Even If... part 3

Did you know that there are between 60 and 125 million Christians in China? Of those Christians, only 10-12 million are Catholic, meaning that the vast majority are Protestants. The church in China is exploding left and right and is expected to have the world’s the largest Christian population in 2030. This is remarkable news, is it not? A country that had no Christian presence several centuries ago could become the largest Christian population a decade from now. That is the power of the Gospel at work. The church in China is also one of the most persecuted churches in the world. As you see on the screen, persecution in these Southeast Asian countries as actually gotten worse over the last 5 years! In 2018, according to an article by the Guardian, the Chinese government has shut down hundreds of churches, locked hundreds of pastors in jail, removed crosses from buildings, banned the selling of Bibles online, and some cities/schools even banned the celebration of Christmas. This is not stuff happening 40-50 years ago, this is happening right now! It is estimated that 50 million Chinese Christians could face direct persecution in the next year. By direct persecution we are not talking about being made fun of in school or being thought of as less intelligent by co-workers. We are instead talking about economic sanctions, being denied work, not being allowed to worship or being jailed if you do worship.

This is the situation being faced by tens of millions of Christians in our world today, in 2019. I think that we have to realize that before reading our text because it can be difficult for us to realize that persecution still happens in our world today. Just as persecution exists in our world today, persecution certainly existed in the ancient world as we have been looking at the last couple of weeks in Daniel. This theme of suffering, persecution and the sovereignty of God is found throughout Daniel and our message today is no exception. This text is one of the most popular and exciting ones in all of Scripture and we see that God rescues one of His children while glorifying Himself among the nations.

Daniel 6:1–15 NASB95

Daniel 6 NASB95

1 It seemed good to Darius to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, that they would be in charge of the whole kingdom, 2 and over them three commissioners (of whom Daniel was one), that these satraps might be accountable to them, and that the king might not suffer loss. 3 Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself among the commissioners and satraps because he possessed an extraordinary spirit, and the king planned to appoint him over the entire kingdom. 4 Then the commissioners and satraps began trying to find a ground of accusation against Daniel in regard to government affairs; but 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. 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.” 6 Then these commissioners and satraps came by agreement to the king and spoke to him as follows: “King Darius, live forever! 7 “All the commissioners of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the high officials and the governors have consulted together that the king should establish a statute and enforce an injunction that anyone who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, shall be cast into the lions’ den. 8 “Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document so that it may not be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked.” 9 Therefore King Darius signed the document, that is, the injunction. 10 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. 11 Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God. 12 Then they approached and spoke before the king about the king’s injunction, “Did you not sign an injunction that any man who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, is to be cast into the lions’ den?” The king replied, “The statement is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked.” 13 Then they answered and spoke before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the injunction which you signed, but keeps making his petition three times a day.” 14 Then, as soon as the king heard this statement, he was deeply distressed and set his mind on delivering Daniel; and even until sunset he kept exerting himself to rescue him. 15 Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Recognize, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or statute which the king establishes may be changed.” 16 Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and cast into the lions’ den. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you.” 17 A stone was brought and laid over the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing would be changed in regard to Daniel. 18 Then the king went off to his palace and spent the night fasting, and no entertainment was brought before him; and his sleep fled from him. 19 Then the king arose at dawn, at the break of day, and went in haste to the lions’ den. 20 When he had come near the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you constantly serve, been able to deliver you from the lions?” 21 Then Daniel spoke to the king, “O king, live forever! 22 “My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime.” 23 Then the king was very pleased and gave orders for Daniel to be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den and no injury whatever was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. 24 The king then gave orders, and they brought those men who had maliciously accused Daniel, and they cast them, their children and their wives into the lions’ den; and they had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones. 25 Then Darius the king wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language who were living in all the land: “May your peace abound! 26 “I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel; For He is the living God and enduring forever, And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, And His dominion will be forever. 27 “He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.” 28 So this Daniel enjoyed success in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Daniel 6:

