Delivered To Death

Introduction

‌Think of the best day of your life to this point! Does a specific day come to your mind? Maybe not just one but two, three, or even four. Possibly the day of your wedding. The day your first child was born. The day that you hit your first home run, scored your first touchdown, got a 1 at state for choir or band, the day that you finally got to ride the roller coaster at Silver Dollar City. For every Christian, there should be a day or two that sit pretty high on that list… the day you got saved, and the day you got baptized. Is anyone else thankful for those two days? We can’t necessarily plan the first day, but we usually plan the second day. We tell grandparents, we tell our friends, we might tell our school teacher, and we celebrate the day of our baptism as we celebrate what God has done in our lives!

But did you know that the day that you get baptized in a country like North Korea, Vietnam, India, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, or Syria, that day of celebration is also a day marked by suffering, abandonment, imprisonment, and possible execution? See, would you be willing to go through with something like this if this was the cost? Would you be willing to pray if it meant going to prison? There are times in life where being faithful will be costly. There will be times where it seems as though we do the right thing and we lose. When those times surface, what do we do? We know the church answer… but really, what do we do? This morning, let’s turn to Daniel 6 and see both God’s power and what genuine obedience and trust in the Lord looks like in a world that has lost its mind

Daniel 6:1–18 CSB

1 Darius decided to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, stationed throughout the realm, 2 and over them three administrators, including Daniel. These satraps would be accountable to them so that the king would not be defrauded. 3 Daniel distinguished himself above the administrators and satraps because he had an extraordinary spirit, so the king planned to set him over the whole realm. 4 The administrators and satraps, therefore, kept trying to find a charge against Daniel regarding the kingdom. But they could find no charge or corruption, for he was trustworthy, and no negligence or corruption was found in him. 5 Then these men said, “We will never find any charge against this Daniel unless we find something against him concerning the law of his God.” 6 So the administrators and satraps went together to the king and said to him, “May King Darius live forever. 7 All the administrators of the kingdom—the prefects, satraps, advisers, and governors—have agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an edict that, for thirty days, anyone who petitions any god or man except you, the king, will be thrown into the lions’ den. 8 Therefore, Your Majesty, establish the edict and sign the document so that, as a law of the Medes and Persians, it is irrevocable and cannot be changed.” 9 So King Darius signed the written edict. 10 When Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house. The windows in its upstairs room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before. 11 Then these men went as a group and found Daniel petitioning and imploring his God. 12 So they approached the king and asked about his edict: “Didn’t you sign an edict that for thirty days any person who petitions any god or man except you, the king, will be thrown into the lions’ den?” The king answered, “As a law of the Medes and Persians, the order stands and is irrevocable.” 13 Then they replied to the king, “Daniel, one of the Judean exiles, has ignored you, the king, and the edict you signed, for he prays three times a day.” 14 As soon as the king heard this, he was very displeased; he set his mind on rescuing Daniel and made every effort until sundown to deliver him. 15 Then these men went together to the king and said to him, “You know, Your Majesty, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no edict or ordinance the king establishes can be changed.” 16 So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you continually serve, rescue you!” 17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing in regard to Daniel could be changed. 18 Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting. No diversions were brought to him, and he could not sleep.

Today we arrive at one of the most famous stories in all of Scripture, and certainly the most famous one in the book of Daniel (possibly rivaled only by chapter 3) as we see both Daniel’s obedience and God’s faithfulness. God calls on His people to trust in Him. To not only know Him, but to live for Him. This requires each of us to live a changed life - my question for you is this: How has Jesus changed you? If your answer is, He hasn’t… or if your answer is, I need Him to change something, let’s pray that He would help us with that today.

The theme of chapter 6 is, once again, God’s faithfulness in the midst of the people being in exile - how God remains faithful and able, even in difficult times and how this must lead the people of God to remain faithful to Him, even when we have seemingly been delivered over to death. This morning, in light of God’s faithfulness, we’re going to examine 3 things that God calls on His people to do, 3 characteristics of faithful followers.

