Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever. My God
hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt
me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O
king, have I done no hurt. –
Daniel 6.21-22
‘Honour the king’ Peter writes to the believers
scattered abroad by persecution. Honouring the king is a tough thing to do when
the king is a bad man. How do we do that?
Daniel shows us how. The king had just had him thrown
into a den of lions. He had been tricked by his advisors and regretted his
decision. He could not sleep that night and when morning came he went to see
how Daniel had done.
Daniel could have been angry and lashed out. He was,
after all, God’s man. But look how he started his comments – ‘O king, live
forever.’
The Bible teaches a lot of very practical things. This
is a very clear Bible principle that a lot of believers neglect. Here he is,
down with the lions, looking up at the king who put him there, and he says ‘O
king live forever.’ He is honouring the man who signed his death warrant.
This is hard for me as anyone. I love politics and I am
quick to be critical of leaders who fail. Honest, respectful, humble
disagreement is one thing. I have no room though to mock or belittle leaders or
call them names.
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