THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST
SPREADING THE SOUL-SAVING MESSAGE OF JESUs
“Dare to Be a Daniel”
Introduction by narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. Spreading the soul-saving message of Jesus. And now, James Gravelle.
“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days“ (Dan. 6:10). Welcome to THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. The Bible is filled with accounts of many godly men and women who are worthy examples for us to follow. One such person is Daniel—a man who obtained preeminence and power. Daniel started out preeminent among the children of Israel according to Daniel 1:3-7. There was a conversation that took place between King Nebuchadnezzar and Ashpenaz, his master of eunuchs. The time is about 606 B.C., and the Babylonian Empire was on the rise. Nebuchadnezzar had invaded Palestine, and had taken the city of Jerusalem. Ashpenaz was told to take certain of the children of Israel back to Babylon. These would have been people who were descendants of the king and his nobles. They were to be the young men in whom there was no blemish —those who were good-looking, gifted in wisdom, possessed knowledge, were quick to understand, and had an ability to serve in the king’s palace (where they would be taught the language and literature of the Chaldeans). Daniel was one of many, but he gained preeminence among the wise men of Babylon (Dan. 1:17-20).
“As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. Now at the end of the days, when the king had said that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. Then the king interviewed them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they served before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in his realm.”
Daniel was given power over all of Babylon because of the great number of gifts that he had received from God. “Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts; and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon” (Dan. 2:48). 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 to the devil.
First, Daniel was a man of purpose. In our world today, we see many people who drift through life. They have no purpose as they go about day-to-day events. Their paths in life take them wherever the wind happens to blow them. They have no spiritual compass. But according to Daniel 1:8, Daniel “purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” Daniel was a young boy at this time (estimated to be somewhere between 12 and 16 years old). He was now in a strange land, and was faced with a challenge to violate God’s law by eating the king’s foods. What the violation was, we are not told. Was it food items that were prohibited by the Law of Moses? Was it a matter regarding excess? Was it food of such lavish quality or quantity that it tended toward idolatry? We simply do not know. But despite Daniel’s youth, and despite the obvious pressures to conform, he “purposed in his heart” to uphold the law of God, regardless of the cost. Daniel went to the prince of the eunuchs and asked permission to eat only that which was allowed. His request was granted. Because of his willingness to put God first, God granted Daniel favor in the sight of others. In Daniel 1:9 we read, “Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and good will of the chief of the eunuchs.” How God did this is not explained. But it also happened in the case of Joseph as well. In Genesis 39:21 we read, “But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.” By putting God first, Joseph was blessed in such a way that it favorably impressed others.
These are only two examples of so many that we find in the Bible where people obtained favor with God and man because they put God first. Every child of God needs to be a person of purpose. No one respects a wishy-washy person (someone with no direction in life). But a person with a strong sense of purpose often gains the respect and admiration of others. What, then, should be the purpose of a Christian? Jesus made it clear in Matthew 6:33 when He said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” What are the “things” in this verse about which Jesus spoke? They are things like food, shelter, and clothing—those things that are the necessities of life. But we must seek the kingdom of God first and foremost. Could we not say, then, that the purpose of the Christian is to seek the will of God and to fulfill that will in his life, regardless of the circumstances? As Jesus promised, this will guarantee God’s favor for the Christian. And, in turn, it may gain us favor in the eyes of those around us. Will you, too, dare to be a Daniel—and be a person with a purpose as he was? Regardless of how young a person might be, it is never too early to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Remember that Daniel was probably a teenager when these events took place. He had just been uprooted from his home, and his family had been left behind in the area of Palestine. He had been ripped away from his family and had been kidnapped to be taken away into captivity. Yet he still maintained his integrity. In Proverbs 22:6, we read, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” This is a great challenge for parents today. In the ungodly world in which we live, for parents to spend the time necessary to see to their children’s upbringing, and then to even go beyond that and rear their children in the manner in which God would have them to do, is truly a challenge.
Throughout his life, Daniel not only had a strong sense of purpose, but also was a man of principle. He steadfastly refused to compromise his convictions. We have already seen that, as a young man, Daniel refused to eat the king’s food or drink the king’s wine (Dan. 1:8). Many years have passed, and we see Daniel refusing gifts from another king of Babylon. Belshazzar had ascended the throne, and was king of Babylon. Belshazzar was a wicked ruler who was more concerned with the pleasures of this life than anything else. One night he threw a huge party to which thousands of people had been invited. All of his wives were there, along with his friends and the lords of his kingdom. They had gathered together to enjoy this party. There was much drinking and all kinds of immorality. As the party continued, Belshazzar remembered Nebuchadnezzar conquering the children of Israel, and the fact that many gold vessels had been taken from the temple in Jerusalem. Belshazzar had a crazy idea that made him desire to drink alcoholic beverages from these vessels as he attempted to do obeisance to his own gods. He commanded his servants to go get the vessels, and he and his friends drank from these vessels as they toasted their gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. As Belshazzar was doing these things, the fingers of a hand appeared, writing upon the wall. Daniel 5:25 tells us what these words were. This is the inscription that was written: “MENE, MENE, TEKEL,UPHARSIN.” When Belshazzar saw this, he was scared out of his wits. His knees “knocked together,” the text says (Dan. 5:6). Belshazzar wondered what the writing on the wall meant. His queen remembered a man named Daniel who had told the meaning of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Daniel, therefore, was summoned, and found himself standing before King Belshazzar. Daniel 5:16-17 records how Belshazzar spoke to Daniel and said,
“I have heard of you, that you can give interpretations and explain enigmas. 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; yet I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation.’”
