Ten Times Better

When I was younger my favorite comics were the X-Men comics. Their mission was to “defend a world that fears and hates them.” Because they were an unpopular minority — “mutants” — the X-Men had to hold themselves to higher standards. They wouldn’t be given the same slack as other heroes. Any mistakes they made would not only affect them but how the public viewed all mutants.

Christians in Babylon will find themselves in a similar situation. Our mission is to save a world that fears and hates us. And any mistakes will not only be given no grace, they will color how everyone who knows you views Christians. For our next Lesson from Babylon, let’s look at how Daniel responded to that situation.

When Daniel and the other young men of Judah were taken to Babylon, they were there to learn “the language and literature of the Babylonians” (Dan 1:4). This literature wasn’t innocuous writings on accounting or government. They were the Babylonian religious texts and other works related to being a “magician”. These Jews were expected to learn all about the pagan gods and how to divine the future from the signs they gave. How did Daniel and the other faithful Jews handle this? They excelled at it. As Tremper Longman puts it in How to Read Daniel,

The king found them “ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom” (Dan 1:20). But wait a minute. What does that mean? It means that they can read Akkadian better than anyone else. They have mastered the epics and myths that praise false gods. It means that they can read a liver to discern the future better than anyone else. It means that they are skilled astrologers and that they can interpret dreams by consulting the commentaries. These would be the standards by which Nebuchadnezzar would judge them. They have gone to Babylonian University, and they have become the valedictorians.

And we should note that they became the best in Babylonian mythology without wavering from their Jewish religion. They learned their lessons, but they didn’t let it change who they were.

In fact, we see that in Daniel 6:

Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. (6:3-4)

Daniel didn’t wasn’t just the smartest, the most knowledgeable. He was also the most honest, the hardest working, the most careful. So let Daniel’s example be our next lesson: Strive to be the absolute best at what you do, both technically and morally.

Daniel had divine assistance in becoming “ten times better” than everyone else (1:17). We can’t count on that. And we certainly can’t expect every Christian student to become the valedictorian or every Christian in science to win the Nobel prize. But we can work to be the absolute best we can be.

Christian college students need to be reminded that they’re in college to study, that Bible study groups as much as social activities have to take a back seat to their academic work. Christians in any field should constantly be trying to improve their craft. And we have to be meticulous about our work — never cutting corners or accepting “good enough.”

It should go without saying that we have to be absolutely perfect in our ethical principles. Christians don’t take longer breaks than allowed or use company resources for personal reasons. We certainly don’t embezzle money or sell company secrets.

Sadly, this is not the reputation Christians have in business today. I’ve heard too many times that this or that contractor with the “Christian fish” on his business card is the last person you want to hire or how this employee thinks their mission work excuses their stealing from their employer. You’ve probably heard those stories, too. We must not shame the name of Christ by our behavior.

Now, don’t hear me as saying that this will bring people to the Lord. It probably won’t. “He’s such an excellent accountant, I just want to hear about Jesus” will probably never be uttered by any human lips. But the reverse can be: “If that guy is an example of Christianity, I don’t want it.” Don’t be someone’s excuse to reject the gospel. Instead, follow the apostle’s command:

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Col 3:23-24).


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