Daniel – God's servant,

a man among the captives

advisor to kings

Daniel 1-6

Daniel is one of my favorite Bible people. Throughout his life he is a sterling example of following God regardless of the consequences. He trusted God to honor and protect him when he honored and obeyed God. Daniel was taken captive to Babylon along with many other Hebrew youth. There were more than just four Hebrew children taken to Babylon, but we read about Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo because of their uncompromising stand for their faith.

Daniel went from being “a man among the captives” (Daniel 2:25), to being a ruler in Babylon (Daniel 2:48), to being acknowledged and honored by King Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of a vast empire, for being better than every other advisor this king had (Daniel 4:9). Not every person recognized or appreciated Daniel's gifts. Belshazzar, who ruled after Nebuchadnezzar had to be reminded of who Daniel even was. When he called for Daniel he refers to him once again as “one of the captives of Judah”. Quite a demotion after decades of service to the previous king.

I don't believe Daniel worried about status. He knew from Scripture that promotion comes from the Lord. Belshazzar was defeated by the Medes and Persians and a new king, Darius, took the throne. Once again, Daniel was placed in a position of honor and once again his godly, honorable character caused him to rise to the top. He became one of three presidents or satraps directly beneath King Darius. When Daniel's fellow satraps learned of the kings plan to put Daniel in charge of them all they conspired against him. To these corrupt satraps Daniel was just “one of the captives of Judah” (Daniel 6:13).

No matter how high you rise or how many times you prove to be a person of excellence, some people will only see you as “a captive of Judah”, as someone who is less than them. Don't let that bother you. Be like Daniel and stay steady in the Lord. Continue to be a “servant of the living God” (Daniel 6:20) and leave the rest in His hands. He will protect you and support you no matter what.

Venerate: Psalm 73:25-28, Luke 22:24-27