Yesterday we looked at Daniel telling Nebuchadnezzar about the real Kingdom. The one that will put an end to all the other kingdoms. The message resounds through the first six chapters of Daniel:

And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever. (Daniel 2.44, ESV)

His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation. (Daniel 4.3 and 34, ESV)

Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. (Daniel 6.25, 26, ESV)

Daniel and his friends didn’t know Jesus, but they knew there was a Kingdom and kingdoms have a king. And they wanted to be on that king’s side – not the side of the apparent king. And that’s the Hope that empowered them to stand firm.

When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were commanded to bow down to the statue, their response was unequivocal:

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Daniel 3.16 – 18, ESV)

I remember, it was more than 45 years ago, when we used to read Arch books to our firstborn, Mark. They are still available! Anyway, the one on the fiery furnace translates Daniel 3.16 – 18 this way:

O king, your silly gold is not a god at all. It’s just a hunk of ugly junk outside the city wall.

Mark could quote that before he was two years old!

And the same Hope empowered Daniel when Darius told everyone they couldn’t pray to anyone except him. Daniel’s response?

When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. (Daniel 6.10, ESV)

Surely Hope empowers:

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5.1 – 15, ESV, emphasis mine)