Daniel 1:18-21 – “Doing It Right”

As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

¹⁸And to the end of the days which the king had said to bring them in, and the chief of the palace officials brought them in to the face of Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁹And the king spoke with them and not was found from the all of them like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, and they stood to the face of the king. ²⁰And all of a matter of wisdom [or] understanding which the king sought from them, and he found them ten hands upon the all of the magicians and the astrologers which in the all of his kingdom. ²¹And Daniel was until the year of the first to Cyrus the king.

And so the day finally comes for final exams in the school of Babylon U.

Only in this school, you don’t sit at a desk somewhere and solve problems or write essays. At Babylon U., the man administering the exam is none other than the king himself and it consists of a personal interview!

Can I pause and just note how utterly terrifying this would have been? Just to be in this man’s presence would have been terrifying in and of itself. This is the king over the most powerful kingdom in their ancient world. He has personally conquered the known world, including mighty Egypt and the once barbaric kingdom of Assyria. If you displease him, he might just have you executed. And here you are, brought in to stand in front of him. He has personally funded your education and your room & board for the last three years. He did so, fully expecting you to make good on his investment. And now you have to stand before him and answer his questions.

For me personally, it would have taken faith just to be able to stand there, to actually keep my fear (terror) under control, to sincerely try to answer his questions, and not to collapse in a heap of blubbering fright.

But once again, to these boys’ credit, they did not quail, but instead they stood their ground, they did answer his questions, and they answered them well. Good for them! “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a well-ordered mind.” It makes me proud to share their faith, even if they did live 2600 years ago! I can’t even begin to recount all the times faith has given me the courage to do what I needed to do, when my natural bent would have been to “dodge the bullet.” Even at my age (just short of 60!), it gives me a lot of hope to know that faith will again and again give me the courage I need to face life. Although the me inside here is the blubbering coward, faith means I can do this. I can live my life well, do my job, love people, and be a man of integrity because of my wonderful God – “I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength!” Daniel and his friends could and so can you and I.

In another vein, I wish the church today could notice what these boys are excelling at. This is not a Bible college or seminary. This is Babylon U. And they are not training for full-time ministry or missions or anything like that. They are training in a secular (even godless) university for the express purpose of serving in a pagan government. And why? Because the Lord wants to place His people in positions of importance, to actually be a positive influence in pagan governments. Let us ask the question, “Can a Christian young person actually set him- or herself on a course of study expressly for the purpose of entering politics, to be a congressman or senator, or even President? Can they? Can God possibly honor such a determination? Can they attend a secular university in preparation for that pursuit? Daniel and his friends would answer a resounding yes! And can they do so not to the destruction of their faith but actually as an expression of it? Yes.

I fear the modern American church has grown such a set of “in-grown eyeballs” we cannot see beyond the doors of our own sanctuaries. We think and teach that faith happens inside that building and that the best plan is to isolate ourselves and our children from “the world.” We forget that He said He wants us “in the world” just not “of it.” Thank God for every believer who carries their faith into government and into the workplace and serves God there.

But also notice from the verses before us how the boys carried themselves in their workplace – “and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.” “In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.” They not only attended Babylon U. They not only studied to serve in the government. They excelled at their studies. Oh that the church today would teach our people God wants them to excel in their work. Not just in ministry positions. In their work. God cares. God wants His people to excel at what they do. I think it was Abraham Lincoln who said, “Whatever you do, be the best at it!”

Once again, I think there is an undercurrent in American Christianity that says to people, “Well, if you have to “just” work a job, at least don’t work very hard at it. Instead, as soon as you get off work, show up here at the church building and then we’ll do things that really matter.” What a shame. “Beware lest anyone takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” And what does the Christ say? “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men, for you serve the Lord Christ.”

As I’ve noted before, there have been barrels of ink spilt on this passage. What a shame that the church has learned so little from it. But that is what happens when we let our traditions drive our lives, not the Bible itself. And that is precisely why I study the Bible. I don’t want my faith diverted by human traditions, even if they’re church traditions, and even if everyone around me seems to have swallowed them whole. “To the law, and to the testimony! And if they speak not according to this law, it is because there is no light in them!”

God help us all to encourage each other in whatever station the Lord has given us in this world, and may we encourage each other not just to “do it,” but to actually excel in it! Daniel and his friends did, and so can we.