Exiles as Missionaries

Read for This Week’s Study: Daniel 1-12; Isa. 39:5-7; Dan. 2:44; Matt. 24:14,15; Genesis 41.

Memory Text: He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed (Daniel 7:14, NIV).

As a people of prophecy, Seventh-day Adventists believe in the soon coming of Jesus Christ. His coming will end this world as we know it and ultimately will usher in God’s everlasting kingdom, depicted in the book of Daniel this way: The kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him (Dan. 7:27, NKJV). This kingdom is the culmination of our faith; it is what the book of Hebrews (Heb. 11:16) called the better country, the one that all God’s people through the ages have trusted will come, the one whose builder and maker is God (Heb. 11:10).

But the book of Daniel is also a kind of handbook for missionary activity. From it we can draw lessons on how the Lord was able to use some of His people to witness to those who were steeped in spiritual and theological ignorance. Through their faithfulness and diligence and unwavering faith, these believers revealed the reality of the living God to those who knew only false ones and gave these pagans a chance at a place in this everlasting kingdom, as well.

The Exile

Daniel, whose name means God is my judge, was force-marched from a defeated Jerusalem into the Babylonian capital. The book of Daniel gives glimpses of his life in the courts of Babylon and Persia. After three years of education in Babylon, Daniel was employed as a civil servant and royal advisor. Through the power of God, he rose above normal captive status to become a highly placed missionary to two superpowers.

The book of Daniel is more than a treasure of prophetic literature. The reader encounters some of the challenges facing Hebrews living in an alien culture that provided no apparent support for their loyalty to the God of Israel and, at times, was openly hostile. It also paints a beautiful picture of men who learned to live out their commitment to truth in the absence of the temple, the priesthood, and sacrifices.

Read Daniel 1:8-13; 5:12; 6:4; 9:3-19. What do these texts tell us about Daniel’s character that made him the great missionary he was?

Every institution that bears the name of Seventh-day Adventist is to be to the world as was Joseph in Egypt, and as were Daniel and his fellows in Babylon. In the providence of God these men were taken captive, that they might carry to heathen nations the knowledge of the true God. They were to be representatives of God in our world. They were to make no compromise with the idolatrous nations with which they were brought in contact, but were to stand loyal to their faith, bearing as a special honor the name of worshipers of the God who created the heavens and the earth.—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8, p. 153.

Think how easy it would have been for Daniel to have compromised, especially given his circumstances. What does his example teach us about how lame our excuses for compromise often really are?

Witnesses (Daniel 2-5)

In Daniel 2, Daniel had an opportunity, born out of necessity, to witness to the power of the true God, as opposed to the false ones of Babylon. After singing a hymn of praise with his Jewish compatriots and thanking God for answering their prayers (Dan. 2:20-23), he interpreted the king’s dream and testified to God’s greatness and dominion over all earthly kingdoms.

What does the king say that shows he learned something about the true God? See Dan. 2:47.

In Daniel 2, Daniel didn’t have a choice: either give the king what he wanted or face death. In contrast, in chapter 3 his three friends could have spared themselves the fiery furnace if they simply had obeyed the king’s command. Instead, by their faithful witness, they were able to testify to the power of the true God.

How did Nebuchadnezzar know that the form of the fourth was like the Son of God? He had heard of the Son of God from the Hebrew captives that were in his kingdom. They had brought the knowledge of the living God who ruleth all things.—Ellen G. White, The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, May 3, 1892.

In Daniel4, what confession did King Nebuchadnezzar again make regarding the true God, all thanks to the witness of Daniel? See Dan. 4:37.

In Daniel 5, we have Daniel’s last appearance at the Babylonian court, where he is called upon to explain the extraordinary writing upon the wall of Belshazzar’s palace, foretelling the overthrow of the Babylonian Empire at the hands of the Medes and Persians. Though no doubt Belshazzar had been impressed by what Daniel did, it was too late: the king’s fate was all but sealed. The sad thing is that according to the Bible (see Dan. 5:17-23), Belshazzar had had opportunity to learn truth and to be humbled by it. As we know, he didn’t take advantage of those opportunities.

How important that we look at our own lives and ask ourselves: What kind of witness does my life represent to the world? What does your answer tell you?

Daniel in Persia

And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? (Dan. 6:20). The king called Daniel the servant of the living God. What is implied in those words?

In Daniel 6, with the change of empire and king, Daniel still kept his position and was even promoted, becoming one of three presidents to whom 120 satraps were to report. King Darius even considered appointing him vizier over his whole kingdom, arousing the antipathy of the other presidents and satraps. They induced the king to make an empire-wide decree that really was aimed at Daniel alone. He was thrown into a den of lions, but God dramatically intervened in a situation that even the sympathetic king could not reverse. Daniel’s deliverance so pleased the king that he issued an empire-wide royal decree exalting the God of Daniel.

Then King Darius wrote to all nations and peoples of every language in all the earth: May you prosper greatly! I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions (Dan. 6:25-27, NIV).

Read Daniel 6. What in the chapter indicates that Daniel had already been a great witness to the king? Also, what in the king’s decree indicates that he knew more about Daniel’s God than he could have learned merely from the dramatic rescue? What does this tell us about Daniel’s witness to him?

Daniel and God’s Eternal Kingdom

Daniel was not merely an interpreter of other men’s dreams, significant as that was in this context. In Daniel 7-12, he had his own visions, which revealed the future of great world superpowers. Daniel’s visions especially emphasized that, despite earthly rulers and their plans and machinations, God retains final control of nations. In the end, He and His final kingdom will triumph, and that triumph will be complete (see Dan. 2:44).

