Daniel

Character of Daniel

Daniel is just a flat out stud. This guy did pretty much everything right in God’s eyes. He started with nothing… in fact he had every reason to turn out as a pagan God-hating man. He was taken from everything that he knew… his family… his culture… his God… and placed in a society that spent all of its energy to complete destroy his former identity and make him a robot of the king. He didn’t even come from a God-fearing family or people… for Judah was an evil nation at the time he was taken. Something inside of him though loved God’s Law and feared Yahweh alone above all else. He was a teenager being brainwashed yet he saw that the moment he stopped fearing Yahweh was them moment he was altogether lost. Everything he did was for the glory of God… he feared not man… yet he was humble and prudent enough to exercise wisdom in how to interact with those who despised him. He challenged authority without attacking it… he dared to step into situations that looked utterly desperate and trusted in Yahweh for salvation. He was altogether humble… knowing full well his place in the order of creation as God’s subject to glorify his Maker to all people. He was merciful to those who were technically his enemies… valuing their lives every bit as much as his own. He developed loving relationships with those who exercised authority over him by doing all of his worth with absolute excellence… for he did everything to the glory of God… not for his own sake or the sake of those who ruled over him in human authority. He didn’t change the way he worshipped God based on man… fearing Yahweh even more than hands of men who would seek to kill him for the way he stood for God’s glory. The most beautiful thing about Daniel is that he was truly holy as God was holy… set apart. In his being set apart and excellent in everything he found God’s favor amongst even the men that failed to honor God as Maker. He was a witness for God’s glory and a beautiful witness at that. He was a light for the sake of God’s glory because he lived to honor Yahweh in ALL that he did. He didn’t have to fear man… he didn’t have to promote himself… he didn’t have any needs… he didn’t have to protect himself… he didn’t have to proclaim God’s glory through his words… for his actions spoke loudly and boldly of the glory of Yahweh as the one true living God, maker of heaven and earth and ruler of all man.

The OR would see that Daniel was a man blessed by God and would see that it was because of his humble understanding that all of life was to glorify Yahweh. It was clear as day to them too… his life would challenge them to see what God offered them as they obeyed his Law above all else. Daniel had what they wanted… and the beautiful thing is that God offers it to them too if they would but fear him alone as Daniel did. Life is available for them… Daniel wasn’t an exception to God’s mercy… he was the standard that God desired for all humanity. He was a light to the nations… he was a blessed man… he experienced God’s salvation. They too could partake of the blessing upon Daniel… if they would but choose life in obedience to the covenant relationship they had with Yahweh.

Today the character of Daniel is still the standard… unfortunately not lived up to by most believers in Christ… but the standard nonetheless. Daniel did not live a radical or extraordinary life for Christ. He lived what should be the norm… a life of simple and humble obedience to God’s heart & God’s Law. Any individual can be Daniel… any individual can change the world… and individual can live unashamedly for the glory of Yahweh... the Heavenly Father of the true Savior Jesus Christ. Daniel was a light as God desired. This is what will change the world… what will bring nations to life… souls desiring the glory of God. Man doesn’t know what’s best… God does… and we can learn from Daniel’s example… seeing that as we walk glorifying our Maker… we will indeed as a world find life and be restored to Eden. This is not just some idealistic hope that is impossible… it is the reality that God offers those who would dare to live for him.