Note: post written around 9:00 Tuesday morning, right after men’s Bible study

SCRIPTURE: Somewhere around 539 BCE, the following inscription mysteriously appeared on the wall at a feast given by King Belshazzar in Babylon. Daniel was asked to translate the words:

“This is the inscription that was written:” – MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN – “Here is what these words mean: ‘God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.’” – Daniel 5:25-28

Tuesday morning at Men’s Bible Study we talked about the prophet Daniel (of “Daniel and the Lion’s Den” fame).

No, I didn’t pull together random passages from Daniel and Revelation, sprinkle the lesson with references to the latest “Second Coming” predictions and serve it up as end-times escape theology. But we did discuss how God used Daniel as an influencer and what we can learn from his story if we want to effectively serve God today.

Daniel was one of the Jewish exiles taken off to Babylon around 605 BC by Nebuchadnezzar. This was the same time the prophet Jeremiah was getting on everyone’s nerves in Jerusalem (see “I know the plans I have for you“).

Jeremiah also offered words of encouragement, and he promised the exiles that one day they would return home. But not Daniel. Daniel stayed in Babylon.

So we talked about how it was that Daniel became so influential and how he – along with his friends (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) – did not just survive but thrive, from the reign of Nebuchadnezzar through to the ascent of Cyrus and all the leaders in between.

Daniel’s secret:

Daniel simply lived right. He remained faithful to God, he took care of his body, he learned and he worked hard, and he cultivated both his curiosity and his intelligence to the extent he became recognized for his wisdom. Daniel became his best possible self and he bloomed right where he was planted.

I think it is noteworthy that Daniel did not put himself forward but instead simply served.

We live in a world where the emphasis seems to be all about self-promotion rather than service. People lie shamelessly and they invent falsehoods about others, polishing a fake image rather than virtue or actual credentials. They say things like, “I am the best, listen to me.” And, “I have all the answers.” And, “Everyone else is wrong, follow me!”

But people like Daniel – leaders who follow God with humility and grace, living to serve and seeking God with their whole heart – they say, “Not my will but yours, God;” and then, when they are asked and because they are faithful, they stand ready to help.

Every time the king asked them (Daniel et al) about something important, they showed great wisdom and understanding. The king found they were ten times better than all the magicians and wise men in his kingdom. So Daniel served the king until the first year that Cyrus was king – Daniel 1:20-21

O use me, Lord, use even me,
Just as Thou wilt, and when, and where,
Until Thy blessed face I see,
Thy rest, Thy joy, Thy glory share! - "Lord speak to me that I may speak..."

DEREK