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Picture of Mixture As school begins another year, you might find the following story very helpful. An accounting professor was handing back a test on which many of his students had done quite poorly. He then started to lecture them by saying, “A word to the wise…” But before he could continue, a student, who had made a less than an outstanding grade, asked, “Sir, is it alright for the rest of us to listen, too?” Isn’t that the first step in moving on—admitting your need and desiring to have that need met? This month, this entire country, as well as the whole world, will remember the most tragic terrorist attack the United States has ever experienced. On September 11th, 2001, thousands of people died in New York City, Washington, D.C., and in a field in Pennsylvania. Many in this country think they have learned a lot in the past year—a lot about airport security, a lot about patriotism, and a lot about the Middle East in general—and Islam in particular. But are these things really on the test? Is hoisting a flag, shouting, “God Bless America,” and declaring that we live in “one nation under God,” really the answer to the whole thing? Now, don’t get me wrong—loving our country is a good thing, but not at the cost of missing the point of the whole thing. You see, if God is truly God, He could have stopped the devastating attack, but He obviously did not. Does that mean that He is not in control? Of course not—He has a purpose behind everything that happens, even the tragic—whether we can believe or understand that or not. He is the Professor, and even in the midst of the heartache, He has a word to the wise. And it is not only alright for the rest of us to listen, but absolutely crucial. While all of Scripture points to this, let’s take some time to turn to one book in particular—the Book of Daniel. Over and over again, God had called those who claim His name to follow Him closely in purity, holiness, and obedience—not out of duty or legality, but out of love for who He is and all He has done. But over and over again, they would not listen—they would not be wise. And so, a very tragic thing happened—Jerusalem was invaded by Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian empire, destroyed, and the people were carried off into exile. Wow—these were God’s people—how could God allow that? Well, He not only allowed it, He caused it—it was a part of His plan to bring the hearts of His people back to Himself. And praise God, what mercy!!! While they were away, and everything that was precious to them was but a pile of dust, God raised up one person to be a living reminder of their need to remain devoted to the Lord and to not fall into compromise and mixture. That man was Daniel. Even from his first days in his new foreign home, Daniel refused to be a picture of mixture. King Nebuchadnezzar had chosen out several teen-agers out of the thousands of captives to be raised in his courts for the purpose of helping him to manage his huge and unwieldy empire. This would mean that they would eat and drink what the king ate and drank, and in the end, all of his “manager trainees” would be just like him. “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine he drank.” (Daniel 1:8a) Why? This was not just a healthful alternative to all of the rich and fattening diet that the king enjoyed. No, there was a far deeper purpose here—the food the king ate was also offered to pagan idols. To eat and drink such things violated God’s law and His call to purity. Daniel was determined to serve God and not man—no mixture—even if it meant death, which it certainly could have. While many of the young people went the king’s way, Daniel and a few others went God’s route, and in the end, God was proven to be right. And this didn’t just happen once; it was the story of Daniel’s life. Three of Daniel’s friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, refused to bow to an idol and were sentenced to a fiery furnace. In unison, they declared, “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king, But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” (3:17, 18) All they had to do was just bow—they didn’t have to mean it; just do it. No mixture here! Or consider the time late in Daniel’s life when God’s judgment spoke to the king of his demise—using, of all things, handwriting on the wall—“Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.” (5:27) Daniel could have easily tickled the ear of the king by toning down the condemnation, but Daniel would not. Or what about the time when the other ruler conspired against Daniel, tricking the king to outlaw prayer to any other “god” but himself. If Daniel would be as uncompromising as always, he would have to break the law in order to truly worship his God. Guess what? Daniel not only continued to pray to the Lord, but he did it with windows and doors wide open. His punishment? The lion’s den, and we all know what happened there—“My God hath sent His angel, and hath shut the lion’s mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before Him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.” (6:22) Over and over again, Daniel refused to compromise and be the picture of mixture. But that is not the end of the story. God paints a much broader picture than just one man and his friends standing firm on the truth. Early in the Hebrew captivity, King Nebuchadrezzar had a dream—a dream of a huge statue, and the “image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.” (2:32-33) Daniel made it clear to the king that the different parts of the statue represented both the current and the subsequent kingdoms. History made clear that the head of gold was picture of Nebuchadnezzar and his Neo-Babylonian empire, in power from 605 to 539 B.C. Though the empire lasted another 22 years after the death of the king, it was severely weakened by revolutions and assassinations. Both Babylonian and Persian records indicate that when the Medo-persian army approached Babylon, the people swung open the gates to admit the army without resistance. In fact, the king, who died right after the handwriting on the wall was interpreted by Daniel, might very well have been the only casualty that night. This empire would be the chest and arms of silver—inferior in every way. The third kingdom, symbolized by the brass belly and thighs, represented the Greek empire established by Alexander the Great in 330BC. The iron kingdom is, of course, the Roman empire, which began about 67 B.C. All of these have taken their place in history, all based on a mixture of human pride, will, and strength, melded together under the guise of being led by a divine god, gods, emperor, or all of the above. But—there is yet another kingdom described—a revived Roman empire, pictured as feet made of both iron and clay. That empire is our society today—a bold picture of humanism with just a sprinkle of religion in order to give it some credibility. And what about the Church itself, intent on mixing so well with the world around it, include other world religions and even cults, that it is hardly even recognizable? What about the vanishing standards of right and wrong and the disappearing absolutes of purity and holiness, and all under the guise of understanding and tolerance? What about so-called revival movements that mix entertainment, hype, and a new “Jesus?” In these days, one who stands for Jesus and His word, refusing to compromise and thereby become a picture of mixture, is indeed, going to be in the minority. Alexander MacClaren once wrote, “That there are many on a road is no sign that the road is a right one. It is rather an argument the other way, looking at the gregariousness of human nature, and how much people like to save themselves the trouble of thinking and decision, and to run in ruts. So the fact that, if you are going to be Christ-like Christians, you will be in the minority, is a reason for being such.” D.L. Moody put it this way: “When you are right, stand up for it, no matter if the heavens fall; if you lose every friend you have, God will raise up others who will be better.” In John 6, multitudes stopped following Jesus, and He was truth itself! Praise God—its all coming down—in the world, in the church, and in God’s people. The dream included a powerful ending—“Thou sawest…a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces…and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.” (2:34,35) That rock was and is Jesus Christ, and all mixture is destroyed. The time will soon be here—no matter how big and powerful some think it is, its all coming down—and all to God’s glory. In these last of days, this is sure a word to the wise—and to everyone else, as well. Copyright (c)
2005 Christ Our Rock Bible Church. |
