better... not bitter

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 1:20

Four young Hebrew captives, ripped from their homes and led away into Babylon, castrated and forced into serving the royal household, were faithful to God despite their cruel captivity. They were found to be excellent young men, the best political advisors Babylon had every known. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were living examples of God blessing obedience to Him even in hardship. Yes, they suffered in being brought to Babylon. Yes, their lives were permanently shaped by their captivity and role as slaves to privileged leaders. They were in the palace, but slaves nonetheless. But they did not turn bitter despite this life of mistreatment by jealous captors. The book of Daniel will repeatedly show us that jealous captors discriminated against them, even twisted the law of the land against them. Instead, these guys rejected being bitter and instead became better. And their faithfulness to God first is the reason that this happened.

They desired to be faithful to God’s law even as captives in the king’s court. They were allowed to honor the dietary laws of Moses (see 1:9-19) and upon examination by the king himself, were found ten times better than all his other officials. God rewarded their obedience, blessed them even in their trials, and they rose to stable positions supporting a pagan government that ultimately kept all the Jews in Babylon safe. Like Joseph in Egypt, these four young men influenced world power and God used them providentially to keep His people safe and make their world a better place.

Could that example be enlightening for Christians today? Could God ask us to be faithful in similar situations? It seems to me that in cultural captivity, believers in Jesus Christ should obey His truth personally at all costs, courteously avoid confrontational posture (Daniel used favor with his boss to propose an experiment, not demand a “right”), interact within the means we have to speak to our culture, and let God’s power and blessing be seen in the result. May the examples of these Hebrew teenagers so long ago point us to humbly follow Christ and gently, firmly interact with, answer, and serve our world with gospel clarity!