Daniel and the Lions Den

Summarize the chapter

Intro

Daniel was probaly 80 years old by now!

thats crazy, so far he was super smart and had worked his way way up the ladder.

He was one of the kings top 3 guys

Unfortunaly, he wasnt working with others who belived in the same God

Kinda like us sometimes right?

at school, or at sports or wherever, we are always surrounded by people who dont belive the same things as us

But even though even the king didnt belive in Daniels (our God) he noticed that Daniel was a really hard worker.

Which is of course a reflection of what God wants from all of us. To work hard for him right. The bible teaches that

Anyway, Daniel was a really hard worker, and king really liked him

So naturally, this made a lot of the other people. Probaly more lazy people. Not like Daniel. So they devised a plan to set him up

Have any of you ever been around other people that didnt like you just because you are a christian and act differant? Or maybe they dont like you because your a hard worker?

That sort of thing will happen, especially as we become more grounded in our faith

So anyway, these guys couldnt find anything wrong with Daniel so they decided to attack his faith

So they hatched a plan

They knew that in ancient Babylon that whatever the king said was Law. And everyone must follow it.

So, appealing to his pride

does anyone know pride is?

try to explain pride

So this is what the guys did

They talked King Darius into making a law that would essentially make himself a God

And they said that anyone who worships anyone or anything other than the king will be put where?

In the lions den

So what did Daiel do at this point?

Do you think he would say ok, well i just wont worhsip God for a month. That way I am safe..

Oh no...

This is what he did

Lets start our reading here in V 10

1. Daniel’s Faithfulness Condemned Him. (Vv. 10-15)

10 But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.

Daniel wasnt going to let anyone or anything get in the way of him worshipping God

Especially not a law or even the lions den

So he did what he always did

He prayed

3 times a day

And this is a great example for us right

we should pray constantly or whenever we can

and look at how he did it

he got on his knees

he went somewhere alone

we should always be in constant communciation with God

because thats what God wants right?

he wants a relationship with us

he already knows us, and he wants us to know him

I know sometimes our prayers may get distractred

or our minds will wander

thats ok, but we cant let that discourage us

we just have to get back on track and keep praying

and thats what daniel did

I am sure he felt alone, I am sure he felt scared

But most importantly, no matter how he was feeling he prayed

Daniel knew that no matter what, they were going to try and get him

so he prayed to God for guidance and strength during this crazy time

So what happened then

11 Then the officials went together to Daniel’s house and found him praying and asking for God’s help. 12 So they went straight to the king and reminded him about his law. “Did you not sign a law that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions?” “Yes,” the king replied, “that decision stands; it is an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.” 13 Then they told the king, “That man Daniel, one of the captives from Judah, is ignoring you and your law. He still prays to his God three times a day.” 14 Hearing this, the king was deeply troubled, and he tried to think of a way to save Daniel. He spent the rest of the day looking for a way to get Daniel out of this predicament. 15 In the evening the men went together to the king and said, “Your Majesty, you know that according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, no law that the king signs can be changed.”

so they caught him right, their plan worked

But we can tell, the king didnt like this

but he knew that he had to follow through with it

see they played him because of his pride

and now simply because of his pride he is going to allow them to kill one of his favorite employees

So here we go. Daniel is going to be thrown into the lions den

When leads us to our second point

2. Daniel is protected in the lion’s den. (16-18)

So at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him, “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you.” 17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed the stone with his own royal seal and the seals of his nobles, so that no one could rescue Daniel. 18 Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night fasting. He refused his usual entertainment and couldn’t sleep at all that night.

Again, the king didnt want to do this, but his pride got in the way right

He liked Daniel and he made him a lot of money, so of course he wanted him to be protected by his God

I also belive he was inspired by Daniels faith

The king was literally worried about Daniel the whole time

he wouldnt eat, he was hoping the lions wouldnt eat either lol

he could hardly sleep

he even didn’t want to watch his normal nightly entertainment, which would equite to us as TV or reading.

something along those lines

and our final point of the night

3. Daniel is found alive, not just survived. (19-23)

19 Very early the next morning, the king got up and hurried out to the lions’ den.

The king awoke that morning and was still very worried about daniel. So what did he do?

20 When he got there, he called out in anguish, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you serve so faithfully, able to rescue you from the lions?”

and this is so awesome!

21 Daniel answered, “Long live the king! 22 My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty.” 23 The king was overjoyed and ordered that Daniel be lifted from the den. Not a scratch was found on him, for he had trusted in his God.

Wow! do yall believe that?

So in this time period and in this area

Lions were everywhere

They were super popular with the kings

they would hunt them

they would catch them and put them in zoos

and they would use them to eat people

which is exactly what they tried to do here

So the people knew what these lions were capable of, they werent some nice freindly lion. They were ferosous

But these lions… what was differant about them?

Nothing! they were the same lions that had probably killed a lot of men

The only thing that was differant was God

See Daniel had been very faithfull right

he prayed and worhsipped God even when he knew it would get him in trouble

And God protected him this time

See we worship an almighty God

A God that created the universe!

created mountains, seas, oceans

everthing! he even created the lions

But of all things, God loves us!

So no one can touch the person who trusts in God until God says its time

Now I am not saying bad things cant happen to us, they can and they might

What I am saying is that we can trust our God. That no matter what happens to us God is in control

And we can trust God like that it brings amazing peace

Similar to the peace Daniel had in that lions den..

so, do you think Daniel was peaceful while he was in there?

lol, scripture doesnt tell us but he sure seemed calm when the King called for him

However, its very possible that his calmness comes from the fact that there is an angel in there and it shut the mouths of the lions!

And the same God that did this to for Daniel is the same God that we worhsip

The same God that sent his son Jesus to die for our sins

Conclusion

So here are the last few things I would like to say before we split up

Sometimes our devotion to God will get us in wierd situations. But as Christians we are to stay faithful and trust that God is bigger than anything we can face. Even being made fun of or people not liking us.

So remember God will honor and protect those of us that trust in him.

We must rely on Gods wisdom and stay faithful and I promise you he will stay faithful to us

What we do in private matters, what we watch what we read, what we see matters to God. He sees everything.

He saw that Daniel was faithful to him even when no one was watching

Finally, sometimes it takes a crisis to see what kind of faith we really have. It super easy to worship God when things are easy. But what happens when things get hard? Do you still want to worship God?

Daniel did, and God shut the mouths of lions!

Gospel presentation

Small Group questions

Have you ever had a situation where everything seemed bad? Like Daniel, But then God moved and worked it all out?

What did you learn from this situation?

Did you just survive or thrive, like Daniel did?

We may not have these huge events happen in our lives like Daniel, but we can see God show up and show out in our lives… How do you normally recognize God moving in your life?