this time, Daniel found himself cast into the den of lions; but God was with His servant

and preserved him through the danger.

Because of his faithfulness, and through that faithfulness, God had used Daniel. Then,

after about sixty eight years of faithfulness, came the first revelation to the prophet

concerning his own people and the future in relation to Gentile rule, and its climax:

three years later came the second vision. These prophecies troubled Daniel greatly (see

7: 28; 8: 27; 10: 15-17).  But what encouragement it must have been for Daniel to

hear the words: "O man, greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be

strong" (10: 19). To a man of Daniel's outlook and faithfulness it must have meant far

more than all the favour and promotion he had received from the various monarchs under

whom he had served. Much, perhaps all, of the revelations he had received, were to be

`shut up' (8: 26), or `shut up and sealed' (12: 4, 9). Only a truly faithful man could

receive such messages and `shut them up' and `seal them'. The burden would have been

too great for any whose faithfulness had not stood the test.

His faithfulness also led him to identify himself completely with his people in the

prayer and confession of chapter 9: 3-19.  For some seventy one years he had been

faithful to the Word of God, and it was "in the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus"

that he came to an understanding of the significance of "the seventy years in the

desolations of Jerusalem". Then it was that he identified himself with the nation in their

rebellion against God. To know the mind and will of God does not always bring

lightheartedness, and it may be that this accounts for the superficiality of so much

Christian thinking in our day.

Perhaps we tend to overlook the faithfulness of Daniel in comparison with the

prophecies given through him. Yet, surely, it was his faithfulness that called forth the

words "O Daniel, a man greatly beloved" (10: 11). Daniel was faithful in spite of the

pressures of circumstances; he was faithful in proclaiming the judgment of God, even to

powerful, despotic monarchs; faithful in the face of threats to his person; faithful to the

Word of God; faithful to his people. He was a rare character, even among the heroes of

faith, for nothing is recorded against him.

O, that we might hear the words spoken of us: a man, or a woman, greatly beloved.

To do so calls for faithfulness. It is comparatively easy to be faithful in one or two

spheres: Daniel was faithful in all spheres. It is comparatively easy to be faithful in

maintaining the truths of the Christian faith, it is not so easy to maintain that faithfulness

by avoiding fellowship with those who deny those truths, for there are social pressures

involved, and sometimes friendships.