Dare to be a Daniel (Pt 2)


Daniel 2:24, 27-28 (ESV)
[24] Therefore Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show the king the interpretation.”
[27] Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, [28] but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these:

I find it fascinating that Daniel asked that the wise men not be destroyed. He then gave essentially the same answer as the rest of the wise men. They said, “There is not a man on earth who can meet the king’s demands . . . except the gods” (Dan 2:10-11). Daniel said, ““No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, but there is a God” (Dan 2:27-28). Daniel could have said, “Don’t destroy my friends and me. We serve the true God and have the answer. The other wise men serve false gods and don’t deserve to live.” But that is not what he said. He asked for the preservation of all the wise men, and pointed out that there was nothing special about him, only about the God he served.

It makes me wonder. I heard a speaker yesterday challenge us not to focus on those with whom we disagree, but to love those we lead. God told Jeremiah to warn the people of God to work for the good of the people and the land to which they would be exiled (Jer 29:7). That is what Daniel was doing. Too often recently evangelical believers have been characterized as people of hate. Part of the reason for that is that we live in a culture where to disagree is to hate. That, of course, is hardly true. But, there is a second reason. That is, believers have too often hated. We can rally, carry banners, and shout down the opposition with the best of them. But we were never commissioned to correct sinners. We were commissioned to make disciples. It must start with a change of heart.

We have been going about it backwards, trying to change behavior first, hoping that it will lead to a changed heart. God forgive us. Have we learned nothing from Daniel and Jeremiah? Our presence in a community ought to have at least two influences. First, our presence makes the community better for everyone, not just for believers. Daniel didn’t ask just for the preservation of his people, but the preservation of all. Second, our presence speaks truth and grace, not in an antagonistic, attacking manner, but in a healing, restorative way.

Daniel spoke truth, but his action also preserved the lives of the wise men who did not yet know his God. You have to wonder how his action affected the lives of those wise men. Some, I am sure, resented him. But perhaps some were drawn to the true God. Only God knows. The question for us is: How does my presence in my community affect my world? Am I working and praying for the good of all, trusting that my words and actions will point people to the true God, or am I working to preserve myself and destroy those with whom I disagree? Dare to be a Daniel.


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