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Growing in Our Love of God and Learning: Lessons from Daniel
January 01, 2020
Opening Chapel – Spring 2018
Devotional by Ben R. Sells, PhD, President
Introduction
Welcome back to Ouachita – to a new semester and a new year filled with promise and hope. I’d like to extend a special welcome to those of you who are new Ouachita students this semester. I’m grateful you’ve chosen Ouachita. I look forward to many Tuesday together in Chapel.
Chapel has been a part of the Ouachita experience since its founding over 130 years ago. I’ve devoted much of my life to studying and serving in Christian higher education and I have learned that a defining characteristic of a thriving Christian university is Chapel. It’s why I’ll be here every Tuesday I’m on campus. I think it’s important that once a week we gather as a community – to intentionally be with one another, to sing together, to hear God’s word together and to pray together. Chapel helps us remind ourselves why we’re Ouachita.
There are three brief updates I’ll offer before sharing a devotional reflection:
In all these things, we give thanks to the Lord. We want to keep improving Ouachita – and we will. Finally, after Chapel, Lisa and I will be serving you hot chocolate. If you want whipped cream, look for us!
In a few weeks, we’ll experience Scholars Day. I’m always impressed by your research, presentations and performances. Did you know that one of the earliest examples of college undergraduate research is recorded in the Bible? It’s found in the first chapter of Daniel.
My first memory of Daniel was at age 10, when I was in a church musical entitled, “It’s Cool in the Furnace: The Story of King Nebuchadnezzar – Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.” I was the narrator. It only dawned on me a few weeks ago why the director selected me to be the narrator. I thought it was because of my superior narration skills, but now realize she knew I had inferior musical skills.
In the past two months, I’ve found myself spending time in Daniel, especially Chapter 1, because it involves four college students and their research. We won’t take time to read the entire chapter, so allow me to summarize the Biblical narrative for us. Then, I’ll share two observations about how it might help us to grow in our love of God and love of learning, our Chapel theme this year.
Chapter 1 Summary
We’re introduced to King Nebuchadnezzar, one of the most influential leaders in history. He’s building an empire, including the city of Babylon. He conquers Jerusalem. One of his empire-controlling strategies is to identify the most promising youth among those who have been conquered, take them back to Babylon to be educated, and then place them in positions of leadership.
The Bible tells us that he’s brought back young Israelites and enrolled them in a three-year college program that focuses on language, fortune-telling and magic. One of their benefits is eating from the King’s Table – the best food and drink. Among the Israelites, we meet four students: Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. It’s important to note that they’ve been forced from their homeland; they’re foreigners in a place that doesn’t worship their God or share their values. It must have been trying and tempting. Surely they were asking, “How can we live as followers of God in Babylon?”
Because diet was so important to being a committed Israelite, all part of how God formed a people for himself in Old Testament times, they feel strongly that they can’t eat the food and drink required to be eaten from the King’s Table. The Bible tells us they go to the person managing the King’s Kitchen – likely a Sodexo employee – and ask for an exception. The manager explains that if he accommodates them, he’ll lose his life.
So, the four students propose a research project. They propose that they be allowed to only drink water and eat vegetables for 10 days – and then the manager could compare their health with all the Israelites who ate from the King’s Table. After the 10-day experiment, the Bible tells us these four were three times healthier than their peers. What can we learn from this Biblical story about college students that might help us grow in our love of God and love of learning in this new semester? I offer two observations to consider.
Conviction and Civility
First, I suggest that to grow in our love of God and love of learning, we must develop convictions and we must express them with civility.
These four students likely had many opinions about their lives in exile in Babylon; what they liked and didn’t like. They were human just as we are. As humans, we have a lot of opinions. We’re constantly invited to share our opinion – to like or dislike, to follow or unfollow, to retweet or ridicule.
Lisa and I were travelling last week to see Ouachita donors. On the plane home, the flight attendant asked what we wanted to eat: Lisa chose diet coke and pretzels – and I chose coffee and cookies. Those are preferences based on our opinions, not convictions. You and I have many opinions, but what convictions are we developing that define our most deeply held values? How does our behavior reflect those convictions?
Most of us would say we have a conviction about living with integrity. Therefore, our behavior should reflect that conviction. For example, acting with honor in our studies – avoiding the temptation of presenting someone else’s work as our own – is an example of linking the conviction of integrity with the behavior of honesty.
I have a conviction for purity that I’m sure many of you share. On one plane Lisa and I were traveling in, a man in front of us was watching pornography on his iPad in view of others. We diverted our eyes because we know what we take in – what we watch – forms us. It was an example of a conviction about purity defining our behavior.
