Unprecedented Faith
“Daniel – An Overcoming Faith”
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In God’s Hall of Faith (Hebrews chapter 11), we’re introduced to individuals who had unprecedented faith and, through it, accomplished great things. Some are listed by name and what they accomplished. Others are simply listed by name. But then there are those whose work is listed, but not their name.
And one of those listed through his accompaniments is Daniel.
“Who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions.” (Hebrews 11:33)
Philip Bliss, considered the second most famous Christian songwriter, who wrote hymns such as “It is Well With My Soul,” wrote another called “Dare to Be a Daniel.” The refrain goes like this:
“Dare to be a Daniel,
Dare to stand alone!
Dare to have a purpose firm!
Dare to make it known.”
(Philip Bliss)
Faith literally means “to give up, surrender, or commit.” Faith is complete confidence in God to lead and guide us in and through this life and into eternity. Therefore, faith is the key to life. God’s word tells us that we are not only saved by faith but also called to live by it.
Therefore, it’s vital that we understand biblical faith.
Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” So faith is about having complete belief in something we cannot perceive with our natural senses.
Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
In Matthew 17:20, Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”
Paul in Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” That is, faith comes from hearing God’s word spoken directly into our hearts.
What can we conclude from these verses is that while we may not understand everything about God, we believe that He is, and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. But if such a search is not accompanied by faith, it isn’t the faith that pleases God, nor is it a faith that can move mountains.
Faith, therefore, isn’t merely agreeing with your mind in the existence of God. Many professing Christians believe that the Bible is the Word of God, but it doesn’t change how they live. The Apostle James said that even demons have that kind of faith, and they tremble in fear (James 2:19).
Introduction
What we are introduced to in the Book of Daniel is a continuing warfare between two kingdoms, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan, or, as the Book of Daniel puts it, it’s the struggle between Jerusalem and Babylon.
Jerusalem is the city of God, the headquarters, if you will, of God’s Kingdom on earth. Jerusalem stands directly against Babylon, the capital of the realm of darkness. Therefore, the struggle between these two cities represents the age-old struggle between good and evil, light and darkness.
And what we see at the end of the book of Revelation are the same two cities, diametrically opposed to each other. Yet Babylon the Great will be overthrown, and the new Jerusalem will descend from heaven and continue forever.
Now, in Daniel’s time, faith in the Lord was severely tested. Babylon had conquered Judah and Jerusalem. As a result, questions arose in the people’s hearts about the power of God. Were the gods of Babylon stronger than the God of Israel?
In Daniel's life, we see him overcome challenges to his faith in God and succeed where so many others struggled. Daniel succeeded not merely because he was talented and driven, but because he had faith in God.
I’d like to examine three specific faith challenges Daniel faced, focusing on what he did and the results.
God Provides
God provides us with His directions by faith. We could say this: God is our personal GPS.
Now, no one could ever accuse Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, of being anything but smart. He used a very clever tactic; he gave these Hebrew youths an important role in the royal palace. They received a model upbringing and a very high standard of education. They were taught the language and literature of the Chaldeans.
While the Chaldeans were Semitic tribes living in the southern end of Babylon, the name, however, came to apply to Babylon’s priests who specialized in astronomy and mathematics, or the sciences that are said to have originated in Babylon.
And so, they were taught the Babylonian philosophy of life, their worldview, and their views of God, man, sin, redemption, values, and morals, all of which were in direct opposition to what these young men were being taught back home from God’s word. Basically, Nebuchadnezzar was trying to remake these Jewish young men in the Babylonian way.
And it’s a method used today. Several years ago, a report came out stating that many of the children raised in Christian homes who went on to attend secular universities rejected their faith by the end of the first year.
We see this same thing played out among the youth who were brought to Babylon in the first wave; only Daniel and his three friends kept the faith.
This is evident when Daniel and his friends were given food that went directly against God’s word: the meat violated the Law of Moses, both in what they were served and in how it was prepared. What also made them unacceptable was that these animals were first sacrificed to the Babylonian gods.
And so, instead of eating the meat and all the delicacies of the king’s table, Daniel and his friends vegged out.
“But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” (Daniel 1:8 NJKV)
To “purpose in his heart” meant that Daniel was obligating himself to follow God’s word and ways, and not the teachings or the way of the Babylonians.
Now, think about this. He could have been eating gourmet food every day. Who turns down filet mignon or prime rib, and a succulent slice of chocolate cake or New York cheesecake?
