1 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom; 2 And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage. 3 Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. 4 Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. 5 Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God. 6 Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever. 7 All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. 8 Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. 9 Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree. 10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. (Dan 6:1-10)
I was reminded of this splendid little inspiring hymn by the Rev. Pearson Olweny of Kisumu, Kenya, in an message I received from him very late last evening. I was struck with the need for many Daniel’s of our day and for our present times in America. Though sung in churches mostly as a child’s hymn, I see no reason why a child’s hymn should not appeal and apply to adults just as much as to children; in fact, this hymn calls for manly courage, not childish fad. The hymn lyrics and its music were composed by the famous hymn writer, Philip Paul Bliss, in 1873. It singing was prohibited to be sung in Turkey by edict of the Sultan of that country according to Ira Sankey – another great hymnist. He wrote many well-known hymns, including “Almost Persuaded,” “Hallelujah, What a Saviour!,” “Brightly Beams our Father’s Mercy,” “Wonderful Words of Life,” and the tune for Horatio Spafford’s “It Is Well with My Soul.”
The character and Christian testimony of Philip Bliss is at least equal to his talent as a hymn writer. His hymns often were those that exalted the Christian character and, I believe, mirrored the soul of Philip Bliss. His hymns and songs were never copyrighted, and he gave all of his royalties to charity though he himself was poor. He died suddenly in a railway disaster at Ashtabula, Ohio, on December 30, 1876. Though he survived the accident, he perished trying to save his wife, Lucy, who also died there.
DARE TO BE A DANIEL
Standing by a purpose true,
Heeding God’s command,
Honor them, the faithful few!
All hail to Daniel’s band!
Refrain:
Dare to be a Daniel,
Dare to stand alone!
Dare to have a purpose firm!
Dare to make it known.
Many mighty men are lost,
Daring not to stand,
Who for God had been a host
By joining Daniel’s band.
Many giants, great and tall,
Stalking through the land,
Headlong to the earth would fall,
If met by Daniel’s band.
Hold the Gospel banner high!
On to vict’ry grand!
Satan and his hosts defy,
And shout for Daniel’s band.
REFRAIN: “Dare to be a Daniel, Dare to stand alone! Dare to have a purpose firm! Dare to make it known.” The life of Daniel epitomizes the virtues of faith, courage, and wisdom. We have all read the account of Daniel being cast into the lion’s den by a reluctant king, and surviving; but we often forget what events led up to that event. Daniel was the first ranking of three leaders set over the Princes of Persia under King Darius at Babylon. This evoked great jealousy and covetousness from the remaining two leaders of the 120 Princes. They sought how they might destroy Daniel by exposing his faith in the one true God. The account is found in the introductory text above. Please note that Daniel took no account of personal dangers when it came to serving his God. He saw no such barrier, as many do today, to bringing his faith with him into the halls of power and government. There was not then, as there is not now, any such “Separation Clause” of his constitution (or ours)! He did not cringe under the boot of tyranny, but continue to openly practice his duties of faith and worship. He made his faith KNOWN. Have we?
“ Standing by a purpose true, Heeding God’s command, Honor them, the faithful few! All hail to Daniel’s band!” When King Darius was tricked into making a decree that would, unintentionally on his part, result in the casting of Daniel into the lion’s den, Daniel was not phased at all. According to the government (King’s) decree, anyone who would seek counsel of any God or man other than the king for thirty days should be cast into the lion’s den. Many TODAY Christians would be tempted to relent from praying for only thirty days to avoid the wrath of mammon, but not Daniel. When he heard the news, he immediately went home, as was his custom, opened his windows and prayed where any passers-by could see. He stood, like a red-blooded man or woman, upon the sure promises of God and not the whims of man or governments.
“Many mighty men are lost, Daring not to stand, Who for God had been a host By joining Daniel’s band.” There are many today whose character and reputation seem to commend them to a higher service in standing up to the errors of false religion or an over-reaching tyrannical government. They are sound in mind and strong in body, yet they slink away to the dark chambers when called upon to challenge powers that are in open rebellion to God. Reluctance and hesitation in the face of the enemy assures defeat and destruction. There will never be a great number standing with those who stand on the side of the LORD, but numbers are not necessary with the LORD. He constitutes a victorious power if only a Daniel will stand erect to the battle. “Many giants, great and tall, Stalking through the land, Headlong to the earth would fall, If met by Daniel’s band.” Only one smooth stone – AND LITTLE DAVID – was required to down a giant. Only a small stone of faith, AND YOU, are required to down the giants that stalk our land today. Once he is down, we are prepared for others as was David in selecting FIVE smooth stones – one for Goliath, and four more for his brothers. But Daniel stood against the multiple giants of Persia, and he did it ALONE!
“Hold the Gospel banner high! On to vict’ry grand! Satan and his hosts defy, And shout for Daniel’s band.” There is nothing more inspiring to the soldier on the battlefield than to meet an enfilading fire from the enemy, but to then look forward to see his ensign held aloft by the standard-bearer. If the ensign leads the battle line, so can the trailing soldier bear faith to carry on. The enemy we face is ruthless and will take no quarter. We need only take heart in the God of Battles and know that the victory is sure and that it belongs to Him.
We are building a wall and a bulwark of sure defense in our land when we stand, without fear or compromise, on the word of God. Even when the wall is not finished, it yet serves as a defense against the wiles of the devil. When the walls of Jerusalem were being rebuilt after the Babylonian bondage, the enemy sought to destroy them, and their builders. But the walls are not just for our own defense, but for that of our loved ones to follow: “And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses. And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work.” (Neh 4:14-15)