Those With Biblical Faith

Display Devotion (1-9)

As we remember the context of the book of Daniel, we remember that this was written at a time when the people of Israel were in exile. There was a temptation to think that God has abandoned them and that they must compromise and fit in and go with the flow of society in order to get a leg up. In fact, by this point as the Persians were now in charge instead of the Babylonians, there would have likely been even greater pressure to give into these comforts and pressures. Daniel had been in Babylon for nearly 70 years by this point. He was in Babylon but he never became a Babylonian. He was in this world but he was not of this world. But this didn’t stop him from desiring to honor God and be a productive citizen. As Jeremiah 29 reminds us of the responsibility of these Jewish exiles

Jeremiah 29:7 CSB

7 Pursue the well-being of the city I have deported you to. Pray to the Lord on its behalf, for when it thrives, you will thrive.”

Because of Daniel’s devotion to God, he was also a devoted and diligent worker. Working for the betterment of Babylon and now Persia. His rivals couldn’t say that he slacked off or was a double agent trying to sabotage things from the inside like we might think of in a modern spy or military movie today. This isn’t Daniel. He isn’t a Tom Cruise character in Mission Impossible, he is genuinely a hard worker. He is genuinely working for the king and doing his best. Even in a foreign land with a pagan king, miles away from home, he was a faithful worker. Alistair Begg shares that, “If Daniel could find a way to serve well in exile - to seek the common good, to obey the state wherever he could, to give his time and talents to seeing Babylon flourish - then we can serve well too.” Now, this isn’t a call to be supremely devoted to our state and to compromise on God’s Word, that’s not right. But it also doesn’t mean that we stand on God’s Word boldly and, in the mean time, run for our bunker in Bunker never to speak with anyone again. That might be your ideal situation, but God commands His people to be salt and light and to make disciples of our neighbors and the nations! This requires us to engage with our neighbors and the nations and part of engaging is usually working and talking. So, we must serve and we must serve well. We honor God and display devotion to Him by doing things well. Whether that’s at school, at work, with your friends, at the grocery store, here at church, wherever God plants you we live out 1 Corinthians 10:31

1 Corinthians 10:31 CSB

31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.

How can you and I do this in our life? How can we glorify God in all that we do? It starts with our motivation. Why do you do what you do? What is your WHY? For some we would say that our “why” is helping others and this is our motivation. I’m reminded of my mom who was a teacher for years and years and many of you who teach others and serve generously and your motivation isn’t financial… it’s to help others. That’s a good motivation. But why do we desire to help others? What leads to that desire? I pray that for each of us it is first because when we were helpless, Christ helped us. When we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We’ve been forgiven, saved, helped, and we now desire to serve God by helping others. Because of God’s faithfulness, we are devoted to work in such a way that brings Him glory and stands out in our world because our motivation is different than another person. Take Daniel and these other administrators and satraps (government officials). Daniel’s motivation to serve the kingdom wasn’t first self-serving. That’s why his rivals couldn’t find a charge or corruption against him. He wanted to see Persia succeed because God had planted him in Persia. He knew that His God was faithful and in control, and he would obey his authority in so far as he could. He would be a good worker, not because his motivation was a promotion or a spotlight, but because his motivation was to glorify his God. We need this type of devotion today, church! Power is so often a corrupting influence. These other officials and leaders saw Daniel as a threat because he was an exiled Jew. He was an outsider. They had scratched and clawed their whole lives to get to this point… and meanwhile here is Daniel, and his character is such that the only way they will be able to get him is by forcing him to do something that went against his God.

Now, doesn’t this sound eerily similar to chapter 3? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were high ranking officials in Nebuchadnezzar’s court. They were gifted by God. They were good workers. But they couldn’t bow down to the golden statue because to bow would be to sin. They were chiefly devoted to their God. Though there were consequences for not worshiping the king, they would stand and sure enough, their rivals tattled on them before the king. Here, Daniel’s rivals convince the king to sign this law that says that for 30 days, only the king can be worshiped as a god. They said that everyone has agreed with this proposition… but this is a lie! Certainly, Daniel wasn’t consulted here because he would have disagreed! They did this because their motivation was to see Daniel dead. Here we see yet another king stumble with pride as Darius signs the edict. Anyone who challenges his rule and fails to worship him will meet certain death.

