“Be holy, because I am holy”. This command is stated in the book of 1 Peter and references the command by God to the Israelites in the book of Leviticus. The sentiment echoed here is the same for us believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. We too are to be holy for our God is Holy. As Christians, we are called to a higher standard and the way we live must display the great God we serve. This was certainly the case for Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. In the most foreign and pagan land, with culture completely at odds with the Jewish culture, Daniel and his friends excelled at proclaiming their God, particularly, Daniel who served the longest among the royals of Babylon through four different kings. You could say Daniel was very valuable and held the “corporate knowledge” or the heritage of the kingdom of Babylon having served that long. There are not many examples in the bible aside from Jesus of men or women who followed the Lord diligently without fail like Daniel did, so I believe he has a lot to teach us about being devoted to the Lord and resolving to put God first in everything that we do. In today’s post, I would like us to look at some parts of Daniel’s life and his friends in an attempt to encourage us to return to the basics: our first love.
The chapters I will be focusing on are chapters 3 through 6 of the book of Daniel. In chapter 3, we are told that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon set up a golden image tall and wide on the plain of Dura. This image was to be worshipped by everyone in his kingdom at the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music (Daniel 3:5). It is important to note that Nebuchadnezzar was very affluent, influent, and powerful and his kingdom was very large. Whatever a king of this caliber said was to be taken like a command; his wishes were commands. Disobedience was costly and deadly for the most part. Another interesting fact about the kingdom of Babylon is that king Nebuchadnezzar relied heavily on his government officials including the astrologers. Often time when the king had a puzzling question, he would call his officials to get answers. It is only natural that he summoned them all for the dedication of the golden statue he raised for worship. The text does not give us any indication that Daniel’s friends were present at the dedication so it can be safely assumed they did not go to it based on their disobedience. Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah’s disobedience did not go unnoticed. In fact, it was too blatant not to be noticed. Therefore, the inevitable happened. Some astrologers went ahead and reported to the king that some Jews are defying him by not worshipping the image set by the king himself. This was a grave act because it is a direct opposition to the authority of the king in power. As soon as the king heard the report, he became “furious with rage” and summoned Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. What’s more, when the king asked Daniel’s friends whether they had indeed disobeyed him they said “yes” without wavering. Daniel’s friends show us that it is possible to live in an anti-Christ culture yet be devoted to Christ and his ways. You see, these Jewish boys were not at their first rodeo, they had been disciplined from a young age so following God to them was clearly not a joke. It was a matter of life and death. They understood the command God had given to the Israelites as they were entering the Promised Land to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5). They were sold out to the Lord their God even in a foreign land, in a land where the laws were opposite to the laws of their God. We see that clearly in their answer to King Nebuchadnezzar. They said “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18). Their devotion to God gave them a courage, a boldness that was uncommon. They were able to stand up to an earthly king because their allegiance was to the Eternal King. This is what true resolve looks like and this is what we too are called to display in our Christian walk today. Our lives are not our own any more than theirs were theirs. Daniel’s friends were not filled with the Holy Spirit as we are today, yet they remained faithful. God demands our all: soul, mind and heart. The kings of this world or the pleasures this world has to offer cannot take the place of God in our lives. If anything, Daniel’s friends show us that we can achieve this level of devotion and dedication to the Lord our God.
