Today's Scripture Reading (November 4, 2026): Daniel 6
George III (1738-1820) ascended the English
throne on October 25, 1760. In his accession speech to the English Parliament,
which was actually written by lawyer and politician Phillip Yorke, the first
Lord of Hardwicke, George inserted a phrase he had written himself, and it is
unclear whether it was ever approved by those who advised the king. The phrase
was "born and educated in this country, I glory in the name of
Britain." It was meant to announce that, unlike the other Hanoverian kings
before George, who were often accused of being more German than British, George
was a product of Britain. In fact, George III was the first Hanoverian king to
live his entire life in Britain; he had never even been to Hanover, an area on
the European mainland that is now part of Germany. George was also the first
Hanoverian king who spoke English as his native language. This new kind of
sovereign is the image George hoped the people would see: a new kind of king
and a real British Monarch.
However, we remember
George not for what he said but for what he did. In North America, we remember
George III as the king whose tyranny sparked the American War of Independence.
He wanted to interfere with the colonies to raise more money for himself. Maybe,
if we are honest, we know it is terribly unfair to sum up a person's life based
on a one-sided perception of an event.
George III also defeated
Napoleon at Waterloo. What impressed people during Britain's war with Napoleon
and France was that he was personally ready to defend his nation. George went
down to review the troops defending the Island. Newspapers reported that if the
French army stepped onto British soil, George was ready to fight for his
country at the head of the British forces. His supplies were packed, and
according to the newspapers, George was never more than half an hour from the
fight. He was a king who wouldn't send someone else to do what he didn't want
to do. He would be there. In his prime, George is seen as a real British king,
not because of what he said, but because of what he did.
One subplot in the tale
of "Daniel and the Lion's Den" concerns the role of King Darius.
Throughout Daniel's career in Babylon, he was an honored leader. When Babylon
fell, it would have been normal for the leaders of the defeated Empire to be,
at the very least, removed from office, if not killed, by the conquering
Empire, in this case, the Medes and Persians. Daniel's story took a different
turn. Now Daniel had risen again, this time under the leadership of the Median
Empire. His role in the Empire was so great that Darius was personally invested
in Daniel's life. Darius had been tricked into issuing a decree that put
Daniel's life at risk; the king spent a sleepless night worrying about Daniel,
and now he rushes to be with him. We know that the king was an older man. As
king, it would have been quite proper for him to send someone else in his
stead. But the king refuses to do that. He leaves the comforts of his palace
and, in what was probably both an undignified and a humorous scene, hurries to
the lion's den to see what happened during the night. This act would define
both the king's reign and Daniel's life.
Words are nice, but our
actions often carry the real message. If we want to know who we are, whether we
are King Darius of the Median-Persian Empire, King George of Britain, or the
person down the street, the question that needs to be asked is never what we
said; it is always what we did?
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Daniel 7
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