Like Daniel

³ Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm. ⁴ So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him. ⁵ Then these men said, “We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.” - Daniel 6:3-5

     A lot has happened to Daniel in a relatively short time. He moved through the ranks of Nebuchadnezzar's officials and advisers because the Lord was with him. He interpreted dreams and gained favor in the sight of the king. He served Belshazzar long enough to interpret the demise of his rule. Daniel now finds himself under the reign of Darius, who has chosen to make Daniel a ruler in the land. Verse three tells us that Daniel was excelling in his new position as well. He had already distinguished himself from the other rulers and gained the respect of King Darius. This rapid rise to recognition and power created jealousy in those around Daniel. Today's passage finds the other governors and satraps trying to get Daniel in trouble. The amazing part is that they cannot figure out a way to do this. Verse four says that they can find no fault or error in Daniel's life. What a testimony! They are scrutinizing this man of God and cannot come up with a single charge against him. The Lord says that Daniel was faithful. He lived his daily life in such a way that these men had no reason to call him out. The greatest part of this passage is the statement that is made in verse five. After watching Daniel's every move, the other rulers give up and say that they will never find any fault with Daniel's life. The only way they will be able to trap him is through his loyalty to his God. Ashamedly, I cannot even imagine having a testimony this strong. To think that the people around me could only fault me for my faith in God. To think that my students could only define me by my faithfulness to the Lord. To think that the only complaint my neighbor could have would be that I serve God too much. Once again, I am humbled by Daniel's testimony and strength. We often only think of Daniel as the guy who got thrown in the lion's den. There is much, much more to the life of this man. David may have been a man after God's own heart, but I think Daniel is a man with the heart of God. One thing is certain, he is a man worth modeling my life after. His dedication to God is unrivaled.