YOUR LIFE IS HOLY GROUND

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god.
Daniel 1:1-2

Long ago when Moses stood in the presence of God {Exodus 3}, God said “take off your shoes, for the place you are standing is Holy ground.” (Exodus 3:5). God implied that in that barren desert was a place where God’s presence, companionship, and power was. “When God is present every place, every situation, every circumstance, every problem, every barrier, every assignment becomes an opportunity for God to accomplish something for His glory through you!” Like Queen Esther, you have been born in the providence of God for a time like this.

“The fact is that you are needed. You are important. You are empowered by God. You can serve Him in the middle of any circumstance. God wants to enable you to see your life as holy ground- a place where He accomplishes supernatural achievements through ordinary people.” That is what the book of Daniel is all about.

Daniel begins by relating the events of the book to the deliverance of King Jehoiakim into Nebuchadnezzar's hands. Daniel lived at a very crucial time in Judah's history. He lived during King Jehoiakim's reign. And he lived at a time of prophetic fulfillment in Judah's national life. It's quite likely that Daniel stood as a young man and actually listened to the "weeping prophet" - Jeremiah - warn of God's coming judgment on Judah for her wickedness and forgetfulness of God. In fact, if Daniel was as sharp and keen as the text indicates he was, he may have even known that his very circumstances were a part of the fulfillment of God's prophecy regarding the judgment of Judah. He may have had a chance to hear quoted in the temple, or somehow read, these words of the prophet Isaiah written years before the events took place: Isaiah 39:6-7 ,"Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house and all that your fathers have laid up in store to this day will be carried to Babylon; nothing will be left,' says the LORD. And some of your sons who will issue from you, whom you will beget, will be taken away, and they will become officials in the palace of the king of Babylon." Hosea 13:6, "When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me.'

That's exactly what happened to Daniel. (Read 2 Chronicles 36:5-21; 2 Kings 24:10-25:21). When Nebuchadnezzar came and besieged Jerusalem in 605 B.C., he took about 75 young men back to Babylon. Daniel was in that crowd. So were three other men who would become famous. We know them by the new names they received in Babylon - Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Historically the Babylonians invaded Jerusalem on three different occasions. These verses speak of the first invasion, which took place in 605 B.C., when the "upper crust," the nobility, the wealthy, primarily, were the people who were carted off to Babylon.

The second invasion took place in 597 B.C. when more of the middle class was captured. The final invasion came in 586, when, following a two-year siege, Jerusalem fell; the temple was utterly destroyed and their life as a nation virtually ceased.

Look at this; try to imagine the experience of Daniel. We can see and feel what Daniel and Judah went through. Not just understanding in our head, but feeling in our hearts, so we can see what is going on. This feeling perhaps is captured in Psalm 137:1-4, where a fellow captive of Babylonia writes this Psalm. "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept when we remembered Zion. We hung our harps upon the willows in the midst of it. For there those who carried us away captive asked of us a song, and those who plundered us requested mirth, saying, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!" How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a foreign land?

The Psalter is saying that we are losing the battle in a foreign land, because we have sinned before the Lord. How can I sing when the glory of God is not honored in this place? We are sitting by the rivers of Babylon, away from the temple of God. In this kind of state, how shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land? This is the question we should ask. Daniel will teach us.

Now before we go any farther, let us try to imagine what was Daniel's experience during this first siege of Jerusalem. You are a young Jewish boy, about 13 or 14 years old. Life has always been pretty secure in Jerusalem. Suddenly one day-you cannot believe what is happening-your city is under attack. Within a very short time you have been taken over by another people. Folks who look strange to you, who speak a language you do not understand, are now in charge. They treat you brutally. They separate you from your family. You are torn away from your parents and your 'toys and everything else that you have ever known. You are put in chains as a POW and forced to walk from Jerusalem to Babylon-a four-month hike. Finally, after all that time, you see Babylon in the distance.

Your first impression is that Babylon is a most unusual city. It is situated right on the Euphrates River, which runs north to south right through the city. Then you see that there seem to be four separate walls surrounding the city, and the main wall is an incredible 85 feet high (that's about seven stories), and 65 feet thick. Remember there were no atomic bombs, no antitank missiles and things like that back then. Armies were limited to battering-rams, swords and spears, bows and arrows, so there was no power on earth that could even come close to penetrating those 65-foot thick, solid rock walls. Herodotus tells us that on top of the wall was built a highway, which could hold up to four chariots abreast, so that if Babylon ever came under siege, men and supplies could be transported on top of the wall to the point of attack. Further, at the points where the river entered and exited the city, huge bronze gates were built underneath the walls. If the city came under attack, these doors could be shut, thus diverting the river left and right around the city in channels which had already been dug to form a huge moat-yet another line of defense.

