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The Best and the Brightest

Pastor Bill Farrow

Daniel 1:3-5

[3] Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king's descendants and some of the nobles, [4] young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans. [5] And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king's delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king.

(Verse 3) - Middle-eastern Kings; like most human Kings I suppose, are exceedingly vain. They love appearances and the grand display of power that sets them above other men and garners them the praise and envy of their subjects. We mentioned that Nebuchadnezzar had commanded that some of the valuable items from the Israelite Temple be brought to Babylon for display in his treasure house. He now does much the same with the best people of Israel as well. They will come and serve in his court as a monument to his great power.

And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs -  There is in every period of the world, and in every place, much obscure and buried talent that might be cultivated and brought to light, as there are many gems in earth and ocean that are yet undiscovered. Among these captive youths - prisoners of war - in a foreign land, and as yet unknown, there was most rich and varied talent - talent that was destined yet to shine at the court of the most magnificent monarchy of the ancient world, and to be honored as among the brightest that the world has seen. Yet, you and I must note that this talent was present not because of any purely natural process, or because such goodness and talent is present in all men, but because God put it there to serve His purposes.

And so in all places and at all times, there is much rich and varied genius which might shine with great brilliancy, and perform important public services, if it were cultivated and allowed to develope itself on the great theater of human affairs. Thus, in obscure rural retreats there may be bright gems of intellect; in the low haunts of vice there may be talent that would charm the world by the beauty of song or the power of eloquence; among slaves there may be mind which, if emancipated, would take its place in the brightest constellations of genius.

The great endowments of Moses as a lawgiver, a prophet, a profound statesman, sprang from an enslaved people, as those of Daniel did; and it is not too much to say that the brightest talent of the earth has been found in places of great obscurity, and where, but for some remarkable dispensation of God, it might have remained forever unknown.

There is a poem, a favorite of mine, that expresses this beautifully: 

"Full many a gem of purest ray serene,
The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear;
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air.
"Some village Hampden, that with dauntless breast
The little tyrant of his fields withstood;
Some mute inglorious Milton here may rest.
Some Cromwell, guiltless of his country's blood."

Men, in their pride and vanity, think thoughts much the same, but attribute this potential, not to the arm of God in creating man and controlling the circumstances so that men arise at beneficent times; but to the natural condition of men. Man is inherently valuable and filled with potential they cry.

There is at any time on the earth talent enough created for all that there is to be done in any generation; and there is always enough for talent to accomplish if it were employed in the purposes for which it was originally adapted. There need be at no time any wasted or unoccupied mind; and there need be no great and good plan that should fail for the want of talent fitted to accomplish it, if what actually exists on the earth were called into action.

This talent is present, but it will only reach its highest use upon submission to God and in the service,  not merely of an earthly King, but of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords!

Human beings have a vast potential and a lot to offer in the pursuit of the accomplishment of the plan of God. However, our contribution must be understood in terms of God's sovereign plan and not purely in terms of the human component. It is God Who puts people and nations into place in order to serve His purposes and accomplish His goals. If we are to be of any real use to Him, we must acknowledge this and recognize what life is really about!

I need to train myself to think in those terms.