Joseph and Daniel

The Bible Dictionary makes this comment about Daniel: “Interesting points of resemblance may be noticed between the history of Daniel and that of Joseph.” I had not thought about this before, but it is certainly true. Joseph was carried away captive into Egypt as a young man; Daniel was carried away captive into Babylon as a child. Daniel was tempted to break the laws of God when he was requested to eat the king’s meat, but he refused; Joseph was tempted to break the law of chastity by Potiphar’s wife, but he also refused. Both put themselves at risk because of their faithfulness in keeping the commandments of the Lord but were ultimately blessed for it. Joseph spent time in prison because of his commitment to his God, and Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den because he would not deny His God. Through the power of God Daniel interpreted the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, a Gentile king; similarly Joseph with the help of God interpreted the dream of Pharoah, the Egyptian king. Both rose to prominence because of their wisdom and the power of God in them. Of Joseph we read, “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt” (Genesis 41:39-42). Similarly, “Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon” (Daniel 2:48). Both these young men were given positions of great earthly power because they put their God first, becoming wise both in the things of the world and in the knowledge of the Lord.

               Thinking about the lives of these two faithful men, this instruction from the Lord in our dispensation comes to mind: “Therefore, be ye as wise as serpents and yet without sin; and I will order all things for your good, as fast as ye are able to receive them” (Doctrine and Covenants 111:11). The Lord wants us to be wise as to the things of the world, but only to the extent that we do not sin or break His commandments. Jacob put the same idea this way: “O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish.” He added, “But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God” (2 Nephi 9:28-29). That final statement certainly describes both Daniel and Joseph who became extremely learned and wise but always hearkened to the counsels of God. They never lost sight of their first priority: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:37). Because of that, the Lord did indeed “order all things for [their] good” in a magnificent way, giving them positions of power to bless their people. Joseph ultimately saved the house of Israel physically as he provided food for Jacob and all his family during the famine. Daniel was likely the one who showed Cyrus, the Persian king, the prophecy about his involvement in the return of the Jews to Jerusalem. Because of that, Cyrus issued the decree to allow the rebuilding of the temple, and so Daniel was also instrumental in saving the Israelites as a people. Both of their stories should inspire us to put God and His commandments first in our lives, and He will also order all things for good in our own lives and enable us to be a blessing to His children.