Throughout every generation, God’s people have faced the temptation to conform to a world that rejects His Torah. Yet history and Scripture remind us that when we abandon God’s commands, the foundation of our lives begins to crumble. Still, in the midst of darkness, the Lord becomes our light. The Book of Daniel serves as a timeless witness to this truth—calling us to faithfulness even in exile, to courage when obedience costs us, and to hope when the world seems ruled by other powers.
Things fall apart when we refuse to obey the Lord’s Torah. In darkness, the Lord is a light to us. Then, our witness shines so much brighter. Charles Haden Spurgeon preached on January 15, 1893, in his sermon “Dare to be a Daniel,” “Wherever there is faith in God, it will be tested at some time or other; it must be so. It cannot be that the house shall be builded, even on the rock, without the rains descending, and the floods coming, and the winds beating upon that house.” (Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Volume 39).
This truth is evident in the lives of those who remain steadfast in faith despite worldly opposition.
We each have two names—one of heaven and one of earth. The heavenly name declares the virtues of God, while the earthly name reflects our fallen condition. St. Jerome wrote in his Commentary on Daniel, “The Lord in turn changes our old names in a good sense, and according to circumstances gives the names of virtuous qualities.” (49, Translated by Thomas Scheck, The Newman Press; 2024). Yet, as Rashi explained regarding Daniel 1:7, “He gave them new names so that they should forget their former religion and country.” The battle over names symbolizes the greater spiritual struggle within us—to remember who we are in God and to resist the world’s attempts to redefine us.
This struggle extends even to daily choices. Eating pork is a sin. Yes, the Law still applies. We must purpose in our hearts to love God and keep His commandments. We are called to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age. However, not all hills are worth dying on. We must prayerfully discern what true faithfulness looks like. As Joel Schreurs wrote in his article “Daniel 1 Commentary” for the Center for Excellence in Preaching, “But it is perhaps equally important to acknowledge that there will be times when it is hard to discern exactly what faithfulness (or faithful compromise) looks like in a culture that can often be hostile.” (https://cepreaching.org/commentary/joel-schreurs/daniel-1/, accessed October 23, 2025). Still, God will bless those who love Him and seek His will with integrity.
The pagan world continues to mimic divine wisdom for its own purposes. True wisdom, however, comes only from above and enables us to see through the lies of a wicked age. The times and seasons belong to the Lord alone. His holiness demands justice, but His mercy offers forgiveness to all who repent. Though the four great empires of history rose in pride, all will ultimately fall under the heel of the Messiah.
All allegiance belongs to the Lord. Government must never take the place of God. A Christian must always declare, “Long live Christ the King!” From Daniel’s day to our own, God’s people have suffered persecution for living out their faith. Yet in every trial, the Messiah walks through the fire with His people, turning their suffering into testimony.
The story of Daniel reminds us that the cost of obedience is never greater than the reward of faithfulness. Even in exile, God’s light shines through those who remain true to His Torah. When the world demands compromise, may we stand firm as Daniel did—our hearts resolved, our allegiance clear, and our hope fixed on the coming reign of the Messiah. For though kingdoms rise and fall, the Kingdom of God endures forever.
Daniel’s story is not merely history—it is a mirror for our own faith. We, too, live in a culture that seeks to rename us, redefine our values, and reshape our loyalties. Like Daniel, we must decide in our hearts whom we will serve. Faithfulness begins not in grand gestures but in small daily choices: what we consume, how we speak, how we respond to pressure, and whether we honor God when no one else is watching.
In a world that rewards compromise, we are called to courageous integrity. To “dare to be a Daniel” means resolving to follow the Lord’s Torah even when it costs us comfort, reputation, or acceptance. It means remembering that our true identity is the one written in heaven, not the one the world assigns to us. The Lord is still seeking men and women whose hearts are wholly His—those who will stand firm with humility and conviction.
When we choose obedience in the small things, God prepares us for greater tests. He gives wisdom to discern what faithfulness looks like in a hostile world, and He walks beside us in the fire. Our challenge, then, is to live as light in the darkness—to reflect God’s holiness, uphold His truth, and trust His sovereignty no matter the season. As we do, our lives become a living testimony that even in exile, God reigns and His Kingdom cannot be shaken.
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