In chapters 4 through 6, we see first the heart of God as a jealous God who will not tolerate anyone setting him/herself above Him and second, we see a resolve taken by Daniel that is similar to that of his friends. During his service to King Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel was summoned to interpret another dream Nebuchadnezzar had this time of a tree (Daniel 4:4-7). Nebuchadnezzar knew Daniel could interpret his dream because the spirit of God was in him. He might not have attributed Daniel’s capabilities to the living God but here are his exact words: “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and no mystery is too difficult for you.” And indeed, no mystery was too difficult for Daniel because the living God revealed all mysteries to him. Daniel interpreted the dream to Nebuchadnezzar and told him that because he is elevating himself above God, he would be stripped of his power and dominion and sent to live among the beasts until he recognizes that the Lord is God. Does that sound familiar? Remember the book of Ezekiel is filled with this statement from God “they will know that I am the LORD”. It is a popular refrain in the bible. We must know that God is the Most High, the only God there is. Even with such a warning from God, Nebuchadnezzar went ahead and continued to elevate himself above God and this dream became a reality. Nebuchadnezzar ended up living among the wild animals and it is not until his “sanity was restored” that he was able to repent, recognize his folly and praise the Most High that his kingdom was restored unto him. The lesson here is simple, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble”. Years later after this incident and after Nebuchadnezzar had passed, another king who was most likely a relative of Nebuchadnezzar was in power. His name was Belshazzar and he, like his forefather elevated himself above God. During a great banquet that he gave, he asked that the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem be given to him and his guests to drink from. As they drank from those, we are told that a finger started writing something on the wall. I do not even want to imagine how that must have halted the entire feast! Fear came upon Belshazzar, and he was told Daniel could interpret the writing on the wall. As Daniel interpreted the writing on the wall, he said something interesting, that Belshazzar should have known which is that God humbled Nebuchadnezzar because he had become arrogant and hardened with pride so that he would humble himself and recognize that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone he wishes (Daniel 5:18-21). Daniel rebuked Belshazzar for doing the same thing when he should have learned from his father’s example and because of this folly, the Lord was judging him. As soon as the interpretation of the writing is done, Daniel gets promoted and receives a gold chain and purple clothes while that very night Belshazzar is slain. Again, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Indeed, “it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).
In his years of service, Daniel did not cease to impress. With every king he served, he left a mark, and he had a legacy that could not be denied. During his service with King Darius who succeeded Belshazzar, another event happened which would test Daniel’s faith. The particularity of this event is in the people orchestrating it. We are told that Darius, had appointed one hundred and twenty satraps to rule throughout his kingdom with three administrators over the satraps who were to report to Darius and Daniel was one of the three administrators. Now, this in and of itself is simply incredible. That a foreigner, a Jewish boy would find himself in such a prestigious circle, is a testament to his work, his character and the God that he served. In fact, the bible says that “Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators that the king had planned to set him over the whole kingdom.” (Daniel 6:3). This is unheard of; I believe kingship in those days were passed from blood so to think of a king leaving his own blood relative and thinking of appointing a foreigner to rule over the kingdom says a lot about Daniel. As a matter of fact, because Daniel was so excellent, his colleagues became Jealous of him. They tried to find grounds to accuse him or lay charges against him but “they could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent”. Reminds me of Jesus’ accusers who could find no grounds to accuse him either. Since Daniel gave them no opportunity for accusation, these men decided to use Daniel’s devotion to his God against him. So, they devised a scheme that they proposed to King Darius. They asked Darius to make a decree so that in the next thirty days, anyone who prayed to any god or man except the king should be thrown into the lions’ den. This decree pleased the king, and he issued it. This plan was so smart because the decree of the king was immutable so anyone found guilty would not escape. Daniel’s enemies studied him so well that they knew that if you asked Daniel to do anything against his God he would not do it and they were right. They found Daniel continuing to pray to his God three times a day as was his habit. As soon as they caught Daniel praying, they went and told Darius that Daniel (whom Darius loved and considered as potential king) disobeyed his rule. Upon hearing this, Darius set his heart to deliver Daniel but unfortunately, he too was trapped by the law. He couldn’t reverse what he had done. Therefore, Daniel was sent into the lions’ den and as he was thrown, Darius said “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”. He couldn’t sleep all night and as soon as morning came, Darius went into the den and called out to Daniel. To his pleasant surprise, Daniel responded and told him that indeed his God had rescued him from the lions because he was found innocent in His sight. The king rejoiced at that, he was overjoyed and ordered that Daniel’s enemies be thrown into the lions’ den instead along with their families. That’s a lot of people dead in a day! The king would have to appoint more satraps to fill the void from the ones that perished. You see, because of Daniel’s devotion to his God, Darius issued a decree honouring the God of Daniel. This decree was for his entire kingdom. God was elevated, God was to be feared and revered among the nations, God was known among the nations simply because one man was willing to die for Him.
If there is anything that Daniel and his friends have shown us it is that our lives must glorify God and they do when we submit ourselves to His rule, when we put His laws above our own desires, when we understand that we are living sacrifices unto Him. I don’t know about you but Daniel challenges me and he makes me want to live in such a way as to put God first. I pray that we all will double down on our resolve to live for our God, knowing that He has come to live in us through His Holy Spirit. It is beautiful to live for Him because He shows forth His power and many are able to know Him as Lord. May this be our portion in Jesus’ name. Amen!
A Word Aptly Spoken 