Two presidents and a hundred and twenty princes could find no fault with Belteshazzar whom we know as Daniel the Prophet. That's a pretty good track record. Daniel is ninety years old and no political opponents can pick his bones. Wouldn't you love to have his autograph and have your picture taken with him? I would.
No matter how well you live, the political arena may try to take off your head. We have the same old corrupt human nature strutting itself today and elections don't do away with corrupt human nature. You can depend on many politicians to do one thing: to look out for number one. Not all are like that but many are.
All of these men were in agreement and all were against him. Unless they could contrive some charge against him concerning the law of his God, they would have to put up with him until he died of "much older age." Although that might not be long, another week of this despicable Jew was more than they could bear. Rage is hard to deal with and collective rage is almost impossible to deal with.
Please don't check me out as close as they checked out Daniel the Prophet. Although my grandmother named me after this man, I'm afraid I could not begin to walk in his shadow. When people resort to taking you down because you live for God and try to go by His book, count on them to twist the titles they apply to you and to exaggerate how "unreasonable" you are. Just make sure they cannot charge you with real wrong doing.
Paul said to Timothy: Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity (1Timothy 4:12).
Peter said: Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may be your good works, which they shall behold, gloryify God in the day of visitation (1Peter 2:12).
Nevertheless, there is no ironclad guarantee from God that men will always judge you righteously or will always be ashamed when they are confronted with righteousness. Stephen concludes his address to the Sanhedrin and sealed his own doom: Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers;(Acts 7:52).
Foxes Book of Martyrs marshals the multiple accounts of godly Christians sealing their witness with their death at the hands of their accusers.
The account of Daniel's life in this situation makes for fruitful study. It is an introduction to the subject and not a full treatment. When people stand for God in trying circumstances, some live and are promoted and some pay the price of imprisonment and death. God uses either outcome for His glory and to further his purposes.
Are you living for God in such a way that men would have to attack your God and your God's Word to put you down?
Let the word of Christ dwell in richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in
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