Daniel: The Test of Obedience

It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.” Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live forever! All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction.

Note Here that Daniel was actively following God. He was willing to follow God and move forward only when God told him to move.

and what happened is that

To obey God is to show our love for Him. If obedience doesn’t cost us anything, it really doesn’t prove the depth of our love for God.

“[To have Faith in Christ] means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already. Not hoping to get to Heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already inside you” (C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity).

A lack of obedience reveals a lack of trusting God in our hearts. Will you trust God, even when it’s not easy? Even when you have something to lose? It’s important to make that decision now, versus waiting until the moment comes.

There is a scene in the movie Courageous that depicts main carachter Javier in a tough situation when his new boss at his probationary job asks him to lie about some numbers in order to benefit the company. Javier would eventually learn that his boss’ request was a test of his integrity, and he got the promotion after turning down the request to lie. Javier had to decide which was more important: his boss’ favor and his new job, or obeying God. Javier had to trust God with the consequences of doing what was right, and in the end, God blessed him for it.

Daniel 6:10–18 ESV

When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.” Then they answered and said before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.” Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.” Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him.

God’s Favor in Previous Trials Should Encourage Future Obedience

God will build up our faith through experiences with Him. By the time Daniel had to face the lion’s den, he had already experienced God’s favor and deliverance because of his obedience to God.

Daniel 1:8–13 ESV

But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs, and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king.” Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, “Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king’s food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see.”

Back in chapter 1, Daniel and his friends refused to eat the rich foods of the king’s table because they were considered unclean according to the Hebrew Law. Daniel courageously refused to eat based on his convictions (vss. 8-13), even though all the other young men with them ate

As a result, God exalted Daniel and his friends (vs. 15) and gave them great wisdom and favor with their captivator the king (vs. 17).

Daniel 1:15–17 ESV

At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king’s food. So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables. As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

If we take the opportunities God gives us to obey when the consequences may seem trite, we will be building that courage and faith for when the obstacles are bigger and more is on the line.

Just like lifting weights starts with lighter weight and gradually builds, so can faith and courage build through continued “exercise.”. God will build up our faith muscles if we respond in the opportunities He gives us with obedience.

Dumbbells

God Uses Our Obedience in Trials for His Glory

Daniel 6:19–23 ESV

Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

The movie Chariots of Fire tells the true story of Olympian Eric Liddell who disqualified himself from the 100m race because he felt it would dishonor God by running on the Sabbath. When Liddell came to the 400m race in the 1924 Olympics, he won. While many people wouldn’t object to running in the Olympics on a Sunday, Liddell’s choice is a great example of someone motivated by faith, rather than fame. This, however, isn’t the end of his story. He would eventually become a missionary in China. The Guardian says this about that period in his life: “Once Japan entered the second world war Liddell and other westerners had their freedom of movement restricted, and in 1943 he and a couple of thousand others were interned at a camp in Weihsien. There he established a school and took charge of the children’s recreation, organising sporting activities and creating or mending equipment. He was even said to have broken a habit of a lifetime by engaging in sporting activity on Sundays, refereeing childrens’ football matches. On one occasion Liddell was given a chance to leave the camp through an exchange arrangement made by Winston Churchill, but he instead arranged for a pregnant woman to take his place. “Early in 1945, six months before the camp’s liberation, Liddell became ill. In a letter he told his wife that he feared he was having a nervous breakdown. In fact it was a brain tumour, untreatable in those circumstances, and on 21 February he died.” Liddell’s life is a great example of someone following God’s call even when it’s not easy. His story is still remembered to this day. In that same sense, Daniel’s obedience and trust in the Lord ultimately led a nation to worship the one true God. If we obey God even when we are ostracized for it, He will receive glory from our lives. He will use our obedience to stir up questions of faith in those who are around us, even bringing some of them to know Him because of it.

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