Once more we see Daniel refusing to compromise his convictions, even while under the threat of persecution while not obeying the decree of Darius (Dan. 6). Darius was king of the Medes and Persians, and had conquered Babylon. Darius had appointed three governors over the country, one of whom was Daniel. According to Daniel 6:3, Darius intended to set Daniel over the whole kingdom. The other governors and their princes, however, plotted against Daniel. They talked Darius into signing a decree that no one in the kingdom was to pray to any other god than the king for thirty days, upon penalty of being thrown into the lions’ den. Daniel 6:10 says,
“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.”
People admire persons of principle. Outwardly, they may ridicule such persons. But inwardly they really wish that they had the same intestinal fortitude. When they need someone whom they can trust, and upon whom they can depend to carry out an assigned task, to whom do they turn? God also admires individuals who stand by their principles and on their word. In Psalm 15:1-5, David wrote:
“Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart; he who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor does he take up a reproach against his friend; in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he honors those who fear the Lord; he who swears to his own hurt and does not change; he who does not put out his money at usury, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.”
Our society is truly in need of people with principle. Those who dare to be a Daniel, and who demonstrate by example the value of being led by principle rather than by price, are not only highly valued by God, but also are highly valued by their fellow man.
But having purpose and principle is not all. Another element of true success is necessary. That element can be seen when we observe that Daniel was a man of purity. His opponents could not find any fault in him, even though they looked very closely. He was faultless when it came to the management of his business affairs. Darius set over the kingdom 120 satraps (overseers) to manage his kingdom. Out of those, he appointed three governors (of whom Daniel was one) to whom the satraps would give account. In Daniel 6:3-4 we read:
“Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm. So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him.”
This would help explain Daniel’s rise to a position of great responsibility and power. Of course, his purity in business affairs was related to his overall purpose—which was to please God first. As a man of principle, Daniel could be trusted.
The Christian also must maintain purity of conduct. Whether young or old, it makes no difference. Do you remember the words that Paul wrote to the young preacher Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12? Paul wrote, “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” People who maintain purity in their dealings with others are often given positions of great responsibility and privilege —because they can be trusted to use them wisely. Yes, Daniel was a man of purpose. He was a man of principle. And he was a man of purity. Oh, how the world needs more people like Daniel!
But the element that likely tied all of these together in such a way as to allow Daniel to receive blessings from God and favor from men was the fact that Daniel was a man of prayer. We have seen a glimpse of his prayer life, because even when Daniel knew that if he maintained his custom of praying to the one true God of Heaven it could cost him his life, and even when he knew that a den of hungry lions awaited him, as soon as he realized that the king’s order had been signed, he went home to his upper room, and with his windows open to Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day and prayed toward Jerusalem as he gave thanks to God—“as was his custom since early days.” Daniel is a wonderful example to us in so many ways. Did you notice that Daniel knelt to pray, which was a demonstration of his humility. Daniel prayed three times that day, which is a demonstration of his continual dependence upon God. He gave thanks in the midst of persecution, which was a demonstration of his gratitude, as well as the fact that he had not lost sight of God’s blessings. His prayers represented his “custom since early days,” which demonstrated his persistence and faithfulness in service to God. Is it not likely that his custom to pray so diligently helped him remain a man of purpose, principle, and purity—despite his rise to power and preeminence over the Empire?
