One of the most told children’s stories from God’s Word would have to be the story of Daniel in the Lion’s Den. In case you haven’t heard the story, it is about Daniel, a servant of the Lord, who was serving the kingdom of Babylon after the tribe of Judah found themselves in exile around 600 BC. Daniel and his friends were taken into the service of King Nebuchadnezzar as was custom when Babylon conquered a civilization.
In order to make the transition easier, Babylon was extremely acceptant of religious beliefs other than their own. This custom of “absorbing” other religions into theirs made the nation of Babylon a mix of different cultures and religious beliefs. For most in captivity, this was a welcomed practice. It meant that the captive nation could continue to worship their God as long as they were acceptant of all the other beliefs.
In some cases, this practice caused great confusion. It caused a people who were monotheistic to suddenly become polytheistic. This was the case for many of the Israelites taken into captivity. We are fortunate though that the Word of God records for us a man who simply refused to give in to the rule of the land – and continued to seek steadfastly after God’s heart.
We see the heart of Daniel throughout the book of that carries his namesake. From the very beginning of the experience, Daniel refused to defile himself or the Word of God. In fact, the very first chapter begins with Daniel and his friends (Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael) forced to eat from the kings table – full of delicious items that were forbidden by the law. Daniel, knowing the law, decided not to defile himself by eating from the kings table. Instead, he and his three friends found favor and was granted the opportunity to live off of fruits, vegetables, and water. All while watching his friends enjoy themselves with a diversity of delicacies from the king’s table.
Of course, the stories continue throughout the life of Daniel as he steadfastly held to his beliefs in the one true God. When face with the hungry mouths of lions or his prayer life, Daniel chose to honor God by continuing to pray openly three times a day. Notice that he didn’t just pray in his closet – Daniel continued to honor God by praying in front of his window, where those who sought to injure him could see.
Daniel was bold in his love for God. When King Darius came to see if he survived that lonely night in the Lion’s Den, he said “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?” Everyone knew Daniel was a servant of the Living God. They knew it not just because of these stories that were recorded for us, but through the character and personality that overflowed from Daniel’s heart.
Have you thought through the parallels of Babylon and where America stands today? We stand in a society that has seen countless religious messages pour in only to subvert the eternal truth that Jesus Christ is Lord. In this society, our students walk through school hallways that have become places of indoctrination. Moral issue after moral issue, students are now being told that right according to the Word of God is wrong according to today’s culture. Students are encouraged in today’s schools to create their own truth. To live a life that follows their heart instead of the heart of Christ.
Hillsborough Christian Academy exists to fill that void in the educational world. Our faculty work tireless to instill a biblical worldview in each student – being careful to teach our students to know God in a powerful way. We want our students to experience God just as Daniel did – living day by day in a powerful relationship with Christ, making the right choices so that people around them will see our God we serve continually. This isn’t just about Christian schooling – it is about a spiritual warfare that goes on day by day, with the most precious gift from God being in the middle of the battlefield. This is about setting apart a generation to passionately pursue Him in all they do. This is about Kingdom Education.