As you come in from the north, you would probably enter through the Ishtar Gate. (Ishtar was the Babylonian goddess of love and fertility.) This was a beautiful structure, some 40 feet high, decorated with dragons and bulls in raised brick relief. These animals were the symbols of Marduk, the main Babylonian god of wind and storm, and Hadad, the storm and war god, respectively. Next you see the Processional Way, a 1,000 yard-long passageway with 85-foot high walls, 65 feet apart. The entire passageway was paved with 31/2' square stones, every one of which was inscribed with the following words: 'I am Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon . . . I paved the road of Babylon with mountain stone for the procession of the mighty lord Marduk. May Marduk, my lord, grant me eternal life!" As you shuffle along in your chains, reading these words over and over, you finally look up only to find the words, "To the honor of Marduk, " "To the honor of Marduk, " "To the honor of Marduk," inscribed on the towering walls. You are left in no doubt as to who is in charge here: it's Marduk, not Yahweh.

When you finally get the end of the Processional Way and turn right toward the king's palace, you catch a glimpse of the rest of the city, and you are struck by the incredible idolatry on all sides. Archaeologists have uncovered at least 53 different temples to various gods. The temple of Marduk, which had a number of buildings, occupied 60 acres. In addition, there were 180 open-air shrines to Ishtar alone, and 1,800 various niches, pedestals and sacred places for all the other gods. Finally, you see the king's palace. Nebuchadnezzar must have been a little paranoid: the walls of his palace were 135 feet thick! If you took a pickax to the outer 231/2' of the palace walls, you would find that every brick you exposed had Nebuchadnezzar's name inscribed on it. Idolatry, paranoia and egocentricity reigned supreme!

I hope you can sense the incredible, overwhelming, blatant display of everything Babylon stood for. It makes living godly lives in the midst of our pagan environment seem like a piece of cake by comparison, doesn't it? Well, that's exactly what Daniel and his friends went on to do for the next 70 years. And because they did so, we can be encouraged that we, too, have hope toward that same end.

The interesting thing about this beginning of the book is as in so many other historical situations appearances were deceiving. Actually, Jehovah was as much in charge of the overthrow of Jerusalem as he was many times earlier in its defense. In fact, it was Jehovah who had brought on the destruction, sending it as a punishment for his people's sins. It says that the Lord gave Jehoiakim into his [Nebuchadnezzar's] hand." The word used here is the word “Adonai” which speaks of god being master, owner, and in control.

That revelation should cause us to change our views about how God does things through us. We tend to focus on cultural, environmental, political, personal barriers to get anything done. Often times we focus on our own self-centered desires and when things don’t go the way we would have them, we get frustrated, depressed, confused.

GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL EVEN WHEN CIRCUMSTANCES SEEM TO ARGU OTHERWISE
Whenever events look bleak and hopeless it's always important to remember that two stories are being told at the same time in any set of circumstances. You can see this so clearly in this passage: Verse 1 - "...Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it." Verse 2 - "The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand..." There's the story in front of the curtain. And there's the story behind the curtain. There's the event itself. And there's the meaning, the plan behind the event. There's what I see and feel right now. And there's what God has yet to unfold in this situation. Who you see in control of your life has everything to do with how you respond to the circumstances of life.

God is always at work behind the scenes of our lives silently and invisibly. He knows what is happening and He has it all under control even when we're not sure what's going on.

Some lessons from Daniel 1:1-2:

1. There are no interruptions for God.
Daniel discovered that there is opportunity in interruptions No matter how big the problem God's power, grace and sovereignty are bigger. Daniel moved out of the realm of interruption and walked through the door of opportunity. We can too! Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:16 to be "making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."
Every situation is unique Daniels was unique for his time and yours is unique as well.

2. God provides the supernatural environment for our lives
For Daniel and for us, our life situation isn’t too big for God’s power. They do not paralyze him. He is available for every situation.

3. Your circumstances have great potential
The question of my life is not how difficult things are, how many barriers there are, how many people are walking with God, ETC. Is God in control? Does He know what He is doing? Than He is using your present to glorify and show Himself.

4. Look beyond your limitations
The real question is “Are you willing to be used of God where He has planted you?” “Are you willing to believe him and depend upon him?” "There is a God in heaven..."Daniel told the king (2:28), and it was that God in heaven who sustained Daniel and the people while in captivity. Daniel could not have imagined the plans God had for him. Prime minister of the court. Interpreter of dreams. Prophet, Teacher, Ruler. A lifelong voice for God among pagan people.

5. Sink your roots where God has providentially placed you Jeremiah admonished those who were exiled in Babylon, "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters-- that you may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace" (Jeremiah 29:4-7).
Daniel unpacked his bags where God had placed him and faithfully served him.

6. God has plans for your present and for the future as well
God’s agenda was to use Daniel in his present and for Him to proclaim to those around him the future as well.

So be encouraged, like Moses and Daniel your life is on holy ground. Today be committed to be involved in the greatest thing in the world- to be used of God. Remember that like Daniel in a strange land, God is with you as well.

A prayer
“Sovereign Lord, help me to bloom where you have planted me. My times are in Your hands. Help me to see that my life, work, church, and environment is on holy ground. Focus my outlook so that I see your presence in every setting. In Jesus precious name. Amen”