Hi there! Welcome to the confines of my mind space. I am here to talk about integrity. Integrity is such a touchy subject in Christian spaces. Even more so since a lot of people have different personal understandings of the word. But I won’t divulge into defining it right away. (What would be the fun in that lol).
The mention of the term “integrity” speaks authority. Divine conviction. It carries a weighty aura, I must say. It therefore demands that we deem it the due justice it deserves by weighing it on the balancing scales of the perfect standard, the word of God.
James 1:23-24. ” [23] Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror [24] and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.“
This excerpt of the word normally entails to the gravity of authentic obedience. But today I would love us to look at the underlined word; mirror. This is because at the very core of integrity is unshakeable understanding of truth. While the word has been likened to a lot of things, my favorite euphemism of the Word of God is a mirror. A mirror won’t lie to you. A mirror won’t shout at you. Neither will it, as wapendanao would put it, gaslight you. It simply shows you the truth in a silent yet firm conviction and lets you deal with the aftermath the best way you know how. A mirror can be your best friend or your worst enemy, depending on how open and humble you are to receive an unfiltered, blunt but well-meaning truth.
We will now dissect this matter of integrity through the lens of two different people in Biblical history with ironically magnanimous similarities between them; Joseph and Daniel.
Daniel 6:1-2. ” [1] It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, [2] with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss.”
Genesis 39:1″[1] Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelite’s who had taken him there.”
From the above verses, we see one very striking similarity; that a platform was placed for them to be responsible stewards for what the Lord had placed, in his will for them to perform, even though the circumstances don’t exactly look similar from surface observation. (For Daniel, he was appointed as a government official. For Joseph, he was a servant).
Daniel 6:3-4.” [3] Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.” [4] At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do soothe could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.”
Genesis 39:2-5 ” [2] The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. [3] When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, [4] Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. [5] From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field.”
From here, a few things stand out;
•There was an inwardly, intellectually unexplainable conviction towards Godly stewardship and excellence. In both excerpts we don’t hear any direct mention of them being handed these exceptional qualities by God as a gift. But right from the jump we see two extremely industrious men who aren’t out to please their earthly masters. They are on a mission to please one who is above them all.
•Their inner conviction towards Godly industry and excellence was inexplicably noticeable even among the people who didn’t worship Yahweh. To put this into perspective, I’d love us to remember that Babylonia was a largely diverse nation culturally as the kingdom had colonies of the nations they conquered but they were largely an idol worshipping nation. So the fact that in the midst of such great spiritual opposition they managed to not only strike a sense of excellence but also point a sense of a God above the ones the natives of the land were aware of/sensitized to, spoke volumes.
Daniel 6:5-9. ” [5] Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.” [6] So these administrators and satraps went as a group to the king and said: “May King Darius live forever! [7] The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den. [8] Now, Your Majesty, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” [9] So King Darius put the decree in writing.”
Genesis 39:6-7. “[6] So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, [7] and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!” “.
In both of these excerpts the core of their characters and qualities was tested. And not just in random sequences, but at points whose ripple consequences would carry a weight so heavy it would change Biblical discourse for eternity. Daniel’s religion was targeted so as to create a chasm between him and his earthly master. Remember, his work was so exceptional that he found Godly favor with a pagan king. The only way his enemies would get a hand on him against his earthly master was his religious practices (The assumption being he compartmentalized his religious practices with his secular responsibilities like they did). Realizing that the God Daniel served was “Not like the others that people worshipped within the kingdom” they went after his religion. Babylonia was a culturally rich and diverse community and as such, different religions were practiced and tolerated. By centralizing worship, it would then mean they would create a “loophole” in the law that would make Daniel “technically wrong and guilty”. Would Daniel still have been an exceptional servant even if he consented to the new decree? Maybe. But that wasn’t the point. It was never about his work. It was about the core of who he was as a believer. And who better to pit him against if not his earthly master, who trusted him so much?
Joseph had the same predicament. Potiphar trusted him so much that there was never a question on his conduct from his mind. So if he did give in and sleep with Potiphar’s wife, Potiphar would not even have let that suspicion cross his mind as in his mind Joseph was a good man who served a God he didn’t fully understand. So sleeping/not sleeping with Potiphar’s wife wasn’t the core of the challenge. He would’ve gotten away with it here on earth and still have continued being the good boy he was known to be in that home. The test was in juxtaposition to the core of what made him who he was. That was the refining fire.
Daniel 6:10-11. ” [10] Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. [11] Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help.”
Genesis 39:8-9 ” [8] But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. [9] No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” “
Here we see a God-centered defiance. They didn’t just say no. They said, “No, Because God…” Think about it, Daniel was a most trusted administrator. He simply would’ve just gone to the king and challenged this conviction. Struck a deal with his master and be on his way. Joseph would’ve just said “No”. I mean we live in an era of sexual consent so “A no is a no”…right? Except for them it was; “…Daniel praying and asking God for help…” and “…How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”.
Who they were was not to please their masters or their peers. It wasn’t to seek any validation from anyone around them. It was purely focused on God. don’t get me wrong, they respected their authoritative figures. They submitted themselves to them. But IN THE LORD. Meaning if they put them in a position to choose between them and Yahweh, there was no question about what they would go for.
What then is integrity? This is how I choose to define it.
“It is the intentional and consistent application of the deep understanding of the conviction of the Godly standard of personal excellence with the aim of fruitfulness in the eyes of God first and overflowing to fellow men, even in the face of adversity.”
The goal of integrity isn’t so God can bless us materially (I mean he can. But again, that’s not the point). It is so that God can say, “Well done, you good and faithful servant.” The question is, in the face of adversity, when the core of our faith is tested and there is the opportunity to get away with sin “harmlessly” in the eyes of men, being ensnared by the folly of human wit and looking deep in the face of persecution when we choose to stand ten toes on our faith, will we be like Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego, who said;
Daniel 3:16-18 [16] Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. [17] If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. [18] But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Something to think about. Shalom.
Adero Paul 🙏✨
