Session 11: Faithful Rescuer

Daniel 6:10–24 CSB

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. 19 At the first light of dawn the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. 20 When he reached the den, he cried out in anguish to Daniel. “Daniel, servant of the living God,” the king said, “has your God, whom you continually serve, been able to rescue you from the lions?” 21 Then Daniel spoke with the king: “May the king live forever. 22 My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths; and they haven’t harmed me, for I was found innocent before him. And also before you, Your Majesty, I have not done harm.” 23 The king was overjoyed and gave orders to take Daniel out of the den. When Daniel was brought up from the den, he was found to be unharmed, for he trusted in his God. 24 The king then gave the command, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and thrown into the lions’ den—they, their children, and their wives. They had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

Central Truth

God is worthy of our trust, even in our greatest trials.

What are some things you have to trust others to do?

What are some reasons it’s sometimes difficult to trust others?

This Week’s Focus

Trusting others when you feel out of control can be difficult. None of us like the feeling of circumstances being out of our hands, having to rely on someone else to get us through. It’s like sitting in the passenger seat while the driver navigates bad traffic or being in a scary thunderstorm. Yet, God calls us to continually trust Him with not only our lives, but also with our days, our decisions, and our difficulties. Daniel faced one of the greatest threats in his life as he was sentenced to the lion’s den. He too had to remember that God is worthy of our trust, even in our greatest trials.

Daniel 6:10–14 CSB

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.

In one of the most familiar passages of Scripture, we find Daniel as a much older man. Probably in his seventies at this point, Daniel had continued to have increasing favor in the palace. Undoubtedly, this was due to God’s hand on his life at every step. As others were threatened by his power and favor, they created an ordinance that could not be broken once the king signed it. The document made it illegal to pray to any other god except the king for thirty days. Anyone found guilty would be executed.

1. What was Daniel’s response to finding out there was a law against praying to God?

Key Question

2. How did Daniel show faithfulness to God? What role did prayer play in this faithfulness?

HISTORY | Who was King Darius?

Chapter 6 finds Daniel continuing to serve faithfully in the palace, but now under King Darius. He was a Persian king who came to power following the Persians’ victory over Babylon. Daniel’s faithfulness had allowed him to gain favor over the years and he continued to rise through the ranks in the palace. When Darius took the throne, he left the leaders in place, with Daniel being one of the top three positions (vv. 1-2). The king even hoped to make him second in command (v. 3). But with every shift of power, there is the potential for unrest or chaos. Those who are greedy for power will take any opportunity to reach for it. Evidently some of the other leaders had been looking for a reason to get rid of Daniel, so they thought they would use his faith against him. Daniel had been completely faithful, however, so they had to cook up a reason to find him guilty (v. 4-5).

The new law didn’t change anything for Daniel. He had been praying faithfully since he got to Babylon. He had only made it this far because of God’s favor and faithfulness, so it would be his only hope going forward. Now, with the threat of death looming large, he did what he always did: he prayed. Not only was it his habit, but it was potentially known by the other leaders because they knew where and when to find him in the act. Indeed, they found him praying fervently to God, and immediately reported him to the king.

3. What was the king’s reaction to hearing about Daniel’s fate?

The king was on board with everything until he heard it was Daniel who had broken the law. He spent all day trying to find a loophole to the law or a way to rescue Daniel. Evidently, even in the relatively short time that he had worked with Daniel, the Israelite had made quite the impression. Regardless, Daniel was significant enough to him to try to find a way around the law.

Daniel 6:15–18 ESV

15 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.” 16 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!” 17 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. 18 Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him.

4. In what ways were the king’s responses not what we might expect In what ways was his attitude toward God noteworthy?

5. How did Daniel’s character continue to be made known?

As the accusers reminded the king, nothing could be done. The law was irrevocable. The king couldn’t go back on his own law because it would completely undermine his word and his authority. So he went along and gave the order to send Daniel to the lions’ den. Even as he was sending Daniel to his death, he asked for God to rescue Daniel. This pagan king was asking for the God of Israel to do the seemingly impossible. He recognized Daniel’s faithfulness in serving God, and perhaps the king could even see how God had acted on Daniel’s behalf up to that point. He wasn’t falling on his knees in worship just yet, but he knew the only source of hope for Daniel.

