Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Tuesday April 15, 2008

For the last few Sunday evenings I have been doing a study on the book of Daniel, not primarily on the long term prophetic aspect, but from a character perspective. I know this is strange, but then notice who is leading the study.

Daniel you recall was taken captive as a young man in Judah and carried away as a captive to Babylon where he taught through example how to live in a culturally strange and comparatively irreligious land. While maintaining his integrity he managed to use the gifts given to him by the Lord to aid in the prospering of the captive land. He was influenced by a letter from Jeremiah as to how to live while praying and waiting for the intervention of God and a return to the homeland. Jeremiah's letter is recorded in Jeremiah 29 and was written from Jerusalem to those who were captive in Babylon. You would do well to read the letter and you will conclude that the captives were taught by the prophet to live as normal a life as possible, to marry, have children, build houses, plant gardens and to seek the peace of Babylon, through praying for it and thus assuring their own peace. This was partially accomplished by using the gifts and talents the Lord had given to them. They were to sing the Lord's song in a strange land through offering their best service to the nation while seeking a much deeper fellowship with God.

That Daniel remained faithful to God is undeniable, that he was gifted in the interpretation of dreams etc is also a matter of fact. Some things about Daniel are often overlooked such as his commitment to God's ways, his constant attitude of respect, and his avoidance of becoming a corporate party animal as usually he had to be called to the action as he was evidently seeking the closer walk with God.

Just the other day, after studying Daniel for over 45 years I noticed something about him that brought one of my favorite proverbs to mind. According to the events up to and following the demise of Belshazzar and the Coronation of Darius, Daniel was so outstanding that he not only was a key player in the kingdom of Belshazzar, he became, near overnight THE major player in the reign of Darius who overthrew Belshazzar on the night of the great feast and the fingers of a man's hand writing on the wall. The account is given in chapters 5 and 6. Chapter six lets us know that in short order Daniel became the top dog due to an "excellent spirit" and he became The man who watched over the money ensuring no financial damage was suffered by the king.

Daniel employed principles that are all but forgotten in our day of entitlement. He was a man of great knowledge, of valuable skills in the marketplace and he honed said skills and used them for a nation which he knew was ultimately doomed. History bears the record.

He also knew how to survive jealous deceitful attacks of those who chose to be his enemies. Daniel's life is a study in winning the corporate war with sanity and peace. His wisdom and superior service carved a niche for him and brought glory to God. Daniel's grace under pressure brings to mind one of my all time favorite proverbs. I'll bet you will like the proverb too.

Proverbs 18:16 "A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men."

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2008 Use with credit.

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