Aaron Salisbury preaches on adversity and purpose from Daniel chapter 1
A sermon by Aaron Salisbury at Rivers Apostolic Centre on how adversity identifies, refines, and accelerates God's purpose in a believer's life.
Summary
Aaron Salisbury delivers a sermon drawn from Daniel chapter 1, arguing that adversity is not a sign of God's absence but rather the primary means by which God identifies, refines, and accelerates purpose in a person's life. He opens by reading the entirety of Daniel chapter 1 and providing historical context for the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, framing it as the consequence of Israel's persistent covenant violations. His central concern is that contemporary Christianity has reduced the gospel to a comfort-and-prosperity message that leaves believers without the tools to navigate hardship. He traces four adversities faced by Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah — the temptation of food, the death sentence of the wise men, the idol of gold, and the lion's den — showing that each adversity, when overcome, resulted in promotion and expanded influence. He closes with 2 Corinthians 12:10 from the Passion Translation and an altar call for those currently in adversity.
Key Takeaways
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Reading of Daniel Chapter 1
Aaron Salisbury: If you have your Bibles with you, please turn with me to Daniel chapter 1, and we're going to read the whole chapter together. How many know a chapter a day keeps the devil away? The devil is going to be kept away today because we're going to read the entire chapter of Daniel chapter 1. Turn there in your Bibles, because this is a church and the church should be using the Word of God. This is not the RSL. You haven't come to a motivational speech this morning. You've come to the Word of God. You've come to hear the Word of God. So we're going to use a lot of Scripture this morning because, as the Word of God says, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. I haven't got a lot of faith in what I've got to say this morning, but I have tremendous faith in the power of the Word of God.
So let's read together in Daniel chapter 1, from verse 1.
"In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hand with some of the articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar, to the house of his God, and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his God. Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king's descendants and some of the nobles, young men in whom there was no blemish, good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans. And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king's delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of the time they might serve before the king.
Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names. He gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar, to Hananiah Shadrach, to Mishael Meshach, and to Azariah Abednego.
But Daniel — purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portions of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank. Therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs. And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who has appointed your food and drink, for why should he see your faces looking worse than the young men who are your age? Then you would endanger my head before the king. So Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, please test your servants for ten days and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance be examined before you and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king's delicacies. And as you see fit, so deal with your servants. So he consented with them in this matter and tested them ten days. At the end of ten days, their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king's delicacies. Thus the steward took away their portion of delicacies and the wine which they were to drink and gave them vegetables.
As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. Now at the end of the days when the king had said that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. The king interviewed them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they served before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm. Thus Daniel continued until the first year of King Cyrus."
Why God Allowed the Siege of Jerusalem
Some background to this passage of Scripture. Going back to verse 1 — why did God allow the siege of Jerusalem, God's holy city? It says there in verse 1, in the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hand.
Why did God allow the siege of Jerusalem? Well, God had covenanted — if you go right back to Sinai — God had covenanted with Israel at Mount Sinai. He said, if you indeed obey my voice, I will make you my treasured possession. But God also said the converse. He said this in Deuteronomy 30: but if your hearts turn away, you will surely perish.
What was God saying here? God was declaring that his love is unconditional, but not his blessing. The destruction of Jerusalem in Daniel chapter 1 occurs after centuries of covenant violation in the nation of Israel. There was idolatry — you can read about this in 2 Kings chapter 23. There was injustice — Jeremiah 22 talks about this. And there was also the neglect of sabbatical years.
God allowed the siege of Jerusalem, his holy city, because of covenant curses, which are listed in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. Those covenant curses triggered God's siege of Jerusalem, and they were a result of persistent rebellion. I've discovered something: a gifted rebel is not an asset.
Daniel's opening verse, chapter 1, introduces a dominant theme — God's absolute rule over world empires. The verb "delivered" in that scripture emphasizes that Babylon's military success originated with God's decrees, not Babylonian prowess. The Lord relocated Daniel, Mishael, Hananiah, and Azariah to Babylon, and thereby God placed a faithful witness at the nerve center of world power. We know this because King Nebuchadnezzar and King Darius confessed Yahweh's supremacy — you can read that in Daniel chapter 4 and Daniel chapter 6.
Adversity Identifies Purpose
But I want you to think for a moment of any significant Bible character. Who is your favorite? Think about your favorite right now. Almost without exception, we see in Scripture that adversity identifies purpose. And that's what I'm going to be talking about today — adversity identifies purpose.
