Theme: Strengthening Our Faith
Topic: Living Blamelessly in a Corrupt World
Main Text: Daniel 6: 1-28
Key verse: Daniel 6: 5 “Then these men said, “We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.” (NKJV)
Introduction:
The Bible refers to Daniel unequivocally as a man with an excellent spirit amongst other outstanding character attributes. Daniel distinguished himself…because an excellent spirit was in him” (Daniel 6:3) and he was known as a man “in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God” (Daniel 5: 11). Daniel, as a young man, “purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself” in the matter of diet. This decision, made with his three Hebrew companions, about a seemingly small thing like food set the course for the rest of a faithful, fruitful life in the midst of corrupt, godless kingdom. Daniel and his three friends remained faithful to God and loyal to one another (Daniel 2: 49) resisting idolatry even in the face of death. Daniel was humble and so God exalted him. He lived blamelessly in a very corrupt, idolatrous, and hostile land. He survived false accusations, and the evil plots of treacherous, envious men determined to destroy him. Daniel served successive kings in Babylon for more than 60 years with such integrity that they each recognised that Daniel’s God was the one true God even if they themselves did not serve Him.
Q1. (1a) What does it mean to “live blamelessly”? (Job 1:1; Daniel 6:3-5; (1b) Is it possible to live blamelessly in a corrupt world? (Daniel 6:10, 21; Philippians 2: 14-15); (1c) How important is our choice of friends if we want to live blamelessly? (Proverbs 12:26; Daniel 2:17-18; 1 Corinthians 15: 33; (1d) What is Christian strength as demonstrated by Daniel? (Daniel 11: 32b).
Paragraph 2:
Daniel modelled Christlikeness. In him we see a man completely dedicated to honouring God, giving Him glory and doing His will even if it were to cost him his life. As with Jesus, wicked men reviled and falsely accused Daniel, deceiving the authorities into sentencing a blameless man to death. Our Lord said that we would have tribulation in the world (John 16:33) and Paul warns that “all who desire to live godly in Christ will suffer persecution”. Righteousness has always been costly. Most of us are unlikely to face death for our faith ( martyrdom) but we may be falsely accused, tempted to compromise our faith, be pressured by peers in school, in the workplace, or our family and social circles to adopt behaviours that offend God and conscience to “fit in”, advance our careers or other interests, and make those around us who practice such things feel comfortable. Just as Daniel made up his mind not to defile himself, we too must realise that we are “in the world, but not of it” and “purpose” to be who God has called us to be showing that we love Him by our behaviour (John 14:15; 1 John 5:3). It is a choice that we must make in the face of the lures of a carnal world.
Q2. (2a) How did Daniel face and deal with persecution? (Daniel 2:14; 6:4-5); (2b) What was Daniel’s reputation as a result? (Daniel 6: 5; Ezekiel 14: 14, 20); (2c) What lessons can we draw from Daniel’s conduct in this passage about living as disciples of Christ? (Daniel 6:10; John 4: 34).
Paragraph 3:
By the power of the Holy Spirit and with the examples recorded for us in Scripture we too can exemplify and model godliness by living blamelessly despite corruption in our school or workplace. We can impact others for good. Demonstrating total reliance on God, dwelling in His Presence and immersing oneself prayerfully in scripture ( 2Timothy 3:16-17) will together form our behaviour and reputation. (Acts 16: 2) . People spoke highly of Timothy and his character; that good reputation drew interest and mentoring from Paul so Timothy a formidable minister of the gospel. Godliness leaves a lasting impression that can either provoke others to emulate us or to envy and deride us. Cornelius in Acts 10 was not a Jew but a Roman centurion. He is described in Acts 10: 2 as “…a God-fearing man who believed in God and who with his family gave alms to the people and prayed to God always.” This was his reputation; he lived blamelessly in a corrupt world so that Peter was sent directly by God to minister salvation and water baptism to him, the Holy Spirit having baptized him and his household and followers, making them the first gentile Christians on record. Through divine intervention, revelation came to Cornelius while he was fasting and praying. It is also worth noting that Cornelius was saved along with his followers and close friends. Because he was an influencer, his devotion to God impacted lives.
Q3. (3a) How were others impacted by Daniel’s example? (Daniel 3: 28-29; 6: 26-27); (3b) What are the similarities between Daniel, Timothy, and Cornelius? (Acts 16: 2; Philippians 2: 19-22; Acts 10: 2, 30-31); (3c) Based on the discussion so far is your reputation likely to draw others to the faith? What steps can you take to live blamelessly in this corrupt world of ours?
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for the example of a life totally submitted to God that You have left us. Suffer not our hearts to stray O Lord and remind us constantly what to do and say even in trying situations that we may be as Daniel in Your sight, known for blameless living in a fallen and corrupt world, thereby impacting others, especially our friends positively. Amen