Grandpa messes up big time!  2 Kings 20:12-19

• Gloats over the well-wishes received from the renowned king of Babylon. (12-13)
• Shows off his possessions, his palace, and the temple. (13)
• He is confronted by Isaiah the prophet for these foolish prideful acts. (14-18)
  • Everything displayed before the Babylonians would be taken to Babylon.
  • The city of Jerusalem will be destroyed, and the nation dispersed.
  • His grandchildren would become eunuchs for the king of Babylon.

• Hezekiah is grateful that the consequences would be upon his grandchildren and not himself. (19)

100 years and five generations later—Daniel!

Not of my making.  Daniel 1:1-7

• The temple is sacked, and the possessions taken to Babylon. (2)
• Jerusalem’s walls and the temple were destroyed.
• A few selected royal sons were chosen to serve in the palace of the king of Babylon.
  • Smart, good looking, well-built, and quick learners.
  • Due to this selection they must be castrated—become eunuchs serving the king.
  • Then they are trained in the customs and practices of the Babylonian palace and culture.
  • They are given new names:
    • Daniel- Belteshazzar
    • Hananiah- Shadrach
    • Mishael- Meshach
    • Azariah- Abednego

• All of this happened to these four young men due to the sins of a grandfather they never met.

How would you feel if this were you?  What would be your attitude to those above you, beside you and below you? What would your relationship with God look like?

The power of resolve.  Daniel 1:8-16

• He resolved to stay the course of his identity in God as an Israelite. (8)
• He sought permission—he worked with the system. (8)
• Proposed a test of which path is superior. (12)
• The results are truly in God’s hands to reveal or distance himself.
• God’s ways were proved superior. (15-16) 
• God elevates them before their peers. (17)

Take aways.

1. Don’t choose the mentality of being a victim.
   • He didn’t blame grandpa.
   • He didn’t complain to God about the unfairness.
   • He didn’t dwell on the “why me?”

2. Resolve is better than hesitance.
   • He didn’t get caught up in the “what if’s?”
   • For him principle stands over fear.

3. Fear God more than man.
   • He chose God’s path in spite of a seemingly “no way out” situation.
   • In the face of a powerful earthly authority he submitted to divine authority—the King of all Kings.
   • He lived by faith with no evidence as to God at work in this situation.

4. Actions and attitude matter.
   • They represent the character of God.
   • The end game is always about changing lives in a manner that glorifies God.
   • With the right attitude and actions, we live another day to influence and point to God.

Daniel truly seized the day leading to a platform that would influence and transform three different kings and their kingdoms!