“If we are not willing to stand up and do what is right we are going to fail as a nation.” — Robert Paugh Jr. It is sad to say that his words are coming to fruition in our once great country. According to the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), the United States ranks 10th in science, 6th in reading, and 26th in math among 81 countries as of 2022.

We not only are failing in academia but also in leadership. We all heard about Super Bowl champ Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker who spoke at Benedictine College. He spoke about the dignity of life, masculinity, and the most important role of all: motherhood. He said in part we must take a stand.

“The chaos of the world is unfortunately reflected in the chaos in our parishes”. I would add …in our churches. He stated that people and leaders showed by their actions that they have no courage to take a stand. It took courage and sacrifice for Robert and Harrison to take a stand for what is right. That takes character, something we need to infuse into this generation and for the sake of future leaders.

Martin Luther once wrote, “Good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. Most talents are, to some extent, a gift. Good character, by contrast, is not given to us. We have to build it piece by piece—by thought, choice, courage and determination.

For a Christian, there can be no other position: character does count, and morality—both when private and public—it is essential in our lives and our leaders. We need righteous men and women to take a stand for truth. Prov. 14:34
Righteousness exalted a nation: but sin [is] a reproach to any people.

The character of a nation is based upon the character of its people. That translated into great leaders. American founding father Samuel Adams expounded on this Biblical principle when he explained: There is seldom an instance of a man guilty of betraying his country that had not before lost the feeling of moral obligations”.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon once said, “A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you, and were helped by you, will remember you when forget-me-nots are withered. Carve your name on hearts and not on marble”.
If we are lacking in character, blaming our circumstances for our weaknesses is just like blaming the mirror for the way we look. Instead of casting blame, we need to cast a new mold. We need to keep chipping away at our faults. God has provided a way through Christ his Son. —gospel

This lack of morals and character has affected our nation and we are getting accustomed to the visceral. We are getting to comfortable living the lies the devil is propagating and settling for a more evil society. It wasn’t much different in Daniel’s day. He had been in public service for about sixty-five years and his worst enemies could not find anything good to say about him. .
Everybody knows the story of Daniel and the lion’s den. It was Daniel taking a stand and making a sacrifice to do what was right that got him throw into the Lions dens. That is the focus of my sermon this morning.

I Daniel Promoted to President. (6:1-3).
1. It is believed that Darius the Mede ruled Babylon under the authority of Cyrus the Persians. Ancient Babylonian texts refer to him as the governor of Babylon. He sets up 120 princes to help him rule Babylon in 538 BC. There is a multiplicity of leaders. Therefore he placed three presidents or commissioners over them. They were to supervise the work of these officials and the collecting of taxes. Daniel’s promotion was not without its difficulties and challenges.

2. It wasn’t long until the other rulers turned against Daniel. It may have been spawn by envy, or just evil greed. We note in verse # 2 that Daniel is one of three leaders and he is the first. Note Daniel’s rise to power under Darius did not rest upon his remarkable accomplishments of the past. We are told Daniel began distinguishing himself among the commissioners and Persian governors because of the “extraordinary spirit” he possessed.

Darius recognized not only Daniel’s wisdom but his integrity and faithfulness. Here was a man he could trust in a leadership position who would not cause him to “suffer loss.” Darius planned to promote Daniel, placing him in charge of all the commissioners and the princes.

3. The context of verse #3 supplies the reason for their distress. Daniel would impede there ability for corruption…. You see the King was aware that with all these leaders he couldn’t tell who had their hand in the tilt from the taxes of the empire. They could neither corrupt Daniel nor deceive him. If he were to rise above them, they could not continue in their corruption… What can we learn from the advancement of Daniel in a foreign and wicked court?

Application:
Daniel is proof that you can live a godly life amidst corruption but it takes character and morals. There has not been another time in our history when evil has gripped this nation. However, we can achieve success without compromising our value, but that depends on your definition of success. This idea that you have to cheat and steal and lie to be successful is sinful. If this concept is true, no Christian should want these allocates of society that much that – he or she would sell out their convictions for such status. –Proverbs 10: 2
Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death.