Now, turning these down could easily have cost him his life, not to mention the lives of his three friends and the chief eunuch, because you do not cross the king. So, where did such courage come from?
It seems that Daniel was born and raised during the reign of Josiah, during one of Judah’s most prominent revivals. As a young man, Daniel was taught God’s word and saw God move in mighty ways, but he also saw the devastation that occurred when Josiah’s son and grandson didn’t follow God’s ways, which led to his captivity.
Now, whenever we hear the words of the song, “Dare to be a Daniel, Dare to stand alone! Dare to have a purpose firm! Dare to make it known,” we tend to think of Daniel in the lion’s den (and we’ll get there). And we think, what great faith!
But daring to stand alone is what Daniel did in the dining room of the king’s palace. It is said that the devil is more dangerous at teatime than in the lions’ dens of this world.
And I firmly believe this, that if Daniel had not been faithful at the king’s table, he would never have been faithful and survived in the lion’s den. I believe this is at the heart of what Jesus said. “He who is faithful in what is least is faithfulalso in much.” (Luke 16:10a NKJV)
And so, by faith, Daniel stood firm, and God guided him in the way he should go and what he would say.
And we see this and what Daniel said to the chief eunuch, “Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king's delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.” (Daniel 1:12-13 NKJV)
Now, this is what we might call wisdom personified. At the end of the trial period, it says, “God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.” (Daniel 1:17NKJV)
But even more than that. It says that when the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the wise men in the land (Daniel 1:20).
God has a divine plan and destiny for our lives, and He will guide us on this journey every step of the way
Solomon tells us, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9 NKJV)
This means that while we’re planning, God will ultimately plan our steps as we move forward, and we’ll end up exactly where He wants us to be.
Let me give you a couple of verses to show how God guides us in and through our faith in Him.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV)
“Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: ‘I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go.’” (Isaiah 48:17 NKJV)
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.” (Psalm 32:8 NKJV)
“The Lord will guide you continually …” (Isaiah 58:11 NKJV)
These verses reveal that God will continually be our guide, personally watching over us and each step we take, and teaching us the right way to go.
God Reveals
God sent Nebuchadnezzar dreams, or as some would say, “living nightmares,” that he could neither remember nor interpret, and he would wake up in a cold sweat.
So he summoned the wisest men in Babylon, the Chaldeans. He said, “I have had a dream that troubles me, and I want to know what it means.” (Daniel 2:3 NIV)
Whether he remembered the dream has been widely debated, but it seems he did. He demanded that they tell him the dream and its interpretation, and if they were wrong or failed to do so, they would be toast. But if they could, they would receive great rewards.
Now, these wise men said something very wise, yet also very stupid.
“There is not a man on earth who can tell the king's matter… It is a difficult thing that the king requests, and there is no other who can tell it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.” (Daniel 2:10-11 NKJV)
The wise part is that they recognized that there are some things only God knows and that all wisdom comes from Him and is “on loan” to those He gives it to. Psalm 44:21 says that only God knows the secrets of the heart. In Proverbs, Solomon said, “For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (Proverbs 2:6 NKJV)
This made the king furious, and he ordered the killing of all the wise men of Babylon.
Now, Daniel and his three friends were members of the wise men’s club, and while they weren’t present at the time, the command to kill them was given. So Daniel asked the captain of the king’s army why the command was so urgent, and the captain told him. He then requested some time to find out the dream and its interpretation from God.
And so, instead of taking that time to go on the lamb, they went off to pray because they had faith in God, that He was the revealer of all wisdom, and that this whole scenario was right in God’s wheelhouse.
This was well known to the Apostle Paul, who faced great perils, even death.
“We had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us.” (2 Corinthians 1:9-10 NKJV)
That very night, God delivered both the dream and its interpretation. It says, “Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven.” (Daniel 2:19 NKJV)
Then Daniel praised God, saying, “He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him.” (Daniel 2:22 NKJV)
And so, standing before the king, Daniel asked, “Were those other wise guys able to tell the king his dream and itsinterpretation?” (Daniel 2:27 paraphrased)
But then he said, “But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days.” (Daniel 2:28a NKJV)
That is what faith does. It releases the blessing of God. Faith releases God’s blessings. Faith brings answers to prayer. Jesus said, “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (Matthew 21:22).
While there is so much more to share about the revealed will of God, let’s move on to our last point.
