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Daniel was imbued with the spirit of Jesus Christ, and he pleaded that the wise men of Babylon should not be destroyed. The followers of Christ do not possess the attributes of Satan, which make it a pleasure to grieve and afflict the creatures of God. They have the spirit of their Master who said, "I am come to seek and to save that which was lost. I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." Had Daniel possessed the same quality of religious zeal which is so quickly inflamed today in the churches, and men are led by it to afflict and oppress and destroy those who do not serve God after their prescribed plan, he would have said to Arioch, "These men who claim to be wise men, are deceiving the king. They have not the knowledge they claim to have, and should be destroyed. They dishonor the God of heaven, they serve idols, and their lives in no way do honor to God; let them die; but bring me in before the king and I will show unto the king the interpretation." {CC 251.3} {YI, November 22, 1894 par. 4} |
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Position and influence, be they ever so exalted, should not be made an excuse for misappropriating the Lord's goods. The special favors of God should stimulate us to render wholehearted and affectionate service to Him; but many who are thus blessed forget the Giver, and become reckless, defiant, and profligate. They dishonor the God of heaven, and wield an influence that curses and destroys their associates. They do not seek to lessen the sufferings of the needy. They do not build up the work of God. They do not seek to redress the wrongs of the innocent, to plead the cause of the widow and the orphan, or to reveal a lofty pattern of character before high and low, showing a spirit of beneficence and virtue. But on the contrary, they oppress the hireling; they keep back by fraud the just recompense for labor, cheat the innocent, rob the widow, and heap up treasure corroded with the blood of souls. They will have to render an account at the bar of God. This class are not doing the will of the Father in heaven, and they will hear the stern command, "Depart from Me, ye that work iniquity."-- R. & H, Feb. 14, 1888. {CS 127.3} {RH, February 14, 1888 par. 8} |
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But God decreed otherwise. Not all had bowed the knee to the idolatrous symbol of human power. In the midst of the worshipping multitude there were three men who were firmly resolved not thus to dishonor the God of heaven. Their God was King of kings and Lord of lords; they would bow to none other. {PK 506.2} |
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The worship of the image which the king had set up, was made the established religion of the country. But the Hebrew children were determined not to dishonor the God of heaven, who made the world, and all things that are therein. Their God was the King of kings and Lord of lords, and they would serve him, at whatever cost. {ST, September 2, 1897 par. 3} |
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We may expect, from the history that is given us of Daniel, that God would work for us as He did for Daniel. Daniel purposed in his mind that he would not comply with any condition that would in any way weaken his physical powers so that he could not give glory to God. Now if he had yielded to that very first test--to have eaten at the king's table--then he would have yielded to the second test. Had he said, "It is a very small matter whether I pray in secret or whether I pray openly to God and it is convenient for me to obey the command," then the Lord could not have let His blessing rest upon him in such a remarkable degree. But here is wherein Daniel saw God could be honored; that he, as a representative of God, must keep the living God exalted above all as the One who could give wisdom and power. Here was an opportunity for him to show to all from whence came his strength, and that man could not come in between him and his God; therefore he did not accommodate himself to the circumstances at all, but he placed himself in the position that he would lose his life rather than dishonor the God of heaven in any way. And we see that God honored Daniel with wisdom and understanding more than all the astrologers and magicians that were in the king's palace. And notwithstanding a gaping lion's den was open before him, yet he would repair to his tent and worship God there. {10MR 91.1} |
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What excuses have we today that we are not in harmony with the laws of God's government? And what excuse can we render in the day of God for the disobedience of His requirements? Will you say "The whole world was in disobedience to the law of God, and I thought I would not be singular"? In that day, this excuse will not be accepted. You may present excuses now, but you will not venture to present them before the judge of all the earth, for just as soon as the books are opened and the characters that are written there are brought out, every mouth will be stopped, for the guilt of all stands as plainly revealed to themselves as to God. Everyone then will see just where he departed from the right way. Everyone will then discern the influence he had upon his fellow-men by his own departure from God's righteousness, to turn them away from the ways of truth and right. Everyone then will understand just what he did to dishonor the God of heaven by breaking His law. {1SAT 27.1} |
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