(remember, these are unedited/draft show notes, not a transcript — listening is always better…and if you listen AND follow along below, you’ll see why)
Focus Question:
What if your name was changed to Satan’s Daughter?
Intro:
What would your life be like if the government changed your name to something like…Daughter of Satan? Or “Who is called by Cthulu?”
Hey Hopeful ones, ya like how I snuck the RPG reference into today’s focus question?
It might seem weird to us, but today as we get into a new OT book, Daniel, we’re going to see some of that going on and we’ll talk about a couple ways it actually might touch down for us here in the Year of Crazy, 2020.
New Testament segment:
Yesterday in Mark we saw a vision for what true holiness looks like, and that God’s intent is that the Good News is for all people, not just the Jews. But today in chapter 8 there’s a big turn in the overall book — from the demonstration of Jesus’ authority and mighty deeds, toward the “new exodus”(1) way of Jesus as crucified Lord.
Passage: Mark 8
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 38
Words: ~804
Old Testament segment:
The book (of Daniel) was written to encourage those living during times of oppression and persecution. Its stories and visions show that it is possible not only to survive but to thrive as a faithful follower of God under the most difficult conditions. While not every Christian today faces the severe persecution that Daniel and his friends encountered, they do live in a culture that is toxic or hostile to the faith, and the book’s reminder that God is in control and will win the final victory provides confidence for living in the present and hope to face the future.(1)
Passage: Daniel 1
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 21
Words: ~660
Wisdom segment:
Passage: Psalm 139
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 24
Words: ~394
The bottom line:
You might remember that back in Jeremiah 29 we read of Jeremiah writing to the exiles in Babylon to live faithfully, including the exhortation actually seek the welfare of the place God had put them, even praying for them. And given that we might argue that those times were a whole lot nastier and more oppressive to live in that what we deal with today (at least in the United States), our journey into Daniel is a timely reminder (if not challenge) to us to remember that we are exiles in a land not our home. Which gets us to our crazy focus question — what if you lived under a government that changed your name to something like “Daughter of Satan?” Or “Who is like Mindfulness?”
1:5–7 Nebuchadnezzar sought to assimilate the exiles into Babylonian culture by obliterating their religious and cultural identity and creating dependence upon the royal court. For this reason, the exiles were given names linked with Babylonian deities in place of Israelite names linked with their God. Daniel (“God is my Judge”), Hananiah (“Yahweh is gracious”), Mishael (“Who is what God is?”), and Azariah (“Yahweh is a helper”) became names that invoked the help of the Babylonian gods Marduk, Bel, and Nebo: Belteshazzar (“O Lady [wife of the god Bel], protect the king!”), Shadrach (“I am very fearful [of God]” or “command of Aku [the moon god]”), Meshach (“I am of little account” or “Who is like Aku?”), and Abednego (“servant of the shining one [Nebo]”). They were schooled in the language and mythological literature of the Babylonians, and their food was assigned from the king’s table, reminding them constantly of the source of their daily bread.(2)
Here’s the bottom line: What if you lived in that kind of situation — a place where maybe your name isn’t changed, but the people you work with give you the credit for the transformation that Jesus has done in your life? A place where you live under some kind of cultural lockdown where it’s ok at work to talk about any god except the one you serve?
Oh, wait…
This I know for sure. Every time someone called your name, it’d remind you of your true identity in Christ.
I love you. Amen? Amen?
ForTheHope is a daily audio Bible + apologetics podcast and blog. We’ve got a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.
Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org.
Sources and resources:
(1) D. A. Carson, ed., NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018), 1488.
(2) Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1586.