Dealing with difficult times.
The sermon title is “Oh Danny Boy”
“Oh Danny Boy” was an old song that dealt with difficult times. Do you know that God is at work, especially during turbulent times, against the backdrop of social injustice, and social unrest?
Respect the sovereignty of other cultures.
Remember this when you approach another person, or another culture, or another religion. The first thing you need to do is take off your shoes because the place where you are standing is holy ground. Remember that God was there before you arrived. God has been our help in ages past and will continue to be our help in years to come.
We have overcome adversities.
Together we have adapted to change, and we have been resilient recovering from misfortune. With God’s help we will continue to grow: in areas of self-awareness, self-control, self-regulation, empathy, social skills. Our worth is not measured by the position of responsibility that we hold, our worth is measured by how Christlike we are as we deal with others.
We are fortunate and help the underprivileged.
As Christians, we should be aware of privileges and think through how the experience of privilege may impact those who do not have privileges and advantages. We must not be color blind and fall into the pit of oppressing others. Christians don’t want to hear about the oppression of others; as Christians, we often want to plug our ears when topics like inclusion, invasion, conquest, land theft, genocide, and slavery. When these subjects are brought up we want to sometimes plug our ears.
Jewish leadership rejects outside help.
In the book of Ezra, chapter 4 we have a narrative, a group of people wanted to be useful, and participate. Then the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were building the temple under the Lord God of Israel. they came to Zerubbabel, unto his chief leaders, and said “Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do, and we sacrificed to Him from years back, when the King of Usher brought us here.” But Zerubbabel and Yeshua and the rest of the chief leaders of Israel said “You have nothing to do with us to build a house unto our God we ourselves together will build under the Lord God as King Cyrus King of Persia has commanded us to do.” Then the people of the land weekend the hands of the people of Israel and troubled them as they were building.
In the Bible, Daniel grew up with privilege.
When Danny Boy (Daniel) was growing up he did not realize he was born into a culture of privilege. Danny noticed that there were built-in advantages belonging to the dominant culture that he lived in. He didn’t think too much about the disadvantages, for those who were not part of the culture of power. Danny (Daniel) attended school and began to realize that all his teachers looked like him. The food in the cafeteria was the kind of food his mother cooked at home when certain groups sat together at lunch. They were viewed as students trying to segregate themselves. Danny, (David), and his friends went to Sabbath school, they went to church, they even sang Stand Up, Stand Up For Jesus.
Daniel’s life took a sudden and dramatic change.
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and besieged it, and the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand.
Daniel now becomes a captive and a eunuch.
The king gave an order to the master of his eunuchs to bring certain children of Israel of the king’s court of the prince’s children in whom there was no blemish, but well-favored, and skillful in wisdom, and cunning in knowledge and understanding, and in science, and such as had ability to stand in the King’s Palace. Of whom they might be taught the language of the Chaldeans.
Daniel is privileged to eat from the king’s table.
King appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat and of the wine which he drank so nourishing them for three years that at the end thereof they might stand before the King.
Daniel is determined to be vegan.
Now among these were children of Judah: Daniel (Danny Boy), Hananiah, Michelle, and Azariah. Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: Daniel was named Belteshazzar, Hananiah was named Shadrack, Michelle was named Meshach, and Azariah was named Abednego. But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor would he drink of the king’s wine: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
Daniel dietary commitment pays off.
Now God brought Daniel into favor and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs. And the prince of the eunuchs said under Daniel, I fear my Lord the King, who was appointed your meat in your drink: for why should he see your faces worse than the children which are of your sort? We will not eat anything from the King’s table, listen to what they said. Daniel said to Melzar, who was Prince of the eunuchs, that he had been set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. test us and prove us for ten days. Test us, and give us pulse to eat, (vegetables) and water to drink, and then let our countenances be looked upon, and the countenance of the others who eat from the King’s table. So he consented to them in this matter and tested them for ten days. At the end of the ten days, their countenances appeared fair and fatter in flesh than all the children that ate the portion of the Kings meet.
Later in life, Daniel was given a high position in government.
Now Danny Boy (Daniel) has grown old, now he’s about 80 years of age. Daniel 6 talks about Danny Boy at the age of 80, let’s read what Daniel 6 has to say about Ole Danny Boy. Daniel pleased Darius, the King of the Medes, to set him over the Kingdom, 120 Princes which should serve over the whole Kingdom and over these 3 presidents of whom Daniel was number one, that he may give an account, keep the revenue flowing, that the King should have no damage, that this Daniel was preferred above the president and Prince is because he had an excellent spirit the King thought to set him over the whole kingdom.
A nefarious plan was afoot to get rid of Daniel.
These presidents and Princes assembled themselves together in the king’s court. “Your Highness, so we have gathered today to praise your name, and praise your power. Oh, we dare not even speak without thinking of your Highness live forever. King Derius, and all the presidents of the Kingdom, and the government, the Prince is in the counselors, and the captains we’ve all consulted together to establish a royal decree. We want to make a firm decree that no one should ask any petition of any God or man for 30 days except for you. You are the one to be worshipped and pray too otherwise they’ll be cast into a den of Lions.”
Daniel defies the decree.
But Daniel, one of the captives, regardeth not the decree but makes his petition three times a day to his God.
The king is sorry for making the decree.
And then the king when he heard these words was so displeased with himself.
The king tries to save Daniel
They trapped me, and he said in his heart to deliver Daniel and labored until the going down of the sun to deliver Daniel. Then these men assembled in the court saying that the law of the Meads is that no decree, no statute that the King established may be changed.
The King reluctantly gives the order to throw Daniel in the lion’s den.
So the King commanded they bring Daniel and cast him into the lion’s den. Now the King spoke and said, The God Daniel serves continually, he will deliver you, he will rescue you. And a stone is brought and laid it on the mouth of the door, and the King sealed it with his own signet ring. And with the signet of his Lords that nothing can be changed concerning Daniel a King went to his palace.
Early the next morning the king checks to see if Daniel is still alive.
The king rose very early in the morning and went with haste to the den of lions. And when he came to the den he cried another lamentable voice to Daniel. Daniel, Daniel, servant of the living God, is the God whom thou service continually able to deliver you from these Lions? And then Daniel said “oh king live forever, my God has sent his Angel that has shut the lion’s mouth that they have not hurt me.
The men who wanted Daniel dead receive the fate intended for Daniel.
Daniel was taken out of the den and no matter of hurt was found on him because he believed in his God. And the King commanded and they brought those men which accused Daniel, and cast them in the den of lions, their children, and their wives, and their whole families. That the Lions should have mastery of them and break all their bones in the pieces before they even came to the bottom of the den.
King Darius wanted everyone to know about Daniel’s God
Then Darius wrote unto all people nations and languages that dwell on the earth, I make a decree that every Dominion in my Kingdom, that every man shall tremble in fear before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God, and steadfast forever. And his Kingdom which shall not be destroyed in his Dominion, so be it even to the end. He delivers and rescues, and works miracles, and works wonders in heaven and earth, that has delivered Daniel from the power of the Lions. So this Daniel (Old Danny Boy) did prosper under the reign of Darius.
Psalm 34:7 tells you that the Angel of the Lord encamps it around about those who serve God that delivers them.
