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The Kings Choice
Posted by Brian
on
7:35 AM
in
E-votionals
A friend of mine once interviewed a man for an important job installing solar water heaters. He quickly proclaimed that he was the guy for the job. A few weeks later my friend stopped in to his shop unannounced, and discovered that he had neither the tools, nor the expertise to get the job done, despite what he had been told. Only three things were lacking: the skills, the tools, and integrity. I would argue that the first two deficiencies could have been dealt with fairly easily. You can buy tools and learn skills. But the third is developed over a lifetime. It can't be conjured up for a job interview.
This was certainly true in the life of Daniel. When King Darius needed to tap someone for leadership in his Kingdom, he chose Daniel, much to the dismay of the other vice-regents and governors who were in the running. Daniel happened to be a man of prayer, and they knew this. So to make a long (but good) story short, they made the King sign a decree that anyone who prayed to any other god or man than the King for the following thirty days would be put to death. As long as they had known him, Daniel had prayed to his God, and a decree wouldn't change his routine. He just thanked God and prayed for protection.
Despite the Kings efforts, Daniel was scheduled to play against the lions. What the King said to Daniel is telling. "May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you." Darius knew that Daniel was a man of faith; he had proven it. You know the end of the story. God rescued Daniel without a scratch to be seen. So Daniel's accusers were thrown to the lions instead, and Daniel prospered.
The point is, Daniel had established a track record of faithfulness and integrity. When he was a boy in captivity, he refused to eat the Kings food (Dan.1:8), and as an older man, he refused the gifts of Balshazzar (Dan.5:13-17). King Darius knew that Daniel could be trusted with responsibility because he had proven himself to be responsible.
When you and I trust God, as Daniel did, we become people who can be trusted.
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This was certainly true in the life of Daniel. When King Darius needed to tap someone for leadership in his Kingdom, he chose Daniel, much to the dismay of the other vice-regents and governors who were in the running. Daniel happened to be a man of prayer, and they knew this. So to make a long (but good) story short, they made the King sign a decree that anyone who prayed to any other god or man than the King for the following thirty days would be put to death. As long as they had known him, Daniel had prayed to his God, and a decree wouldn't change his routine. He just thanked God and prayed for protection.
Despite the Kings efforts, Daniel was scheduled to play against the lions. What the King said to Daniel is telling. "May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you." Darius knew that Daniel was a man of faith; he had proven it. You know the end of the story. God rescued Daniel without a scratch to be seen. So Daniel's accusers were thrown to the lions instead, and Daniel prospered.
The point is, Daniel had established a track record of faithfulness and integrity. When he was a boy in captivity, he refused to eat the Kings food (Dan.1:8), and as an older man, he refused the gifts of Balshazzar (Dan.5:13-17). King Darius knew that Daniel could be trusted with responsibility because he had proven himself to be responsible.
When you and I trust God, as Daniel did, we become people who can be trusted.
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