Old Testament # 45
“If I Perish, I Perish”
Daniel 1; 3; 6; Esther 3–4; 7–8
Introduction
I wondered why the Book of Esther, alone in Biblical books, is not found in the Dead Sea Scrolls as we have them currently. It is possibly because there is no direct mention of the Lord in these chapters, but His presence is implied in Ester 4:14 when Mordecai says: “And who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” And also when Esther asked her people to fast with her. Her heroic act in saving the Jews in Babylon from destruction gave rise to the Jewish festival of Purim and some delicious pastries known as Hamantaschen. So I have no answer.
Equally well-known are the stories in the Book of Daniel, three of which we will deal with this week. I have also found it curious that we remember Daniel by his Hebrew name and not the Babylonian name Nebuchadnezzar gave him, Belteshazzar, but we remember Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, their Babylonian names.
And to my readers, I am also wondering if I should continue this blog going into the new year and the new curriculum. I guess I want to know if it is helpful; so to help me decide whether to carry on—since really my role as a Sunday School teacher is going to change as we all become our own teachers and learners—please leave a comment on the blog or email me at avcoutts@gmail.com. And, with your help, I will also prayerfully try to come to a decision before the end of the year.
Daniel 1 introduces us to Daniel and his three friends who, although captive Hebrews, were apparently among the aristocracy back in Jerusalem and therefore had been brought up in the court of King Nebuchadnezzar. Here is some background from the Institute Manual:
Nebuchadnezzar pursued the Egyptians southward and dealt them a worse defeat near Hamath in Syria, thus securing Syria and Judea for the expanded Babylonian Empire. As seen in Daniel 1:1, this drive resulted in the siege of Jerusalem in the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim and in Judah’s being made a vassal to Babylon for the next three years (see 2 Kings 24:1). At that time many of the finest vessels of the temple were taken to Babylon as tribute (see 2 Chronicles 36:7). Selected members of Judah’s upper class, which included Daniel (see 2 Kings 20:14–18; Daniel 6:13), were carried captive to Babylon. Sometime during this campaign, Nebuchadnezzar learned of the death of his father, and within the year he returned to Babylon to be made king (see Jeremiah 25:1). Later he besieged Jerusalem twice more, carrying off additional captives both times, and eventually destroying Jerusalem about 587 B.C. All the evidence suggests that Daniel and his three companions were taken into captivity during the first exile to Babylon (see Daniel 1:6). Daniel lived in Jerusalem at the same time Lehi did, though there is no evidence to suggest that they knew each other.[1]
The incident with the King’s food obviously correlates with our adherence to the Word of Wisdom, but in this case it apparently showed that Daniel and his friends practiced the Law of Moses, since it is unlikely the food they were offered conformed to Mosaic Law.
Elder David Stone of the Seventy had this to say about Daniel’s fidelity to the Lord’s commands:
Let us clearly understand the pressures that the four young men were under. They had been carried away as captives by a conquering power and were in the household of a king who held the power of life or death over them. And yet Daniel and his brothers refused to do that which they believed to be wrong, however much the Babylonian culture believed it to be right. And for that fidelity and courage, the Lord blessed them and “gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom” (Dan. 1:17). . . . We do not need to adopt the standards, the mores, and the morals of Babylon. We can create Zion in the midst of Babylon. We can have our own standards for music and literature and dance and film and language. We can have our own standards for dress and deportment, for politeness and respect. We can live in accordance with the Lord’s moral laws. We can limit how much of Babylon we allow into our homes by the media of communication.[2]
For this lesson, we now turn to Daniel 3 and the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Again their lives were in peril; again for not obeying the Babylon king’s decrees. In harmony with the theme of this lesson, they said something similar when putting their lives in the Lord’s hands: “But if not” (Daniel 3:18). Here is Elder Maxwell:
We will [not] always be rescued from proximate problems, but we will be rescued from everlasting death! Meanwhile, ultimate hope makes it possible to say the same three words used centuries ago by three valiant men. They knew God could rescue them from the fiery furnace if He chose. ‘But if not,’ they said, nevertheless, they would still serve Him!” (Ensign,Nov. 1994, 35).
Sister Joy D. Jones added
“But if not.” Consider the meaning of these three words and how they relate to keeping covenants. These three young men were not basing their obedience upon being delivered. Even if they were not delivered, they would keep their promise to the Lord because they said they would. Keeping our covenants is always independent of our situation. These three young men, just as the stripling warriors, are wonderful examples of sin-resistance for our children.[3]
Daniel 6 takes us to the reign of Darius the Mede (important to note that this is not the Darius who founded the Persian Dynasty). By this time Daniel had a lot of power in the court of the king. But this king inadvertently sealed Daniel’s death warrant by preferring him over other local princes. Jealous, they schemed to bring him down. The only way they could do that was to try to thwart Daniel’s religious practices by getting the king to issue a decree that challenged Daniel’s right to pray facing toward the temple in Jerusalem as he had been taught. And so Daniel was cast into the lion’s den.
Elder Lynn G. Robbins compares Daniel’s desire to “face the temple” with Esther’s turning her face toward her people, thus gaining courage to face their foes.
“Which way do you face?” President Boyd K. Packer surprised me with this puzzling question while we were traveling together on my very first assignment as a new Seventy. Without an explanation to put the question in context, I was baffled. “A Seventy,” he continued, “does not represent the people to the prophet but the prophet to the people. Never forget which way you face!” It was a powerful lesson. . . . While it certainly takes courage to face perils, the true badge of courage is overcoming the fear of men. For example, Daniel’s prayers helped him face lions, but what made him lionhearted was defying King Darius (see Daniel 6). That kind of courage is a gift of the Spirit to the God-fearing who have said their prayers. Queen Esther’s prayers also gave her that same courage to confront her husband, King Ahasuerus, knowing that she risked her life in doing so (see Esther 4:8–16).
The story of Esther is beautifully depicted in the video link at the end of this blog. I mentioned “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14) at the beginning of this blog entry. Is it going to take courage to implement Come Follow Me for Individuals and Familiesas a regular course of study in our homes? Is it going to take courage to rely on the Lord’s instruction through the Spirit on how to minister to those over whom we have stewardship? Is it going to take courage to keep ourselves and our homes unspotted from the world? Of course it is, but then we know we have been sent to earth now, “for such a time as this.”
Additional Material
Messianic Expectation
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