Lessons From Daniel

 

When it comes to integrity and faithless, it’s hard to find a better biblical example than Daniel. He showed courage in the face of opposition and never lost sight of who he was, where he was, and why he was there. The example of Daniel illustrates three important ethical lessons for leaders today.

First, Daniel’s willingness to trade his personally well-being for doing what is right is an important ethical lesson. It would have been easy to take the easy way and close his windows or pray elsewhere in secret to ensure not getting caught. Or, he could have even just stopped praying for a time but this were all the easy ways out. Whenever I’ve read the story of Daniel, I have also solely focused on his personal safety but I think it’s worth considering the other Hebrews that Daniel was representing. If Daniel would have hidden his faith, how would that have affected the Jews who were powerless before the king? Daniel knew he was standing up for what was right, not only for himself, but also as an role model to those who were looking up to his example and leadership. As ministry leaders, we are certainly in the same position as Daniel and what we do, even behind close doors, matters.

Daniel’s willingness to stand alone is the alternate side of the previous point but again, another critical attribute for leaders. There was a sign that belonged to my brother that hung in our bedroom while growing up. It stated “Never confuse the will of the majority with the will of God”. There will be times in our lives when we come face to face with situations where those around us will want to do something that is unwise or even contrary to Scripture. It is in these moments that, through the strength of the Holy Spirit, we must choose to stand our ground or walk the other direction. Daniel certainly had no allies among the other governors of his day but he knew that ethically it was wrong to go back on what he knew was right. There may be situations where the organization we are a part of wants to support the LGBTQ agenda, accept a false doctrine, or turn a blind eye to a mishandling of finances. In these moments, we must choose to do what is right, even if we are alone.

The final aspect of ethics that we can see in Daniel’s life comes not from Daniel, but from King Darius. In Daniel 6:14, upon hearing of Daniel’s disobedience to the edict, King Darius was distraught and it says he searched for anyway possible to deliver Daniel. But he knew he wasn’t above the law, even his own law, and that the outcome must to left to Daniel’s God. I know this isn’t a perfect example but it brings up an important lesson; we will need to do the right thing and leave the outcome to God. Scott Waddle was the commanding officer on a naval submarine, the USS Greeneville, that surfaced after flawed procedures to verify nothing was at the surface. The result led to a collision with a fishing vessel and the death of multiple Japanese fishermen. Despite no direct fault of his own, as the commanding officer, Waddle took full responsibility for the collision even though it led to his dismissal from the Navy. The consequences may not be pretty, we could be spared like Daniel or we could face the loss of our job, reputation, or even worse. But, in the eyes of God, we will find approval, far better than what any man could give us.