Daniel’s life
Before I start, I want to ensure that you know who Daniel is. You may know a Daniel in your life, but do you know the Daniel of the Bible? If you’re not quite sure, here is something that might ring a bell. Have you ever heard the story of Daniel in the lions’ den? Yep, that is the Daniel we’re going to talk about today. And if you are curious, that inspiring story and all that led up to it can be found in the book of Daniel, mainly in chapter 6. I recommend reading it!
Before we dive in, I want to give you some background information about Daniel and who he was in order to give you a better understanding of his life. Daniel, whose name was later changed to Belteshazzar, was from the tribe of Judah and was held captive along with three other men (Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah) by the King of Babylon, also known as King Nebuchadnezzar. King Nebuchadnezzar, by the way, was not a Christian. The King then chose Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah to enter into the royal service for Babylon, but this required them to eat food that defiled themselves according to the law of Moses (Daniel 1:8-16). Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah would stick to their values and beliefs no matter what happened to them! The book of Daniel talks about the struggles that Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah had, yet they continued to have hope in the land of their conquerors (the Babylonians). Although Daniel would serve the Babylon Empire and seek its well being, his loyalty was ALWAYS to God, which is something we all can admire.
Lesson one: being reasonable with our faith.
In the first chapter of the book of Daniel, we read that Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah are supposed to eat the king’s meat and drink the wine of his kingdom. Now, this had two purposes – 1) to keep Daniel, and the three other men who had now become the wise men of Babylonia as healthy as possible and 2) to almost brainwash or persuade them into taking part in the customs of their new master (King Nebuchadnezzar). Yet Daniel knew in his heart that he would not defile himself in this manner, knowing that doing these things would go against the Torah. So Daniel went to Melzar who was in charge of Daniel and the others and asked him if he could eat a diet consisting purely of vegetables and water for ten days and see how he looked compared to the other men eating the King’s food. God allowed this to happen, and they were much healthier than all the other men.
There should be NO compromises in our faith and we need to remain true to it no matter what. As Christians in such an accommodating age, we are often called to stand up against the injustices and ways of this world that go against our faith and Daniel accomplished this without offending anyone or hurting his objectives. We should
aim to do the same.
Lesson two: pray with friends.
Daniel did pray by himself all the time, but when he was faced with death in chapter 2, the first thing he did was go to his friends (Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah) and they PRAYED TOGETHER, asking God for help. Now, don’t get me wrong, it is important to pray alone and there are times when we need to pray alone, but when what we need is great, it’s vital that we pray with others.
Lesson three: remain humble, thankful, and full of praise
In Daniel 2:19-23 this lesson of praising God for being the wonderful father that he is was taught to them immediately after they prayed to God not to let them die. Daniel was overjoyed that his life was spared, and he returned this blessing in the best way possible – praise!
Lesson four: never take credit for God’s work.
Daniel could have very easily told the king that he was given a vision by God because he was special. He could have told the king that he was the smartest man in the world and the king probably would have believed him once he revealed the dream. He could have even said that he was holy and blessed and that’s why God gave him the vision. He could have taken credit in any way that he had chosen, but he decided not to (Daniel 2: 27-28.)
Our human ego is such a hard thing to put down. When good things happen to us, when we’re able to accomplish things that others cannot, or when we build great things, we often take credit and leave the tiny (if any) bits for God. Sure, we might thank God for blessings, talent, knowledge, opportunity, or anything else, but we often do not realize or acknowledge that all things happen solely by His grace.
Lesson five: have the courage to tell the hard truths in life.
Now you may wonder why we can learn this lesson from Daniel, but if you read the book, you’ll notice that there were three separate circumstances where Daniel needed the courage to deliver harsh messages to the king (Daniel 3, 4, and 5.) Often being courageous may seem hard, but with God all things are possible and with His help and guidance, we will have all the courage needed to face the trials on this earth!