Dare To Be A Daniel
Good heroes are hard to find. Many young people have selected as heroes individuals who have accomplished great things in the world of sports, but whose moral characteristics are not worthy of imitation, much less admiration. However, Daniel is one of the great heroes of the Bible. Please consider some of the noble characteristics which made Daniel stand taller than many of his contemporaries and which are worthy of our emulation today.
When Nebuchadnezzar took Jerusalem in 605 B.C., he carried Daniel, his three friends, and others into Babylonian captivity. Daniel and his friends were teenagers at this time. Isaiah had prophesied to Hezekiah over a hundred years earlier, "Hear the word of the Lord of Hosts: Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the Lord. And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon:" (Isaiah 39:5-7). The fulfillment of this is seen as one reads Daniel 1. But what qualities did Daniel have, even in captivity, that are worthy of our applying to our own lives?
Daniel determined to serve the Lord at an early age. Remember, he was just a teenager. Daniel 1:8 reads, "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself." The time to determine to do right is when one is young. Solomon wrote, "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them" (Eccl. 2:1). The time to resolve to do right is when one is young, before all the temptations of life come upon one.
No matter what our age, whether it is the morning, midday, or evening of life, we need to give our best to the Lord. We need to determine we are going to serve the Lord first. However, according to nature's course, a young person has many years of service he can render to the Lord unless some catastrophe occurs. Daniel did not decide to wait until he was an old man to serve Jehovah. Evidently, his parents or someone in the place of his parents had laid a solid foundation for him before he was taken into captivity. If we want teenagers with the spiritual resolve of Daniel, we need parents who will bring their children up right (Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:4; 2 Timothy 1:5). That means more than just taking them to church services and Bible classes. (Some seem to have difficulty doing this). It means living for the Lord every day. If parents bicker and complain because they are asked to so something in the Lord's work, they should not be surprised if their children have no interest in spiritual things as they get older.
Daniel determined to follow the Lord, regardless of the king's orders, regardless of the circumstances -- being in a far country, away from home -- and regardless of those who did not stand with him. He knew one ought to obey God rather than man (Acts 5:29). Rex Turner, Sr., mentions that "A portion of the king's food was regularly offered to the gods, and especially to Nebuchadnezzar's Murduk..." (Daniel A Prophet of God, p. 14). Maybe this is one reason he refused to be defiled with the king's food. Even though away from home, surely he must have remembered his upbringing. Daniel did not take a poll to see how others felt about the king's diet. One should not follow a multitude to do evil (Exodus 23:2).
Daniel was a man of courage. It is one thing to know what is right but another thing to courageously act upon that knowledge. Daniel showed courage in refusing the king's diet. He demonstrated fortitude when he stood before Nebuchadnezzar and told the kin his dream and the interpretation. By giving the interpretation of the handwriting on the wall, he was daring when he condemned Belshazzar for his pride. He was bold to continue praying as he had before in view of the punishment for violating Darius's decree.
There is need for boldness today. In a world of violence, immorality, and wickedness of all kinds, there is a need to be courageous and stand against these things. Paul commands us, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Ephesians 6:10-12). We are not to be afraid. To Timothy Paul said, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7).
Daniel had the right kind of friends. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were good young men. They prayed for Daniel and themselves. Now, what young person has friends whom he can ask to pray for him and themselves? Daniel was not ashamed to call upon them. They were fearless in the face of Nebuchadnezzar's order to bow before his golden image. Others bowed, but they refused, even knowing that such would cause them to be cast into the fiery furnace. Their words should encourage each of us never, never, never to back down from what is right regardless of the consequences, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O King. but if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up" (Daniel 3:16-18). Oh, may God give us friends like these three Hebrew youths!
How many have been led down degradation's road to destruction because they had selected worthless friends! Paul wrote, "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners" (1 Corinthians 15:33). It would be better to be friendless in obedience to God than to have evil friends who will take us down to hell with them. Of course, one who is obedient to God will always have Jesus as his friend (John 15:14). The jails and prisons are full of people who ran with the wrong crowd.
Some of Daniel's contemporaries in the government of the Medo Persian empire were jealous of his high position. They sought occasion against Daniel concerning his work in the government, but they could find no fault. In other words, he was an exemplary employee. Daniel's demeanor on the job and work ethics were flawless. Are you doing your best on the job (Eccl. 9:10)? The only fault they could find was against him concerning the law of his God (Daniel 6:5). So, the presidents and princes encouraged Darius to decree that no one was to petition God or man for 30 days and that anyone guilty of this would be cast into a lion's den. Can it be said of you that your only fault is your faithfulness to the Lord? Daniel did not let the threat of the loss of his job (by losing his life) keep him from serving the Lord. He still "kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime." But we have members of the church, both young and old, who would not think twice about letting God interfere with their making the Almighty Dollar! Jesus said, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon" (Matthew 6:24).
Daniel was a humble man. when he stood before Nebuchadnezzar to tell the dream and the interpretation, he did not want to take credit for his work. "Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; 28 But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; 29 As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass. 30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart. (Daniel 2:27-30).
Let each of us dare to be like Daniel!
From Our Archives, 1994
By Ben F. Vick, Jr.