Now, adversity is not an easy subject to hear or understand. Yet every significant person in the Bible went through adversity. Adversity identifies purpose, and adversity has a purpose. I felt to preach this this morning because I get concerned with the contemporary Christian message. The message is: come to Jesus and be happy. Come to Jesus and be wealthy. Come to Jesus and all your problems will go away. Now, we know God wants to bless us — there's no question there. But my concern is, do we have a toolkit to navigate adversity?
What tends to happen is when people go through trials and trouble, they stay away from church. They say, only people that are successful, only people that are going through great times, only people that are blessed go to church. I'm going to stay away from church because of my circumstances. I don't fit in with that kind of church crowd. And my concern is that we are losing the plot when it comes to adversity. We think that God is in the blessing and Satan is in the adversity.
Let me tell you, it says, for from him and through him and to him are all things. So regardless of what you are facing today, whether you are in triumph or tragedy, God is there. It says in Psalm 23, yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Where does God go when there is adversity? He doesn't go anywhere. He is right there with you. He is walking through what you are going through right now. He does not leave and he does not forsake you. He is there in the adversity.
Adversity gets a bit of a bad rap. But let me tell you, adversity identifies purpose. Adversity has a purpose. Jesus was very clear that adversity in the Christian life is very real. Let me share some Scripture with you. Jesus said these words in John 16:33: "These things I have spoken to you that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
The apostle Paul continues the encouragement. You'll be so glad you came this morning. It says in 2 Timothy 3:12: "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution."
And then the apostle Peter weighs in with his fridge-magnet pick-me-up quote. I haven't seen this one on anyone's fridge, but maybe put it on your fridge now. 1 Peter chapter 4, verses 12 and 13: "Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though something strange happened to you. But rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when his glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy."
And it bothers me that contemporary Christianity is preached from the pulpit and it sounds like a radio jingle. Come to Jesus, everything is going to be fine. Don't we believe in the power of the Word of God anymore? Don't we believe that this Word has the power to transform lives? Am I talking to someone this morning? Do we believe this or don't we?
The Buffet Mentality
Contemporary Christianity today — the message sounds like a buffet. Oh, I love buffets, by the way. As a missionary kid, I grew up in Central Africa. We loved the Lord and God met our needs, but we were so poor we couldn't pay attention, mate. We had nothing. We were just living from hand to mouth, and every three years or so my dad would sell a car or sell something so that we could fly from Central Africa to New Zealand to report back to our commending churches.
These flights were amazing for us as kids because we were living hand to mouth and then suddenly we got to go on an aeroplane. We were so overwhelmed and so excited. And the cool thing was we got to stay at Holiday Inn. Anyone remember Holiday Inn, back when Holiday Inn was a thing? Holiday Inn used to do the most amazing buffet breakfast. We would stay there as part of our flight deal, and mate, they had these buffets. As a missionary kid, we just ate basic food. We just didn't have much. Steak was like a huge privilege. And it was like going into heaven. You'd walk into this buffet and all this stuff you could eat. You could have anything you wanted. And the nice thing was you could take only what you wanted.
I was one of those kids who was brought up — pray for me — having to eat everything on the plate. I was not allowed to leave my cauliflower. Whoever dreamed up cauliflower as a decent vegetable... I've told you my trauma about boarding school where they cooked it till it was blue, and then it was mushy on the plate and we had to eat it, otherwise we were punished. I kid you not, that was my boarding school experience. God bless cauliflower. But there was no cauliflower at the buffet, man. There was just every kind of food you could eat. And the cool thing was you could choose what you wanted and you didn't have to eat what you didn't want. They had grapes and these cool little cheeses, and they had croissants and all this amazing stuff. You could just go back as many times as you liked at the Holiday Inn. They had real genuine orange juice. It was amazing. I used to eat myself into a coma. It was beautiful.
But sometimes we think that's the Christian life. It's a buffet. Oh, I like that prosperity idea. I like the blessing over here. But I'm not going to have any of that suffering. None of that adversity. None of that trouble. No, I don't want any of that. But that's not real life. That's not what we go through.
Daniel found himself in a place that wasn't a buffet. The Bible says — everyone say "all Scripture" — all Scripture is God-breathed. 2 Timothy chapter 3:16: all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful. In other words, you've got to take the lot. This is not a buffet. This is not a pick-and-choose what we like.
