Surrounded by the Wrong People?
Bible Character: King Darius
Darius the Mede threw Daniel into the lion’s den! How could he make such a huge mistake? How could execute someone like Daniel, whom he had planned to set as administrator over the whole kingdom?
Darius, like many leaders, surrounded himself with many people of influence. Just like now, during Bible times some of these individuals did not have pure motives. Other government administrators were jealous of Daniel and tricked King Darius into writing a decree, barring worship of any other God or man, except the king.
How can we avoid following bad advice?
Know the People You Trust
Good leaders try to find individuals who are not “yes” people. It’s tempting to surround yourself with individuals that are just like you, or people who tell you what you want to hear, but in the end it is destructive. A leader needs people who will be honest with them.
There were probably other government administrators who knew the decree was wrong, but did not have the courage or honesty to speak up.
Don’t Be a Narcissist
King Darius’s decree was not beneficial to anyone but himself. If something is not beneficial for the greater good, the question needs to be asked: “Should we even be doing this?”
The King must have got sidetracked by the request of individuals who did not have his, or the kingdom’s, best interest at heart.
While Daniel was in the lion’s den, King Darius spent the night fasting. The next morning he quickly went to find out if God had rescued Daniel. As many of you know, God had sent an angel to shut the lions’ mouths and Daniel was not hurt. Following Daniel’s release, the individuals responsible for convincing Darius to write the decree were thrown into the lions den.
The Faithful Pacesetters 