Christians would do well to follow Daniel’s example of a prayerful life. Let us learn the lesson that the finest among God’s servants must maintain regular and fixed prayer habits in order to continue steadfastly in devotion to the Lord. As Christians, we, too, are to pray often. Do you remember the words that Paul wrote to the Thessalonians? “Pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess. 5:17-18). In Colossians 4:2, Paul wrote, “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.” If our efforts to live purposeful, principled, and pure lives are not what they should be, could an undisciplined prayer life be the reason? Are we willing to dare to be a Daniel in regard to prayer? There is a false assumption that, in our world, in order to get ahead a person must conform to the sinful practices of the world. A few years ago a movie came out starring Jim Carrie. The name of the movie was Liar, Liar. In the movie, Jim Carrie played the part of a lawyer who had a small son. He explained to his son how he had to lie in order to get through life. His son made a birthday wish that for twenty-four hours his father could not lie. No words that would come out of his mouth could be anything less than one-hundred percent true. The father had a very hard time dealing with that. One of the horrible things about this particular movie was that Jim Carrie tried to explain to his son that, to get through life, adults have to lie. They have to be able to cheat and avoid the truth. But that is simply not so. In fact, in the movie there is some redeeming quality. The lawyer learns that he can go through life telling the truth. We can, too. Even today there are many Christians who demonstrate that when they dare to be a Daniel, they can succeed in the affairs of men without selling their souls to the world. How about you? Will you dare to be a Daniel by being a person of purpose, principle, purity, and prayer?
To be a person of purpose, principle, purity, and prayer today, one also must be a child of God. The most important sacrifice ever made was made because of your sin and mine. Jesus had to leave Heaven, take upon Himself humanity, and die upon the cross so that the sin of humankind could be forgiven. To become pure from sin, a person must go to Jesus. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” That rules out any other way to Heaven except going through Jesus. In Matthew 10:32, Jesus said, “Whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.” But in verse 33 we find exactly the opposite: “Whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.” We must, as we go through this life, be willing to confess the name of Jesus. Remember the account of Philip and the eunuch. As Philip preached to the eunuch from the Book of Isaiah, he “preached Jesus unto him.” As they rode by a body of water, the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” (Acts 8:36). Philip said, “If you believe, you may.” Now we see the confession. The eunuch said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” (vs. 38). Then Philip took him down into the water and the eunuch was baptized. In Luke 13:3, Jesus tells us that unless we repent, we will “all likewise perish.” Repentance is a change of mind that brings about a change of lifestyle. It is us changing our minds about what things are right and what things are wrong. Then, we come to understand that certain things are wrong, and that we must leave them alone and not do them any more. Repentance leads to a new lifestyle and an entirely different way of living. We must be willing to repent and turn away from sin in order to be pleasing to God. In Mark 16:16, Jesus said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved. But he who does not believe will be condemned.” We must submit to immersion in water for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). If we are willing to do this, then we can become people of purity, as was Daniel in the Old Testament. Daniel lived under an entirely different law. As Christians, we must follow Jesus’ plan if we want to go to Heaven. Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” Jesus died for you and me on the cross at Calvary. Paul explained that it is our “reasonable service” to live for Him. The words of Romans 12:1-2 say,
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Have you done these things in order to become a person who is pleasing to God? If you have, then you can have purpose, purity, and prayer in your life. You have the ability to do this. THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST makes available all of its materials on audio CDs and video DVDs, and we send them to addresses within the United States free of charge. We even pay the postage. If you would like a copy of today’s lesson, or any of the other lessons that we make available, please let us know. Our address and telephone number will follow on the screen after this lesson. You can come to our Website (thegospelofchrist.com) and contact us there. Be with us next time as continue to examine the Gospel of Christ.
Narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
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1. According to Daniel 2:48, what position did Daniel occupy in the Babylonian Empire?
2. Daniel 1:8 speaks of Daniel taking an important action that is described in the first five words within that passage. What are those words?
3. According to Daniel 5:5, what unusual event took place during a banquet being given by King Belshazzar?
4. In Daniel 5:16 we find King Belshazzar offering Daniel something. What did he offer Daniel, and why?
5. What was Daniel’s response (Dan. 5:17) to King Belshazzar’s offer?
6. According to Daniel 6:1, who was the king of the Medes and Persians at the time of the events recorded in Daniel 6?
7. According to Daniel 6:10, what action did Daniel take in response to the king’s edict that no one could pray to anyone except him?
8. According to Daniel 6:7, what would happen to Daniel if he prayed to anyone but the king?
9. Who, according to Psalm 15:4, does the Lord honor?
10. According to Matthew 6:33, what is one way that we can honor God?
11. If we do honor God by obeying the instructions in Matthew 6:33, what will God do for us?
12. According to Daniel 6:3, how is Daniel described?
13. According to Daniel 6:4, how is Daniel described?
14. In 1 Timothy 4:12, what did Paul instruct Timothy to do?
15. Daniel, we are told, prayed three times a day. According to 1 Thessalonians 5:17, how frequently should Christians pray?
16. In Colossians 4:2, what did Paul urge Christians to do?
17. According to John 14:6, what is the only way to get to God?
18. In Matthew 10:32, what did Jesus promise that He would do for those people who were not ashamed to confess His name during their tenure here on Earth?
19. In Matthew 10:33, what did Jesus promise that He would not do for those people who were ashamed to confess His name during their tenure here on Earth?
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