Dare to be a Daniel

Recently, the Children and Youth Ministry of Cambria Heights Community Church, where I serve as Pastor, held its annual “Back to School Revival and Conference.” The organizers borrowed the theme, “Dare to be a Daniel,” from a popular para-church ministry. From the sixth chapter and the tenth through the eighteenth verses (Daniel 6:10-18), we gleaned four primary attributes in Daniel’s character. I challenged the children and youth to emulate these qualities as they progress spiritually and develop personally. You may recall this passage as a central component of the favorite childhood and Sunday School story, “Daniel in the Lion’s Den.” Did your imagination run wild trying to figure the number of lions? How did the angel actually shut the mouths of the hungry lions? Did Daniel sleep well considering that he used a roaring and hungry lion as a pillow? Nevertheless, such questions shift the story’s primary focus away from Daniel’s persistent practice of prayer, confidence in his personality and history as a Hebrew, adherence to his spiritual principles and fulfillment of his divine purpose. The coordinators and I pray that our children and youth will internalize these characteristics as pillars of fruitful ministry and personal success.

Before the issuance of the deadly and duplicitous decree of the Medes and Persians which prohibited anyone from worshipping any deity but the King of Babylon, Daniel maintains the practice of praying three times per day with his windows open toward Jerusalem. Essentially, prayer is a fundamental activity in Daniel’s life. The Jewish posture for prayer entailed standing on one’s feet, bowing one’s head in reverence (no human being can look directly into the face of God) and extending one’s hands outward with the palms up as a symbol of expectancy. In contrast, Daniel bows his knees as a sign of his submissiveness to the will of God. Daniel humbles himself and genuinely seeks the assistance of Almighty God. In as much as Daniel turns toward Jerusalem, perhaps he petitions God for the return of the Hebrew people to Jerusalem and restoration of the kingdom to its former glory similar to the reign of King David. In accordance with the tradition of his forebears, Daniel appeals to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to liberate His chosen people once again. For that reason, Daniel naturally disobeyed the decree to embrace idolatrous emperor worship. Prayer empowers Daniel to resist and further yields his perseverance in civil disobedience despite the danger he faces. Had he not maintained the thrice daily discipline of prayer, Daniel possibly would have abandoned the principles of his faith and kowtowed to the idolatrous decree.

Daniel’s self-confidence as a devoted Hebrew is quite admirable. Although he holds a high-ranking position in the Babylonian government, Daniel withstands the powerful political and social forces of acculturation. His thorough knowledge of his culture, language and tradition forges an unrelenting pride in Israel’s God and himself. A noted theological author suggests “A person without a history is a person without a personality.” In daring to emulate Daniel’s example, children and youth can find character, inner strength, and personal determination by learning and studying the “great” people of their own heritage. They do not have to conform to peer pressure. Rudyard Kipling’s immortal poem, “If,” challenges his son. “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you.” Daniel’s self-assurance is not prideful, although he is a very proud Hebrew. His self-acceptance of his Hebraic history and theology empowers Daniel to stand firm against the Babylonian seduction to be “one of the good Jews” who compromises his values in exchange for miniscule monetary, social and political gain. Today’s children and youth can foster a similar internal resolve to refuse the delinquency of their contemporaries if they invest time and discipline in mining the riches of their pasts.

Steadfastly, Daniel follows the monotheistic principles of Judaism. The God of Israel, Yahweh, describes Himself in the Ten Commandments as a “jealous God who will have no other gods before Him.” The durable oral culture and transmission of this teaching survive the Babylonian sacking of Jerusalem in 587 BCE. Daniel realizes that he cannot serve two gods: Yahweh and the king of Babylon. Furthermore, Daniel refuses to engage in syncretism, blending his Hebraic faith with the secular and civil religion of Babylon. Adolescents face the challenge of practicing biblical teachings rather than conforming to the dictates of popular culture. Are they Christians who happen to be American youth first and foremost or are they youth who live in the United States and happen to be Christians? Many adults have a similar dilemma when determining their ultimate allegiance. Do American civil religion, scientific advancement, technological progress and secular, humanistic principles of the bulging global economy supersede the enduring and historical principles of Christianity? The life of Daniel teaches us how to be faithful to our God and His teachings regardless of world philosophies, international laws and worldwide events.

Finally, the sum of Daniel’s stalwart faith, personality and principles prepare him to fulfill his divinely ordained purpose. He leads the Israelite exiles during one of the most trying periods of their history. The captivity which began with the wholesale destruction of King Solomon’s glorious temple nearly annihilated the entire history, religion, language, culture and literature of the Hebrew people. The Babylonian government had a specific objective of carrying away the Hebrew “middle class.” Targeting the “formally educated” and the artisans significantly compounded this seminal threat to the nation of Israel. Had Daniel succumbed to the temptation to assimilate, he would have contributed indirectly but greatly to the loss of his culture. In complete contrast, Daniel unwaveringly serves the God of his forebears and in so doing he leads Israel’s faithful remnant in preserving their heritage by transmitting the heretofore oral culture into a written one which is a bequest to their posterity.