"Flawless or faithful?"
Then the presidents and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. (Daniel 6:4 ESV)
Daniel doesn't seem real.
Almost every person in the Bible has some imperfections (Jesus being the obvious exception). Abraham got ahead of God with Hagar & had Ishmael. David was a man after God's own heart but broke most of the 10 commandments in one act. Jesus called Peter Satan. All of them give us hope because they loved & followed God but were also very human.
Daniel breaks the mold. Even this verse describes him as "faithful, and no error or fault was found in him." Really? None?
They had to devise a plan to catch Daniel, not doing some grievous action but by praying. They had to use his deep commitment to God against him. It was the only way to accuse him.
Now I'm not advocating perfectionism or saying that we can or should strive to be perfect. We won't be. We can't be. But I am overwhelmed by what we should strive for according to this passage.
Could what was said of Daniel be said about us? Could someone find fault in us if they did an audit of our lives? How hard would they have to look? Do we hide things well or are we really faithful to God?
These are the interrogating questions that fly at me when I read about Daniel. And following Jesus is a call to radical holiness. Not to perform for God but out of being made right with God we seek to live blamelessly, Daniel-like, more so, Christlike.
This life is not free of conflict, however. Daniel was thrown into a den of lions for his faithfulness to God. Following Jesus is good but never safe.
What areas could we be found faithful in? Are we willing to be faithful no matter what?
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