Dr John Geddie, was  the first Presbyterian missionary to be established on the  Aneityum Island, in the South Pacific, in 1848.  Dr. Geddie worked there for God for 24 years.  His work was instrumental in the building of the 1000 seat stone church for the 3500 islanders.    On the tablet erected to his memory these words are inscribed: “When he landed, in 1848, there were no Christians.  When he left, in 1872, there were no heathen.” Among other things, that took backbone.

         Twenty-five centuries before Dr. Geddie -  Daniel also  needed backbone, when he,  and thousands of his fellow country men were taken from their home land of Judah, and deported to the foreign land of Babylon.  Unlike Dr. Geddie, Daniel did not have the choice as to where he would establish himself.  This was decided for Daniel.  However, in this new land, Daniel still had something in common with Dr. Geddie,   Daniel was surrounded by idol worshipers.  To add to Daniel’s situation, the king of Babylon was an arrogant and egocentric ruler.  Daniel, like John Geddie, had a very strong faith and foundation in God.  Daniel’s faith always spoke volumes.  Because of his belief in God he was personally impacted by God.   His close circle of friends were influenced because of his belief in God.   Leaders and rulers of this heathen land were impacted by Daniel’s strong faith.   

         Let’s start with Daniel, himself...

         You no doubt remember the story, but as I said, Daniel, his friends and thousands of his fellow country citizens were deported to the foreign and heathen land of Babylon.  Then King Nebuchadnezzar commanded that these choice specimens, albeit captives, be educated in every way, including literature and language.  What a guy!  Then at the end of their education,  “they would be stationed in the king’s court (1:4).”    The king also had their Hebrew names changed.  Daniel’s new  Babylonian name became Belte-shazzar.   The king was soon to learn that he could change a person’s name but could not change this person’s soul, nor make Daniel forget the name of his God. 

         From the very start Daniel had decisions to make.  Would he use his wishbone or his backbone?  When confronted to eat from the  royal menu of rich foods and wines, he knew what he had to do.  Daniel was aware that some of this food would have been previously  offered to idols.

         Daniel refused to accept the daily rations.  By drawing on his personal beliefs and using his people skills and power of negotiation, Daniel took his first step to putting his backbone into action to make a stand for God.   Daniel had company in this.   His three close friends were Hananiah, Mish-a-el and Azariah.  Or you might have gotten to know them by their new Babylonian names: Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego.  They stood firm in their belief not to defile their bodies with the food offered to idols.  Therefore, they did not defile God.  God honored and blessed their backbone. 

         You know, Daniel and his friends, just might have been the first true vegetarian. Now I am not saying we all should become vegetarians and drink only water.  Although more of both could be good for us.  What I am saying is that we cannot rely on our religious wishbones to make a faith stand for God.   We each must continually be working on our belief foundation so that our faith backbone for Christ becomes stronger for God’s impact.  We may never find ourselves in  similar situations as were Daniel and the others - like a lions den or a fiery furnace.  We face our own places where wishing won’t do the job.

         Wishing to have time to read the Bible and pray will not cut it.  Wishing to grow stronger in our walk with Jesus is simply not enough.  We do not have to wish our spiritual life away.  Be diligent and carry through in reading the Bible and praying on a very regular basis.   To grasp what the Proverbs passage is telling us, it truly helps to regularly participate  in Bible studies,  small groups and Sunday School.  If you are not part of a small group for the coming Lent series, sign up today!     Each of these are  all important to our Christian education.  Participation in each helps to build our own foundation in God’s ways and standards.  They help to build our belief systems so that we are personally spiritually growing and always being touched by God.

         People may try to persuade you otherwise, even sneer and make jokes and laugh at you for having standards and convictions and holding on to them.  Some of you may have run into this in your offices, schools or neighborhoods.   But in their heart of hearts they respect just such a person.

         Without these principles and standards we count for nothing.  The result of Daniel standing firm on his standards was that he prospered and grew stronger on the diet of vegies and water.  More importantly he won the respect of the officers of the court and even the king.     In this God blesses Daniel for standing firm. 

         Let’s talk about Daniel’s friends...

