Faithfulness Despite Evil Governments

I’ve long been curious about Biblical characters that are upheld as faithful believers and yet worked for not just secular but often downright evil governments. They had varying degrees of authority and influence. Joseph was second in command of Egypt (Genesis 41:41); Esther became the queen (Esther 2:17) and Mordecai the king’s right-hand man (Esther 10:3); Daniel was advisor to four kings of two or three different kingdoms; Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were administrators over Babylon (Daniel 3:12); Obadiah was a palace supervisor under evil King Ahab (1 Kings 18:3-4); Nehemiah was cupbearer for the king (Nehemiah 1:11). But we are never—as far as I know—given an instruction manual for exactly how that these figures carried out their political duties while maintaining their convictions. I’d love to know more.

We are, of course, given some stories. As I am writing this, I realize I should spend some more time in the stories. There may not be a guidebook, but there are examples for us to follow.

The sermon series we’ve been going through at church has been going through the book of Daniel. A recent sermon was on Daniel 4, and I noticed something I hadn’t caught before in Daniel’s response to King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream: “King Nebuchadnezzar, please accept my advice. Stop sinning and do what is right. Break from your wicked past and be merciful to the poor. Perhaps then you will continue to prosper.” (Daniel 4:27) The context is that Daniel has just told the king that his dream means that he will be driven to live with animals until “you come to understand that Heaven rules.” A few things jump out at me:

1. “Stop sinning…” Daniel is not one to mince words in the face of authority. He is well aware that the King—whom he serves!—is doing evil, and has the courage to tell the king so.
2. “…and do what is right.” Daniel encourages the king in righteousness. More on that in a bit.
3. “Break from your wicked past…” Daniel reiterates his encouragement to repent.
4. “…and be merciful to the poor.” Wait, hold on a second. (Note: other translations have “showing mercy to the oppressed.”) Showing mercy to the poor and oppressed was the number one way the king ought to respond?

“Perhaps then you will continue to prosper.” Daniel is really quite clear: how does he suggest that Nebuchadnezzar might continue to be great?

1. humble himself
2. repent (always starting with I or we not you or they)
3. do what is right, specifically, for one thing:
4. be merciful to the poor

I don’t claim that Daniel’s suggestion was a promise from God for Nebuchadnezzar or anyone else, nor do I claim that it is a sure-fire way to maintain greatness for any person or any nation. (One verse a theology does not make.) I do claim that Daniel’s suggestions are perfectly consistent with the rest of Scripture on how to be rewarded eternally.