In my role at Christians in Sport I work with Christian men and women who are heavily involved in the secular sports culture. One question I am often asked is where to draw boundaries that enable engagement with their team culture in order that they may point to Jesus, but maintain godly behaviour that honours Christ. The most typical scenarios involve pressure to fit in with sports cultures that seek social cohesion or ‘team spirit’ off the field and which may involve inappropriate use of alcohol, drugs and sex.
Perhaps the most effective way to answer this question is to offer reassurance regarding God’s sovereignty in mission. One way of facilitating this confidence is to work through the first four chapters of the Book of Daniel.
The setting is the Babylonian exile in 587 BC, and the relationship between Daniel, his friends, and King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon which culminates in chapter four with Nebuchadnezzar repenting and worshipping the God of Israel. God uses the relationship that develops between a group of young Jewish exiles and the king of Babylon to bring the ruler to submission to the Lord.
Drawing godly boundaries in Babylon
The story begins when Daniel and his friends are selected to spend three years being trained to understand Babylonian history, culture and language so that they can work in the government civil service under the supervision of Ashphenaz. They are assigned a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table (Dan.1:5).
The challenge facing Daniel and his colleagues is where to draw the line between worshipping the Lord and compromising their faith in the service of a pagan ruler. The exiles accept a place at the university and are prepared to adopt Babylonian names. Yet, Daniel refuses to eat the food prepared for them in the king’s kitchen:
But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way (Dan. 2:8).
The pivotal issue for Daniel was that eating the king’s food implied committing to covenant loyalty with the king, an obligation indicated in Daniel 11:26 which describes later national power struggles: ‘those who eat from the king’s provisions will try to destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall in battle.’
Refusing to eat from the king’s table may be treasonable. Nevertheless, Daniel and his friends refuse to eat the king’s food. Despite adopting an entirely different diet, they are more healthy-looking than their peers, and Ashphenaz allows them to retain their alternative diet.
This willingness to balance conflict and compromise is the key to the following four chapters of Daniel. As first-year undergraduates in their [very smart] hall of residence, the young exiles resolve to put the Lord first. They will certainly give their all to their studies and service to the state, but not at the cost of refuting their faith in God.
God works through their witness
In chapters two and three, there are remarkable interactions between Daniel, his friends and the king. In chapter two, God reveals the contents of Nebuchadnezzar’s terrifying nightmare. As a result, the king recognises that Daniel’s God can reveal things that no other god or human being can expose:
The king said to Daniel, ‘Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery’ (Dan. 2:47).
In chapter three, Nebuchadnezzar sets a day aside for the whole nation to worship a giant golden statue of himself. In Daniel’s absence, his three friends continue to hold the line of putting God first and do not attend. Jealous colleagues inform the king and the young Jewish civil servants are sentenced to death by burning in a furnace. Their response is remarkable:
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up’ (Dan. 3:16-17).
The young exiles’ survival is nothing short of miraculous. All three emerge untouched by the flames. The king’s testimony at the end of Daniel chapter three underscores the strength of their witness to the Lord. The king is as surprised by their faith and courage as he is by the miracle:
Then Nebuchadnezzar said, ‘Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God’ (Dan. 3:28).
The result of Daniel and his friends’ witness is Nebuchadnezzar’s capitulation to the God of Israel. The king’s testimony is captured in chapter four and culminates in the last verse:
Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble (Dan. 4:37).
The godliness that Daniel and his friends showed through their work in the civil service, and their faith in God led to Nebuchadnezzar’s repentance and faith. Take heart. God is sovereign in mission.
God is sovereign in mission
The key to understanding Daniel chapters 1-4 is found at the end of chapter one:
And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus (Dan. 1:21).
God called Daniel and his friends to be his representatives in Babylon. Daniel remained in the civil service until Babylon was overthrown by the Persian king Cyrus in 539 BC. Daniel’s ministry to the Babylonian government lasted forty-eight years.
The story of Daniel is far more than just the tale of a small group of faithful men. It’s about God and his rule. Nothing can hinder God’s plan to humble sinners and bring them to repentance, even if they are totalitarian tyrants. We don’t know who, when or where, but we know that God will do so to fulfil his purposes and to build his church.
Representing Christ in a secular world can be terrifying for both young and old. How do we balance compromise and conflict with culture? Daniel and his friends offer a clear response: put your faith in God and pursue a lifestyle that prioritises honouring God while simultaneously serving the surrounding culture. Then, trust the sovereign God to win people to himself.
