Daniel in the Lion's Den

Daniel in the Lion’s Den

Daniel 6

America is a nation built and founded on Biblical principles. Despite all their imperfections, my forefathers came to this country in search of freedom of religion and freedom of life, and they found it.

In fact, they established it, and America rapidly became the most powerful nation in the world. A little over two hundred years later and you can see the results of a nation and a people who have begun to trust themselves rather than God.

If we have learned anything from the book of Daniel it is that nations rise and fall, by the predetermined plan of God. He is sovereign and in control of history.

I live in a country today, I don’t even recognize anymore. The names and the faces are the same, but the hearts and minds of the people have changed. America has become a nation that has lost its identity because we have forgotten what it means to be faithful to God.

I can’t help but wonder if that attitude has crept into the church. Has the church become so much like the world; we have forgotten what it means to be faithful to God? Have we forgotten the golden rule, to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves? Do we understand the Bible teaches us this is not our home, but we are exiles living in a foreign land and Jesus is going to return one day and the faithful in Christ will live with Him forever?

In our story this morning the Jewish people were exiles living in a foreign land. They had been in Babylon for over 70 years. They had become immersed in the Babylonian culture. The mindset was, when in Babylon do as the Babylonians.

After all, that way they could avoid any punishment or persecution. They had pretty much given up on God, and the idea He would deliver them back to the promise land. Most of them forgot what it meant to be faithful to God.

But there was one man; Daniel who teaches us what true faithfulness looks like. This passage should move us to pray, and to live without fear in our commitment to God. To not back down from what we believe in, no matter what the world has to say about it.

The spiritual struggle addressed here is, the pull of the culture verses faith in God. Will you go along to get along in this world or will you choose your own path. What we learn from this passage is, to trust the Lord because He can deliver us from all the evil we face.

The first thing I want you to see in this passage is the Prominence of Daniel, Vs. 1-4. God continues to show divine favor to Daniel as he rises to power once again in this new government. If you remember from last week the Medes and the Persians conquered Babylon. So, there is a new king on the throne and immediately we are met with Bible controversy.

Vs. 1, “It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom.” Now we know historically that Cyrus the Great was the Persian king at this time. So, who is Darius? Liberal scholars use this reference to say the whole story is unreliable, because there is no mention of Darius outside of the Bible. So, they dismiss it and say, it’s a folk tale written centuries later. However, like any document written 2600 years ago there are cultural practices we are not familiar with.

Some scholars believe Darius is the name of the general who conquered Babylon, and Cyrus left him there in charge of the city. Other scholars believe the most probable explanation is that Darius is a tittle for Cyrus himself.

You see Cyrus was the Persian king who conquered the Median empire and joined the two empires together. It is believed Darius is the tittle Cyrus used to satisfy the Medes. If this is true and most scholars believe it is, then a better translation of 6:28 would be, “So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius (instead of and) that is the reign of Cyrus the Persian.” This is a perfectly legitimate interpretation.

I like what Sinclair Ferguson had to say about this, “It is a sad reflection on the biblical scholarship of the last century that in matters such as these the Bible has been treated as guilty until proved innocent. This attitude stands in marked contrast to the credibility given to other nonbiblical texts of the same period. We need constantly to remind ourselves that no one comes to Scripture with a mind free from a faith commitment; one will either have faith in Scripture as God’s Word or one’s attitude will be one of unbelief.” (Daniel, 116-17)

With that said, I am going to approach this scripture with confidence. This is a real story, written by Daniel, who was supernaturally protected by God from the mouth of lions. So, he could be a witness to the world of the one true God.

The first thing we see this new king doing in Vs 1, is establishing his government. He divides Babylon into 120 provinces, and he sets over those provinces, satraps, or princes if you will. However, the king obviously doesn’t trust these princes because notice Vs. 2, “and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss.”

We can see that corruption in government is not something new. Corruption didn’t begin with American politicians. The king was afraid these princes were going to steal from him and cheat him out of his income taxes. So, he places three supervisors over them and notice Daniel is one of them.

Even though Daniel is a man in his mid to late 80’s and enjoying his retirement, God wasn’t done using him yet. And once again he becomes a witness in this new kingdom.

That is proof there is no age limit for God’s ability to do great things in your life. God is looking for those who are willing to serve him. It doesn’t matter how old you are and it doesn’t matter how young you are. What matters is, are you faithful to God? And Daniel was faithful to God.

Notice Vs. 3, “Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.” So, Daniel stood out among his peers. He was a cut above the rest because he was experiencing God’s favor.

