Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. – Daniel 6:3
If anyone’s bitterness and complaining could be justified, it could be Daniel’s. As a child, he was taken from his home, country, and family, never to see them again. He lived in a heathen land and was subjected to heathen practices, personal persecution, and unjust judgment; yet …neither was there any error or fault found in him. (Daniel 6:4)
To understand how Daniel could have an excellent spirit in these circumstances, it is necessary to look in the book of Proverbs to determine what contributes to an excellent spirit and what happens when we have the opposite of an excellent spirit, a broken spirit. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 17:20-23 what makes a broken spirit, He that hath a froward heart findeth no good: and he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief. He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow: and the father of a fool hath no joy. A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment.
From these verses, we can observe the elements of broken spirit:
- A froward (disobedient, rebellious, discontented) heart (vs 20)
- A perverse (complaining, gossiping, backbiting) tongue (vs 20)
- Foolishness (one who rejects the wisdom of God–vs 21)
- Perverting the ways of judgment (this means one who manipulates his authorities or those around him–vs 23)
These elements of a broken spirit are also the things alluded to in verse 22, which …drieth the bones. Therefore, how do we, instead of a broken spirit, develop an excellent spirit?
The first prerequisite for having an excellent spirit is obeying.
Numbers 14:24 says, But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it. Caleb was spared judgment because of his obedience. His children were preserved because of his obedience. Time and again throughout Scripture, God commands obedience, and He gives us copious examples of those who were destroyed because of disobedience.
Our intentions or sincerity matter little if we are unwilling to obey the commands we know God has given us. With today’s prevalent philosophy of “the end justifies the means,” it is crucial to never violate a known, explicit command of God found in scripture in order to achieve something we have decided is “good.” The other ten spies tried to justify why they wanted to disobey God’s command to possess the Promised Land, but Caleb and his lineage were blessed because Caleb chose to obey. God honors a spirit of obedience. If we will be faithful to obey, we will be much closer to having an excellent spirit, instead of a broken one.
The second requirement for having an excellent spirit is rejoicing.
Philippians 4:4 says, Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. In whatever our rejoicing lies, therein is our joy. When we base our happiness or joy on anything other than God, that happiness is fleeting. Our circumstances, attachments, relationships, and responsibilities will change drastically throughout the course of our lifetimes. Sometimes, it happens gradually, and sometimes, it happens abruptly and unexpectedly. One thing that never changes is God. We can always be joyful when our rejoicing is in Him.
Joel 2:13 reminds us that God …is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness,… How can the human mind even attempt to describe or comprehend the goodness of God? He has given us the gift of life. He has purchased redemption for all mankind through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son. Every good thing comes from Him, and this verse is just another reminder to us that God is gracious, meaning: “favorable; kind; benevolent; merciful; disposed to forgive offenses and impart unmerited blessings.” He is merciful, meaning: “compassionate; tender; unwilling to give pain; not cruel.”
He also is slow to anger. With children of my own and having been a teacher, I am humbled when I consider how often I must exasperate God, much like small children often have tested my patience. However, unlike me, God does not lose His temper. He is long-suffering. He wants to provide every possible opportunity for man to be restored to Him before judgment is passed.
Another characteristic of God is kindness, which means,“good will; benevolence; that temper or disposition which delights in contributing to the happiness of others, which is exercised cheerfully in gratifying their wishes, supplying their wants or alleviating their distresses; benignity of nature.” Just look at that definition! He delights in our happiness. He cheerfully gratifies our wishes. He wants to supply our wants. He desires to alleviate our distresses. Even more, the Bible says He is …of great kindness,…
God is often painted as a dictator or a cruel tyrant who lords over the pathetic race of humanity, gleefully or maliciously pouring out suffering and pain on His creation. However, the Bible paints the portrait of God in stark contrast to how Satan would have man to perceive Him. Any person who is honest cannot deny God’s goodness; but the beautiful and wonderful thing about God is that He is good, whether we recognize Him to be or not. If we will be faithful to rejoice in Him, we can have joy. This will require taking time to meditate on scripture and on God’s attributes, as well as developing our relationship and closeness with Him through prayer. This is imperative, because rejoicing in Him will help us avoid a broken spirit and will cause us to be that much closer to having an excellent spirit.
The third component to having an excellent spirit is trusting.
Proverbs 3:5-7 says, Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. This passage is probably rather familiar to most Christians; however, the older I get the harder it is to live these verses. When we do not understand, we should trust God. When living our lives and making decisions, we should trust God. When tempted to trust our own wisdom, we should trust God. When enticed to disobey and think God will overlook it this time, we should trust God. When tempted to associate with or participate in evil, we should trust God. Having an excellent spirit requires us to trust God. We must trust that He means what He says, that He keeps His promises, and that He is in control, working …all things together for good… It is impossible to have an excellent spirit, to obey, or to rejoice without trusting God.
The final step to having an excellent spirit is submitting.
Joel 2:12-13says, Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: Is it possible to obey without submitting? Yes! In fact, in Bible times, the act of rending one’s garments was a public display of remorse, humility, or sorrow. God was telling the Israelites in Joel, and us too, that public displays mean very little when our hearts are still prideful and hard.
We can do what we are supposed to do, wear what we are supposed to wear, go where we are supposed to go, and say what we are supposed to say; but we can do so without having a submissive heart. God reprimanded the Pharisees for portraying the ultimate example of “spirituality” on the outside, while being unclean, prideful, and rotting on the inside. Obeying, rejoicing, and trusting are really important to having an excellent spirit; but submitting is the glue that holds it all together.
Submission is the reason that, when the pressure was applied, Daniel stood firmly and unwavering in the face of terrifying consequences. Because he submitted to God, He was able to submit to the other authorities in his life as God commanded, yet he still stood firmly in the face of opposition when those same authorities required that he disobey God. We will be much more capable of obeying, rejoicing, trusting, and ultimately possessing an excellent spirit when we yield our hearts in submission to the commands God has given, knowing that …the LORD looketh on the heart.
by Bethany French
