Audio links:
2010 August 1 2010 August 8 2010 August 15
2010 August 22 2010 September 5 2010 September 12
The “Daniel” document was written in western Asia in the 500’s BC (during the time of Kongzi in China), during a time of extreme cultural change and stress. The whole western world of that time was changing, and people had to adapt to new circumstances. The political balance of power had changed, and Daniel’s people were defeated. He and three friends were forced to work for the superpower enemy, with no hope of ever returning home — because home, as they had known it, no longer existed.
There were not many people of integrity like Daniel, in his time and place — most people were trying to cope with the stress by pretending to agree with the culture, even though they hated it. They lied and pretended their way to wealth and power — and they corrupted everyone around them. But Daniel and his friends were different: they told themselves the truth, and lived the truth in their personal lives every day. Their lives and integrity became the source of hope and truth for untold thousands of people in the ancient Babylonian and Persian empires. They helped some of the greatest world leaders of their time to find the truth and live by it.
The story isn’t only about Daniel and his friends, though — it’s about you and me. How can I be a “real” person in a culture that’s “unreal”? How can I stay on the road of hope when everything I expected has changed, when nothing I want will ever happen? What can I do to become the kind of person who brings what is real and good to the people around me?
