When I think of Bible heroes of faith, I immediately think of Daniel. Daniel and the Lion’s Den. What fun it is to read the story of how Daniel was thrown in with a bunch of hungry lions and how God send an angel to keep the lions from harming him. It’s a great story, one that all the little kiddies love. [Daniel 6]
I love it too, because when I think of Daniel and the Lion’s Den, I focus on what got him tossed in there in the first place. We could probably define it with two words, integrity and jealousy. The integrity was Daniel’s, the jealousy belonged to all those around him.
Daniel had defined himself as man of integrity. He always did what was right in the sight of God. While God was pleased with Daniel’s integrity, those who worked with him were not. Daniel’s integrity had captured the attention of the king, and because of it, the king wanted to put him in charge of everything except the throne.
That made those who worked with Daniel jealous. He was getting what they wanted. So, they conspired against him and even deceived the king who loved Daniel into setting him up. The plot was to turn Daniel’s own integrity again him. How ironic that his enemies actually relied on Daniel’s integrity to indict him under their sentence of death.
Of course, we know the story. Daniel worshipped his God just as he always did, in his window where all could see. He didn’t stop, nor did he hide, he was true to his God. That got him thrown in with the lions. The best part however, is that Daniel’s God was also true to him.
I wonder as I think about Daniel, what I would have done … I wonder even more about my own integrity. Would it be enough to get me tossed in with the lions? Do others even notice?
Oh Lord, help me to live with the integrity of Daniel! Amen
