But some might be thinking since we’ve studied this book before, there is little hope of learning anything new. If that is the attitude, then we might as well all quit church and go fishing. The truth is we have read and, to some degree, have studied every verse in the entire Bible. And even though I have preached a dozen or so messages from the Book of Daniel, and even though we have gone through this book verse by verse, our approach is going to be different this time. And then, even if we had miraculously learned all there is to know, we still need to worship the Lord in the light of all those things that we know about Him.
Our message this morning is a perfect example of having not really considered all that there is to consider. We could spend five minutes explaining the words of these three verses and then move on. But I hope that you’ll see that they open the doorway to some related, but broader, lessons. I’ve entitled this sermon “Superstition,” but it could also be named “Ignorance,” “Stupidity” or merely “False Doctrine.” And the false doctrines and superstitions seen in these verses still persist today. Perhaps even we harbor some of them. For example there is the idea that….
If the Bible cannot be believed, then we are left to the conflicting opinions of scientists, theologians, intellectuals and non-intellectuals. Pardon me for digressing, but something that I consider stupid are the news media man-on-the-street polls. To stick a camera and microphone in the face of a man going to work at McDonalds, asking him about his opinion on this or that is usually a waste of time. It is not news, it is entertainment – a version of the so-called “reality TV.” “What do you think about the creation/evolution debate?” “What is your opinion on capital punishment?” “Should our state legislature approve same-sex marriages?” In a sense, it doesn’t matter what that man believes about such things – what matters is what God has declared.
Here in this passage the Holy Spirit inspired Word of God says that the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians occurred because that was what God ordained. “And the Lord GAVE Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand” (the hand of Nebuchadnezzar). This is not just a quaint way of speaking, some sort of colloquialism, it is a statement of fact. This is a doctrine which modern man hates with a passion. It is considered to be a tenant of the ancient, heathen religions of the uneducated and misinformed. Today, we are taught from childhood, in a thousand different ways, that we are masters of our own destiny.
This is one of the accepted superstitions of our day. But it isn’t anything new, even though it may be more pronounced now that ever before. This was a part of Satan’s temptation of our first mother, Eve, so many thousands of years ago. It has been ingrained into our fallen Adamic Natures, laying under the surface of our consciousness ever since the fall. But it certainly took a great leap forward with the help of Darwin and his theories on the origin of man – The survival of the fittest; intelligent evolution, education and deliberate choice.
I won’t be so foolish as to try to tell you that we have no decision making powers, and that we are nothing but puppets in the hands of Jehovah. This afternoon, I hope to spend a few minutes thinking about King Jehoiakim, and the stupid choices that he made. They were his choices; they were not dictated by God, even though they were in the will of the Lord. But here is a mystery – an almost inexplicable blending of the sovereignty of God and the decision of the human being. Ultimately, Jehovah is God, and we are little more than sheep and goats – both black and white. Ultimately, God is in absolute control of the universe and nothing takes place except what He permits.
I challenge the world to tell me that Daniel 1:2 doesn’t say that God gave Jehoiakim to Nebuchaddnezar. It is a myth, a superstition, to say that we have absolute control over our lives. Pray to God that He lead us in the paths of righteousness. Pray that He lead us to the Saviour and grants us faith and repentance. Then when the Lord convinces you that Christ as given his life for your redemption and atonement, then cast your faith upon Him. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” But absolutely speaking, our souls, and even our day-to-day lives, are in His hands, not our own.
Superstition #1 is that we have ultimate control over our lives. This is disproved by Daniel 1:2.
The temple worship had its ups and downs, but for the most part it was still outwardly functioning up to time of King Jehoiakim. But none of this had any power in stopping the attack of the Babylonians. Nor did the possession of the Temple and the Ark of the Covenant have persuasive power with the Lord. It is superstition to think that the outward worship of God guarantees divine blessing and protection.
How does this superstition live on today? Hundreds of different ways. How many Bibles are there at your house? I have no idea how many there are at my house. Of course I’m not counting all the false versions, perversions, subversions that I have in my study. They are there for periodic reference purposes, when I have to deal with attacks upon the Word. But I don’t know how many copies of the Authorized Text we have at our house. I probably have half a dozen or more, some of which I have worn out, but can’t throw away. Judy has several and so does Jackie; even the baby has at least one. And how many do you have at your house? I hope that you are aware that all those Bibles can’t, in themselves, protect us from evil or draw down the blessing of God. Neither do our church memberships, our baptisms, or the religious plaques that we have about the house. Some people think that the cross that they wear around their neck, or their beatitude bracelet will somehow help them when difficulties come into their lives. And what about the man or woman who has a cross or crucifix tatooed to his arm? Is there some sort of magical power in such a thing? Of course not.
The presence of the Temple in downtown Jerusalem, didn’t keep the Babylonians outside the city walls. Today, there are hundreds of extant superstitions about crossing ourselves, kissing religious objects, tithing and displaying religious items. But look and learn that similar things to these did not help Judah.