Daniel 6:9–28 NASB95

9 Therefore King Darius signed the document, that is, the injunction. 10 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. 11 Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God. 12 Then they approached and spoke before the king about the king’s injunction, “Did you not sign an injunction that any man who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, is to be cast into the lions’ den?” The king replied, “The statement is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked.” 13 Then they answered and spoke before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the injunction which you signed, but keeps making his petition three times a day.” 14 Then, as soon as the king heard this statement, he was deeply distressed and set his mind on delivering Daniel; and even until sunset he kept exerting himself to rescue him. 15 Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Recognize, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or statute which the king establishes may be changed.” 16 Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and cast into the lions’ den. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you.” 17 A stone was brought and laid over the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing would be changed in regard to Daniel. 18 Then the king went off to his palace and spent the night fasting, and no entertainment was brought before him; and his sleep fled from him. 19 Then the king arose at dawn, at the break of day, and went in haste to the lions’ den. 20 When he had come near the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you constantly serve, been able to deliver you from the lions?” 21 Then Daniel spoke to the king, “O king, live forever! 22 “My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime.” 23 Then the king was very pleased and gave orders for Daniel to be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den and no injury whatever was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. 24 The king then gave orders, and they brought those men who had maliciously accused Daniel, and they cast them, their children and their wives into the lions’ den; and they had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones. 25 Then Darius the king wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language who were living in all the land: “May your peace abound! 26 “I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel; For He is the living God and enduring forever, And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, And His dominion will be forever. 27 “He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.” 28 So this Daniel enjoyed success in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Daniel 6:9-

Honor God (1-4)

In order to have a proper idea of the context of , we have to look back to in order to see what has transpired in the ancient world.

Daniel 5:30–31 NASB95

30 That same night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain. 31 So Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two.

We see that the Babylonian king was slain and Darius the Mede received the kingdom. With that in mind, we see that there is a new power in place: the Persians. This transpired in 539-537 BC. From our study of Nehemiah, we also know that some of the Jewish captives returned back to Jerusalem during this timeframe as well. There has been some debate regarding who this figure is. The consensus is that Darius is a title for Cyrus, the first ruler of the Persian empire. This was a powerful man who was ruling over a new world power. Daniel, as we see in chapter 6, maintains a position of authority in this new world order of sorts and he is an administrator in this new king’s government.

We saw the word “satrap” 2 weeks ago in and this word means “protector of the kingdom.” These people are essentially lower governmental officials, perhaps like a modern representative in our modern governmental terminology. This empire was ginormous! The largest empire the world had known to this point. It had to be divided into smaller portions in order to be governed appropriately. We see that there were 3 administrators over the 120 satraps and Daniel was one of these 3. The satraps would have told the administrators what was going on in their region in order to make sure the peace was kept and the tax money was coming in.

We know that Daniel was elevated in the Babylonian court, but we aren’t exactly told how Darius came to know of Daniel. His understanding of dreams certainly would have made him famous among the people, so perhaps that is how he was introduced to this new king. Whenever a company purchases another company, there are a couple of options: they can fire everyone or they can keep some of the best workers and hire new ones. This is what we saw in as Nebuchadnezzar did not slaughter every Israelite but instead he brought over the best and the brightest to Babylon in order to indoctrinate them to the Babylonian worldview. This is exactly what we see here in . This new king and empire come into the picture and Daniel is assimilated into the government because he was the best at his job and was well known and well respected by the people.

Verse 3 shows us that Darius was impressed by Daniel and was set to appoint him over the whole kingdom. We see the term “exceptional qualities” in this verse and we know that Daniel certainly had these qualities. Perhaps it was an exceptional attitude or abilities, or it could have been that Daniel had been given a gift by God and Darius noticed this fact. Have you ever had someone come up to you and say, “You’re really good at this, why is that?” or, “How did you handle this situation?” In instances like this the answer, as a child of God, is that God has blessed us. I listened to an interview a couple days ago from a baseball player (after a playoff game) in which the player explained that the reason that he got to where he was at was due to himself. He got himself where he is by pushing himself and working hard. Now, should Christians work hard? You’d better believe it! We are commanded to work hard and one of the ways that we honor the Lord is by working. Whenever an opportunity comes to point others towards Christ, that is the avenue that we take rather than taking the credit for ourselves. We honor God. We give Him the credit. We make His name known to others. In practical terms, Christians look different than non-Christians in the workplace. Have you ever experienced this? Maybe there is an opportunity to cut corners in order to pass an observation or an interview, or perhaps there is limited supervision and you have the opportunity to lie about a sales report and make your total look really good. For non-Christians maybe you could rationalize and justify doing something like this. However, for a Christian, we know that we are called to honor God. We are to live a set apart life. That means that there are certain things that Christians cannot do, regardless of how easy it would be to get away with them.