II Daniel Faced Adversity (6:4-9)

1. Daniel honesty and integrity caused him to suffer adversity, like Robert and Harrison in our opening introduction. In verse 4 they sought an occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom, but they found none! His work is such that not even his enemies can bring a charge against him. His flawless faithfulness to the king and his obedience to the laws of the land forces his enemies to pass a new law aimed directly at him and for his demise. The only fault to be found with Daniel is that he is a man of God.

2. These den of liars began their conspiracy. We will suffer adversity at the hands of the wicked, but remember God has the final say. They conspired to keep Daniel from the promotion the king planned to carry out in the near future. Daniel surpassed them in his wisdom, his character, and his standing with the king. Keeping Daniel from rising above them and ruling over them would be no easy task. They wanted him dead…that was their plan.

3. These politicians, skilled in corruption, saw an end to their positions and profits should Daniel be appointed over them. Yet, as hard as they tried to find fault for accusing Daniel to the king, they could not. Daniel was the only Jew among them & they tried to oust him from office by passing a new law forbidding anyone to pray to any god except the king for 30 days. When they couldn’t criticize the job he was doing, they attacked his faith. Sound familiar? Note what is said in verse #5 concerning the law of his God.

4. Verse 6 states. “they assemble” this is too calm of a word. The Aramaic verb “rĕgash” means to gather with a disorderly and riotous throng. These liars begins their evil work. They resort to two of the oldest weapons in the devil’s toolbox; namely falsehoods and flattery. To do this, the conspirators found it necessary to deceive the king in the first lie. Their deception led the king to conclude that Daniel too agreed with their proposal, the second lie. They were totally disingenuous. They were using flattery to distract the king…they made him a god for 30 days. They insisted the decree be a law of the Medes / Persians so it could not be revoked.

III Daniel Remain Faithful & Perseveres (6:10-14).
1) The king himself wanted to change the law, but as a law of the Medes and the Persians, it could not be revoked. Daniel knew his needs were daily need and that he should petition God daily for those needs. Petitions could not be delayed. If Daniel ceased to pray, Daniel would have sinned against his God. He would have broken God’s law in order to obey man’s laws.

2) Daniel continued praying to the Lord, despite the law against prayer. Daniel was a Jew, and as a Jew he worship and pray to the One True God, which he did, three times a day. Daniel’s character was so well established that his enemies knew he would continue praying despite the new law.

I believe Daniel consistently prayed toward Jerusalem three times a day for the more than seventy years of his sojourn in Babylon. This meant his window would be open and he would be visible when he prayed. He prayed publicly, in defiance of the law of the Medes and the Persians, because he believed there was no other choice. His prayer life was so consistent they could literally pick the time to gather outside his window to catch him in prayer.

3) When his critics saw this they ran to tell the king that Daniel had broken the law. Although it was no great accomplishment to catch Daniel in prayer, the conspirators approached the king very carefully with this news. Accusing a man of the king’s favor was dangerous. They began by asking the king about the law which had just gone into effect. He reiterated that he had indeed passed the law forbidding any petition be made except to him.

4) He further acknowledged that the penalty for breaking this law was to be cast into the lion’s den. Only at this point did the conspirators shock the king with the announcement that Daniel has been found violating this very law. No one is above the law…right? They declared he was persisting in violating this law, showing in their minds complete disregard for the king and his authority.

5) The unsuspecting king signed the decree into law never realizing its implications for Daniel. The conspirators refused to be put off by the king’s resistance. After spending the day seeking to arrange Daniel’s release, they returned and reminded the king the law Daniel had broken was a “law of the Medes and the Persians” and thus irrevocable. Essentially, they told the king he had no choice. He was bound by the law. How many good people are in jail or even dead because they were lie on? These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A false witness that speaketh lies. Proverbs 16:16,19

Conclusion:

In conclusion I quote Harrison speech, “But if we are going to be men and women for this time in history, we need to stop pretending that the “Church of Nice” is a winning proposition. We must always speak and act in charity, but never mistake charity for cowardice.” Take a stand, be counted for truth.

Men you are to take the lead…in the home and in the workplace and in the church. But we have allowed the evil critic to silent us. “Part of what plagues our society is this lie that has been told to you that men are not necessary in the home or in our communities. As men, we set the tone of the culture, and when that is absent, disorder, dysfunction, and chaos set in. This absence of men in the home is what plays a large role in the violence we see all around the nation. Be unapologetic in your masculinity, fighting against the cultural emasculation of men.”