What is Christian Defiance?
Daniel Chapter 6 is probably one of the most famous Sunday school stories. It’s a story of courage in the face of opposition. It is noncompliance at its finest, but does this mean we ought to live our lives in defiance of the world? As we dig deeper into the story today, let’s analyze the nature of Daniel’s courageous ‘defiance’. He was humble, a great worker, vehemently disliked by other government leaders, but his results and work ethic told the real story. He had an excellent spirit in him that made him stand out above the rest of his peers. One could say he was set apart as in ‘Holy’. Since the spirit in him was Holy. Verse 10 describes the defiant prayer as his custom, or what we will call his habits of righteousness. Another key point to tune into was that his behavior here was normal. He wasn’t flippantly cursing the king and making a big show for everyone to see as he prayed to his God. He simply went about his business as usual.
All though he was technically a prisoner of war, Daniel served his captors well, and became a model citizen, even earning the friendship of the pagan king Darius. As Jesus commanded, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (MK 12:17) God has appointed this government over us for His purpose and glory. We recognize God’s Sovereignty when we strive to be a good citizen, until being a good citizen makes you a bad Christian. Our Testimony depends on it!
Read Daniel 6 together. What stands out most to you about Daniel’s courage?