How Daniel Shows Us a Better Path Even When Life Is Difficult

Posted on Apr 02, 2024 Topic : Men's Christian Living, Prophecy, Women's Christian Living
Posted by : Amir Tsarfati

The Babylonians swept through Jerusalem like a tornado. Death, destruction, and loss trailed behind them. By the time Daniel and his friends began their long trek to the capital city, they had nothing left of their former lives. And when I say nothing, I don’t just mean they lost their possessions and their comfortable royal lives. After a tornado hits, at least there is the hope that between insurance money and some help from the government, people can rebuild their homes and their businesses. Maybe life can one day get back to normal again.

But for Daniel’s gang, normal was a state of being that no longer existed. They had been in the line of nobility to become somebody in the nation of Judah. They were being groomed for high positions, name recognition, and a life of power in their line of service. Those dreams were now shattered, and all that faced them was an uncertain future that might include slavery, servitude, or possibly a quick death.

One has to believe that the question of “Why?” crossed Daniel’s mind. Why would God have allowed a heathen nation like Babylon to invade and enslave God’s chosen people? But because of Daniel’s upbringing, the answer to this seemingly huge conundrum was quite easy. Daniel was brought up with a knowledge of the Word of God. He would be familiar with the warnings of the prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah. Being within the royal circle, he had seen how the kings since the days of Josiah had rebelled against the God of their fathers and were following pagan deities. What had been promised since the days of Moses was coming to pass. If the nation rebelled, God would bring punishment. And, as so often happens, the children were about to pay the price for the sins of their fathers.

Daniel and his friends could have been angry at God and bitter against the generations that came before them. That is how so many people react when they are innocent victims of other people’s sins. And, for those who have been victimized, it is totally understandable that they may descend into long-lasting anger and depression. But what Daniel shows us is that there is a better path. There is a way that lifts one up, rather than letting past circumstances grind one into the ground. It is the way of hope, the way of faith, the way of God.