Sermon -- 21st Sunday after Pentecost (October 22, 2023)

DANIEL 1:3-21

YOU HAVE BEEN SET APART FOR THE KING’S HONOR.

In the name + of Jesus.

     The prophet Daniel was among the first of the Jews to be exiled to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar.  Daniel and his companions—perhaps more familiar to us by their Babylonians names Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—were among the nobility.  They are described as young (perhaps late teens), good looking, and with an aptitude for wisdom and learning.  Nebuchadnezzar was no dummy.  He recognized people who could serve him in his government.  So, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were conscripted into the king’s service.  They were set apart from the exiles for the king’s honor.

     Even though they were taken far away from Jerusalem and its temple, these four youths knew that they were set apart by the Lord, too.  God had set apart the whole nation of Israel for the purpose of the Messiah coming into the world through them.  To keep them set apart from the nations around them, the Lord had given specific laws which directed their culture, their worship, their clothing, and their diet.  The exile which began with Daniel and his friends and culminated in the destruction of the temple was the consequence of Israel turning from that covenant.

     Although they were exiles, Daniel and his friends still held firm to that covenant.  They were determined to remain set apart for the Lord’s honor and to serve him faithfully.  They were willing to endure a lot from the Babylonians as long as they remained faithful to the Lord. 

     For three years, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were to be trained in Babylonian literature and learn the Babylonian language.  They did this, knowing that the Lord can still be honored in a different language.  They learned Babylonian history and culture, knowing that God’s mercy is not based on one’s homeland.  If they were to stand in the king’s palace, it is entirely possible that they would have been castrated and made eunuchs.  While they were in no position to refuse it, they did not need to fear losing God’s favor over it.  If they were castrated, they knew that God can still be honored with a maimed body.  They were set apart for the honor of King Nebuchadnezzar as servants in his pagan government.  They were still able to honor the King of kings in this vocation.  But there was one area where they drew the line.

     “The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate, and of the wine that he drank” (Daniel 1:5).  These daily rations were part of their three-year training.  King Nebuchadnezzar did not want to have scrawny, malnourished servants in his palace.  He wanted his servants to be robust and good looking, which made his kingdom look better.  “But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank” (Daniel 1:8). 

     We might think, “What’s the big deal?  Who cares what you eat?”  But this was a matter of being set apart as God’s Old Testament people.  In his Law, God had decreed that certain foods were clean and others unclean.  Drinking wine was not forbidden.  There were many vineyards and winepresses in Israel.  Every dinner table had wine (watered down, especially for children).  So, apparently, Nebuchadnezzar’s wine had something in it that was forbidden.  One tradition suggests he added blood, and consuming blood was forbidden by God.  So, Daniel and his friends were willing to put up with a lot for the honor of Nebuchadnezzar, but they would not do anything to disobey or dishonor their true King, the Lord.  They were determined to be set apart for the King’s honor.

     Now you have also been set apart for the Lord’s honor.  You were baptized into his name and cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ.  The Holy Spirit dwells in you and marks you as the Lord’s.  Through Jesus, you have been set apart from sin, death, and the devil.  Your sins have been paid for by the death of Jesus.  Your death has been overcome by the resurrection of Jesus.  And Jesus has crushed the serpent’s head so that the devil cannot harm you or claim you.  You have been freed from all of these, and they cannot harm you.  In addition, you have been set apart for good works.  By your good works, you honor God and serve your neighbor.

     You have been set apart for the King’s honor.  You are God’s people, and you are called to be godly people so that your status as God’s people is not merely a title, but also demonstrated in your every day living.  Like Daniel and his companions, we are able to endure inconveniences and even suffering because we know that our salvation rests upon divine promises.  We know we have been set apart for glory, even if we must endure humility now.  But like Daniel and his companions, we also draw the line on what we will do.  As St. Peter once testified when he was on trial for his actions, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).  We do not allow ourselves to do what God forbids, no matter what kind of authority commands it.  And we are compelled to hold to what God demands, no matter who says that we are wrong to do so.  That is what it means that we have been set apart.  We are set apart from the sins which condemn, and we are set apart for the good works that honor God.  For, we are set apart for the King’s honor.