         Remember I said that  King Nebuchadnezzar was an arrogant and egocentric ruler.  Even though Daniel had won his respect over the vegie platter and a few other incidences, this king just has such a hard time realizing that his being a ruler was granted by The One Sovereign Ruler - Daniel’s God.       

   
         At one point Nebuchadnezzar actually has built an idol depicting himself out of gold.  Everyone in the kingdom was to bow down and worship it.   Talk about narcissism.     The cost of not falling down and worshiping this golden image was to be “thrown into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire (3:6).”   As one might suspect, there were spies all over the land.  Of course they would run to the king to tattle on anyone who would not worship his golden image.  In this case three specific Jews.  The certain and specific Jews who would soon be bound and readied for roasting were none other than Daniel’s friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.  We are not told where Daniel is, perhaps on a business trip within Babylon.  .  However, his three friends cause quite a stir in his absence.  Their blatant disregard of the king’s decree send the king into such a rage that he called for them to be brought to him immediately.  The three were in grave danger. 

         Somewhere between hearing the news about the three and then being brought into his presence, King Nebuchadnezzar must have calmed down a bit.   He gives Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego a second chance, to bow down and worship the idol.   However, these three friends of Daniel don’t need the king’s second chance.

         At this point the powerful impact of Daniel’s beliefs is about to shine onto and through these three young men.  Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego did not need to wish they could be more like Daniel.  They did not wish they had paid more attention during their prayer time and study of the scrolls with Daniel.  They did not even shrink from the prospect of a swift and horrible death in the terrible furnace.  They were certain that their God was able to save them from perishing in the fire.  Their total commitment to the sacrifice of their lives for the Lord’s cause (3:18) furnishes the firmest of spiritual foundations and trust in the power of God.  Not just Daniel’s God, but now firmly their sovereign God would see them through.  

         They are absolutely convinced that God can and will deliver them from the king’s intent of death.  They also know this deliverance could take a different form than the physical.  God could deliver them from ever being cast in the furnace in the first place.  God could deliver them through the fire - which he does. But if God would not physically save them - that was alright too, because they still believed in God and still would not bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s gods nor the golden image.  They  know that God would deliver them through death, raising them up to eternal life.  The three do not make any effort to indicate which way their deliverance would come.   Rather, they trust that in whatever way it would be, it would be within God’s sovereign purpose. 

         Now at this point Daniel and his friends have been in Babylon for about twenty years.  Their faith and trust had not faltered.  These young men stood up alone, against a nation, with such calm assurance that God would deliver them - one way or another.  God was demonstrating - in a most dramatic way through them - His power over all the gods of this country. 

         I know that most of you young people know the end to this particular story.   The king’s wrath and rage return.  He has the three bound and thrown into the blazing fire.   Now this fire was so hot - Just how hot was it? - you ask...it was seven times hotter than normal.  It was so hot that  it killed the guards who were tossing in our three friends.  That is when the king saw them in the furnace - no longer bound with rope - but  walking in the middle of the fire and not hurt.   Plus he saw a fourth among them.  Nebuchadnezzar said the fourth appeared as “one of the gods.”

         We have heard this before, at the foot of the Cross, from the Centurion.  The Centurion had seen and heard what had taken place on the cross.  He then praised God and said, “Certainly this man was the Son of God.”  Through their pagan eyes, the Centurion and King Nebuchadnezzar saw what looked like a son of God.  They were right!  

         What the king saw is what is called a theophany - a pre-incarnation appearance of Jesus Christ.  You and I have the reality of knowing that it was the Son of God who saved the three from the fiery furnace and the same Son who died on the cross to save you and me.  Daniel knew this to be God.  He speaks further of it in Chapter 7 (vs 13) as a result of one of his visions about the coming of Christ. He refers to the one he saw as the Son of Man.  This is exactly the title with which Jesus always referred to himself.  

