Scripture Daily

Context No. 1561 of 4322 · Daniel (Greek)

Context · Reflection

Daniel (Greek) 6:1-5: in context

1It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred twenty local governors, who should be throughout the whole kingdom; 2and over them three presidents, of whom Daniel was one; that these local governors might give account to them, and that the king should suffer no loss. 3Then this Daniel was distinguished above the presidents and the local governors, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. 4Then the presidents and the local governors sought to find occasion against Daniel as touching the kingdom; but they could find no occasion or fault, because he was faithful. There wasn’t any error or fault found in him. 5Then these men said, “We won’t find any occasion against this Daniel, unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.”

Under Darius, Daniel is set among the top officials of the kingdom, and he so distinguishes himself by his ability and integrity that the king plans to set him over the whole realm. The other officials, jealous, look for grounds to accuse him. But they can find nothing; he is faithful, and no error or fault is found in him. So they conclude: we will never find any charge against this Daniel, unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.

The remarkable testimony to Daniel is what his enemies could not find. They wanted him ruined, and they went looking, diligently, for some fault, some corruption, some error in his conduct of the kingdom's business, anything they could use against him. And they found nothing, because there was nothing to find; he was faithful, and no error or fault was in him. His integrity was so complete that even determined enemies, actively searching for a handle, could find none; the only charge they could bring was his devotion to God, and that they would have to twist into a crime. There is a high standard held out in this. Daniel lived in such a way that his life gave his opponents no foothold; there was no hidden corruption, no cut corner, no compromise waiting to be exposed. Most of us, if enemies searched our conduct diligently, would give them something to work with, some inconsistency, some failure, some quiet compromise. Daniel gave them nothing but his faithfulness to God. It is worth aspiring to a life so upright that any accusation against us would have to be a lie, that the only thing anyone could hold against us is that we serve God. That kind of integrity is a shield; when the only charge that can be brought is faithfulness to God, the accusation exposes the accusers, not the accused. Daniel's enemies had to invent a crime out of his devotion, because his life gave them nothing else.

Would a diligent search of my conduct give my opponents a foothold, some hidden corruption or quiet compromise, or do I live, like Daniel, with such integrity that the only charge anyone could bring against me would have to be a lie, or my faithfulness to God itself?

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