As you look at your life, and as others look at your life, where is your devotion? How do you spend your time? Daniel stood out from these 122 government officials because his job didn’t come first. God did. He was chiefly devoted to his God. To stand on God’s Word. This was his track record. Pleasing God was his motivation. And this made him a better administrator. It made him a better worker. It made him a more trusted friend. So often in life we want to get better at something - how can I be a better worker, spouse, friend, fill in that with whatever you can think of. What we see with Daniel is a helpful principle that shows up over and over in the Bible - seek God first. Seek first His Kingdom. Be devoted to him above all else. Remember what He has done. Whenever God comes first and we are devoted to Him above all else, everything else falls into its proper place. We must prioritize God first and our jobs second. When we do this, we will stand out in a world where integrity is lacking. Doing this, though, just might get us into trouble. Let’s see how Daniel reacts

Prioritize Prayer (10-15)

We see that Daniel learns of what has taken place. Again, he was not consulted in this decision despite his position of authority. His co-workers lied to the king and went behind his back and said that he was in perfect agreement the whole time. He became aware of the situation. Notice what he did not do. He didn’t go to the king and pout. He didn’t confront his rivals. He didn’t go home and cry. He did go home, but he went home and prayed. Daniel practiced what we all pray that we would: faithfulness to the Lord. Whenever it was his moment, his line in the sand, his make or break situation, we read that Daniel did what he had done before - he prayed. He prioritized prayer. Look at how he prayed and where he prayed.

We read that he prayed in the upstairs room, the upper room at this point and in this culture would have likely been located in a corner on top of the roof of his home - this room had extra circulation and it would also have been a very public place to be. This law of only praying to the king didn’t have to be a challenge for Daniel. He could have stayed in the main part of his house. He could have shut the windows. He could have waited until night. He could have prayed right before he slept in bed. But Daniel see’s it differently - just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in chapter 3. We are great at justifying our actions - remember some of the excuses we thought about in chapter 3. Maybe the men could have bent the knee but protested internally. Survive today in order to witness tomorrow. Maybe they could have just not been present whenever the music started and found the nearest bathroom and tried to be neutral about the whole thing. Lots of options! But those 3 men prioritized honoring God. They were devoted to Him. This meant that any command that forced them to worship a false god was wrong and one that they must oppose. This is how Daniel see’s this edict in chapter 6. A direct opposition of his God. He has to choose between loyalty to his Lord and obedience to a sinful government. This is his situation. Caught off guard. Forced to make a choice. Have you been in this situation?

I’m reminded of our brothers and sisters in places like China today who are gathering to worship Jesus, but they are doing so at the risk of their lives. They are forced to choose to either obey Jesus or obey the state which hates Jesus. I’m reminded of Peter and the disciples in Acts 5 as they were told by the Jewish leaders to stop talking about Jesus Christ! Peter replied in verse 29 by saying that we must obey God and not you all. These stands have historically cost Christians much!

Daniel did what he did because his mind was already determined. See, Christian character is not forged in adversity, it is revealed in adversity. When things got hard, Daniel did what he had consistently done for decades, he obeyed God. He didn’t change. He didn’t sing a different tune. He kept praying like he always had. We aren’t told what he prayed, likely he prayed for God’s glory to be made known once again to these people. He likely prayed for God to strengthen him in this situation. We are told that he gave thanks to God - how revolutionary does that sound? Knowing that you are likely to be delivered to death, Daniel knows that God is in control, and he gives thanks to God for who he is. How is he able to do this? Think back to his teenage self in chapter 1

Daniel 1:8 CSB

8 Daniel determined that he would not defile himself with the king’s food or with the wine he drank. So he asked permission from the chief eunuch not to defile himself.

