Daniel 1:8-21; 6:1-10
The Bible is filled with accounts of many godly men and women who are worthy of our emulation. One such person is Daniel, a man who obtained preeminence and power in his lifetime:
He started out preeminent among the children of Israel - Dan 1:3-6 “Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king's palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate, and of the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king. Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah.”
He gained preeminence among the wise of men of Babylon - Dan 1:17-20 “As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom.”
He was given power over all of Babylon - Dan 2:48-49 “Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. Daniel made a request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king's court.”; 5:29 “Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.”
He received similar power over the Medo-Persian empire - Dan 6:1-3 “It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; and over them three presidents, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other presidents and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.”, 28 “So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.”
How was Daniel able to reach these positions of power and influence without compromising his position as a godly man? A close look at the book of Daniel reveals his secret, and shows how we too can be successful without selling our souls.
First, we notice that even as a young teen-ager Daniel was a man of purpose. “Daniel purposed in his heart” - Dan 1:8 “But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself.” A young boy in a strange land, Daniel was immediately faced with a challenge to violate God’s law by eating the king’s food. Despite his youth and the obvious pressures to conform, Daniel “purposed in his heart” to uphold the law of God, no matter the cost. Because of his willingness to put God first, God granted Daniel favor in the sight of others - Dan 1:9 “And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs,” How God did this is not explained, but it happened in the case of Joseph also - see Gen 39:1-4; 21-23. By putting God first, God blessed Joseph in such a way that favorably impressed others.
Every child of God needs to be a person of purpose. No one respects a “wishy-washy” person, someone with no direction in their lives. Whereas a person with a strong sense of purpose often breeds respect and admiration in others. What should be the “purpose” of the Christian? Jesus makes it clear in Mt 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” For example, to seek the will of God and fulfill it in our lives, no matter the circumstances. As Jesus promised, this will guarantee God’s favor toward us and in turn likely gain us favor in the eyes of those around us. Will you “dare to be a Daniel” and be a person with a purpose like he had? No matter how young or old one may be, it is never too early or too late to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”!
Throughout his life, Daniel not only had a strong sense of purpose, but Daniel was a man of principle. He refused to compromise his convictions. As a young man, by refusing to eat the king’s meat or drink his wine - Dan 1:8 “But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself.” As an old man, by refusing the gifts of Belshazzar - Dan 5:13-17 “Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel, "You are that Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah. I have heard of you that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. Now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not show the interpretation of the matter. But I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom." Then Daniel answered and said before the king, "Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation.” He refused to compromise his convictions under the threat of persecution, by refusing to obey the decree of Darius - Dan 6:10 “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.”
Having laid out the character and principles of Daniel from our text we will continue this lesson in a second part noting some lessons we can learn and apply to our Christian walk.
