The problem with Christianity is that people judge Christ based on the people who claim to be His followers. Christians are often called hypocrites because they say one thing and do the opposite. They know the right things to do, and they can and will tell you what they are, but they aren’t always strong enough to avoid making the mistakes themselves. Paul understood that. (Romans 7:21-25) He encouraged those to whom he ministered to live in a way that could not be criticized so that their ministry would not suffer because of their faults. (Titus 2:6-8, II Corinthians 6:3)
Daniel was a shining example of this kind of integrity. King Darius had appointed Daniel as one of the supervisors over the satraps—government officials—and the king was so pleased with his service that he intended to give Daniel authority over his entire kingdom. The satraps and other supervisors would have to answer to Daniel. (Daniel 6:1-3) For some reason, people who do well are not always respected for their abilities; often they are despised. That was the case with those who envied Daniel’s position, so they tried to find a way to discredit him. (Daniel 6:4) Since Daniel not only did not commit any crimes, but apparently also made no mistakes, the other officials had nothing that they could charge against him. They knew that the only thing that would work was to create a conflict between the laws of the land and the laws of God whom Daniel worshipped faithfully. (Daniel 6:5)
In later verses you will see that the supervisors and satraps deceived the king into making a law that would prohibit Daniel from worshipping God and which would land Daniel in the lions’ den. (Daniel 6:6-28) But God was with Daniel, and he was not harmed. In the end, Daniel was rewarded for his integrity, and he prospered during the reign of King Darius. Those who accused him ended up in the lions’ den instead.
Who is watching your every step to see if you live up to the beliefs you claim? You can be sure that someone is. What was true for Daniel is true for us too. If we do what is right in God’s eyes, we can trust Him to take care of everything else. (Matthew 6:33)
Daniel and Joseph are two of my favourite Biblical characters. Isn't it amazing that they kept their faith despite being away from family support and their homelands?
I guess they learned that when all you have is God, God is all you need. A good lesson for the rest of us.