He knew that there were things that might be convenient but they weren’t Christlike. Even if it meant that he would be thrown to the lions, he would trust in the Lord. Just as Daniel wouldn’t violate God’s commands as a teenager, he wouldn’t worship an idol as a senior adult. Daniel understood this principle: To follow God means to live dangerously. I’m not talking dangerously in the sense of being an adrenaline seeker - I’m talking about doing what God’s Word demands in a world that often rejects God’s Word. Daniel knew his God was faithful. He knew that his God had him here for a reason. He knew God has all power. He knew his Bible. Therefore when his moment arrived, he went to God in prayer without hesitation. Friends, don’t tell me that you can’t pray. I’ve heard so many people say that they outlawed prayer - they took prayer out of the schools. Brothers and sisters in Christ, no one can tell you that you cannot pray. Read Daniel 6 - they told him he couldn’t pray and guess what? He did. He prioritized prayer. He also knew the cost… He knew that God had delivered his friends in chapter 3. He knew that God had delivered him in chapter 1. He knew that God had answered his prayer in chapter 2. He knew that God had humbled prideful people in chapters 4 and 5. He knew the power of his God… so he prayed and he committed himself to God’s providential care. He knew this truth from Exodus 14

Exodus 14:14 CSB

14 The Lord will fight for you, and you must be quiet.”

So Daniel prayed. And he got caught. Everything went according to the plan of his political rivals - they caught him praying as a group (122 people spying on one man). Just like in chapter 3, these men tattle to the king. King, this man doesn’t worship our gods! He has ignored your command. He doesn’t respect you. We see that the king is displeased - not with Daniel, but with these other men - he finally saw through their motives. He saw how they had set him up and he made every effort to save Daniel. But ultimately he was powerless. The most powerful human in the world had no power to save Daniel… but thankfully, Daniel trusted in someone infinitely more powerful than a king. He was a servant of the most high God. He knew that a den of lions was of no match for God’s power and might just as a fiery furnace was of no match for God’s power either.

So often as we look at God’s Word, God’s people routinely get in trouble when they look at their problem first and provider second. Consider a few examples of this:

Numbers 13 - we see 12 spies go into the promised land. What do 10 say? We can’t take it because of the problems: fortified cities, giants, strong armies. What about Joshua and Caleb? We MUST take it because our God said so. 2 looked to their provider, 10 looked to their problem.

Think of Goliath taunting the Israelites. Many of the people in the Israelite camp were defeated and dejected by his words because they were looking at their problem. David shows up and he can’t believe what he’s seeing because Goliath is disrespecting their God. David looks first to his Provider.

Think of the cross. Jesus’ disciples were confused and afraid for their lives following the death of their Lord on the cross of Calvary. They were looking at their problem - a dead Savior doesn’t make much sense… and they failed to remember what Jesus had taught them over and over that He would die and come back to life. They looked to their problem, not their Provider.

What is the solution to this human temptation to look at the wrong thing and make choices that do not honor God? Prayer. We remember who our God is. We praise Him for what He has done. We go to Him in our time of need knowing full and well that He hears us, knows what is best for us, and will answer our prayer in the best way possible. Because God is faithful, His followers seek His will and abide in His Word. Think of a time in which you faced a serious situation - did you prioritize prayer in that moment or did you try to solve the problem yourself?

Jonathan Edwards, wellknown pastor and apart of the Great Awakening in the early 1700s that led to the formation of many Ivy League Universities and the sharing of the Gospel to millions of Americans. Edwards is known for much during his ministry, but one of the lesser known aspects of his ministry is his list of 70 resolutions. He began this list as a teenager and added some over the course of his life and he would read over them once a week. Listen to his first resolution that he would remind himself of weekly

Resolution #1: I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’s glory and my own good, profit, and pleasure in the whole of my duration without any consideration of the time or difficulties.

His prayer weekly was to most of all glorify God and as he glorified God, to do what was for his good, profit, and pleasure regardless of the cost. Christian, let this be our resolution as well. To seek above all to glorify our God, regardless of the cost! Daniel chose to follow God, even if it meant he was delivered to death… Is there anything that I would die for?

3rd, a follower of Jesus Christ is one who will

Serve Supremely (16-18)

Finally in our text we see this cost. The time has come. Actions have consequences. The king brings Daniel before him and was forced by his own law - as bad as he finally realized as it was - to throw Daniel into the lion’s den. Look at what the king says to Daniel, “May your God, whom you continually serve, rescue you!” This is quite a statement. For one, Daniel continually serves his God. Not just when it’s convenient. He serves his God faithfully even when its costly. This is his legacy to this king - one who serves his God continually. The king doesn’t say, “You’re a faithful servant of mine.” He stresses his service of his own God - one that Darius didn’t worship, at least to this point. Darius, was hopeful. Daniel was not just hopeful, he was at peace. Consider his friends from decades before

Daniel 3:17–18 CSB

17 If the God we serve exists, then he can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he can rescue us from the power of you, the king. 18 But even if he does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.”