It says in James chapter 1, verses 2 to 4: "My brethren, count it all joy when — not if — when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect, or mature, and complete, lacking nothing."
Daniel's Dilemma in Babylon
You see, Daniel found himself on shaky ground there in Babylonian captivity. He had wandered into the valley of decision. Has anyone ever been there? Maybe you're there right now this morning — in the valley of decision, and there is compromise looking at you and saying, come on, everyone's doing it. It's okay. Just dabble a bit in compromise. No one's going to see. Just have a go. Daniel had to choose that, or he had to choose the way of the Lord.
I want to set the scene. In the verses we've just read, Daniel's home and Jewish culture had been annihilated by Nebuchadnezzar. Jerusalem was besieged, and most likely Daniel's parents were killed. The temple — the place of worship, the holy place, the most sacred place in the Jewish culture — had been destroyed and ransacked, with temple articles taken into Babylonian demon temples. And Daniel and his three mates in captivity were taken to Babylon, and they went on this three-year royal induction training program. Interesting how three years is used again and again in Scripture. Do you know Jesus' apostles were trained for three years?
Part of this induction was that they were all renamed. Their names were changed. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and Daniel was called Belteshazzar. You see, Daniel in the Jewish understanding means "God is the judge." But Belteshazzar means "the one whom Baal favors." In other words, Nebuchadnezzar was saying, I'm going to rip away all of your Jewish identity, all your Jewish culture, and I'm going to make you a demon worshiper. That's what he was trying and attempting to do with these three years of training.
Now Daniel was in a dilemma. What was the dilemma? Blend into Babylon or stand out for the kingdom of God. That's a word for someone this morning.
But Daniel made up his mind. It says in verse 8. Can you read with me? I want to read from verse 8 in Daniel chapter 1. I'm going to read from the Amplified.
"But Daniel made up his mind. He resolved that he would not defile, taint, and dishonor himself with the king's finest food, or with the wine which the king drank. So he asked the commander of the officials that he might be excused so that he would not defile himself."
The first portions of the food and wine would have been presented to idols before being served at the table.
Get Bitter or Get Better
You see, Daniel had a life-determining choice to make. Get bitter or get better. Become entitled or become obedient. Daniel could have easily allowed the root of resentment to spring up. Daniel could have thought to himself, if God was a God of love, how could he allow Jerusalem, the temple, and my family to be destroyed? He could have thought to himself, I may as well live it up here in Babylon. Where was this God when I needed him?
So how do we know in our lives that the root of resentment has sprung up? Here's the key to that: we rationalize compromise, which leads to defilement. Go in your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 12 and let's look at verse 14. It says:
"Continually pursue peace with everyone and the sanctification without which no one will ever see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of God's grace, and no root of resentment springs up and causes trouble, and by it many be defiled. And see to it that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal."
Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the king's food because he knew bitterness leads to barrenness, and entitlement leads to compromise.
Now adversity, when it comes into our lives, can either lead to bitterness, or — adversity identifies purpose. What I'm saying is the challenges that you and I face are strategically placed in and around our lives to show us our God-given purpose. David picked up on this theme in Psalm 119, verse 71. He said, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted." Well, there's a good one to put on your fridge. It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn your statutes.
And one of the most profound verses — every time I read this I just have to stop, pause, and try to get my head around it. It says in Hebrews chapter 5, verse 8: "Though he was a Son — talking about Jesus Christ — yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered." How do you teach the Son of God anything? Well, that's what it says in Scripture. He learned obedience by the things which he suffered.
There's a song that we sing by Leeland. We've sung it many times in this church. The song is "Way Maker." And in the bridge it says, even when I don't see it, you're working. Even when I don't feel it, you're working. You never stop working. Daniel somehow realized this — that God works in adversity. Even when it makes no sense, and even when we don't see it, and even when we don't feel it, he never stops working.
Romans 8:28 says: "And we know that in all things — everyone say 'all things' — not just the good, not just the fun, but also in the adversity — in all things, God works together for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purposes."
It's Not the End
I want to give you some encouragement this morning, because some of you are looking quite glum. I want to lift it a bit here. Here's the encouragement: it's all going to work out for good in the end. If we doubt that, read the end of the book of Revelation. Guess what? We win. We win. That's what the book of Revelation says right at the end. So what's the point? If it's not good in your life right now, guess what? It's not the end. Hope that encourages someone this morning. If it's not good, it's not the end.