Verse 4 shows that there were some men who were jealous of Daniel. They knew that Daniel was trustworthy and he was not corrupt. They could not find a flaw in his character. Church, that should be our prayer as individuals and as a church! That people would be unable to find a flaw in our character because we are so in tune with the Spirit that they are unable to do so. You might think, there are people out there who always get on my nerves and never get along with me, they’d even make something up to get me in trouble! Certainly. That is similar to what we see in the coming verses, in fact. There are enemies out there and whenever you are at the top it can seem like everyone wants to drag you down! What these men found, though, was that they could not smear his name or corrupt him. I hope that is our testimony and reputation in the community. That we are a church and a group of Christians that are devoted to honoring the Lord and we are model workers, employees and trustworthy friends.

Be faithful, even when it might cost you (5-15)

Do you know anyone who is crisis-oriented? They don’t contact you unless there is a problem or they need something? I’ve met this type of person a time or two and I’m sure some of you have as well. You know who has also experienced this type of person? God. There are many people out there who cry out to God only in times of crisis. They have no relationship with the Lord, they only go to Him in order to receive blessing/prosperity or whenever something doesn’t look good in their life. This is not the person that Daniel was. This is not the type of Christian that we are called to be as well. We are called to stand up for our faith in the good and bad times.

Verse 5 shows us that these men knew they could not get Daniel in trouble with the exception of his devotion for his God. Daniel’s religious convictions were not hidden. He was not a person who was privately religious nor was he a person who would compromise in the face of punishment/death - much like his 3 Hebrew friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. This should be our story as well. Other people should not have to investigate the facts to see if we are a Christian or not, they should know that full and well. There should be no doubt in the minds of people in our lives that we belong to Christ! No such doubt existed in these men’s lives regarding Daniel - yet, even in times of difficulty, Daniel remained faithful, so should we.

These rivals of sorts came in and tried to entrap a godly man in Daniel. As God’s people, we must expect evil people to try and tempt and convict us today as well. Jesus warned about this in before He was crucified.

John 16:33 NLT

33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Paul writes in that:

2 Timothy 3:12 NASB95

12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

Daniel’s enemies were frustrated and they knew his track record was spotless, yet they knew they could trap him if they pitted his loyalties for the Lord against his loyalty for the king. These men devised a plan and they went about this similarly to how the rivals of Hannaniah, Mishael and Azariah did in . They buttered the king up and said, “O King Darius, may you live forever.” There is only one king who will live forever and it’s not a ruler of this world - it is Yahweh God.

These men suggest an idea to make it so that no other worship would go on for this month. Their desire in doing this was not just to see Daniel demoted but to see Daniel put to death. The king saw this document and it probably stroked his ego. As a non-Christian pagan who possibly thought that he himself was a god, this declaration probably sounded good to his ears! This was an affirmation of what he had been taught and what he believed to his core. He thought he was a god and now he would be worshipped like a god. This was a decree that could not be altered in any way after it was put into law.

Verses 10-15 speak to the faithfulness of Daniel and the call to faithfulness that Christians should have today as well. Last week we saw how, when faced with the fiery furnace, the 3 Hebrews remained faithful to God. This was not a decision they made in the moment, it was one they made years in advance. Christian character is not forged in the moment of adversity, Christian character is revealed in the moment of adversity. Daniel has become aware of this document in verse 10 and he does not change his lifestyle. He continues to do what he has always done. He obeys God rather than man, even the king. Some people have taken verse 10 to be a prideful prayer on the part of Daniel. Some people point to Jesus’ teaching that prayer should be between the person and God and that Daniel’s problem was that his prayer was public and that is why he was punished. This is not a satisfactory answer, though. As John Piper put it, “This was a daring, defiant, disciplined prayer that was not meant for prideful show but personal testimony.” Daniel was giving the glory to God rather than to Darius. Daniel didn’t take a month off of prayer. He didn’t pray in a different place because of this law. He continued doing what he was doing because he was not going to bow down! Guess what? Today Christians are being called upon to make difficult ethical choices. As the world becomes more and more secular (and sinful), believers will increasingly find themselves taking stands that are unpopular and positions that may even violate the law of the land. We must remain faithful to the Word.

