9Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, 10but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the King, who has assigned your food and drink.
Daniel 1.9-10 NIV
A short social media video has remained in my mind for many years. It is from the campaign’s final days between President Obama and Senator John McCain. President Obama was riding in a large, sleek, black tour bus, campaigning from town to town. As he was leaving one of his campaign stops, a single McCain supporter stood on the side of the road, holding up a McCain sign with one hand and his middle finger with his other hand.
I recall being disappointed in this person. By his action, he showed contempt for a man whom God eventually chose to be our president for eight years. This illustration is the opposite of how Christians should behave around those God has placed in authority over us.
In these two verses, we learn that God had given Daniel favor[1] with Ashpenaz. “Daniel had trusted his situation to God who intervened on Daniel’s behalf to move the official’s heart to show favor and sympathy to Daniel.”[2] God gave Daniel covenant kindness and compassion[3] with Ashpenaz. The Hebrew word in focus here expresses a rich mix of loyalty, love, covenant, maturity, and devotion.
This is the type of favor that God caused Ashpenaz to have for David and his friends. It is similar to Joseph’s favor with Potipher (Genesis 39.21). As we’ll learn, this type of favor is not an irrational favor without basis in reality. Daniel’s respect and competence allowed God to create favor with Ashpenaz. We were told earlier that God gave Daniel and his friends a good appearance (yes, appearances sometimes matter), an intellectual ability to understand wisdom, an endowment of knowledge, and a general competence to stand in the King’s court (Daniel 1.4). When these qualities are combined with genuine respect for authority, those in power are attracted to this type of person. They will want that person to work for them.
In addition, the favor God caused Ashpenaz to have for Daniel demonstrates his sovereign ability to direct the hearts of those in authority to accomplish his will (Proverbs 21.1).[4] We are also reminded of God’s sovereignty to make our enemies live at peace with us when we are faithful to our covenant with God (Proverbs 16.7).[5] “This indicates that God intervenes on behalf of those who trust Him, and protects and preserves those who obey Him, even under pagan rule.”[6]
Conventional wisdom today tells us to build our personal brand to boost our careers and be more successful.[7] The phrase “personal brand” is often used in place of the word “reputation”: “Your brand is both what you stand for and what you do.”[8]
While there is some truth to being consistent in our words and actions so that people know what to expect from us, personal-brand-wisdom is godless wisdom. Only God can cause the kind of favor Daniel and his friends experienced. Only God could cause Potipher to trust Joseph as he did. Only God could cause the people of Egypt to give favor to the people of Israel as they exited Egypt (Exodus 12.36). Only God could cause King Artaxerxes to have unusual favor for Nehemiah (Nehemiah 2.6).
Our lesson is clear: God controls the hearts of those who are leading a country, a business, or even a project. He even controls the hearts of those who are utterly godless. If your boss is a jerk, remember that God can move in their heart too. God moves the hearts of kings as he wishes (Proverbs 21.1 ESV). Let’s do our part to be competent and respectful and then ask God to give us unusual favor with that leader so that we can continue to live out God’s call on our lives to be leaders and light in the lost and broken business world.
[1] “favor”: חֶ֖סֶד, (ḥeseḏ) loyalty, faithfulness, goodness. In Psalm 136, this Hebrew word is translated love in the ESV, NIV, HCSB; loving kindness, ASV, NASB; mercy KJV; loyal love, LEB; steadfast love, Tanakh. DBL: unfailing kindness, devotion, a love or affection that is steadfast based on a prior relationship. “abounding in steadfast love”, Exodus 34.6; “yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken”, Isaiah 54:10; “The other events of Hezekiah’s reign and his acts of devotion…”, 2 Chronicles 32:32; “this very day, I am loyal to the house of your father Saul…”, 2 Samuel 3.8. “ḥeseḏ implies a love or loyalty based on a relationship of mutual commitment (Archer, p. 36).
[2] Pentecost, 1331
[3] House, 92
[4] Miller, 68
[5] Thompson, 322
[6] Pentecost, 1331
[7] 10 Tips for Building a Personal Brand & Boost Your Career. Northeastern University Graduate Programs. January 14, 2019. Northeastern.edu.
[8] The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Personal Brand in 2021. Casey Botticello. April 9, 2021. Medium.com.
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