So, what to do when one seems forced to compromise on a conviction? Look again to Daniel and his friends. They retained their conviction but expressed themselves with civility. Remember what they did – and how they did it. They asked for an exception. When it wasn’t initially granted – and they understood the dilemma it created for the King’s Cafeteria Manager – they proposed an alternative: the 10-day experiment. It was brilliant.
The Bible tells us that God gave them favor. Surely, He gave them the insight to develop the proposal that was so well-received by the manager. Yet, they were responsible for choosing the words and how they approached the manager. God answered their prayer and He moved in the heart of the manager who didn’t follow God.
It seems that their civility was more influential and more persuasive than if they had been uncivil. The importance of civility is a timeless truth – one we need to remember in these days of fractured social discourse.
We celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King last week. His life and commitments remind us of the powerful combination of conviction and civility.
We live in a time of increasing incivility. How can we grow in our civility toward one another? How do we demonstrate civility to people who we disagree with? To people who don’t share our values? How might civility be a testimony to our convictions?
As the people of Ouachita, how might our God-honoring convictions and civility be a witness to God; to a watching world?
Faithfulness and Excellence
There’s a second observation to be gained from this story of four college students. These students exemplified faithfulness and excellence.
Daniel is a story of a person being faithful to God. More importantly, the life of Daniel recorded in the Old Testament gives evidence of God’s faithfulness. God knew Daniel – He knew Daniel’s needs and what Daniel was struggling with – and it’s clear that God cared for Daniel.
We need to be reminded as we begin a new year that the God of the universe, the all-knowing, all-powerful, and ever-present God, wants a personal relationship with us – with each of us. God knows you, He knows your needs and your struggles, and He cares for you. He formed you. He has a purpose for your life. He wants to talk to you. He wants to walk with you. He wants to help you. He wants to be your God.
Do you want Him to be your God? To be human is to have gods and the most likely gods vying for our attention revolve around power, money, and sex. Friends, these are false gods: they demand more and more from you – and give you less and less. If they become our gods, we may find temporary pleasure, but not permanent and fulfilling purpose.
But, there’s a greater God, the God these four students knew. How do we develop a relationship with this God of the Universe? How do we deepen our relationship with God? God primarily reveals Himself through His letter to us – the Bible. Spending time in this book – hearing and learning and applying it will help us develop and deepen a relationship with God.
To help you, to help me, to grow in faithfulness by spending time in the Bible – time with God – you’ll hear later today from Campus Ministries about a 32-day reading guide for the book of Mark. I’ll be following this guide, and invite you to join me.
Faithfulness is an obvious quality from the book of Daniel. Why have I chosen to highlight excellence as well? In reading Daniel, I was captivated by Daniel 6:3 that states, “Daniel had a ‘spirit of excellence.’” It means he out-shown, performed better – did his work with higher quality – than others. Chapter 1 finishes by telling us that at “graduation,” the King interviews the four college students and the King says they are far better than their peers.
Friends, as we begin this new semester, how might each of us go about our studies, our work, our relationships as a friend, roommate, co-worker, club or team member so that by the end of the semester, people would say we were marked by a spirit of excellence?
We’re here to help you develop excellence. And, alumni are here to help. There are 7,500 Ouachita people on LinkedIn, and I’m trying to connect with each one of them. As a Ouachita student, you are part of a global community of people who are excelling – just read about them at LinkedIn. It’s a gateway for you to connect with Ouachitonians who share your interests and aspirations – and they want to help you. I encourage you to connect with them and with me on LinkedIn.
As the people of Ouachita, how might our God-honoring faithfulness and excellence be a witness to God to a watching world?
Conclusion
These four college students choose to obey God, no matter what. In doing so, they demonstrated conviction and civility, faithfulness and excellence. It reminds us that in an even greater way, Jesus always obeyed God. Jesus followed God’s plan to save sinners: He lived a perfect life, He died the death we deserve, He rose from the dead and those who trust Him have forgiveness and blessing.
At Ouachita, we believe life is lived most abundantly with God through a relationship with Jesus Christ. As a result, we can truly grow in our love of God and love of learning. It’s because of that reality that this new year and new semester are filled with such promise and hope. I can’t wait to see what God will do in and through you this semester! Welcome back to Ouachita.
Daniel 1 (English Standard Version):
1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god. 3 Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family[ a ] and of the nobility, 4 youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king's palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. 5 The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate, and of the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king. 6 Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. 7 And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego. 8 But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. 9 And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs, 10 and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king.” 11 Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king's food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see.” 14 So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king's food. 16 So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.
17 As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. 18 At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. 20 And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. 21 And Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus.
Devotional by Ben R. Sells, PhD, President
Introduction
Welcome back to Ouachita – to a new semester and a new year filled with promise and hope. I’d like to extend a special welcome to those of you who are new Ouachita students this semester. I’m grateful you’ve chosen Ouachita. I look forward to many Tuesday together in Chapel.
