We are continuing on in our study of character traits of great leaders. Last week we talked about how leaders must be submissive. Today we are going to look at a group of boys who knew that to be a good leader, they must stand firm in truth. 

In the days when Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, took the people of Judah captive, there lived four boys who were young, from the royal family, without blemish, and good looking. While the Babylonians took many more boys who fit this description into captivity, only four stood out among the rest. Why? Because they refused to submit to rules they knew went against the truth of what God had told them to do. 

Standing Firm From the Beginning

From the very beginning Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, and Daniel all said no to doing things different from the way God had taught them. It all started with food. Today, what we eat seems to be a trivial thing. God freed us to eat whatever we want after Jesus conquered sin and death. However, in the time of these boys what you ate was a matter of great importance. You see in the Jewish law certain foods were prohibited to be eaten by God.  

So when these boys found themselves much like Joseph from last week, a slave to the king, they were expected to eat the food the king provided. Unfortunately for these boys, the food given to them by the king was all food they weren’t allowed to eat. They now had a choice. Do they defy the king and risk death, or defy God and lose his favor and protection? I am sure the decision wasn’t easy. 

The Choice

These boys decided favor with God was more important than favor with the king. They understood the verse in Proverbs 29:25 (ESV), “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.” They choose to trust God to give them favor with the people in charge of them. These boys chose to stand for the truth of what God said to them. They knew they would be safe because they chose to trust in the LORD.

“But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs, and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my Lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king.” Daniel 1:8-10 (ESV)

The Test

“Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, “Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king’s food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see.” So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days. At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king’s food. So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.” Daniel 1:11-16 (ESV)

They Were Blessed

These four boys chose to be bold, and God rewarded them for it. In fact at the end of their time learning all they needed to learn, the Bible says that there was “none found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.” In fact they were “ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in all his (Nebuchadnezzar’s) kingdom.“

“As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom.” Daniel‬ ‭1:17-20‬ ‭(ESV)‬‬ 

The Next Test

Time passed and one night King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream about a statue. You can read the whole story in Daniel 2. For our purposes just know this statue represented his kingdom and kingdoms to come. King Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom was represented by a golden head. This gave him the idea of creating a giant statue made of gold from head to toe. He then wanted everyone in his kingdom to worship this statue. By this time Daniel was off doing something different from Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, which were now known as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 

Now these guys have a choice to make. Do they obey God or the king? You likely know the story. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego all chose to obey God no matter the consequence. Even when the king threatened to send them into the fiery furnace, they still stood firm in the truth. My favorite quote from this passage is, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” ‭‭Daniel‬ ‭3:16-18‬ ‭(NIV)‬‬ (emphasis added)

Their Confidence Was In God

They had such confidence in God. They knew he was able to miraculously save them from someone as powerful as King Nebuchadnezzar. These men recognized they ultimately were to answer to God, not any man, no matter how powerful that man was on earth. My favorite part is when they say, “Our God can save us from you, but even if he doesn’t, we will never bow down to your idol.” They were willing to lay everything on the line to stand firm in the truth of what God says. They knew it was against the law of God to worship any image or anything other than the one true God. These guys were willing to break the law of the land in order to not break the law of God. 

As you probably know, God did save them from the fiery furnace. Yes, they were thrown into the furnace, but Jesus was in there with them, protecting them from any harm. Their God did save them and proved he was more powerful than King Nebuchadnezzar. 

Daniel’s Test

Years later we see Daniel also boldly stand for truth when people conspired against him to kill him. King Nebuchadnezzar was long gone at this point. His “great” kingdom had been taken over by the Medes and Persians. King Darius became king over the people in Babylon. Darius made Daniel a leader in the kingdom, along with 119 others. The other guys became jealous of Daniel and wanted to find a way to get rid of him. Unfortunately for them, they couldn’t find anything he ever did wrong. They decided to come up with a plan to force him to do wrong. They convinced the king to sign a law making it illegal to pray to anyone except the king for 30 days. The king foolishly agreed to this and signed the law. 

Now Daniel had a choice just like his friends had all those years ago. Does he stop praying for 30 days, or continue to pray to the one true God? The punishment for disobeying this law was to be thrown into the lion’s den. You would be eaten by a lion for praying to the one true God. You are likely familiar with this story as well and know he chose to continue to pray to God, just as he always had done. 

“When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.” ‭‭Daniel‬ ‭6:10‬ (‭ESV)‬‬

What Was He Thinking

Daniel likely knew he would be caught disobeying the new law. Just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, he chose to obey God. I’m sure he thought of his friends and recalled how God saved them from the furnace. I wonder if he thought, “My God can save me from the hungry lions. Even if he doesn’t, I will never stop talking to him.” 

As you may know, Daniel’s enemies turned him in to the king for praying to the one true God. King Darius was forced to throw Daniel into the lion’s den. Just as God had saved Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego all those years before, God saved Daniel from the hungry lions. He spent the night with the lions and never even got a scratch from them. I bet he stayed really warm that night!

The Next Morning

“Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?”

Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.”  Daniel‬ ‭6:19-24‬ (‭ESV‬‬)

Leading By Example

Because Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego chose to stand firm in the truth of what God commands from the very beginning, they were able to stand firm in that same truth when their very lives were on the line. Although they were in captivity, they were still able to lead others by their example. They stood firm in truth and allowed God to do miracles as a result. Each time these men stood firm in the truth, God protected them and blessed them. Each time, they were promoted to lead others and even had the opportunity to lead the kings. Their actions showed the kings that the God they served was more powerful than the kings themselves. They were then able to lead the king into the truth of who God really is. 

What Truth Do You Stand On

What is the truth God is asking you to stand firm in? Do you trust God to protect you from harm if you stand up for that truth? Are you willing to lay down your very life to stand by the convictions God has placed inside you? 

Perhaps God has shown you the truth of what is in the Covid shots, and the motivation of the people forcing these shots on people. Has he told you not to take the shot? Are you being threatened with the loss of your job if you don’t comply? Know this, the God of Daniel, ​Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is the same God of today. God is able to save you from the hands of these misguided people. Even if he doesn’t, you will still be provided for. After all God is your provider, not a job. 

It may not be these mandates you need to stand firm in. Maybe you are being pressured to cut corners. Are you being pressured to do things you know isn’t approved by God? Stand firm, my friend. Be a leader for everyone around you. Show them just what a true Christian looks like. Remember, those who trust in the Lord are safe. If you trust in people more than God, you will find yourself in a trap. 

Let’s pray for God to fill us with boldness to stand up for the truth of what he says. 

Prayer:

Father, you are my provider, and you’ve given me everything I need for life and godliness. You’ve given me strength to stand through the fire. You are faithful to provide a way of escape in every temptation, which allows me to endure to the end. Just as Jesus said, “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Thank you for saving me: body, soul, and spirit. Thank you for delivering me from the molestation of my enemies.

I call upon you for my salvation, O Lord, and you are the one who will save me from all my fears. You are my refuge and my strength; you are my ever present help in times of trouble. Your perfect love casts out all fear in my life, and you perfect me in love. Even when I’m walking through life’s darkest valley, you are with me, and you show me that death is but a shadow. You comfort me and give me peace. In you I am more than a conqueror. I am an overcomer through my Savior Jesus Christ. It’s in his name and identity that I pray! Amen!