God can rescue… but even if He doesn’t, we will trust in Him. This is Daniel’s confidence. This is the God who Daniel has served for decades and he isn’t going to stop trusting in Him now. This would be a rough way to go. Have you ever gone to the zoo and seen a Lion exhibit? Lions are ferocious. Fearsome. Fascinating. You look at them with wonder in your eyes as they walk or run in the exhibit but when they start to approach you, I’ve seen many people take a step or two back even with that thick glass protecting them… Remove that glass. Everyone starts running in terror. These lions represent certain death. Not possible death. Certain death. Into this den of death goes Daniel, and a stone was placed in front of the metaphorical tomb and it was sealed with the King’s ring and the rings of his nobles. Much to the joy of his enemies, Daniel was in the jaws of death. Does this ring any bells? Tombs, enemies, stones, seals? Anyone? Ligon Duncan shares that “Just as Daniel was sealed in the lion’s den, so also Christ was sealed in the tomb, and this was the petty human ruler’s way to seal the fate of both of these great servants of the Lord.” Daniel served his God faithfully, and it got him thrown into a den of lions. Jesus served God faithfully, and it got him nailed to a cross with a crown of thorns. While stories of victory dominate the headlines, don’t be surprised when serving God carries with it a cost. Serving Jesus will cost you. It might cost you a friendship. It might cost you financially as you live with integrity and instead of swindling people for everything you can get, you do what is right. It might cost you

Is Jesus worth it?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “Every Christian has his own cross waiting for him, a cross destined and appointed by God. Each must endure his alloted share of suffering and rejection.” We were never promised an easy life. We were promised a life of trouble in this sinful and broken world. This is why Jesus told His followers that they must deny themselves and pick up their cross daily and follow Him! There will be no crown wearers who were not first cross bearers. Following and serving Jesus is a summons to suffer. To purposefully avoid suffering is often to deny Christ. Matthew 16:25-26

Matthew 16:25–26 CSB

25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it. 26 For what will it benefit someone if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will anyone give in exchange for his life?

Count the Cost - Jesus is worth it!

Trust Jesus With Everything

Often we’re good to trust some things to Jesus’ care. But there’s often a line that we say that we’ll have to take matters into our own hands here. We’ll trust Jesus to a point and then we trust in something else. As we look at God’s faithfulness in Scripture and as we see examples of faithful followers like Daniel trusting in God in both life and death, this must motivate us and encourage us to trust in Him with everything.

Worship Jesus Alone

In a world that celebrates idols left and right and would love nothing more than for Christians to bend the knee of compromise, we resolve to stand and worship Jesus alone. At FBC Salem, we will worship Jesus. Our culture can try and cancel that. People might try to compromise on serious Biblical issues. Some might not agree with the conclusions we come to - but we will sit under the authority of this book as a congregation and worship Jesus and Him alone - not society, not tradition, and certainly not self. Jesus is worth that cost.

Remember Jesus’ Faithfulness

Jesus promises to never leave nor forsake His people. He came for us. He died for us. He rose to save us. He is faithful and He drops none of His blood-bought followers. Stay true to Jesus. He promises to provide for us. He will hold us fast.

If you are here today and you don’t know this Jesus, or if you haven’t experienced the peace that He alone can provide when you face the storms of this life, today can be the day where you come to know that blessed hope. In a moment, I’ll be standing right here and I’d love to talk with you about what it means to trust, truly trust, in this Savior and be forgiven and experience this peace that Daniel knew of 2600 years ago. Here’s the amazing thing about our God, though. He hears you where you are. There’s nothing that says you have to walk down front to do business with God. Here’s my challenge for each of us: as we look at our lives, is my life marked by devotion to Christ? Am I prioritizing spending time with Jesus in prayer? Am I serving Him faithfully inside and outside the walls of this church? If you’re like me and you’re struggling in some of those capacities, pray that Jesus would help you grow in whatever area that is and respond to His leading in faith.

Though the circumstances change, the conclusion in Christ is certain - Following Jesus is worth the cost!