Negligence and Diligence are not Alike

 They sound alike, but their meanings are polar opposites. Generally speaking, negligence will come back and bite you. On the other hand, diligence will contribute over time to good ends.

In Daniel’s most famous story, Daniel’s adversaries were zealous to find any dirt on him that they could. But here is their result: “they could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him” (Dan 6:4). And so, as the text continues, they have to alter their method: 5 “Then these men said, “We will not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the law of his God.””

Now why did they think the could count on finding an accusation against Daniel with regard to the practice of his faith? It was because he was diligent in these things. “Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously” (Dan 6:10). Daniel’s opponents had convinced the king to adopt a deviously conceived law protected by a dumb custom (the law of the Meds and Persians cannot be altered). But Daniel’s diligence, practiced before, continued on.

The more common word “neglect” is used three times in Hebrews, with warnings against it:

Heb. 2:3 how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard,
Heb. 13:2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.
Heb. 13:16 And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

I’ll close with the passage we have been studying in these 50 days leading up to Easter: “Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.” (2 Peter 1:5–7 NAS95)