Today Christians are being called upon to make difficult ethical choices. As the world becomes more and more secular (and sinful), believers will increasingly find themselves taking stands that are unpopular and positions that may even violate the law of the land

Miller, S. R. (1994). Daniel (Vol. 18, p. 183). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Daniel’s enemies expected he would do this. Even with the law being in place, they were ready for him to walk into this trap of sorts. Verse 14 shows us that the king was displeased. He was not displeased because of Daniel’s actions, but rather because he finally realized why these men desired this law to be put into effect. He understood for the first time that he had been deceived by these men. Darius wished to deliver Daniel from death as we see in verse 14. He tried as hard as he could, but he could not find a way out of this situation. Daniel would have to face the lions

Daniel 6:16–28 NASB95

16 Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and cast into the lions’ den. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you.” 17 A stone was brought and laid over the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing would be changed in regard to Daniel. 18 Then the king went off to his palace and spent the night fasting, and no entertainment was brought before him; and his sleep fled from him. 19 Then the king arose at dawn, at the break of day, and went in haste to the lions’ den. 20 When he had come near the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you constantly serve, been able to deliver you from the lions?” 21 Then Daniel spoke to the king, “O king, live forever! 22 “My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime.” 23 Then the king was very pleased and gave orders for Daniel to be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den and no injury whatever was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. 24 The king then gave orders, and they brought those men who had maliciously accused Daniel, and they cast them, their children and their wives into the lions’ den; and they had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones. 25 Then Darius the king wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language who were living in all the land: “May your peace abound! 26 “I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel; For He is the living God and enduring forever, And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, And His dominion will be forever. 27 “He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.” 28 So this Daniel enjoyed success in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Trust that God is able (16-24)

We see that this pit of sorts had an opening at the top and the 80 year old Daniel was thrown into the pit of lions. Before this happened, though, the king declared, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!” The king’s concern is touching here, is it not? This man genuinely felt remorse and was sad for what was to happen to Daniel. This king was not a believer in God, he merely expressed hope that this god would save his friend. Daniel, though, did not rest in the hope of Darius but instead he placed his hope in the sovereignty of his God. So should we.

After Daniel was put into the pit a stone was rolled to guard the opening to ensure that the 80 year old Daniel did not climb to his safety, I suppose. The king was very sad. Verse 18 shows that the king did not eat, listen to music or have any entertainment. He could not eat. He knew that he had been deceived and it had cost him the life of his good friend. Do you hear the similarities between this passage and where we see the crucified Christ laid into a tomb? The early church saw a prefiguring of the resurrected Christ in Daniel. Daniel was brought out of a den that had been sealed by the official rings of those in power, so was the Lord Jesus Christ raised from a tomb which had been sealed by those officials with their rings of power.

Continuing this parallel a step further, we see in verse 19 that the king arose at daybreak to go to the tomb. Who also woke at daybreak to visit a tomb? Mary Magdalene and Mary in . The king went down and verse 20 shows us some doubt in his voice. “Has your God been able to save you?” He did not expect to hear a thing other than the roar of his lions, but instead Daniel replies in verse 21 and we see the only recorded words of Daniel in this entire chapter. In 21st century language, Daniel might have said, “Good morning, king. I had a great night’s sleep! I hope you did as well. The purring of the lions put me right to sleep and their fur kept me warm in the night. I even had a guest show up as an angel came down to shut the mouths of the lions. The didn’t even lick me. The reason this happened was because I honored my God and I honored you. I will continue to trust in Him the rest of my days. Would you please come get me out of this pit, now?