But you say, Pastor Aaron, it's not good right now. I need some encouragement right now. I'm going through it right now. And I feel some of you this morning — you're going through it. You're wondering, where is God? And maybe you've come limping to church this morning thinking, can I hear something? Can something happen? I need something from God.
Well, remember, as adversity identifies purpose, it also does three other things. Adversity refines purpose. Adversity accelerates purpose. And wait for it — adversity invites promotion.
The Four Adversities of Daniel
Let's have a look at that. God used adversity to place his four faithful witnesses — Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah — at the nerve center of world power. Daniel's adversity manifested in the temptation to rationalize compromise with food. And his adversity actually refined and accelerated God's purpose to be positioned at the nerve center of world power. Every adversity Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah faced — every adversity they overcame — resulted in promotion. We're going to look at that in a moment.
There are four main adversities that Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah went through. Let's take a look and see what happened.
The first one was the adversity of the temptation of food. Daniel was tested with food in Daniel chapter 1. But here's the thing — God rewarded him and didn't make him become food in Daniel chapter 6. What am I talking about? Daniel led with the stomach of a lion, so he didn't end up in the stomach of a lion.
How important is something like food? Well, ask the lions. The lions were having an intercession meeting in the den. They were starving. Their ribs were sticking out. They were praying, Lord, that we would have some food, even a morsel. Lord, that you would provide for us. They were roaming around wondering if they would live another day. And then suddenly a light broke through, and down through the roof came this big fat McDaniel sandwich. And they thought to themselves, hallelujah! The lions started dancing. We have received. Thank you, Lord. We are going to feast tonight. Hallelujah. And then the Lord said to them, don't touch this one. He has the stomach of a lion. So he's not going to wind up in the stomach of a lion. And the lions began to weep and cry. I can't believe it. You provided this beautiful fat Hebrew McDaniel sandwich and we don't get to touch him. But the Lord said, hang on, there's some good stuff coming. It's not over yet for you lions.
The overcoming of the adversity of the temptation of food led to God giving favor to Daniel. As he said no to the food, God imparted to him supernatural wisdom and understanding. You can't outgive God. It says in 1 Samuel 2:30: "Those who honor me, I will also honor, says the Lord." The adversity in Daniel's life led to this impartation. And Daniel had understanding in all visions and all dreams.
Then there was a second adversity — the death sentence of all the wise men in Babylon. In Daniel chapter 2, Nebuchadnezzar had a nightmare. And he was so troubled by this nightmare that he commanded all the wise men not only to interpret the dream but to tell him what the dream was. And if they failed to do so, they'd be put to death. So Daniel called upon the Lord, and the dream was revealed to him and to his three mates. And the wise men of Babylon were saved. Again, adversity identified the purpose of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Daniel, as a result of what happened there, became very wealthy. He was promoted to governor over Babylon and sat in the king's court. And also Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were also promoted.
I want to make this very clear this morning. Adversity invites promotion. You may be going through the mill right now. Maybe life is troubled for you. Maybe it's relationships. Maybe it's your business. Maybe it's your health. But let me tell you this — adversity invites promotion, just like it did with Daniel.
The third adversity that Daniel had to face was the adversity of the idol of gold. Old Nebuchadnezzar had a rather large ego, and that rather large ego manifested in a rather large idol. This idol was 90 feet tall, and the nation was commanded that every time the music played, everyone was to fall down and worship this idol. Well, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego decided not to bow. I don't know what happened to Daniel in the story, but he must have gone fishing. Anyway, they were sentenced to death and they were thrown into the fiery furnace. The Lord delivered them again, and their willingness to overcome the adversity of the idol of gold led them to being promoted again in Babylon.
What am I saying? Adversity refines your purpose. Adversity accelerates your purpose. And because of this, the king issued a decree — he made a command to all of Babylon — that everyone would at least give credence to the God of Daniel, and if they didn't, their house would be destroyed and they would be executed.
Now imagine this morning you woke up and Albanese did a little clip on TV and he said, I just want everyone here in Australia to know, anyone who speaks against the Lord Jesus Christ will be executed. Imagine that. Well, that happened in Babylon. Babylon was not a God-fearing nation. But God used these four — Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego — and through adversity he placed them right in the nerve center of world power, and they began to shake nations.
