Dictionary.com<\/a>). It involves open resistance and bold disobedience. Defiance is not usually a word used to describe a Christian, because many believe that compliance and falling in line is what is expected of a child of God. Even many of those who would consider opposition to authority believe that such should be subtly demonstrated. Yet, we find in this well-loved and treasured story of Daniel a defiant act against King Darius. This story is a dramatic one which involves the jealousy of political subordinates, the vanity of a king, the integrity of a man, and the power of and preservation by God, even against wild animals.<\/p>\n\n\nDaniel had distinguished himself and was one of three leaders directly under Darius, and he shined above the other two leaders because he had an excellent spirit. Daniel had a good attitude in his work and life, and this made him the object of attack. A plot was conceived and initiated against Daniel by the governors and satraps who sought to find some charge against him. Unfortunately for them, they not could find any charge or fault against Daniel; they looked for a flaw in his actions or his character but came up empty. There were no skeletons in Daniel\u2019s closet. His enemies knew he could not be trapped into evil, but they also knew that he would be faithful to his God in all circumstances. So they had Darius sign a decree that whoever prays to anyone, divine or human, for thirty days, except the king, would be thrown into a den of lions.<\/p>\n\n\n
What would Daniel do? He was confronted with a test of loyalties. He was a loyal subject of his king, yet he knew that the King of Kings deserved a higher loyalty. Daniel refused to give to the government the measure of obedience that belonged to God alone. He knew that the safest thing he could do was to radically obey God. We ought to recognize that the power to obey God and stand for him comes from a settled understanding that God is ultimately in control. Daniel defied the king\u2019s edict, went to his house, opened his windows toward Jerusalem, got down on his knees three times a day and prayed to his God. He wouldn\u2019t hide and pray and then turn up before Darius pretending that he was obeying him. He openly and boldly disobeyed the king\u2019s orders.<\/p>\n\n\n
Daniel faced the penalty by being thrown in the den of lions. However, God honoured his faithfulness and spared him. As Darius comes out the next morning calling out to Daniel and enquiring whether God had saved him, Daniel responds that God shut the mouth of the lions so they could not harm him. Daniel is an example of obedient disobedience. Like Daniel, we are called to be defiant against anyone or anything that threatens the superior place that God has in our lives and in the world. Any person, authority or institution that seeks to lead us away from God or acts in deliberate contravention of the will, commands and purpose of God should be defied. God is sovereign and any threat to that should face our defiance and rebuke. God will honour our faithfulness! Remember, Paul\u2019s assurance in 2 Corinthians 4:9, we may be persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.<\/p>\n\n\n
Jermaine Gibson<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Monday Reflection \u2013 June 29, 2020 Defiant Daniel Daniel said: \u201cMy God sent his angel and shut the lions\u2019 mouths so that they would not hurt me.\u201d Daniel 6:22 To be defiant is to demonstrate a daring or bold resistance to authority\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"template":"","watchword_topic":[10],"class_list":["post-253","watchword","type-watchword","status-publish","hentry","watchword_topic-leadership"],"yoast_head":"\n
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