Good Morning Yamon Ki Yesepar and Nevim Arith Hayomim:
Daniel 6:3: “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.”
Someone who reads these devotionals asked about this verse and what it meant to have an excellent spirit. The more I read this over the more I became fascinated with this idea. When I asked my study partner about it she indicated that she had just read the same passage and was meditating on this. Hmmm, some coincidence.
This being judgment day and all, I had planned on finding a trampoline and doing some rapture practice and maybe getting a head start on every one else, but this passage was just too fascinating to ignore, so I decided to set aside my rapture practice and concentrate on what it means to have an excellent spirit.
My study partner is suppose to call me as soon as she finishes her research on this. I have not heard from her so she either has been raptured and I have been left behind, or she is still working on this. (I wonder if they have texting in heaven).
First thing we need to realize is that chapters 2 through 7 in Daniel are in Aramaic and the remaining portions are in Hebrew. The Dead Sea Scrolls have uncovered no less than five copies of the Book of Daniel, all perfectly in harmony with each other. The Septuagint does have some extra material not found in our English translations, but that doesn’t apply to this passage. Another thing to note is that it was a pagan Persian king Darius who sensed this excellent spirit in Daniel.
The word in Aramaic is “yatar” which is a little different than the Hebrew word. The Hebrew word has more of the idea of an abundance. Yet, the Aramaic word carries the idea of “pre-eminence.” King Darius was very astute, he had to be to survive as a king. He probably noticed something different in Daniel from all the other wise men. Daniel seemed to be more focused on his relationship with God than the other wise men. The others were constantly seeking the favor of the king, yet Daniel would be seeking only the favor of his God. Here was someone whose “spirit” was “pre-eminent” over the flesh. He was a man who walked in the spirit or “rucha” as the Aramaic text gives it. In the Aramaic “rucha” is often rendered as “spirit” “mind” or “wind.” Well that doesn’t help much, maybe this will. Rucha is spelled Resh, Vav, Chet. The Resh represents something new, the Vav shows a connection between earth and heaven and the Chet represents a transformation.
Where all the other wise men were spouting the party line and the same old same old, Daniel would speak of new things, things of God, things that would bring about a transformation. Perhaps what Darius saw was a man who did not care about making an impression by speaking the party line, but one who would speak the truth of God. He sensed his rucha or spirit or mind. The king recognized that there was something about Daniel that was pure and holy. Daniel had a pure heart.
In the play Fiddler on the Roof, you have the scene at the wedding when an argument breaks out and people start forming sides and when emotions are at their height, they consult the rabbi: “What do you think, rabbi?” The rabbi replies: “I think we should all sit down.” Things suddenly become peaceful. People respected the word of the rabbi, not because of what he said, but because they sensed he had an “excellent spirit.”
Back in 1972 there was this really awful Christian film called “A Thief in the Night.” The acting was so bad it was embarrassing. Yet, there was one scene that I felt was done extremely well. The poor souls who were left behind after the rapture were in a park and all of a sudden a man approached. Their attention was quickly directed to him. He was suppose to be a member of the 144,000 witnesses. There was something about his countenance and presence that captured their attention. A couple of the main characters approached him and asked, before the guy even had a chance to speak: “What must I do to be saved.” The whole thing seemed pretty cornball, except for the fact that I believe this is what it means to have an “excellent spirit.” People will know you are a believer before you speak a word. Somehow they will sense that you know God personally.
So how do you get this “excellent spirit.” Look again at the Aramaic word “yatar” which not only means excellent but also “pre-eminent.” When your spirit takes the leadership role over the flesh you have an excellent spirit. In fact the proof that you are walking in the Spirit is that people will recognize this without you having to say: “I don’t do that because I’m church people.” Somehow they will know you don’t do that without you saying so.
My grandfather used to tell the story of an old Indian who became a Christian. Someone asked him what is was like. He said it was like two dogs fighting inside of him, one evil and one good. When asked which one wins, he replied: “Whichever one I feed the most.”
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