God Protects
What we’re about to look at is a marvelous illustration of the help God gives His people in times of trial and testing. And in this study, we’ll notice Daniel’s quiet trust in God!
Toward the end of his life, Daniel held a high office in the court of King Darius in Babylon. He was the prime minister, and at this time, he was between 80 and 90 years old. He was known to everyone not only for his piety but also for his faith in God, and as a result, he had many enemies.
In the royal court of Darius, there were politicians, princes, and other officials who were determined to bring about Daniel’s downfall. That’s because King Darius had such confidence in Daniel that he was ready to make Daniel second only to himself.
Daniel never sought the limelight. He was a faithful follower of God, and this faithfulness was well known to all for 60 years, even under two godless administrations. Throughout this time, Daniel remained in a position of power. He distinguished himself from everyone else by handling his life and affairs faithfully in accordance with the word, will, and way of God.
But such faithfulness has its detractors, that is, those who oppose someone like Daniel, and that’s because his faithfulness exposed their unfaithfulness. So they met secretly in out-of-the-way restaurants and hotels, trying to find a way to indict Daniel on some trumped-up corruption charges.
They hired private investigators and likely involved the Persian FBI and IRS in investigating Daniel’s past. They followed every lead, read every memo and email. They left no stone unturned, yet even with all their manipulations, they turned up nothing.
They found no skeletons in his closet, no misappropriation of funds, no office scandal, and no work-related incidents. They found no vested interest in the Persian Savings and Loan, no secret dealings with foreign nations or labor unions, no smoking gun, no other woman, and no secret bank account. Nothing!
“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.” (Daniel 6:4 NKJV)
The only thing they found was his faithfulness in serving God. So they found a way to use that faithfulness against him by finagling the king into signing a decree that made it illegal for Daniel, or anyone else to pray to God.
“We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.’ (Daniel 6:5 NKJV)
So, these politicians came before the king and said, “Establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions.” (Daniel 6:6-7 NKJV)
And so, the decree was signed, sealed, and delivered, yet Daniel obeyed the Lord rather than man.
Nothing was going to stop Daniel from faithfully carrying out his spiritual life. Upon hearing the decree, he went home, and as was his custom, he opened his window and prayed. Nothing was going to keep Daniel from his time with God, not even the sentence of death.
Daniel acted out of his deep faith in and genuine commitment to God. We see such faith, commitment, and dependence in King David when he said, “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His word), in God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?” (Psalm 56: 3-4 NKJV)
If Daniel had been weak in the faith, he would have given up his worship of God and his long-standing prayer habit, and he would have found some excuse to obey the dictates of his enemies, but by faith, he remained loyal in the hour of testing.
Let me just say that Faith cannot be “turned on” in an emergency unless there is a reservoir of faith to draw from. For Daniel, faith was a principle of his life.
You see, Daniel had always been open about his faith and had lived it out for the past half-century. For Daniel, his faithful testimony for the Lord was far more important than his life.
We see this testimony of faith in King Darius’s words before Daniel was lowered into the lion’s den. He said, “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.” (Daniel 6:16 NKJV)
In the end, God rewarded Daniel for his faith and brought judgment upon those who wrongly accused him.
Some of us are experiencing our own lion’s den, that is, we’re in a tight spot with people against us, and we’re in a state of despair and depression, as that old roaring lion, Satan, threatens to devour us (1 Peter 5:8).
What can we do? Should we fret, fume, struggle, and complain? Instead, let’s dare to be a Daniel and place our trust and faith in God.
The power that delivered Daniel was God’s power. When Daniel was in the lion’s den, someone else was with him, and that was an angel from God.
When it comes to God’s protection, we must remember that we live in a fallen world and that God works in ways we do not understand. Sometimes God's protection comes as peace and strength in the midst of a trial, while at other times it comes as an ending because He sees something more on the horizon that we cannot see.
In the end, we are not promised a life free from difficulty. Quite the opposite. Jesus even told His followers, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NKJV)
Conclusion
As believers in Jesus Christ, we are promised a new life under His protection, in which nothing can separate us from His love.
The Apostle Paul said, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39 NKJV)
I love what Paul said to the Corinthian church.
“We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed, always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” (2 Corinthians 4:5-10 NKJV)
And so, by faith, we know that God is our Provider, Revealer, and Protector. So we can dare, by faith, to be a Daniel.
