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Daniel’s Wisdom
Text: Daniel 1:8-16
Our culture is trained to think people back in 600 BC were chasing each other around with billy clubs. Daniel is considered one of the wisest men in the Bible.
What happens when authority is wrong? Or, how about when authority goes against your conscience? Or against the words of God?
Stay unspotted by the world
- Daniel purposed in his heart… would not defile himself (Daniel 1:8)
- Check your heart first
- Scriptural convictions will be heard by God
- Desire to please God & keep your conscience pure
- This is not about opinions – “My way” – not about getting your way
- Acts 5:29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
Respect God’s order
- therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself (Daniel 1:8)
- This takes faith because you’ve got to trust that God is truly in control of this thing.
- Daniel didn’t make threats to Melzar. That would’ve been a disaster.
- Daniel didn’t seek to go over Melzar’s head.
- Daniel dealt with the order of things as they were.
- Respect God’s order
- Don’t ask God to bless something while you’re being disobedient to get it done. “Lord I’m going to do something you don’t approve of, but I want the results of this to be blessed though.”
- Never do wrong in order to get a chance to do right.
- Acts 5:37, Judas leads many away in a tax rebellion and he is killed and the people dispersed – why? God won’t bless something that ignores His order of things
Humble appeal
- 1:12 – I beseech thee…
- Not an offensive appeal or a demand or ultimatum.
Let the consequences be up to them and God
- 1:13 – as though seest, deal with thy servants…
- resolve beforehand that if this doesn’t go “my way” I will accept it
- Allow God to work.
Give boundaries to your experiment
- prove thy servants ten days… (Daniel 1:12)
- Figure a time frame to work in and limit your “experiment”
Daniel’s wisdom