Regardless, he sent Daniel into the den and sealed it. There was no way out except a miracle. The decision weighed heavily on the king. He couldn’t eat or sleep knowing what he had done. The king had let the scheming and jealous hearts of a few men lead an innocent and upright man to his death. He ultimately bowed to those who could keep him in power. Yet, even in the midst of it, he demonstrated a glimmer of faith in the true God.

It was Daniel’s faith and faithfulness that helped pave the way for this small act of faith in Darius. In a moment of desperation, having seen his faith at work, Darius called on Daniel’s God to rescue him. We remember Daniel’s life because of the big moments like this scene in the lions’ den. But it was Daniel’s faithfulness, day in and day out for the entirety of his time spent in captivity, that ultimately speaks of his character. His was a lifelong faithfulness in circumstances that would have made it easy to doubt or give up hope in God. This is what Darius saw that made him hope in the God whom Daniel served.

Be Vulnerable

Prayer is foundational to our relationship with God. It is how we hear and talk to our heavenly Father. But prayer isn’t always easy or glamorous. Consider sharing some ways or seasons of your life that you have struggled in prayer. Or talk about a time that you were bold in prayer because of difficult or desperate circumstances.

Daniel 6:19–24 ESV

19 Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. 20 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?” 21 Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! 22 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.” 23 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. 24 And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.

The king was up first thing to go see if Daniel had lived. He had spent all night anxious for Daniel’s fate. He cried out immediately, asking if he had been rescued or not.

Key Question

6. According to Daniel, why had God spared his life in the lions’ den?

7. Look back at verse 21. How did Daniel continue to honor the king who had sentenced him to die?

Indeed, Daniel’s life had been spared. Even as he answered the king, he continued to show respect (v. 21). He honored the king while continuing to give glory to God. It was only God who could send an angel to shut the lions’ mouths. Daniel didn’t even have a scratch. God had found Daniel innocent and He protected him when he was falsely accused. Daniel reminded the king that he too had known that Daniel was innocent.

8. What were the ways the king responded to God’s rescue?

THEOLOGY | Why doesn’t God rescue all suffering people as he did for Daniel?

Daniel was rescued from the lions’ den. But what about all the people who cry out to God and don’t experience His rescue in the same, tangible way? Of course, innocence doesn’t always prevent us from suffering. We live in a broken world full of broken people and even broken rules. As believers, we should strive to reflect Daniel’s faith, even in the face of death or suffering. But he was not guaranteed a rescue, just like the men in the fiery furnace. Yet, all four of them were willing to die for their faith in the true God. Even though they were falsely accused, they stood tall and trusted God, just as many saints who have gone before (Heb. 11:35b-40). In this way we can’t help but see the ways they point us forward to Jesus. He too would stand accused of sins for which He was innocent. He too would face death in order to be faithful. And His faithfulness to lay down His life meant that we too can live forever with Him.

The king was overjoyed! Daniel had trusted in God at every step and the king bore witness to the effects of that kind of trust. Then, the king commanded that Daniel’s enemies pay for their crimes. He ordered all of them thrown into the lions’ den along with their families. The story that just went from hopeless to miraculous suddenly ended in tragedy for Daniel’s accusers. Undoubtedly, the fact that their families had to suffer for their sins is unsettling. The author of Daniel doesn’t validate the king’s actions, but we should remember that even with his fledgling faith, Darius was still a pagan king. It was common cultural practice in the ancient world for an entire family to pay for the sins of an individual.

9. How does Daniel’s faithfulness in prayer encourage and challenge you?

10. Daniel could have prayed in secret, but he didn’t. How does his continued obedience, even in the face of trial, challenge us to act?

11. What is one way that you can trust God to help you make a wise decision in an area of your life?

12. Daniel was powerless to rescue himself. What do you need that only God can do or provide?