Tonight we start a new series of talks from Daniel – an Old testament book I know is among people’s favourites.
But it is interesting how interest in the book can drop off after chapter 6-7, where the text starts getting into apocalyptic style!
The early chapters are very readable though – and maybe that’s part of the clue to it’s popularity. It’s a great story about triumph in adversity, about the little guy persevering in the battle with the big guy – and chapter one has a lot to do with food – Hmmm, sounds a bit like Masterchef writ large!?

But what I find exciting about the book is it’s overwhelmingly powerful theme of God’s sovereignty. In fact, I wish all the vocal ‘new atheists’ out there would take the trouble to understand Daniel when they look at the sad state of the world around us and cry “How can you call you God a loving god?!” While that is a very complex question, the book of Daniel helps it’s readers genuinely come to grips with that huge question of ‘Is god really in control?’ It doesn’t package up an answer nice and neat, but it does give us some powerful principles to build our understanding on.

Take chapter 1.
This speaks powerfully to every single Christian living in a culture that is not Christian – for us that is humanistic, secular, increasingly atheistic Australia. Daniel finds himself suddenly transplanted from the familiar, theocracy (no matter how flawed!) of Israel, where he was one of God’s people under God’s rule in the and God had given them. From there he suddenly found himself in Babylon: a secular, humanistic, mutli-god worshipping culture. Does the environment sound familiar?
So how does he respond?
Does he dig his heels in and refuse to engage in any way with the society and culture of Babylon?
Or does he give in and go with flow and fully giving himself over to the pleasures of his new land?

I know many of you know the answer to that – but what do Daniels decisions – especially what he decides to accept and what he rejects of his new king’s demands and expectations – say to us in Australia in 2010? Lots and lots.

Have a read through Daniel, think about what you would do in his circumstances – because at many levels we are in the same situation, and note what God does and doesn’t do… I think you will find that Daniel will rock your world!

See you at FNC…