Encountering Opposition
Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.” Then they answered and said before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day” (Daniel 6:12-13).
The very presence of God’s people is often perceived as a threat to the world’s agenda and desires. There was no logical reason for anyone to oppose the prophet Daniel. He had done nothing wrong. Their scheme was nothing but jealousy and selfish ambition. When the religious leaders conspired to kill Jesus, it was also done out of jealousy and a desire to protect their position and power. The Darkness hates the Light. God’s people disturb those hiding in the Darkness and this arouses their hatred and opposition. Daniel had done nothing to intentionally offend his fellows. They simply hated him for what he was and they were jealous of his position, which had actually been given to him by God. Most of what happens in the world is driven by greed, competition, and a lust for power or position. Daniel had not intentionally sought a high position for himself, but had been humbly serving God his entire life. Because of his humble obedience, God had placed Daniel in a position where he could be a spokesman for God. Daniel had faithfully served God and spoken God’s word in the courts of both Babylon and Persia, which had even earned the respect of the rulers of these great empires.
It is vital that God’s people live above reproach. Daniel had lived this way for many years and is an excellent example of godliness and integrity in Scripture. There is actually no sin recorded against Daniel in the Bible! Daniel’s enemies were so desperate to find some fault, they actually had to invent a new law that they knew Daniel could not obey while serving God. God’s people should be like Daniel! It is a great tragedy and a scandal that in our time the people who profess to be Christians are often known as hypocrites who do not live according to the truth. If God’s people are going to be persecuted, it should not be because of wrongdoing but because of godliness and taking a stand for righteousness.
“But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name” (1 Peter 4:15-16).
If we do foolish or sinful things, we cannot then count our sufferings for those actions as the sufferings of Christ. If we do not live above reproach, we will give our adversaries an opportunity to blaspheme because of our poor conduct. If we have no integrity then our witness will be meaningless. Living above reproach will not necessarily gain the admiration of everyone. In fact, it may make us some enemies, as was the case with the prophet Daniel. But if we make enemies it should not be because of doing what is wrong, but for doing what is right. Sometimes doing what is right might mean that we have to obey God rather than men.
God’s people live unto God and not for the praise of men. The only way Daniel’s enemies could catch him in something wrong was to make a law that Daniel could not keep because it would violate the law of God. This is something that should be true of God’s people today, especially in light of the greater revelation we have in Jesus and the Gospel! Since God’s people live for God, there will be times when they will be in conflict with the values and thinking of the world. The world is in conflict with God and does not submit to God’s law. This is the nature of the Flesh, or the sinful nature of mankind. As soon as we determine that we are going to live for God, we will find ourselves in opposition to the world and its system. We cannot love God and love the world at the same time (1 John 2.15-17; James 4.4). Those who only want to court the favor of the world, seeking to have the praise of men, forfeit receiving any praise from God (John 12.42-43). This does not mean that God’s people will be known as lawbreakers and rebels. However, when the world’s laws and values conflict with God, we must choose God over the world. There can be no compromise and no negotiations. When God’s people take this stance against the world and its system, they must be prepared for the opposition from the world that will almost certainly follow.
When God’s people suffer, they put themselves in the hands of God, knowing that He can deliver them if He so chooses. Daniel was sentenced to death in the lion’s den for refusing to obey the law to pray only to the king. Daniel knew the consequences of his actions, yet he did not change what he had done before. Daniel had apparently prayed every day with his window open toward Jerusalem. Perhaps this was well known to everyone who was near to Daniel. I suppose Daniel could have changed his habit of prayer and not prayed, just to avoid the penalty of breaking this new law. But Daniel refused to change his act of worship and devotion to God. Daniel chose to openly display his faith in God, even though he knew it would certainly mean capital punishment. When encountering opposition, there is almost always a strong temptation to compromise in order to avoid certain inevitable consequences. And it is possible to avoid suffering for our faith. Daniel could have avoided being thrown into the lion’s den by simply not praying that day, or praying privately where no one could see him doing it. Fear is a powerful adversary that must be conquered by faith. We do what is right in the sight of God, in spite of the consequences, trusting God to take care of us. Daniel did not know if he would live or die when he was being cast into the lion’s den. But whatever the outcome, he was trusting in God.
God’s people glorify God through life or through death. Daniel was miraculously saved from the lion’s den. But Daniel did not know beforehand what his fate would be. If Daniel had been killed by the lions, he would have died having been faithful to God and would have left an example of being faithful unto death. Many of God’s people have not been rescued from death. There are great numbers of faithful martyrs, a number still growing, who have died as a result of their service to God and the Gospel of Christ. By their deaths they glorified God and gave a testimony of their faith. At other times God chooses to deliver his servants from death so that they might continue to be in the world, glorifying God both in their deliverance and their continued testimony. And so the Apostle Paul could say “to live is Christ and to die is gain.” If we live, it is to glorify God. If we die, it is also to glorify God. We do not fear those who can only kill the body, and after that can do nothing more! After his resurrection from the dead, Jesus spoke with Peter personally:
Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me” (John 21:18-19).
We too are called to simply follow Christ, not taking any thought for our own lives in the world, knowing that if we continue to follow Him all the way, even through the opposition of this evil world, we will eventually be with Him in Glory. And all our troubles in this world are not worthy of being compared to that eternal weight of glory!
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