When I started a personal Bible study on the book of Ezra several years ago, I wasn’t expecting that I would turn my own study notes into a book about leadership, but that’s what happened (Leadership Ezra, available on Amazon). When that was done, I started a study of Daniel, and never made it past the first chapter before organizing my personal notes into a series of valuable lessons to share with students. As time has gone on, God seems to be prompting me to do more with it, so I have begun the process of turning my notes into short articles that will then become the basis for chapters in a book (current working title: “Without Compromise: Leading with integrity in the face of pressure”).
The story’s underlying basis is this: In the time and world of Daniel, Israel and the capital city of Jerusalem were invaded and captured. In that process, the most gifted and talented young men were given a “scholarship” [albeit against their will] to attend the most elite private school in the known world, one designed to prepare leaders & experts (Daniel 1:3). Upon graduation, Daniel and his friends were at the top of the class and were hired into executive leadership positions right out of school (Daniel 1:17-20). But here’s an incredibly significant observation: In between . . . they refused to compromise their faith, values, and integrity.
How did they do it? One way was by consistently matching their behavior with their beliefs while consciously refusing to give in to the pressure.
We see this in Daniel 1, verses 5 and 8, which say, “And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king. . . . But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.”
Daniel and his friends, as part of their intensive preparation for their future careers, were placed on a specific regimen of classes, activity, and meals. However, when they saw what was on the menu, they tried to opt out of the meal plan. The issue wasn’t really that it was expensive and rich food (in fact, the New Testament indicates that any food is acceptable, as is recorded in Peter’s vision in Acts). Rather, Daniel and his friends knew that the law they had received from God at that point in time had specific dietary instructions, so even if they didn’t understand why, they trusted God and were committed to obeying His Word. They knew that, even if no one else saw it, they needed to live consistently with who they were as Jews, therefore they were unwilling to compromise. But they did it with gentleness and kindness, not with harsh conflict and confrontation (he didn’t demand, he requested, and later in this same passage we learn that Daniel even built a positive relationship with his boss, not a judgmental, antagonistic, or condescending one).
The next question I ask, though, is why it really mattered, if they were in another culture where it was normal to eat those foods and no one from home would know what they were doing? Since we know from the New Testament that following the law doesn’t save us, and we know they were in a place where they could be “anonymous,” then why did it matter? I believe it mattered for three reasons that are transferrable to our own circumstances:
- They were maintaining their commitment to their Identity in Christ in a world that was trying to reshape their identity;
- They were maintaining their commitment to God in the face of pressure, even when compromise seemed like no big deal (or could even win them favor with the world); and
- They were maintaining their commitment to obedience to God’s Word regardless of how it made them look.
What we learn from this is the understanding that living our faith in the world requires a commitment to consistently match our behavior (or conduct) with our beliefs (or convictions), with the refusal to compromise regardless of the pressure. And this is the essence of integrity. For us to live this way requires some things from you and me. It requires a confidence in who God is and what He says, a commitment to Him and to His Word, a predetermined plan of response to pressure, a conscious choice to act in obedience to God and His Word, a visible consistency between what you say you believe and how you act in any circumstance, and all while living your faith in a loving way that reflects both compassion and character, tempering truth with love.
My personal question for you is, can the people around you see that this is true in you? Are you consistently matching your behavior with your beliefs, with the refusal to compromise regardless of the pressure? This doesn’t happen on accident. It happens when you, like Daniel, fully trust God and His Word, purpose in your heart to not defile yourself, act consistently with that purpose regardless of the pressure, perception, or outcome, and do it in a way that balances truth and love. That’s the lesson of integrity.