Daniel 6 / 2 Peter 3 / Psalm 119:129-152 / Proverbs 28:21-22
Have you ever known someone who was so gullible they believed anything anyone told them? Whether it was true or not? Or maybe you’ve been the gullible one. Some of us are suspicious of everyone and some of us believe the best of everyone. Then some are somewhere in the middle in the system of gullibility.
I believe I fall in the middle. I tend to want to believe that others would not lie to me or deceive me. But I’ve been around long enough to know that people not only lie, but they also paint a picture of themselves as better than they are because they want to be seen as better. There is also the possibility that someone has told a lie long enough that they begin to believe their lies are truth.
When leading others, it’s important to rely on God’s wisdom for discernment in all situations. It’s easy to be fooled or get sucked into a trap or deception. It can be especially difficult when listening to two sides of a story because you want to fully believe each side. Most of the time, if not all the time, the truth of a situation lies somewhere between the two stories. That’s why it’s important to listen to Holy Spirit.
In reading Daniel 6 today, I started wondering what made king Darius agree to listen to the plan of the administrators and satraps. The leaders knew they were trying to trap Daniel, but king Darius didn’t know that. Maybe Darius was excited to be worshipped; since that was the proposal. Could it be that he was so self-centered that he believed his leaders simply wanted him to receive worship for thirty days?
It’s possible. I can think of no other reason Darius would agree to this plan. I wonder also if Darius immediately suspected his leaders of betrayal once they came to him with the accusation against Daniel? Or, did it take him some time to figure out the betrayal? Being in leadership can be both rewarding and difficult. It’s rewarding because we are allowed to assist others. It can be difficult because there will always be those who will betray or deceive us, whether intentionally or not.
We must always walk in forgiveness, or we will become cynical and bitter toward those we’re trying to help. I don’t think Darius was in a forgiving mood when he discovered he had been deceived. His solution was to subject the deceivers to the same punishment they had tried to perpetrate on Daniel. It was certainly a gruesome end.
There may be times you would like to throw your enemy to the lions, but then you would go to jail…that is if we even had man-eating lion pits today. But how do we treat those who have deceived us? We are certainly more cautious with those people, as well as with others going forward. One thing we must guard against is being suspicious of everyone we meet. We must still believe others are innocent until proven otherwise.
This reminds me of a verse in 1 Corinthians 13:7 in the Amplified Bible, “Love bears all things (regardless of what comes), believes all things (looking for the best in each one), hopes all things (remaining steadfast during difficult times), endures all things (without weakening).”
Did you see that phrase: “Looking for the best in each one.”? We must do that. If God has brought someone into our lives, then we must honor God by looking for His Spirit deposited within that person. I assure you it’s there. We may immediately see only the trauma and the drama. but once that person is loved and healed, God wants to use them to further His Kingdom on the earth.
Take the time to look for that Kingdom purpose. If you find none, you may have some “tricky advisors” on your hands, and it may be time to send them packing! Discern and learn.