We see in verse 22 that Daniel states that he committed no crime. Does this mean that Daniel never sinned? Of course not! Ligon Duncan notes that, “Daniel is not claiming to be sinless, he is not claiming to never have done anything wrong, but Daniel is saying, in the heat of the moment, I chose God, and I’m innocent before Him. I didn’t do anything wrong in this circumstance before God. And I also did not do anything wrong before you, king.” When push came to shove, Daniel remained faithful. He trusted in His God. This is so similar to without the declaration of faith. Daniel trusted and believed in God. He would not bend the knee, even if it costed him his life.

Verses 23-24 shows us the consequence that fell upon these false accusers and their families. They were thrown to their death and they perished before they even reached the bottom of the pit. Friends, this is the somber side of salvation. Some are saved. Christ delivers some and He has permanently defeated the power of death. However, some are not saved. There are those who have the judgment of God facing them. This included evil men and their families. Not that the sins of the father make the family sinners, that is an individual choice, but the point is that no one is “innocent.” shows us that we are all sinners. Some are saved, but others are not. There will be a punishment awaiting them.

Leave the results to God (25-28)

Did you know that God can cause non-Christians to acknowledge His greatness? That’s what we see in verses 25-26. Darius has been impacted deeply by the deliverance of Daniel. His declaration recognizes the greatness and superiority of the God of Daniel. It also proves which says,

Proverbs 21:1 NASB95

1 The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes.

Do you believe that God has this kind of power today? I hope you do because God can do whatever He wants and His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.

Verses 27-28 declare that Yahweh is the God who delivers, rescues and performs signs and wonders in heaven and earth. Guess what? He still is in the business of delivering and rescuing lost souls like you and I! He is sovereign, He is in control. Just as was the case with Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, Daniel experienced success. God honored Daniel’s faithfulness. As declares:

James 4:10 NASB95

10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

Conclusion

In the Bible we see a typology of sorts that points us to a coming deliverer/rescuer who will reverse the curse of the fall as says. I love what Tim Keller says regarding Daniel, “If it is true that the Bible is not about me, but about Jesus, ‘the source and perfecter of our faith’ as says, then we are justified to see Him here in Daniel. Jesus is the true and better Adam who passed the test in the garden, His garden - a much tougher garden - and whose obedience is imputed to us. Jesus is the true and better Abel, who though innocently slain, has blood that cries out, not for our condemnation, but for our acquittal. Jesus is the true and better Abraham, who answered the call of God to leave all the comfortable and familiar and go into the void, not knowing where he went. Jesus is the true and better Isaac, who was not just offered up by His Father on the mount, but was truly sacrificed for us all while God said to Abraham, “Now I know you love me because you did not withhold your son, your only son, whom you love from Me.” Now we at the foot of the cross can say to God, “Now we know that You love me because You did not withhold your Son, Your only Son whom You love, from me.” Jesus is the true and better Jacob, who wrestled and took the blow of justice we deserve so we, like Jacob, only receive the wounds of grace that wake us up and discipline us. Jesus is the true and better Joseph, who is at the right hand of the king and forgives those who betrayed and sold him and uses his power to save them. Jesus is the true and better Moses, who stands in the gap between the people and the Lord and who mediates a new covenant. Jesus is the true and better Job, He’s the truly innocent sufferer who then intercedes for and saves His stupid friends. Jesus is the true and better David, whose victory becomes His people’s victory though they never lifted a stone to accomplish it themselves.

Jesus is the true and better Esther, who didn’t just risk losing an earthly palace, but lost the ultimate heavenly one, who didn’t just risk His life, but gave His life, who didn’t say, “If I perish, I perish.” but said, “When I perish, I will perish for them to save my people.” Jesus is the true and better Jonah, who was cast out into the storm so we could be brought in. He is the passover lamb, friends. He is all these things and more. He is the true and better Daniel, who having been lowered into a Lion’s den of death, emerges early the next morning alive, victorious and vindicated by his God.

That’s the Savior we have and that is why we gather to worship! That is the man we tell the world about on a daily basis. Let us be faithful and bold to tell the story of the Gospel, regardless of the cost, whatever it takes, knowing full and well that our God is able and that He holds all things together. He can even shut the mouths of the lions.

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