There are two biblical stories with which most people are familiar, including those who have never read the Bible. Those stories are David and Goliath and Daniel in the lions’ den. Both are remarkable stories of men who had faith in the true and living God and trusted Him completely in the face of great adversity. For David, they know about Goliath. For Daniel, they know about the lions.

These two great men also shared another thing within their distinct experiences:

1 Samuel 17:28 KJV – “Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger was aroused against David, and he said, “Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.”

Daniel 6:3-5 KJV – “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. Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.”

The old adage “some things never change” is appropriate here as we note that David, a man after God’s own heart, was insulted and verbally attacked by his own family. Daniel, a faithful man without error or fault as it pertained to his job, was attacked and falsely accused by his coworkers. These things are often a part of a believers’ life experience today. Some things never change. 

We live in a time when the world sees Christians as the problem. Some of these people may be in our own families, and certainly many are coworkers or fellow students.

Luke 21:16-19 KJV – “And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake. But there shall not an hair of your head perish. In your patience possess ye your souls.”

The word “hated” means “to detest”, and the world today detests those who hold Biblical truths as facts. When we stand on God’s word and continue in it, the world sees us as the problem. God, however, sees us as the faithful. David was in the right and his own brother verbally attacked him. Daniel was in the right and he wound up in the lions’ den.

What we need to remember from this is that thousands of years later, people in the world today, many of whom have never read the Bible, still know about David and Daniel. Who they don’t know about is Eliab or the governors and satraps (a satrap was a provincial governor). In these two famous accounts, the world remembers the faithful, not their adversaries.

Proverbs 24:10 KJV – “If thou faint in the day of adversity, Thy strength is small.”

David didn’t faint when he saw Goliath, and Daniel didn’t faint when he knew his coworkers had it out for him. We live in a time of adversity today where all manner of evil is spoken against us falsely. But we must not faint or lose heart. We need to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.

Romans 8:11 KJV – “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”

Remember, David and Daniel were just men. It was their faith in God that made them mighty. If you want to leave your mark in this world, let it be that you were found faithful even in the face of adversity. The ability to do so is already in you. For the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in every born again Christian giving them the power to face adversity in the strength of the Lord.

Those who have done so in the ancient past are still known presently in our day. Let our names be found among them in the future. 

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,