The Story of Two Very Different Men
Greetings fellow Jesus freaks,
My grandsons are over for a sleepover. An evening of nerf gun battles, pizza eating and card games finally came to a close, but not before they wanted me to read a bedtime story from the book I’ve been reading from their whole lives. I was surprised that they still wanted me to read them a bedtime story since they are older now, but it’s always a precious time to close the day off thinking about God and His word together. This particular children’s book is a remarkable collection of famous Bible stories told in Dr. Seuss style, full of funny poetry and pictures, but with a very unashamedly poignant biblical message. As usual, I let them choose the story, and they chose Daniel in the lion’s den, who ends up having a church service/prayer meeting with the lions who were supposed to eat him. After grandma and I said our goodnights to the boys, I grabbed my Bible to read the story of Daniel in the lion’s den found in chapter 6 of Daniel.
By chapter 6, we see Daniel serving a third ruler, King Darius of the Persian empire. Daniel had already been proven as a man after God’s own heart under Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Daniel refused to eat the food of the people by whom he was taken captive. He would not defile himself by disobeying the commands of his God. He also spoke boldly to interpret the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar, not holding back the interpretations that might certainly offend the king. But in chapter 6, we see Daniel with a very high position in the Persian government, one of three commissioners over all the governors of the whole kingdom. He was so gifted by God and had such an “extraordinary spirit” that Darius wanted to put him in charge of the whole kingdom (vs.3). Now Daniel had so much favor from the king that it made the other leaders jealous. So, they plotted to do away with him by getting the king to issue an edict banning any prayer and petition not directed to the king (vs.7). The scheming men knew that Daniel was “faithful and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him” (vs.5 NASB). If they wanted to get rid of this Daniel, it had to be by using his devotion to God against him. In verse 10, knowing that the edict had been signed, and prayer to his God meant certain death, Daniel, nonetheless “continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before His God, as he had been doing previously” (vs. 10 NASB). In other words, Daniel was not moved by the new law – nothing changed for him! Daniel is a man of faith; a man of integrity, steadfast and true, immovable in the face of opposition and false accusations. The edict has no bearing on him; he will not change his habits, nor his allegiance to his God, even if that means death. There is no description of anxiety or fear on Daniel whatsoever. His radical faith and obedience led to divine intervention and deliverance (vs.22). The king refers to him as “servant of the living God…whom you constantly serve” (vs. 20). What a testimony!!!
Now Daniel is juxtaposed against Darius – one who is obviously easily influenced by scoundrels, tricked into making rules that benefit the personal interests of a devious minority. He’s a pushover. He does not have the backbone to stand up against the false accusers, nor to reverse his own edict. The king was “deeply distressed” at his decision. He spent the whole day stewing over his poor decision (vs. 14). Even though he wanted to deliver Daniel, he knew that he was bound to his stupid edict (vs. 15). He was a victim of his own power. If he could see the exemplary character of Daniel, why could he not see the corrupt character, and deceitfulness of his leaders? He would send an innocent man to his death. This story sounds so familiar…doesn’t it? Is it not the story of our Savior, who was falsely accused by those who hated Him, and sentenced to die at the hands of a spineless ruler named Pilate, who knew Jesus was innocent (John 19:4-16). This story is also very similar to that found in the book of Esther – the story of Haman and Mordecai, which takes place under the leadership of Darius’ son, Xerxes (see Esther 3). We know that in all of these biblical accounts - Daniel, Esther, and Jesus - God delivers, rescues, performs His will and has His way, despite the evil corruption, and deviant rulers of the age. God is sovereign and able to accomplish His purposes!
So the question comes down to this: am I a Daniel or a Darius? Am I a steadfast, faithful servant to my God, that cannot be moved, persuaded, coerced, bribed, manipulated, scared into going against my convictions and conscience, who lives by the motto: “No Compromise”? Or am I a spineless, pushover who is easily influenced by the opinions and personal interests of minority groups with an anti-God agenda? Maybe some of us never have to face such difficult character defining moments in life. But I pray we all do so we find out what we are truly made of, and to Whom we really belong. One cannot read the Bible without seeing a clear line in the sand being drawn – decide this day whom you are going to serve. We can’t serve two masters! Whether it be the kings of the Old Testament who refuse to bow to foreign gods, or the apostles of the New Testament who boldly declare, “We must obey God rather than men”. The Christian life comes down to a clear decision – follow Jesus or follow the crowd. I can either be influenced or be an influencer, that cause kings to worship the living God (Dan. 6:26-27). Both decisions lead to the lion’s den – the accusers and the accused both experienced hungry ferocious lions. The difference is God delivered His obedient servant, while the others were lion chow. Let’s choose to be Daniels who influence people to turn to the living God!
"Advancing the Kingdom of God by releasing Spirit-filled followers to serve Jesus in freedom and joy."
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