The Lord is Our Judge - Daniel 6 Rough Draft

Introduction

Read Daniel 6:6-18

Daniel 6:6–18 ESV

Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live forever! All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction. When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.” Then they answered and said before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.” Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.” Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him.

I. Turn to the True Mediator

A. What is a mediator?

A mediator is someone who stands between two parties:

In Judaism, God had provided priests to be mediators between Himself and the people.

Individuals could not just go to God on their own. They had to go through the priest to be able to offer their sacrifices and to talk to God on their behalf.

B. Who are we trusting in to defend us before our ultimate judge?

The wise men:

The other wise men were trusting in the king and in the law of the Medes and Persians to give them power and prestige in the land.

Their proposed new law would force others to make King Darius their mediator between themselves and the gods.

King Darius was probably pretty flattered to be considered so great as to be the only man people could go through in order to communicate with the gods.

Of course, the wise men knew that Daniel, while he respects King Darius, would never bow down to Darius as a mediator between himself and God. They set up this trap, knowing that this would be the only way to bring Daniel down.

Daniel

Daniel did not have a priest to be able to go through or a temple to go to

But notice where all his prayers are directed:

His posture and his face was directed toward Jerusalem

Even though the Temple had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, he was still looking towards where the Temple had stood

Even though there was no priest to mediate for him, he was still praying towards the place where the priest had ministered

We will get into chapter 7 of Daniel in a couple weeks, but in that chapter, Daniel recounts a vision that was given to him of a Son of Man, who will be given a kingdom that will never end. This Son of Man would be the hope for the exiles that Babylon nor Persia would have the final say, but that the Son of Man who is seated next to the Ancient of Days would have the final victory. His kingdom will be established forever and will destroy the beasts of the kingdoms of the earth. This vision was given to Daniel long before the events of chapter six and would have provided hope for him that his fate does not rest in the hands of the kings or of the empire within which he lived. His destiny was secure as he trusted in this coming Son of Man.

Daniel is essentially looking towards the coming Messiah, King Jesus, to be his mediator.

This Jesus, who refers to Himself as the Son of Man, is the Great High Priest who mediates between God and Man.

King Jesus

King Jesus would be the one to go to God the Father on Daniel’s behalf to declare Daniel’s innocence. He did not need to defend himself before this pagan king who was too weak to notice what his wise men were doing right under his nose.

As a Priest, He goes to God on our behalf to offer our prayers and supplications to God.

This is why we are called to pray in Jesus’ name. It is by and through Jesus that our prayers are given to God.

John 14:13 ESV

Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

John 15:16 ESV

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

If we seek to pray in any other name, however sincere we might think we are, are prayers offered in vain.

What does it mean to pray in Jesus’ name?

It is more than just tacking on His name at the end of a prayer.

A name refers to the character of a person and the trust and dependence you have on that character.

Jesus tells us in John 15:7 that if we abide in Him, then we will ask and receive what we desire.

To abide in Jesus is to rest in Him and to allow Him to take leadership in my life. As I align my heart and life with Him, my desires will conform to the desires of Jesus and I will begin to ask for those things that Jesus Himself desires.

To pray in Jesus’ name is to submit to Him and love Him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength as we seek to present our prayers of supplication and thanksgiving to God through Him.

While Jesus had not come in flesh yet, we see that Daniel has lived his life in eager expectation and hope of the coming Son of Man and he has submitted his life and hope on the promised King. Daniel was a man who prayed daily in Jesus’ name even as he was still waiting for Jesus to come.

But as a priest and mediator, Jesus also provides the perfect sacrifice on behalf of all those who would come to God through Him.

A priest would offer sacrifices on behalf of the people for the forgiveness of sins.

However, the people were still not able to approach God directly because the sacrifices were imperfect.

Even now, Daniel was living in a place where sacrifices could not be offered. And yet Daniel was also looking forward to not just a man who could approach God on his behalf, but would also offer the perfect sacrifice once for all that would allow him to come into God’s presence.

Jesus, as our great High Priest, offered the sacrifice that has now allowed us to come into the presence of the Father.

Listen to what the author of Hebrews has to say about Jesus as our High Priest and Mediator:

Hebrews 9:11–15 ESV

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

King Jesus is the only one who can perfectly bring us before God. So Daniel’s insistence upon praying only to God was not simply a stubbornness towards the law of the Medes and Persians, it was the only thing he could do.

Of course, what is amazing, is he continued to rely on King Jesus or on this promised mediator, even when he knows this will probably mean his death. He is willing to endure shame and punishment for submitting himself to the perfect Mediator.

And while Daniel is confident that God alone deserves his allegiance, there is no guarantee that God will deliver him safely from the mouths of the lions.

Who are we trusting to defend us?

Maybe we are trusting in certain laws and politicians to justify and vindicate our standing in society.

Maybe we are trusting in the court of popular opinion, which means we will be willing to do whatever it takes to earn the favor and approval of others, even if it contradicts our beliefs.

Maybe we are trusting in our own intelligence and charisma to help us gain a right standing in the eyes of others.

Daniel could have tried to find another way out of this trap.

He could have been more private in his prayers by closing his windows, or by simply saying, “God won’t mind if I take 30 days off from my prayers.”

II. Our Verdict is Determined by the True Judge

Conclusion