The man who was King of Judah when the nation first fell to the Babylonians was a fella named “Jehoiakim.” I have to usurp upon the territory of this afternoon’s message just a little at this point. Josiah was the father of this Jehoiakim, and Josiah was a godly man. “And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.” The list of good things that he did as leader of Judah is a long one. When Josiah died, his eldest son, Jehoahaz became the new king.Despite the godliness and imputed righteousness which his father possessed Jehoahaz was evil. And there is certainly a very important lesson here, which leads us toward another common superstition. Godly parents don’t automatically produce godly children. Anyway, Jehoahaz was removed as king by Pharaoh-Nechoh of Egypt. Pharaoh then placed Josiah’s second son on the throne, and changed his name from Eliakim to Jehoiakim.
And here is my point – Josiah gave his sons names which glorified the Lord. “Jehoahaz” means “Jehovah has taken” – taken what is not specified. To his second son Josiah gave the name “Eliakim” which means “Him whom God will raise up.” There is a prophetical hint in that name, but it could have been only a coincidence. When Pharaoh-Nechoh put Eliakim on the throne, Pharaoh altered and elevated his name to “Him whom Jehovah raises up.” Just think about this, an Egyptian deliberately took steps to highlight the name of Jehovah. Was this done in mockery or was there some other reason involved? Even though “the one whom Jehovah raised up” was the sitting king of Judah, this did not in any way protect the nation from the Babylonians. There is nothing – no special powers – in a name.
And then at the same time, “Nebuchadnezzar” had a significant meaning to the Babylonians. The prefix is “Nebo,” which was one of the primary gods of the Babylonians. The name means something like “Nebo protect the crown.” In other words, Nebuchadnezzar’s name refers to the blessing of his idol god.
But there is no magic, there is no divine protection in wearing some sort of religious name. This is a superstition to which some people cling. A child grows up under the religion of his parents, going to church regularly and witnessing the mass. At some point, he is confirmed and his infant baptism is authenticated. Even more than he had before, he begins to wear the name “Christian.” Unfortunately for that young man, the name “Christian” means absolutely nothing. And our children do the same, adding other names and titles like “Landmark Baptist,” “Church Member,” and maybe even “Brother” or “Sister.” Beloved, names and title mean nothing unless the Lord has actually granted them. To call someone a “brother” doesn’t make it so.
Conversely, just because Baptists and Anabaptists have been called “heretics,” it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is true. It all depends on who is slinging the name around.
Similarly, superstition #4 doesn’t apply to us, but it does to millions of others –
Then what did Nebuchadnezzar do with all these religious treasures? He transported them to Babylon and placed them in the treasure house of his god. In other words, he dedicated them to Nebo or one of his other false gods, suggesting that he considered his victory over Judah a result of the blessing of his god. Here is superstition #4.
But there is no God but Jehovah – not Allah, not Merodach, not Vishnu, not Bel – and certainly not Mary. The victory which Nebuchadnezzar had over Jehoiakim was not because of Nebo. That victory was the gift of Jehovah to Nebuchadnezzar – the Lord “gave Jehoiakim … into his hand.”
This is a superstition which is as alive and healthy today as it has ever been, only the names of the false gods have changed. Mother nature is not in control of planet earth – not when tornados come and not when earthquakes strike. Despite all that Hollywood would like to tell you, there are no almost divine aliens with the power to either destroy earth or to save us from ourselves. Evolution is not our god, and neither is education or politics. The environmentalists cannot save this planet, and neither can the voters. Another successful Olympic Games can never bring genuine peace to this world. There is but one God, and His name is Jehovah.
And even when it appears that something momentous has taken place, as the Babylonians viewed their conquest of Jerusalem, it is not peoples’ make-believe gods which did it.
Our last superstition of the day is this:
The superstition is that God must instantly judge the wicked and wicked deeds. Sometimes the Lord does exactly that, but there is no promise or declaration that this will always happen. In fact the Lord may display great patience, giving the sinner ample time to repent, or to further increase the weight of his sins.
I Peter 3 – “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”
Ecclesiastes 8:11 – “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.”
The delay of God’s judgment upon the Babylonians does not give credence to the superstition that God will not judge the wicked.
And the fact that you continue to sin, and continue to rebel against God, and continue to live in your prodigal and unrepentant ways, is not an indication that you are some how safe from the eternal storm which is coming. Just as Judah fell, Babylon will eventually fall. And just as Babylon fell, you will fall – or should I say – you will be cast into the Lake which burns with fire and brimstone. The character of the eternal God demands that all sin be punished – “the soul that sinneth it shall die.” “The wages of sin is death” – eternal death. Your only escape is through repentance before God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ – the grace of God. Jehoiakim is in Hell today, and you will join him unless you humble yourself before God and the Saviour. On the other hand Nebuchadnezzar may be in glory today, because it appears that he did repent, and he did trust in the Lord. Will you join him through your repentance and faith? Repent before God and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.