Do you think God could do that again? Do you think God might even use someone in this congregation to shake nations? Come on, I'm speaking to some faith right now. We need some faith to arise, because we can get so bogged down and so miserable in our adversity and think God is not there. But let me assure you, like he was in Daniel's life, God is working in your adversity.
But it didn't stop there for poor old Daniel. You see, Daniel was doing too well. He got these promotions and became governor of Babylon. And some jealous colleagues of Daniel decided to come up with a scheme. The scheme was this: let's make prayer and worship to Yahweh illegal. And let me tell you, if you follow international news right now, this is becoming more and more common — where praise and worship and the standards of Scripture are becoming illegal in some places. This is going on right now.
So Daniel knew about the scheme, but he refused to cease his worship and prayer to God. Because he refused to do what had been decreed by the king, he was thrown into the lion's den. But again, God delivered him, and he was promoted yet again.
You see, in each and every adversity, God identified their purpose. As they overcame each adversity, their purpose to transform the nerve center of world power was both refined and accelerated. This morning, I want to encourage you because overcoming every adversity in your life leads to promotion. Through them, Nebuchadnezzar and Darius — these demon-worshipping kings — confessed Yahweh's supremacy and commanded all of Babylon to honor the God of Daniel.
There Is No Testimony Without a Test
What am I saying this morning? There is no testimony in your life without a test. There is no message without a mess. And you may be saying, God, I'm in the middle of the most vicious, intense test you can imagine. How come this is happening to me? Woe is me. What have I done that I should deserve this? We can go into the slough of despond this morning. We can get weighed down by all that we think is going wrong in our lives. But let me assure you, God is there. Don't believe this lie that God abandons you when you're in adversity. He is working in adversity. Adversity identifies purpose.
What is God doing in your adversity? He's showing you what you're for. He's showing you your purpose. He's showing you that there are great things in store for you, because adversity invites promotion. But we have to learn — are we going to get better or bitter when adversity comes?
It's one thing to praise the Lord and dance in the presence of God. But King David had a revelation. He started dancing before the ark of the Lord arrived in Jerusalem. You can read about it. He started dancing before the ark actually pitched up in Jerusalem. You can come to church on a Sunday and dance in the presence of the Lord. But on Monday morning when you've got to go to work, are you still dancing?
Let me be honest with you. I'm tired of the enemy getting all the glory in adversity. God is in the adversity. God is working. God is continuing to work in your life and my life. Let's start giving God some glory in the adversity, as opposed to saying that Satan is all over it. Satan's getting too much airtime. We need to give God some airtime. We need to give God some praise. We need to give God some honor when things go bad.
Closing Scripture and Altar Call
I'm going to close with one scripture here, and then we're going to pray for some people. 2 Corinthians — I want you to turn there in your Bibles. I want you to use your Bible this morning because I don't want you to think I'm preaching from first imaginations. 2 Corinthians chapter 12, verse 10. I'm reading from the Passion Translation.
"So I am not defeated by my weakness, but delighted." I could stop right there. How good is that? I am not defeated by my weakness, but delighted. "For when I feel my weakness and endure mistreatment, when I'm surrounded with troubles on every side and face persecution because of my love for Christ, I am made yet stronger. For my weakness becomes a portal to God's power."
Come on, somebody say amen this morning. My weakness becomes a portal to God's power.
I'm going to ask you all to stand this morning because we're going to pray for some people. The reason I want you to stand is that I really felt the Holy Spirit speak to me in preparation for this message today. What I really felt the Holy Spirit saying is that there are people in adversity. There are people that are struggling. There are people that are really at a difficult place. And they need to know that adversity identifies purpose. They need to feel the purposes of God fresh on their heart and on their soul.
Because I can assure you, as we go on in history, as we go on into the future, more and more persecution is going to come. And we as the body of Christ need a toolkit to navigate adversity. We've got to stop this nonsense of "where is God when there's hard times?" No, God is in the hard times. And guess what? He works all things — everyone say "all things" — together for good to those who love him, those who are called according to his purpose.
We're going to sing a song of worship right now. We're going to sing "I Exalt Thee." And I'm going to make the appeal this morning. If you are in adversity, if you've lost your sense of purpose, if you don't know if you can go to work tomorrow morning, I want to pray for you. Because in your weakness, God wants to reveal a portal to his power. I'm believing this morning that as we pray for people, you're going to receive a portal to God's power. God is here this morning, and he wants to set some people free out of the bondage of adversity and into the place of his joy and the place of his peace.