True Knowledge Leads to Submission

¹⁰ When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. ¹¹ Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. ¹² Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.” ¹³ Then they answered and said before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.”

Daniel 6:10-13

It all started with envy.  King Darius planned to set up Daniel to be the person in charge of all the wise men in the entire kingdom of Persia (vv. 2-3).  But Daniel was not even a Persian.  He was an exile from a defeated kingdom of Judah, whose defeater – Babylonia – was defeated by Persia.  Yes, Daniel started off as a slave.  Yet Daniel received a very high honor in the kingdom of Persia.  The government officials of Persia became jealous of Daniel.  They did not wish to work under a lowly citizen of a defeated nation.  So out of their envy they devised a cruel, deceptive, and cunning plan to trap Daniel.

And so these leaders of Persia went to the mighty king Darius to request for a law to be written.  A law that cannot be broken even by the king who ordered it.  The request was very flattery to the king.  They knew the psychology of man, and so they baited the king by elevating him to the status of a god.  Everyone on this earth would be drunk in their own elated joy if praised to the seven heavens.  Once the king took the bait, there was no way back.  To be worshiped by all, incredible isn’t it?  Even if only for thirty days, the god status gave king Darius an inflated ego.  Unaware of the trap and drowned in the illusion of his pride, king Darius signed the law.  The law that ordered everyone in the Persian kingdom to worship only king Darius for the next thirty days.  Anyone dared to break the law would be punished the maximum punishment of death by lion.

The trap was then set in place.  The trap was like a net so big that no one would be able to escape.  Not even Daniel could escape the trap.  For the trap was specifically designed to get him.  The jealous officials knew exactly what they wanted, for Daniel‘s only weakness was in his faithfulness to the God of heaven and earth.  Daniel was so wise that he knew he was trapped.  He knew full well the consequence of breaking the law.  But the knowledge of the law and its implication did not deter him from worshiping God.  He worshiped God as usual with the full knowledge that he was breaking the king’s law.  Ah, Daniel got caught red-handed.  Not by an anti-corruption agency for receiving bribes.  Not by an ethical committee for unethical conducts.  Not by police for criminal acts.  But he was caught red-handed by the trapper who knew exactly his daily routine as Daniel was faithfully worshiping his God.

Alas, the trapper brought Daniel to the king and accused him of breaking the law that cannot be repealed even by the king himself.  Even king Darius couldn’t do anything.  His plan to set up Daniel as the CEO of the entire kingdom was shattered at the knowledge that Daniel would be crushed by the lions.  The signed law must be executed and king Darius had to order the execution.  His new knowledge of the wicked plan set up by the jealous officials could not prevent him from sending Daniel to the lions’ den.

Knowledge often plays tricks on us.  It can intimidate us that we would resort to our survival instinct even if it would mean betraying God, or our loved ones, or our faithful friends or allies.  We find Judas betraying Jesus for 30 silver coins.  We also find Peter betraying Jesus for fearing he would suffer the same fate as Jesus.  We also find in these day and age, many people betray God for money, for power, or simply for their life.  Knowledge can spark an imagination in our mind that in turn would overwhelm our heart with fear.  Fear becomes the drive of our decision making.  There are many modes of fear.  Some people fear of missing an opportunity.  Some fear of being poor.  Some fear of pain.  Some fear of death.  And some fear of losing those they love.

The many cases of corruption in Indonesia portray the kind of people who fall under the category of those who are driven by either fear of missing an opportunity or fear of being poor or fear of not being rich.  Knowing that missing an opportunity means being left behind in the competitive business race, they opt to bribe their way so they would get ahead in the game.  Knowing that being poor means long term suffering in many different ways, they opt to accept bribes in order to avoid poverty.  Knowing that being rich gives them a lot of advantages and even power, they opt to demand bribes for the sake of having the lavish spending power to purchase whatever their heart desire.  And in doing so, they all betray the proper way of life, they also betray their fellow countrymen, they betray the trust given to them, and they also betray God who has created them to live in integrity.

That’s the common picture of ordinary life in this world.  We are very much driven by our selfishness.  Ever since the Fall, the human race has never been able to get out of their self-centered instinct.  The Fall’s effect is extensive and massive that none is exempt from being corrupted.  This corruption includes knowledge.  The problem primarily resides with the interpretation of reality.  The interpreters, in this case humans, are very much corrupted.  This alone is enough to shake our knowledge foundation to the core.  In other words, it is extremely difficult for humans to be certain of what they know.  What is called knowledge can be totally misleading.  What is called knowledge can be so far away from reality.  And worse, even if the knowledge corresponds to reality, it might lead people to the wrong decision.  In other words, the possession of knowledge does not always lead people to choose what’s right.  And so our problem with knowledge is manifold.  For ages philosophers have tried to solve this problem to no avail.

We need the authoritative and true interpreter of reality to be certain of knowledge.  True interpreter of reality will produce true knowledge.  Cornelius Van Til, one of the greatest Christian minds of the 20^th century, spoke of God as the true interpreter of reality.  The implication is then that humans may produce true knowledge if and only if they are led by the Spirit of God or their spirits submit completely to God’s authority.  When the human spirit is in line with the Spirit of God, the human spirit may interpret reality truthfully.