Chapel has been a part of the Ouachita experience since its founding over 130 years ago. I’ve devoted much of my life to studying and serving in Christian higher education and I have learned that a defining characteristic of a thriving Christian university is Chapel. It’s why I’ll be here every Tuesday I’m on campus. I think it’s important that once a week we gather as a community – to intentionally be with one another, to sing together, to hear God’s word together and to pray together. Chapel helps us remind ourselves why we’re Ouachita.
There are three brief updates I’ll offer before sharing a devotional reflection:
- In December, we hosted the accreditation team from the Higher Learning Commission. Their preliminary report is very encouraging about the quality of the Ouachita experience.
- As we begin this spring, we have more prospective students than ever before interested in Ouachita and we will be hosting many high school seniors in the weeks to come. Thank you for the ways you welcome people to campus.
- At this point in the year, alumni and friends have given twice as much in financial contributions as one year ago. I believe that speaks to the optimism which alumni and other friends hold for Ouachita. Many sense that Ouachita is rising, growing from strength to strength.
In all these things, we give thanks to the Lord. We want to keep improving Ouachita – and we will. Finally, after Chapel, Lisa and I will be serving you hot chocolate. If you want whipped cream, look for us!
In a few weeks, we’ll experience Scholars Day. I’m always impressed by your research, presentations and performances. Did you know that one of the earliest examples of college undergraduate research is recorded in the Bible? It’s found in the first chapter of Daniel.
My first memory of Daniel was at age 10, when I was in a church musical entitled, “It’s Cool in the Furnace: The Story of King Nebuchadnezzar – Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.” I was the narrator. It only dawned on me a few weeks ago why the director selected me to be the narrator. I thought it was because of my superior narration skills, but now realize she knew I had inferior musical skills.
In the past two months, I’ve found myself spending time in Daniel, especially Chapter 1, because it involves four college students and their research. We won’t take time to read the entire chapter, so allow me to summarize the Biblical narrative for us. Then, I’ll share two observations about how it might help us to grow in our love of God and love of learning, our Chapel theme this year.
Chapter 1 Summary
We’re introduced to King Nebuchadnezzar, one of the most influential leaders in history. He’s building an empire, including the city of Babylon. He conquers Jerusalem. One of his empire-controlling strategies is to identify the most promising youth among those who have been conquered, take them back to Babylon to be educated, and then place them in positions of leadership.
The Bible tells us that he’s brought back young Israelites and enrolled them in a three-year college program that focuses on language, fortune-telling and magic. One of their benefits is eating from the King’s Table – the best food and drink. Among the Israelites, we meet four students: Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. It’s important to note that they’ve been forced from their homeland; they’re foreigners in a place that doesn’t worship their God or share their values. It must have been trying and tempting. Surely they were asking, “How can we live as followers of God in Babylon?”
Because diet was so important to being a committed Israelite, all part of how God formed a people for himself in Old Testament times, they feel strongly that they can’t eat the food and drink required to be eaten from the King’s Table. The Bible tells us they go to the person managing the King’s Kitchen – likely a Sodexo employee – and ask for an exception. The manager explains that if he accommodates them, he’ll lose his life.
So, the four students propose a research project. They propose that they be allowed to only drink water and eat vegetables for 10 days – and then the manager could compare their health with all the Israelites who ate from the King’s Table. After the 10-day experiment, the Bible tells us these four were three times healthier than their peers. What can we learn from this Biblical story about college students that might help us grow in our love of God and love of learning in this new semester? I offer two observations to consider.
Conviction and Civility
First, I suggest that to grow in our love of God and love of learning, we must develop convictions and we must express them with civility.
These four students likely had many opinions about their lives in exile in Babylon; what they liked and didn’t like. They were human just as we are. As humans, we have a lot of opinions. We’re constantly invited to share our opinion – to like or dislike, to follow or unfollow, to retweet or ridicule.
Lisa and I were travelling last week to see Ouachita donors. On the plane home, the flight attendant asked what we wanted to eat: Lisa chose diet coke and pretzels – and I chose coffee and cookies. Those are preferences based on our opinions, not convictions. You and I have many opinions, but what convictions are we developing that define our most deeply held values? How does our behavior reflect those convictions?
Most of us would say we have a conviction about living with integrity. Therefore, our behavior should reflect that conviction. For example, acting with honor in our studies – avoiding the temptation of presenting someone else’s work as our own – is an example of linking the conviction of integrity with the behavior of honesty.
I have a conviction for purity that I’m sure many of you share. On one plane Lisa and I were traveling in, a man in front of us was watching pornography on his iPad in view of others. We diverted our eyes because we know what we take in – what we watch – forms us. It was an example of a conviction about purity defining our behavior.
