Daniel's Desirable Qualities - Pt. 2

Daniel was so smart, wise, and brave, and yet he was so humble and thankful. This is what he told the king:

Daniel 2:30

And it is not because I am wiser than anyone else that I know the secret of your dream, but because God wants you to understand what was in your heart.

Even though God had made him wiser than the others, he never counted his wisdom as from himself. He recognized the good in Him came from God and God alone.

Daniel was a faithful friend. His humility brought him honor before the king. The king made Daniel ruler of the whole province of Babylon and chief of all the wise men.

Daniel 2:49

At Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be in charge of all the affairs of the province of Babylon, while Daniel remained in the king’s court.

Daniel made sure that those God had placed in his life were taken care of as he was promoted. How many people have had a spouse stand by their side through all of their career endeavors only to disregard them once they see other opportunities? Daniel was faithful to those around him.

Many times I have known that I needed to say something in a situation but I wasn’t brave enough. Often, our silence is seen as approval. Sometimes, people just won’t get it unless we make it clear with our words. What I love about Daniel is that he wasn’t afraid of confrontation even with those who may make it affect him negatively.

The king had a new dream and Daniel revealed to the king that the dream foretold of an undesirable future in store for the king. This is what brave Daniel told the king:

Daniel 4:27

“‘King Nebuchadnezzar, please accept my advice. Stop sinning and do what is right. Break from your wicked past and be merciful to the poor. Perhaps then you will continue to prosper.’

Daniel was so respectful, but he was also so direct. We get it in our head that confrontation is mean. We can confront something that is inappropriate or harmful in a respectful but firm way and in the process may greatly help someone else or even save ourselves from harm.

Years later, a new king came into authority in the kingdom. He and those with him were drinking with the sacred temple cups that were holy to God. A hand came and wrote on the wall in his presence. He was completely freaked out and his wise men and fortune-tellers could not tell him what the writing meant. Finally, his mother told him to call for Daniel who was much older at this point.

The king offered him fine clothes, jewels, jewelry, honor, and one of the highest positions in the kingdom with him. I love how the older we all get, the more we (hopefully) realize how fine things cannot create happiness for us. We see this in Daniel’s awesome response to the king:

Daniel 5:17

Daniel answered the king, “Keep your gifts or give them to someone else, but I will tell you what the writing means.”

I absolutely love how unimpressed Daniel was with the thought of these gifts from this king. Daniel was not motivated by monetary gain. He walked in the giftings God gave him but it was not to look for what he could personally gain from it. He wasn’t impressed with a man simply because of his fame or fortune. This is what he then told that king:

Daniel 5:23

“…For you have proudly defied the Lord of heaven…you have not honored the God who gives you the breath of life and controls your destiny!”

Daniel was a man of integrity. A new king had again taken over the kingdom. Not surprisingly, he planned on putting Daniel in charge of the entire empire. The other high officers were jealous and so planned to find a fault of Daniel’s to present before the king. There was just one problem:

Daniel 6:4

”… but they couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy.”

Wouldn’t that be absolutely amazing if someone could say this about my life? That I am always faithful. I am always responsible. That I am completely trustworthy. And that no fault could be found in me. What a way to carry yourself, and what a statement made by those who hate you!

God, I thank You for the example Daniel is to me. In a world today with some pretty simple minded role-models, You have given me a timeless example of the kind of person I want to be like. Daniel wasn’t worried about what everyone else around him was doing. He was determined to live for You, to speak up for You, and to carry himself in way that would bring honor to Your name. Please help me be like him, and live the kind of life that he lived.

#integrity #confrontation