Daniel 6 - The Lion's Den

Introduction

Today we come to one of the classic stories of the Old Testament, Daniel in the Lion’s Den. Many people who are not even Christian or who have very little familiarity with the Bible know something about this story. In fact, for many children this is one of the earliest stories that is remembered and taught in children’s Sunday school.

Contextual

Let’s remind ourselves of a bit of context. We are following the life of the prophet Daniel. As a young teenager he was taken from Jerusalem as an exile by the Babylonians. Since then Daniel has been living in the Babylonian court serving various kings who have come and gone. And God has used him mightily in that process seeing at least one of the major kings of the Babylonian empire come to faith in the God of the Bible. At the end of chapter 5 we saw the historic transition of power from the Babylonians to the Medo/Persian empire. In Daniel chapter 6 King Cyrus of the Persian empire and Darius of the Median empire are the head honchos, and Daniel is still faithfully serving in Darius’s courty. As we begin chapter 6, the year is about 539BC and Daniel is in his early 80s. That means that Daniel has been serving as an exile for over sixty years. So, for those of you that have an image in your head of a young 20 year old Daniel getting thrown in the lion’s den, we’ll need to change our image. He was in his 80’s. Today I would like to attempt to draw out four lessons from the lion’s den.

Lesson 1: The spiritual fortitude to withstand the lion’s den is formed long before entering the lion’s den

The first principle I want to establish today is that Lion’s Den fortitude is formed well before the entering the Lion’s Den. If we look at Daniel what we discover is a man with whom no fault could be found.

Daniel 6:1-9 “1 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; 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. 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. 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. 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.” 6 Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live forever! 7 All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, …”

The trap is set. The law has passed. Before we look at how Daniel responds to this law let’s consider what we have just seen. What was Daniel’s character?

Dan 6:3 “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.”

Daniel 6:4 “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.”

This man of God was exemplary. Even when others tried to take him down, they could find nothing against him. He was a man of day in day out nobility and virtue. Eventually his enemies had to sign new laws into effect in order to get after him.

Daniel Was 80 Years Old

It should be no surprise that this was Daniel’s character. After all, we have seen this type of nobility and virtue in Daniel since Daniel chapter 1 when he was just a teenager taken by force from Jerusalem. Consider the life of this man. For sixty-five years Daniel has lived away from his cherished homeland as an exile. And for those sixty-five years there were moments where Daniel was used by God to do incredible, miraculous work, such as his interpretation of dreams. The sense of this man that we discover is that he was a man of commitment to His God. He was a steady man of faith. A man to be depended on. A man who did the right thing no matter the cost to him personally. He was a man of courage. But he was also a man of steady discipline. Day in, day out, simple faithfulness. Spiritual disciplines develop into spiritual fortitude. If you want to be like Daniel, then seek to live like Daniel, day in day out faithfulness.

Spurgeon: Dog at the Heels

Charles Spurgeon makes the point that some of us treat God the way a dog treats a man with a bag of dog biscuits. We eagerly nip at his heals as he walks. Here and there he stops and pets our head and hands us a biscuit. And then we continue chasing hard after him because we are certain another treat is certain to come soon. But after a while, when the bait has run out, the dog gives up and goes in another direction. Many of treat God this way. We have developed an emotionally dependent Christianity that has no roots to endure trial, no foundation to stand strong in the storm. One day a better attracion is made available and we’re off nipping at the new attraction’s heels. And why? Because God is taking too long to respond to our prayer requests? 65 years this man lived in exile, praying faithfully every day.

But have you ever seen a dog that is truly his master’s servant. That dog eagerly waits by the front door for his master to return. He nips at his heels not for a treat, but because his master permits him to do so. I have seen old dogs who after their master has been gone for years, still sits daily waiting by the door for him to return. And when he does that old dog will find a puppy’s zeal and sprint to the door at the sound of his voice. That’s Christianity. This is the kind of enduring faith you are called to. Steady. Devoted. Humble. Patient. Sitting at the feet of Jesus. The spiritual fortitude to withstand the lion’s den is formed long before entering the lion’s den

Lesson 2: You Won’t Survive the Lion’s Den if Your Prayer Life is Dead

The second principle is around prayer. You Won’t Survive the Lion’s Den if Your Prayer Life is Dead. Remember what the situation was. Daniel is well aware that these men were looking for some way to take him down. And listen to what we read about Daniel when the document was signed that outlawed worship of God.