         Look at the ripple affect Daniel’s faith has.  The king then says in Daniel 3:28-30:

                  “Blessed be the god of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him.  They disobeyed the king’s command and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.  Therefore, I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that utters blasphemy against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins; for there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way.”  (May I hear an “amen” please!)  Then the king promoted Shadrach, and Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

         I doubt that Daniel and his friends participated in a Lenten Study series - like we begin in 2 weeks - Lent hadn’t come about yet.  However, they may have met as a small group for support, talk of theological issues, prayer, and spiritual growth.    Perhaps they took turns teaching each other certain truths from scripture, something like our Sunday School hour.  We don’t know.  What we do know is that Daniel’s faith was so evident and real,  that the impact his belief had on these three was truly life producing.

         Now - let’s talk about today...

         Why would we ever want to influence other people’s thinking?  Why do we think our opinion could and should make a difference?   For their own good, of course!    At the root of the desire to better their own good,  lurks a judgment that their current thinking is bad for them, a wrong thinking.  But what about people in high places and positions, those making decisions on our behalf.  How can we influence there?   What kind of impact can our belief backbone have on kings and kingdoms - or senators, city council members, congress representatives and presidents and nations - as did Daniel’s?

         Write letters and e-mails to our government leaders.  Letters to editors in newspapers can state our opinion both for and against certain actions taken. Regularly pray for those you know and don’t know who are in the front lines of service - police, fire fighters, armed services, and other government entities, those people who are making decisions for the well-being of this and other nations.  Pray for the believers in each of these areas to be able to stand firm in their faith in God.  Pray that these believers speak out in ethical and moral words.  Pray for those in powerful positions that they are able to speak volumes verbally,  and also by silent actions, to live out their testimonies of Christ.  Pray that they may have backbone and be found faithful in every circumstance. 

         Now the Daniel of Chapter 6 is an old(er) man - of mature years - around 80.  Whether or not you were in my  “Aging” class in the Fall, take note.  God is not done with us, no matter our age.  And doesn’t 80 look younger all the time?  

         Over the years that Daniel has been in captivity he has risen to become one of the top three officials in the Persian palace, within the province of Babylon.    Because of Daniel’s moral, ethical and upright leadership other officials in the land became increasingly jealous.  They plot to bring Daniel down through his work, his abilities, his morals and his ethics.  They are not successful in any of these areas.   They realize the only way to get Daniel is hook him through his own faith.  They shrewdly convince the now king Darius to order all the people of the land to pray only to him - the king - for the next 30 days - or face the lions!   Of course being human and an ego-filled leader, Darius signed this ruling.  Naturally, the officials didn’t take long to catch Daniel praying openly to God.  Daniel did not change his ways.  They turn him in. 

         Meanwhile, Darius has liked and respected and has been influenced by Daniel, and is upset when Daniel is turned in, fully realizing he, the king, was duped.  Darius tries to find a way to save Daniel, but the king’s written edict is irrevocable.  Daniel is thrown into the den of hungry lions, with this king saying,   “May your God, whom you faithfully serve, deliver you! (6:16)”  Then the king spent a sleepless night in Babylon.  Early in the morning Darius went anxiously to the lions’den and called out, “O, Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God whom you faithfully serve been able to deliver you from the lions? (6:28)”  Daniel then answers the kings, “O king, live forever! My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, because I was found blameless before Him; and also before you, O king, I have done no wrong. (6:21-22)”  When Daniel was taken out of the den and found that no harm had come to him, verse 23 says it was “because he had trusted in his God.”

 
         The story does not end here!   Darius tells his successor Cyrus what has happened.  King Cyrus, a year after the lion’s den incident gives the irrevocable edict for the captive Jews to return to their homeland,  this release after more than 70 years in captivity.   What an unspeakable blessing!

         In Daniel’s action upon action we see the thread of belief woven deeply and strongly.  In each situation, throughout his long life, Daniel was found to be faithful to God, and to trust in God,  to be living a life of mature discipleship, a life wholly committed to living in loving response to God’s love.  Those who came behind Daniel found him faithful and with backbone in God’s strength.  As we have seen, many came to find that same faith and backbone in God.  May our belief in God, through Jesus Christ, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit,  have personal impact on us, as well as impact our friends, relatives, and close associates.  May we also take steps to allow the risen Christ to work through our belief to impact those in high places who have influence over us.   May those who come behind us find that we were faithful.