We have seen this same type of promotion throughout the book of Daniel. In chapter one, Nebuchadnezzar recognized Daniel was ten times better than all the wisemen in Babylon. In chapter two Daniel is the only one who can interpret the kings dream and he is promoted to the chief magician. In chapter five the worthless king Belshazzar made him third in command of the entire kingdom. And now we see it again, even when authority changes hands, God is creating circumstances for his people to be promoted.

I want you to know the same thing is true in your life. If you are faithful and committed to serving God, He will make away for you. God will pour His divine favor out on you in a way that others will recognize. That doesn’t mean it is going to be easy, but notice even Daniel’s peers recognized God’s favor.

Look at Vs. 4, “Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him.”

What a wonderful description of Daniel. He is a godly man, who is prospering in life because he is faithful and honest. Even his peers admit it, they can’t find any fault in him. He is blameless.

But it is important that we recognize the blessings of the righteous stir up the jealousy of the wicked. Why? Because light exposes darkness, and godliness brings conviction to the ungodly. Vs. 4 tells us, it is now 120 against 1. Daniel stands alone against the mob.

Now it’s important we understand Daniel was not perfect, but he was above reproach because he was sincere in his faith. So, they hated him for it. The greatest example of being hated without cause is our Lord Jesus Christ. He wasn’t only blameless and beyond reproach, but He was sinless and perfect in all His ways and the world hated Him for it. And the world will hate you for it.

Let me ask you this. Are you sincere in your devotion to God? Could it be said that you are blameless and without reproach, not sinless but blameless? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if someone seeking accusation against us had to stop and say, “I can’t find anything?”

I can tell you there are areas in my life the enemy of my soul can attack and accuse me. I can’t say that I am blameless, but I can say I am devoted to the One who is. The one who allows me to repent and be forgiven. The one who allows me to start over with a clean slate. Not because I’m perfect but because He is. Of Course, I am talking about my Lord, Jesus Christ.

And you can know Him to that way in your life. You can know forgiveness and grace. You can know peace and joy. And it doesn’t matter what anyone says about you all that matters is what God says about you. You can be blameless before God because of Jesus.

The next thing I want you to see in this passage is The Plot against Daniel, Vs. 5-9. His enemies can’t come up with a legitimate accusation so they are going to create one. Notice Vs. 5, “Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.”

How ironic is That? These conspirators are going to try and destroy Daniel with the very thing that will save his life in the end. They are going to try and use his faithfulness to God against him. They are going to try and trap him in his commitment.

Isn’t it interesting how things haven’t changed that much today? There is an attempt in our world to destroy anyone or anything that is Godly. That’s why they are arresting Christian ministers in Canada and charging them with hate speech. That’s why gay people will go to a Christian baker, and force them to make their wedding cake. That is why they began arresting men and women in the UK for praying silently outside of abortion clinics. (Not protesting, praying)

It's nothing new, we see it right here in the book of Daniel, the world wants to criminalize obedience to God. Look at their plot Vs. 6-9, “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.”

What we see here is their plot involves this false sense of urgency. All 120 of Daniel’s peers come together before the king. They say, “we need to send a message throughout the kingdom.” This is important king. We need to promote loyalty and unity. But it is all built on a lie.

Notice Vs. 7 they say, “All of us are in agreement.” But that’s not true is it? Daniel isn’t even there. They are lying to try and sell their message.

Perhaps the king doesn’t notice Daniel is missing. We don’t know, but they make their claim as though it’s urgent and a matter of loyalty.

Also, they are appealing to his ego. We want you to be honored king. We want everyone to prove their loyalty to you, and we are all in agreement in this matter. This is the right thing to do, and it needs to be a law.

So, the king signs it. He finalizes the deal and in so doing these conspirators believe they have sealed Daniel’s fate. Because once a law was signed by the king, it could not be changed. It was binding.

So, the plot has been established. The trap has been laid. The tension is building and the question becomes what will Daniel do now?

The next thing I want you to see in this passage is the prayer of Daniel, Vs. 10-18.

Vs. 10 “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.”

Think of all the ways Daniel could justify going along with this crowd. I mean it’s just for 30 days. Its not that long, surely God will understand. After all Daniel had been faithful his whole life. He could just pray silently to himself. No one needed to know. Think of all the ways Daniel could have reasoned in his heart to go along just to stay out of trouble.

Vs. 10 says, “he knew what had taken place.” Yet he keeps being faithful to God anyway. Why? Because for Daniel this wasn’t something he did for show. He wasn’t pretending. This was his relationship with God. God was always faithful to Daniel and Daniel trusted God, and it wasn’t going to be any different this time.