Read Daniel 7:13,14. What is being described in these texts, and how does it relate to the idea of Christians taking the gospel to the world?

Whatever else those verses are talking about, the central issue is the establishment of God’s eternal kingdom, which doesn’t come until after the return of Jesus. And what factor did Jesus Himself say was important in regard to His return?

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. So when you see standing in the holy place the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains (Matt. 24:14-16, NIV).

Jesus’ prophecies of the end of the world in Matthew 24 are linked to Daniel’s prophecies. The abomination of desolation predicted by Daniel (Dan. 11:31; Dan. 12:11) was further explained and applied by Jesus to His own day and beyond. The point is that Jesus closely linked the book of Daniel to the end times, which, of course, isn’t surprising, because Daniel in many places does indeed point to the end times (Dan. 8:17,19; Dan 11:35; Dan. 12:4,13). And, according to Jesus, the end doesn’t come until this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world (Matt.24:14, NKJV).

The gospel is to be preached unto all the world, and only then will Jesus return. And we are the ones called to preach it. Some then argue that Jesus can’t return until we do our work. How are we to understand our role in the timing of Jesus’ return? Bring your answer to class on Sabbath.

More Exiles as Missionaries

Daniel was an Israelite in involuntary banishment from Israel, as were Joseph and Moses in Egypt, Nehemiah in Babylon, and Esther in Persia. Their lives reveal that it is possible to live faithfully to God in spiritually and culturally unsupportive environments. With God’s direction it was even possible to attain prominent administrative positions in these alien settings. Each lived a creative and rich life, skillfully negotiating complex religious, social, political, and economic dynamics far different from those of their home culture. They not only were loyal members of exiled Hebrew communities—they were also in their own ways effective missionaries for the God of Israel.

Read through Genesis 41. In what ways was Joseph able to witness to the Egyptians? How does his story parallel that of Daniel and his companions in Babylon?

In what situations in which you find yourself can you witness for your faith? Are you giving a passive or active witness, or both? What are things you can either say or do that would make a more powerful impression on others about the goodness and love of our God?

Further Study: Multitudes will be called to a wider ministry. The whole world is opening to the gospel. . . . From every quarter of this world of ours comes the cry of sin-stricken hearts for a knowledge of the God of love. . . . It rests with us who have received the knowledge, with our children to whom we may impart it, to answer their cry. To every household and every school, to every parent, teacher, and child upon whom has shone the light of the gospel, comes at this crisis the question put to Esther the queen at that momentous crisis in Israel’s history, Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?—Ellen G. White, The Adventist Home, pp. 484, 485.

Discussion Questions:

Discuss the prophecies in the book of Daniel, especially Daniel 2,7, and 8. In what ways are these such a powerful testimony, not only to the prophetic reliability of the Bible but to God’s foreknowledge of the future? For instance, notice how, between Daniel 2,7, and 8, three of the four main kingdoms are named for us. How should this help us learn to trust in the Word of God and His promises to us?
In these accounts in the book of Daniel and some of the other stories (such as Joseph), there were some miracles that, of course, greatly added to the credibility of their witness to the pagans around them. At the same time, too, what aspects of their character lend even more credibility to their witness? That is, in what way can character and faithfulness, even more than signs and wonders, be a more powerful witness to others about the reality of God and what He can do in our lives?
As we saw in Wednesday’s study, Matthew 24:14 says that the gospel needs to go to the ends of the earth, and then the end will come. Does this mean that Jesus will not come back until we do the work that He has called us to do? Discuss.

Inside Story ~ Bangladesh ~ By Doneshor Tripura

A Gift from the River—Part 1

Doneshor was glad to be home, watching his father’s water buffalo. He had been away at school and had just completed his high school graduation exams. The day grew hotter, and Doneshor decided to go for a swim in the nearby river while the buffalo grazed nearby. He waded into the cool water, looking for a place that was deep enough to swim. It was the dry season, and the river was much shallower than usual.

Doneshor stood in the waist-deep water and looked upstream. He saw something floating in the water. It wasn’t unusual to find debris in the river, so he wasn’t sure why this object caught his eye. He waited as it bobbed closer to him, then he reached down and picked it out of the water. It was a Bible. He had never seen a Bible before, but instinctively he knew that this was a holy book. He waded ashore and carefully laid the wet book in the sun to dry. As a few pages dried, he turned to a wet page and allowed the sun’s hot rays to dry them.

Doneshor came from a religious family. Every day they worshiped their gods, laying gifts of rice and incense on the altar in their home. Doneshor’s parents had taught him to respect all things holy, and that included the book he had found in the river.

The book wasn’t yet dry when evening came, so Doneshor took it home. The next morning he carried it back to the field and laid it open in the sun. After three days the Bible was dry enough for him to read it. Curious, he turned to the first pages and began reading, In the beginning God created. . . .

Doneshor was fascinated by the account of Creation and the first man and woman. He remembered reading about the first humans in the Gita, the Hindu holy book. An idea struck him, and he began comparing the Gita with the Bible.

One day he read the prayer that Jesus taught His disciples, and contrasted that to his own prayers. I have done nothing but ask and ask, wanting something for myself or my family. Now I understand that Christians pray for others.

As Doneshor continued reading, he discovered a God who searches out and invites people to accept his gift of salvation. This God is patient, and He loves to forgive. Doneshor thought how his entire lifetime had been an effort to earn the favor of the gods by giving them expensive gifts and by making long and tiring pilgrimages to appease them.

To be continued

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