Nothing says more about a person than the individual’s perception of self. Diverse attitudes playout in the marketplace every day. Folks would have you view them a certain way, and if you don’t, they are insulted. Façade matters more to them than reality. In a day when social influencers teach people to advertise their significance, it’s the horse of a different color that is content to retain a natural skin. Everyone else exhibits a convenient social camouflage.
Chameleons are masters of disguise. Adaptation to ecological variations helps enhance their security. What they lack for speed, and chameleons are agonizingly cautious, they make up in their unique ability to blend-in with environs. That way, they remain imperceptible to the creatures they prey on, and those that prey on them. Depending on your worldview, that is the Creator’s gift to them, or an evolutionary adaptation. I am not here to debate the matter one way or the other, but to make observations on those who choose to remain fixed in a changing world.
Our present world is swiftly regressing to past ages when conquest was the game of survival. If a community wasn’t marching far and wide subjugating other groups, it dreaded being overrun by others. Whatever gains society has earned in seasons of peace and stability, they are swiftly being lost through violent uprisings among global ethnicities. When this happens, people are thrust into sudden and unfamiliar lifestyle changes. But how about personal values? Is there such a thing as principle, or is it relative to prevailing circumstances? Are there unchangeable rules for morality, or only temporal restraints for particular situations?
Involuntary Shift
Loss of moral compass led ancient Judah into captivity. Following Jehoiakim’s refusal to continue paying tribute to the Chaldean king, Nebuchadnezzar routed and dismantled the southern Jewish kingdom. Consequently, the Judean citizenry was systematically exiled to Babylon. But from among the captives, a few smart youths were drafted to the Chaldean royal service. These included four teenagers whose Biblical accounts read like thriller novels. Daniel, the older of the four, was only sixteen when he was forcefully uprooted from the security of his nation, his culture, and his normal way of life.
Soon, these Jewish boys would be forced to make life-altering decisions without the aid of adult spiritual guides. What foods would they eat without getting defiled? How would they interact with a culture that was steeped in idolatry and remain true to the doctrines of their faith? For lads that age, thrust in public limelight in such hostile environments, nothing bigger could have been asked of them. But such is the delineator of what lies hidden within the soul of every one of us, the litmus test on what we view as worth living for.
To Eat or Not Eat?
As in any induction to a new career, policy was spelt out early. The Jewish recruits had their meals stipulated along with other details of their academic and linguistic syllabi. It is at this early stage that Daniel’s values begin to stand out. We read in Daniel 1:8 words that outline the young man’s resolve, a resolve that would be tested by many a life-and-death situation.
But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s food, nor with the wine which he drank. Therefore he requested of the master of the officials that he might not defile himself. (MEV)
Talk about nerve! This budding juvenile is a captive in an enemy kingdom whose hostility has been displayed for all to see. The sons of Judah’s king have been slashed to death in front of their father before the eyes of Jehoiakim himself are thrust through. The Chaldeans have looted the temple of God at Jerusalem and burned down the city. Government and religious leaders have either been summarily slain or ferried to Babylon to be executed in a public display. The reason for the nation’s misfortune is that Judah, like her sister, the northern kingdom of Israel, has discarded and perverted the holy decrees handed to them by God. So, what is Daniel’s rationale in seeking a path that contravenes the rules of his apprentice residency? There’s no religious institution here that cares about his convictions, and God Himself has allowed His people to face such devastation. Is Daniel naively thrusting himself into a flame like a moth?
Baby Steps
There’s a common trait in the people we call heroes. Few, if any, are driven by heroic ambitions. It’s inner convictions of simple individuals that grab public attention. Like everyone, Daniel was mindful to not stir trouble for himself and others. But to the best of his understanding, no consequence bore greater significance than unfaithfulness to God. He wasn’t trying to show off his religious fervor, or anything like that. Upholding godly values was a non-negotiable characteristic of who Daniel was. Outside the parameters of integrity, Daniel didn’t see himself as an entity.
In his book, The Alchemist, Paulo Cohlho makes a very interesting claim. “No matter what he does, every person on earth plays a central role in the history of the world. And normally, he doesn’t know it.” That is remarkable. When someone takes a stand on a moral, religious, or social issue, someone else takes the cue to act similarly, not necessarily over the same matter, but on the strength of the example of displayed courage. Daniel’s contemporaries, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were emboldened to defend their values, and all four men established an alliance that would be crucial to their survival in a very hostile world.
Today, these names are synonymous with resolve, a laudable human virtue.
Now, one swallow doesn’t make a summer, and neither does a single triumph define someone’s ethics. For all their reported merits, the four Hebrews endured crucible trials. God’s intervention saved many royal servants from the king’s cruelty, and still, malicious actors plotted against their Jewish comrades. It wasn’t long until Daniel spent a night in a lions’ den, accused of disloyalty to the king. It wouldn’t be long before his friends would be hurled into an incinerator for refusing to worship a metal statue. What is displayed constantly in these accounts is consistency of character by men who resolved to remain true within cultures of controverted values.
What Truly Matters
Life tests character in two main ways—hostility and friendliness. Hatred and love. Conflict and peace. Bad times and good times. Which one you succumb to exposes the material your fuselage is built on, so to speak. The courage of certain people rises as hostility intensifies. They will die before they can yield to persecution. Until the enemy changes tact, and they flip!
Samson was a powerful Israelite judge who routed Philistines singlehandedly. Any aggression against him spurred superhuman strength that shocked all his foes. Until traitorous love took him down. Samson had power over enmity; he didn’t have the skills to confront devious friendship.
A man of different priorities, Daniel didn’t think much of Nebuchadnezzar’s promotion. He had his eyes on a price much more superior. What personal benefits could he obtain from the system that dismantled his sacred nation and burned down the temple of his God?
Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon. Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king. (Daniel 2:48, 49)
Did you read that last line? “Daniel sat at the gate of the king.” He gave the flowery positions to other men and continued as the king’s ‘gatekeeper’. Why? That wasn’t the only time Daniel would show his true priorities. When Belshazzar succeed his father on the throne, the mischievous king sought Daniel to demystify an enigma his Babylonian witches couldn’t. Here again, a different king sought to lavish the prophet with civic promotions and material gifts. True to character, Daniel’s response remained the same. “Keep your gifts or give them to someone else, but I will tell you what the writing means…” (Dan 5:17)
Oftentimes, folks get their priorities twisted. Unable to attend to duties without selfish mundane motives, they speak and act in ways that show what matters most to them. Their treasures are in ‘the here and now.’ Eternal rewards are secondary to them, and so is the welfare of fellowmen. God’s testimony about their secret goals never features in their thoughts. They shove and jostle for titles and positions. They tear others down and eradicate competition in areas likely to produce recognition, monetary gain, or political advantage. To them, every opportunity to serve is a chance to exploit.
Misplaced priorities pressure people to betray the values entrusted to them by God. They think the end justifies the means. It doesn’t. Daniel’s disposition should keep us in check. His mindset should constantly remind us of what truly matters. A good testimony from God is the greatest asset anybody can obtain. Three times in the Scriptures, we read these endearing words, and each instance refers to this faithful man. “O Daniel, a man greatly beloved…” How would you like to be referred as “greatly beloved” by a heavenly messenger? God is able to offer both earthly and eternal benefits to those who live life with pure motives. In light of eternity, fleeting gains acquired through hypocrisy and manipulation are of no value whatsoever.