Uncompromising for the Kingdom
If I had to guess, I would say there’s still a multitude of faithful warriors for Christ in this world, preaching and teaching and doing everything they can to stay true to the Him. That’s awesome and wonderful and I’m pretty confident in that assumption.
Now, imagine that a cocky king attacked these God-fearing people’s country and forced them to trek five-hundred-miles to a new land. Certainly their faith would be tested, but I’d guess the vast majority would not let sore feet be the last straw.
But what if the king’s staff provided food and drink that wasn’t only foreign to their culture, but their conviction? If I had to guess, I would say that the majority shrinks into a minority as only a few are willing to risk their lives over a dinner plate.
The kings come and go, but during each reign, the minority is faced with the egos and self-absorption that accompanies rulers who distance themselves from a God of mercy and love. So, they are cast into hot furnaces and lions’ dens, forced to interpret dreams and bow down to statues. And if I had to guess, I would say that the furnace seemed a bit too hot and bowing down seemed a bit too easy and somewhere along the way, the minority shriveled away.
I doubt there is a more uncompromisable sojourner than Daniel. He was kidnapped, renamed and faced the realities I only hypothesized about. But I wonder what I would do if I was in his shoes; He shouted, “Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power,” but would I? If I had to guess, I would like to say yes, but I’m definitely not as confident in that assumption.
The difference between Daniel (along with his friends) and the majority is that he was not indifferent to eternal injustice. He remained certain of the Lord he was serving and what that Lord loved. In the words of preacher John Piper, “most indifference to injustice among professing Christians is not owing to convictional impartiality or convictional opposition but rather to the moral stupor that comes over us when we are satiated with the comforts of this world.” More often than not, blending in is easier than standing out.
When King Nebuchadnezzar constructed a statue, it was Daniel’s friends who chose a fiery furnace over a god made of gold.
When King Belshazzar assembled a sacrilegious feast, it was Daniel who decoded the writing on the wall. Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin, it read. He confronted the bewildered king and delivered the fateful news: your days are numbered, you have been weighed on the balances and found wanting, and your kingdom will be divided. Not many kings want to hear that.
When King Darius signed a law sentencing anyone who worshiped other gods to the mouths of lions, it was Daniel who refused to shut his windows and continued to pray so all could see.
It seems there is something about Daniel's uncompromising faith in God that actually made standing out easier than blending in. Each king quickly acknowledged Daniel’s confidence, principles and allegiance, but there’s a good chance they misinterpreted whose allegiance that was to. For in the end and all along, it was not their kingdoms which he served.
In Daniel 12, an angel revealed to Daniel that when he is risen from the dead, he will receive the inheritance, eternal life. What an incredible promise.
And until we too see the Savior, we have this promise: “His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
Juliet Bromme is a sophomore studying communication