     The chief of the eunuchs was understandably concerned at Daniel’s request to refrain from the king’s food and wine.  If he presented the youths under his charge malnourished and scrawny, he would pay for it with his life.  So, Daniel proposed a trial period where he, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would eat vegetables and drink only water.  God blessed these faithful Jews with good health and appearance so that they could continue to be set apart for his honor.  And they were able to do this without bringing dishonor to King Nebuchadnezzar.

     What’s more, God blessed them with great wisdom and understanding so that they could honor King Nebuchadnezzar with faithful service that benefited him and his kingdom.  Nebuchadnezzar may not have honored the true God, but they would.  The government they served in may have been corrupt, but they would be honest in their service to it.  Nebuchadnezzar may have devoted himself to worldly glory; Daniel and his friends would serve for the good of the Babylonian nation, but their glory remained the kingdom of God.  They were set apart for the King’s honor, and they were devoted to the honor of the King of kings, the Lord.

     Worldly powers change over time.  The Babylonian empire is long gone.  That land, modern day Iraq, does not have the same power as Nebuchadnezzar exercised.  The United States was completely unknown to Nebuchadnezzar.  Whether or not he would have been impressed by our nation and its leaders, who knows?  The people who live under our government are often unimpressed by our leaders and their actions—or inactions, as the case may be.  Because we are bothered by corruption, by questionable laws, by immoral behavior, or by legislation which promotes wickedness, we might draw the conclusion that it is our God-given right, perhaps even our obligation, to dishonor or disobey our governing authorities. 

     St. Paul has an entirely different take on that.  He wrote, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.  For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.  Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.  …Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed (Romans 13:1-2,7).  St. Paul wrote these words when his governing authority claimed to be his Lord.  That honor, St. Paul did not give.  But he did recognize his governors, even if they were blasphemers, as worthy of obedience and honor for the sake of the God who establishes governing authority.

     You have been set apart for the King’s honor, and part of honoring the King is to honor the government which he established.  God appoints every government to maintain order and to punish wickedness so that we can live in peace.  Even if you are convinced the government is wicked, it does not entitle us to be wicked.  Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego presented themselves before a pagan king to serve in his pagan government.  This they could do with a clean conscience.  They would not, however, violate God’s word.  And if they had to, they would willingly suffer the wrath of an earthly king rather than incur the wrath of the King of kings.  They put into action the words of Jesus: “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's” (Matthew 22:21).  Since Caesar’s authority comes from God, Caesar is owed his share of honor.  But there is no greater power and authority, no other Savior than the Lord.  You have been set apart to honor this King above all.

     The glory of our Lord is not that he holds all power and can do whatever he pleases.  We do not worship the Lord just because he is almighty.  It is true that the Lord can do whatever he pleases.  We marvel that it pleased the Lord to redeem sinners.  He does not despise us, but came to deliver us from our sins.  These include our sins against the authorities God has established.  It is easy to get upset and condemn leaders for their actions.  But you do not suffer God’s wrath because someone else is corrupt.  You will not be judged for the immoral or criminal behavior of another.  And even if our governing authority passes a law which blatantly opposes God’s word, you and I will draw the line, knowing that we will not obey such laws.  We may face the wrath of courts for this, but we retain God’s honor for standing firm in his word.  And if one of us should suffer for retaining the Lord’s honor, let’s be sure that we all stand firm in his word and behind the one who suffers for his faithfulness.

     You have been set apart for the honor of the King.  It is the Lord’s honor that he has delivered you from sin, death, and hell.  It is the Lord’s joy that you are his redeemed people and that you are being restored to the image of God.  Since we are the people of God, we will serve him and hold fast to his word, both in our confession and in our actions.  And we look forward to the glories of his everlasting kingdom—for that is what we were set apart for.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.