Don’t think for a moment Daniel is acting out of a rebellion. He didn’t go out on a street corner and protest. He did what he had always done. He was obedient to God above everything else. Why? Because he trusted God and God had always come through.

But why pray toward Jerusalem? Because he was praying with hope. He was praying for his people. His people were going to begin to return home to Jerusalem. Daniel probably had in mind the powerful words of King Solomon at the dedication of the temple. 1 Kings 8:44-49

“If your people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatever way you shall send them, and they pray to the Lord toward the city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name, then hear in heaven their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause.

46 “If they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you are angry with them and give them to an enemy, so that they are carried away captive to the land of the enemy, far off or near, 47 yet if they turn their heart in the land to which they have been carried captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captors, saying, ‘We have sinned and have acted perversely and wickedly,’ 48 if they repent with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies, who carried them captive, and pray to you toward their land, which you gave to their fathers, the city that you have chosen, and the house that I have built for your name, 49 then hear in heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause.”

Daniel knew the scripture and he was praying the scripture back to God. He got down on his knees three times a day to plead the cause of his people. This is a lesson that we can all learn of the importance of prayer to our faith, and the importance of scripture to our prayer. If we want God’s will to be effective in our life, then we want to pray according to God’s Word.

It didn’t matter to Daniel that he might lose his life over this. He didn’t do it in defiance, he did it in obedience. It wasn’t about rebellion it was about faith.

Well in Vs. 11-18 Daniel’s enemies were ready and waiting. They saw what he did, and they immediately went to the king. They even threw in a little anti-Semitism in Vs. 13, “One of those exiles from Judea, pays no attention to you king.”

And Darius wasn’t very happy about this situation. He had stepped into the trap of his evil administrators, and they continued to remind him of the law he signed. Now he didn’t have a choice, and Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den. A stone was placed over the entrance and sealed.

What is important for us is Daniel’s incredible witness. Evil men of the world counted on Daniel to be faithful to his God and he was. Daniel knew God always came through for him in the past, so he trusted God to come through for him in the future. What a testimony to know that there are man and women of God, in the world we can count on to be faithful.

The last thing I want you to see in this passage is the protection of Daniel, Vs. 19-28. We have seen Daniel rise to prominence no matter his circumstances, because of God’s favor. We saw the plot of wicked trying to use Daniel’s faithfulness against him. We saw Daniel go to the Lord in prayer, even though it could cost him his life. Now we see God’s protection of Daniel as he rescues him from the mouth of lions.

Notice Vs. 19-23, “Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also, before you, O king, I have done no harm.” Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So, Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.”

We see God’s power on full display in the protection of his people. The fact that the king ran to find Daniel “at the break of day” reminds me of the women who came to the tomb in search of Jesus on the morning of the resurrection. They are astonished by what they found, and so is the king.

You can hear the anguish in his voice as he cries out, “Oh Daniel has your God in whom you serve been able to deliver you.” And no doubt he didn’t expect to hear an answer back. He expected to hear the lions lying satisfied at the bottom of the pit.

We were told in Vs. 18 the king had spent the night fasting but he wasn’t the only one that didn’t eat. God had sent an angel and shut the mouths of the lions. Notice Daniel’s vindication, Vs. 22 he says, “They have not harmed me because I was found blameless before Him.”

Daniel wasn’t claiming to be sinless, but rather that God had judged him innocent of the charges. Let me ask you this, are you innocent of the charges in your life? The Bible tells us, “there are none that are righteous, no not one. That all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” So, no one is innocent. But there is one we can turn to and be set free from judgment.

God doesn’t always save us from physical death in this world, but He promises to save us from spiritual death. And as I read this story, I can’t help but think about Jesus. Because it was Jesus that rescued us from hell and death, by His own death on the cross. There are so many things in this story that point to Christ.

For example, like Daniel, Jesus was an innocent man who was falsely accused and condemned to die. Similar to Darius, Pilate knew Jesus was innocent and searched for a way to try and release him.

Just like Daniel was thrown into a pit of lion’s and a stone rolled over the entrance. Jesus was placed in a tomb that was sealed shut, but on the third day by the power of God He rose again.

For us, we are told that no harm came to Daniel because he trusted his God. And the same thing is true in our life. When we trust in Jesus there is no harm that can come to us.

It was the Apostle Paul who said, “If God be for us who can be against us? and no weapon formed against us can prosper.”

We might not survive the plots of evil men, and the wickedness of this world, but one day, we will bask in the glory of God for all of eternity.

Daniel teaches us that. He teaches us what true faithfulness looks like. He teaches us to pray, and to live without fear in our commitment to God. To not back down from what we believe in, no matter what the world has to say about it.