniel’s sensitivity to defilement. First, this king would not hesitate to serve foods identified as “unclean” by the Law of Moses (see Leviticus 11). Secondly, the food and wine served at Nebuchadnezzar’s table may have been associated with the worship of heathen gods, similar to the problem described in 1 Corinthians 8-10. In either instance, or perhaps in both, Daniel saw defilement as a danger to be actively avoided. Ezekiel, a contemporary of Daniel, spoke of the defilement which the Jews would experience in Babylon due to eating unclean foods: Daniel understood that eating unclean food was a part of the divine judgment of Judah. Nevertheless, he purposed in his heart that, if at all possible, he would not defile himself by eating such food.
Ezekiel 4:10, 12-15
“And your food which you eat shall be twenty shekels a day by weight; you shall eat it from time to time … And you shall eat it as a barley cake, having baked it in their sight over human dung.” Then the Lord said, “Thus shall the sons of Israel eat their bread unclean among the nations where I shall banish them.” But I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I have never been defiled; for from my youth until now I have never eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has any unclean meat ever entered my mouth.” Then He said to me, “See, I shall give you cow’s dung in place of human dung over which you will prepare your bread”
Submissive Separation
Daniel finds a way to be obedient to God without being disobedient to civil authority. His actions, with reference to God and men, are motivated and governed by the biblical principle of submission. He sought out Ashpenaz, the commander of the king’s officials, asking permission to abstain from the king’s food. The information the commander gave Daniel was of great value. Daniel understood that his actions would affect his superiors as well as himself. He needed to act in a way to please God and to protect and prosper his superiors. The goal of Daniel’s Babylonian superiors was to obtain the optimum physical and mental performance of those in training. No one really cared what Daniel ate as long as he prospered, physically and mentally.
The teaching entails that as we separate ourselves from the ways of the world. Though we are in it and somewhat have to be involved in situations that may seem like captivity. Bound to circumstances that we may have created ourselves. Yet we have hope in the lesson of the Hebrew boys' choices. To submit to the lessons taught to them by their fathers and fore-fathers. Who taught them of I Am That I Am--the Most High of Abraham Isaac and Israel, His Commandments and Feast Days; His Torah. So we submit to The Most High for His favor and every arrogance that raises itself up against the knowledge of God; we take every thought captive and make it obey the Messiah. Finding favor with man in every area of our lives because of the principle of Submission in Separation. Shema Selah, let us pause and consider this lesson the principle of submission in separation!
Second, to seek Babylon’s well-being was to be obedient to God’s instructions, as given by the prophet Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 29:4-7 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, ‘Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens, and eat their produce. Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. And seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare’”
False prophets had been assuring the people of Judah that divine judgment would not come on Jerusalem and its temple. Jeremiah told his fellow Jews that their stay would be 70 years, so they should settle down in Babylon. They were, however, to pray for the well-being of the Babylonians. They were also instructed to work for the welfare of that place. In seeking the good of Babylon, they were seeking their own welfare. Daniel’s years of service to Babylon greatly benefited the king and his captors. It also benefited the Jews. Daniel was not defiling himself by his involvement with Nebuchadnezzar or his government. Instead he was obeying God’s commands as given through Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 29:7 Seek the welfare of the city to which I have caused you to go in exile, and pray to Adonai on its behalf; for your welfare is bound up in its welfare.’
EATING FOOD FROM THE KING’S TABLE
Two reasons seem most likely for Daniel’s sensitivity to defilement. First, this king would not hesitate to serve foods identified as “unclean” by the Law of Moses (see Leviticus 11). Secondly, the food and wine served at Nebuchadnezzar’s table may have been associated with the worship of heathen gods, similar to the problem described in 1 Corinthians 8-10. In either instance, or perhaps in both, Daniel saw defilement as a danger to be actively avoided. Ezekiel, a contemporary of Daniel, spoke of the defilement which the Jews would experience in Babylon due to eating unclean foods: Daniel understood that eating unclean food was a part of the divine judgment of Judah. Nevertheless, he purposed in his heart that, if at all possible, he would not defile himself by eating such food.
Ezekiel 4:10, 12-15
“And your food which you eat shall be twenty shekels a day by weight; you shall eat it from time to time … And you shall eat it as a barley cake, having baked it in their sight over human dung.” Then the Lord said, “Thus shall the sons of Israel eat their bread unclean among the nations where I shall banish them.” But I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I have never been defiled; for from my youth until now I have never eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has any unclean meat ever entered my mouth.” Then He said to me, “See, I shall give you cow’s dung in place of human dung over which you will prepare your bread”
Submissive Separation
Daniel finds a way to be obedient to God without being disobedient to civil authority. His actions, with reference to God and men, are motivated and governed by the biblical principle of submission. He sought out Ashpenaz, the commander of the king’s officials, asking permission to abstain from the king’s food. The information the commander gave Daniel was of great value. Daniel understood that his actions would affect his superiors as well as himself. He needed to act in a way to please God and to protect and prosper his superiors. The goal of Daniel’s Babylonian superiors was to obtain the optimum physical and mental performance of those in training. No one really cared what Daniel ate as long as he prospered, physically and mentally.
The teaching entails that as we separate ourselves from the ways of the world. Though we are in it and somewhat have to be involved in situations that may seem like captivity. Bound to circumstances that we may have created ourselves. Yet we have hope in the lesson of the Hebrew boys' choices. To submit to the lessons taught to them by their fathers and fore-fathers. Who taught them of I Am That I Am--the Most High of Abraham Isaac and Israel, His Commandments and Feast Days; His Torah. So we submit to The Most High for His favor and every arrogance that raises itself up against the knowledge of God; we take every thought captive and make it obey the Messiah. Finding favor with man in every area of our lives because of the principle of Submission in Separation. Shema Selah, let us pause and consider this lesson the principle of submission in separation!
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