So, what to do when one seems forced to compromise on a conviction? Look again to Daniel and his friends. They retained their conviction but expressed themselves with civility. Remember what they did – and how they did it. They asked for an exception. When it wasn’t initially granted – and they understood the dilemma it created for the King’s Cafeteria Manager – they proposed an alternative: the 10-day experiment. It was brilliant.
The Bible tells us that God gave them favor. Surely, He gave them the insight to develop the proposal that was so well-received by the manager. Yet, they were responsible for choosing the words and how they approached the manager. God answered their prayer and He moved in the heart of the manager who didn’t follow God.
It seems that their civility was more influential and more persuasive than if they had been uncivil. The importance of civility is a timeless truth – one we need to remember in these days of fractured social discourse.
We celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King last week. His life and commitments remind us of the powerful combination of conviction and civility.
We live in a time of increasing incivility. How can we grow in our civility toward one another? How do we demonstrate civility to people who we disagree with? To people who don’t share our values? How might civility be a testimony to our convictions?
As the people of Ouachita, how might our God-honoring convictions and civility be a witness to God; to a watching world?
Faithfulness and Excellence
There’s a second observation to be gained from this story of four college students. These students exemplified faithfulness and excellence.
Daniel is a story of a person being faithful to God. More importantly, the life of Daniel recorded in the Old Testament gives evidence of God’s faithfulness. God knew Daniel – He knew Daniel’s needs and what Daniel was struggling with – and it’s clear that God cared for Daniel.
We need to be reminded as we begin a new year that the God of the universe, the all-knowing, all-powerful, and ever-present God, wants a personal relationship with us – with each of us. God knows you, He knows your needs and your struggles, and He cares for you. He formed you. He has a purpose for your life. He wants to talk to you. He wants to walk with you. He wants to help you. He wants to be your God.
Do you want Him to be your God? To be human is to have gods and the most likely gods vying for our attention revolve around power, money, and sex. Friends, these are false gods: they demand more and more from you – and give you less and less. If they become our gods, we may find temporary pleasure, but not permanent and fulfilling purpose.
But, there’s a greater God, the God these four students knew. How do we develop a relationship with this God of the Universe? How do we deepen our relationship with God? God primarily reveals Himself through His letter to us – the Bible. Spending time in this book – hearing and learning and applying it will help us develop and deepen a relationship with God.
To help you, to help me, to grow in faithfulness by spending time in the Bible – time with God – you’ll hear later today from Campus Ministries about a 32-day reading guide for the book of Mark. I’ll be following this guide, and invite you to join me.
Faithfulness is an obvious quality from the book of Daniel. Why have I chosen to highlight excellence as well? In reading Daniel, I was captivated by Daniel 6:3 that states, “Daniel had a ‘spirit of excellence.’” It means he out-shown, performed better – did his work with higher quality – than others. Chapter 1 finishes by telling us that at “graduation,” the King interviews the four college students and the King says they are far better than their peers.
Friends, as we begin this new semester, how might each of us go about our studies, our work, our relationships as a friend, roommate, co-worker, club or team member so that by the end of the semester, people would say we were marked by a spirit of excellence?
We’re here to help you develop excellence. And, alumni are here to help. There are 7,500 Ouachita people on LinkedIn, and I’m trying to connect with each one of them. As a Ouachita student, you are part of a global community of people who are excelling – just read about them at LinkedIn. It’s a gateway for you to connect with Ouachitonians who share your interests and aspirations – and they want to help you. I encourage you to connect with them and with me on LinkedIn.
As the people of Ouachita, how might our God-honoring faithfulness and excellence be a witness to God to a watching world?
Conclusion
These four college students choose to obey God, no matter what. In doing so, they demonstrated conviction and civility, faithfulness and excellence. It reminds us that in an even greater way, Jesus always obeyed God. Jesus followed God’s plan to save sinners: He lived a perfect life, He died the death we deserve, He rose from the dead and those who trust Him have forgiveness and blessing.
At Ouachita, we believe life is lived most abundantly with God through a relationship with Jesus Christ. As a result, we can truly grow in our love of God and love of learning. It’s because of that reality that this new year and new semester are filled with such promise and hope. I can’t wait to see what God will do in and through you this semester! Welcome back to Ouachita.
Daniel 1 (English Standard Version):
1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god. 3 Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family[ a ] and of the nobility, 4 youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king's palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. 5 The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate, and of the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king. 6 Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. 7 And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego. 8 But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. 9 And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs, 10 and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king.” 11 Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king's food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see.” 14 So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king's food. 16 So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.
17 As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. 18 At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. 20 And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. 21 And Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus.
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