Take a look at Adam and Eve for example.  God told Adam that he should not eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  God gave Adam the reason, which was the fact that on the day he ate of that fruit he would certainly die.  When Eve interacted with the serpent, Eve touched on the subject.  This was proof that Adam had told Eve about God’s interpretation of reality.  Now, the serpent gave Eve a contradictory interpretation when he said that eating the fruit would not make them die.  Instead, the serpent said, their eyes would be opened and they would be like God knowing good and evil.  Which one interpreted reality truthfully, God or the serpent?  Upon careful investigation of the Scripture we will definitely find that the serpent interpreted correctly on two accounts but gravely incorrectly on one most important account.  The serpent was right in saying that their eyes would be opened, for indeed their eyes were opened.  However, their eyes did not open as they would imagine it, in which what they imagined would be infinite wisdom.  Instead their eyes were opened as an after effect of their sin, which was the fact that they found out about their nakedness or their losing their holiness and innocence.  And the serpent was not wrong to say that they would be like God knowing good and evil, for God Himself acknowledged it in Genesis 3:22.  Adam and Eve now knew good and evil, but not in the way God wanted them to be.

Now, on one most important account, regarding death, the serpent contradicted God’s interpretation by making a reference to the physical realm while deliberately leaving out the spiritual realm and the deepest meaning of death.  Once they sinned, their status was totally changed, from living to dying.  In God’s eyes they are dead.  For the punishment for disobeying God was eternal death.  Adam and Eve were walking dead.  Their spiritual connection to God – the source of all life – was severed.  Thus they were as good as dead.  God’s interpretation of reality was the right one.  But Adam and Eve did not accept God’s interpretation, and so they did not have true knowledge.  They choose other kinds of knowledge and acted upon them, which then led them to their demise.

Daniel knew of the law.  He also knew that if he broke the law he would be executed.  But he also knew something much more important than those knowledge.  Daniel knew God the author of life, who was the only one worthy to be worshiped.  Daniel did not act upon the trivial knowledge that was exploited by the jealous officials to trap him.  But instead he acted upon the true knowledge that God had revealed to him.  Daniel’s spirit was in line with the Spirit of God, so he interpreted reality as God interpreted it.  Daniel’s soul submitted to God’s authority and he obeyed God faithfully, even when the prospect of being thrown into the lions’ den was inevitable.  Daniel knew that he should never betray God.  Daniel knew that he should never bow down to any other gods.  This was true knowledge.

We know that the story of Daniel and the lions’ den ended up in a happy ending.  We also know that not every story of faithfulness ends up in a happy ending.  In fact there were many faithful servants of God who died horrible deaths because they acted faithfully upon the true knowledge that God revealed to them.  Yet they persisted.  Yet they persevered in their submission to God.  They followed the ultimate example in Jesus Christ.  For despite the prospect of being hanged on the grotesque cross and be abandoned by the Father, the Son did not budge.  His Spirit was completely in line with the Father’s, and so the Son humbly submitted under the Father’s authority, which He expressed in His holy obedience even unto death on the cross.

Ultimately, God rescued all His servants.  He rescued Daniel from the lions’ mouth.  And eventually He rescued His faithful followers from eternal death.  He bestowed upon them the crown of life.  The Father raised The Son to life.  And the Son received the total authority of the kingdom of God.  This is the ultimate happy ending.  And this is true knowledge.

Yes we would still suffer in this world.  Knowing the prospect of suffering might intimidate us.  But that is partial knowledge.  So do not betray God just because you want to avoid suffering.  Yes people might attempt to trap us in order to destroy us.  Knowing the prospect of our life being ruined if we stay faithful to the Lord might distress our soul.  But that is partial knowledge.  So do not betray God just because you wish to maintain your worldly success.  Yes it is true that if we keep our integrity in the Lord we might never be rich or enjoy this worldly life like others would.  Knowing the prospect of staying poor and unable to taste the full enjoyment of this world might haunt our spirit.  But that is also partial knowledge.  So do not betray God for the sake of wealth or worldly happiness.  The truth is, this world will pass away.  The truth is, God cares for us.  The truth is, God will never abandon us.  The truth is, God will welcome us into His eternal home and bestow upon us Eternal Life.  Only, do not deny God!

I could have stayed in Canada with a wealthy church and a wealthy denomination.  But I chose to leave.  I left the prospect of keeping a very handsome salary.  I was provided a very nice house with all the utilities paid in full by the church.  My family and I lived very well with the salary and all the allowances.  The bottom line was that we could live a very nice life if we decided to stay.  But let me tell you, we could not stay.  I could not.  Because what they asked was for me to deny my Lord.  The church had asked me to follow the way of the world and not the way of the Lord.  I could not tell you all the details here.  Perhaps we could visit that in another time.  We could not betray our Lord for the sake of comfort.  So we opted to suffer with all God’s faithful servants who had suffered before us.  We chose to submit and obey the Lord instead of obeying man.  We did not act upon the partial knowledge.  But we acted upon the true knowledge that God has revealed upon us.  In the process, we lost all the worldly comfort we had, we lost our earthly possessions, we lost a very bright future in Canada, and many other things.  But brothers and sisters, we were not lost in God’s sight.  He has kept us.  He is faithful.  We survive.  We live.  And we are useful in His Kingdom.  I thank God for the true knowledge He continues to supply us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, my message to you today boils down to an encouragement for you to persevere.  Life might be difficult at times.  Some jealous and powerful people might attempt to trap you, but stay faithful to the Lord.  Ask the Lord for His wisdom so that you might have the true knowledge that will guide you to make the right decision.  Do not act upon the partial knowledge, or you will end up like Adam and Eve, or Judas, or Peter before he was reinstated by Jesus.  Act upon the true knowledge that is revealed to you, just like Daniel, like Peter after he was reinstated, like Paul after his repentance, like many other faithful servants of God before us, and ultimately, like Jesus Christ Himself our Lord and King who obeyed the Father in total submission.  Amen!