- Completeness can’t be constructed by human effort; it is a gift of God. It is divine power via grace.
Imagine having your whole life before you; you and your friends are the best and brightest in all the land. Suddenly, your nation is toppled and you are enslaved, forced into serving pagans.
What to do?
Be complete. The first chapter of Daniel finds Daniel and his friends – Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego – beginning a re-training program under wicked foreign regime. Because of the egregious sins of their nation Judah, they must submit to a harsh new reality. At the palace, the young men are served foods that directly conflict with the dietary rules under which they, as faithful Jews, have been raised. Daniel balks. At his own peril, he takes a bold stand.
Put us to the test for ten days, he proposes. Let us eat plants and drink water and then see if we are not performing better than what you anticipate.
Here’s the deal. The writer of Daniel uses the word “ten” repeatedly in the next several sentences. Ten days…ten days…ten days…the king found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in his kingdom.
“Ten” – one of the Hebrew numbers of completeness, of fullness. These four guys are “tens” – complete people – who are about ready to run into the powerbrokers of the culture. So…what will happen when completeness meets power?
In chapter two the completeness meets the intimidation of total control and power. By the end of the chapter, the control and power man, King Nebuchednezzar, is flat on his face before Daniel, lavishing gifts and honor on him and putting his friends in charge of the affairs of Babylon. Completeness meets power. Completeness wins.
In chapter three Nebuchednezzar commands these complete men to fall down and give homage to his golden statue. They refuse and are thrown into a fiery furnace. At the end of the chapter Nebuchednezzar is giving praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, promotes them to higher posisions, and decrees a death penalty to any who speak against Yahweh. Completeness meets power. Completeness wins.
In chapter four Daniel warns the mighty king to repent and practice righteousness and mercy. The king refuses and ends up eating grass as a beast in the field. When his sanity and position are eventually restored, he praises and extols the King of heaven. Completeness meets power. Completeness wins.
In chapter five another king of Babylon is partying away when mysterious handwriting appears on the wall. Daniel interprets its meaning and in return is clothed with purple and a chain of gold placed around his neck. Completeness meets power. Completeness wins.
Finally, in the sixth chapter, Daniel is cast into a lion’s den, but God preserves his life. Upon his release, his accusers are thrown in with a more dire result, and the king decrees that the Babylonians are to tremble and fear the God of Daniel. Thus Daniel prospers. Completeness meets power. Completeness wins.
We live in a world where many people engage in the endless pursuit of money, influence, sex, and power. In contrast, our goal should be the completeness displayed by Daniel and his friends. It can’t be constructed by human effort; it is a gift of God. It is divine power via grace.
And it is also exceedingly rare. Pity, because in the end…completeness always wins.
Matt Friedeman
