Is it an issue or not?

This Sunday we looked at one of the best known stories in the Bible - Daniel in the Lion's Den, which is found in the Old Testament book of Daniel.

Daniel, three of his friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and hundreds of other Jews were taken prisoner and exiled to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar in about 605 BC. Daniel and his friends were soon picked out for special training and later entered into royal service.

We know the story of how Daniel continued to pray and had to survive a night with the lions as a result. There is the story of how Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to bow to a statue of the king and were thrown into the fiery furnace - and survived to tell the tale. But there are other areas where these four men seemed happy to compromise and not make an issue of things that they may have found offensive. They were given Babylonian names; they learned the magic arts of the enchanters and magi; they learned about Babylonian gods and goddesses; and although they had some say in their diet they still ate non kosher vegetables - as they were prepared by Gentiles... They fitted in well to Babylonian life and became a part of the system.

It is not that they were afraid to stand up and be counted - it is more that in their wisdom they saw a bigger picture. They could have disobeyed the king on day one - and been executed there and then, but then we would never had heard about them, and they would not have risen to the positions of influence that they did.

So when do we take a stand and when do we keep our heads down? Daniel and his three friends were known as men who prayed - and therefore they were in touch with God - they had godly wisdom. But there were two areas in which they were not prepared to compromise:

1) Being told to worship someone/something other than God (chapter 3)
2) Being told they could not worship their God (chapter 6).

When we are faced with issues that are built on values that are not in line with our faith we need real wisdom, to know whether to make it an issue, or just let it go - for the sake of a bigger picture.

Esther

For those of you who were at church yesterday, click here for the notes I promised on Esther.