Daniel 6:10 “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.”

Consider the Situation! He Gives Thanks

Daniel was a man of prayer! Consider the situation. Daniel is no fool. He knows exactly what he’s doing. A law has been passed that he will die if he prays to His God. Most men would not risk death to stay faithful. But not Daniel. This eighty year old man hobbles back to his house, opens the doors, gets down on his knees and prays to the God of heaven! And what did he pray? We’re told he prayed and gave thanks! He gave thanks? Daniel gives thanks? This man is on his knees likely for the last time as a free man and he gives thanks.

Is This What Your Prayer Life is Like?

When was the last time you were heading towards a Lion’s Den situation in your life. A situation where you couldn’t understand why God would allow such bad things in your life. A trial that so shook you, you didn’t quite know what to do with it. What was your first response? Was it to give thanks? I suspect for many the answer is, “No.” I suspect for many the answer is that in those moments of desparation your prayers were as desparate as they have ever been, but likely were void of thanks.

Using the Lion’s Den as a Chance to Learn Prayer

The reality is that for many it is the Lion’s Den where God finally teaches us how to pray with any sort of dependence. This is not a terrible thing. Trials have a way of removing your own strength from the situation, and in that moment you find yourself utterly dependent on God. “God, there is nothing I can do to resolve this? There is nothing I can do to fix this? God I’m at the end of myself.” Oh those are wonderful prayers. So often it is only when we come to the very end of ourselves that God finally teaches us that we were never in control to begin with.

The Lesson of Daniel Giving Thanks

But you don’t need to wait until the Lion’s Den to learn that lesson. Daniel shows us that what you ought to be aiming for is a consistent life of virtuous living and daily rythms of prayer. What is better, is not to wait until God uses a lion’s den to finally teach you a lesson that you need to depend on God. But what is better is to train yourself, in the context of rich biblical community, to depend on God at all times. To give thanks to him in every moment. To always find a reason to thank your King. There will always be much to ask of God, but train yourself to always give thanks first. Things could always be worse than they are. Your life may look out of control, the situation may look iredeemable, but if you are a Christian you have a reason to give thanks. Christ is for you, what can stand against you.

Lesson 3: God is Able to Deliver You

Principle Three: God is able to deliver you from the Lion’s Den. Daniel’s public display of prayer gets him arrested. Make no mistake, what Daniel did was an act of civil disobedience. The law unjustly told him not to worship His God. And Daniel chose to obey God rather than men. Good choice. The result—he was arrested.

In our story with Daniel, we find Daniel put into an impossible situation. In those days beign thrown into the lion’s den was as obvious a death as being cast into a fire. There was no escape from this.

Daniel 6:16-23 “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. 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 ki…”

A Miraculous Deliverance From An Impossible Circumstance

This is a miraculous deliverance from an impossible circumstance. Did you know that God is able to miraculously deliver you from impossible circumstances. Make no mistake the lion’s teeth were very real. The lion’s breath must have sent shivers down his spine. The darkness of that cave filled with lions must have felt in the moment like certain doom. But Daniel endured by faith in a God who was able. I want to teach this very clearly. God does not always choose to deliver his saints for difficult circumstances. Hardship comes in many forms. Sometimes God closes up our shops, and sometimes God permits wars to truly ravage faithful Christians homes. I do not pretend to understand God’s wisdom on why he permits many hardship to befall Christians. But one thing I do know. God is able, and does, deliver Chrsitians from many hardships and many lion’s dens regularly.

What is a Lion’s Den?

God is able. Friends I must take a moment in this sermon to tell you that God is able to deliver you from every trial, from every hardship. There is nothing you will go through in this life, that our Savior has not already experienced in one way or another. And there is nothing you will endure in this life that our Savior is not capable and competent to deliver you from. So long as you have breath, you keep clinging to the hope that He is able. You keep praying that He will do the miraculous. And when the rock is closed in front of that cave entrance, and all goes black, and you are all but certain that there is no way forward, like Daniel cling to God. Hope in God. For He is able.

God is Able (RUN)

I have seen God do the miraculous in this Church. I recall a night a few years back when I sent an emergency email to our Church to pray for a baby girl who was in the process of being adopted whos life was draining away from her. I recall praying on the street with that family. And healed miraculously when no one thought it was possible. God is able. God is able.

I have had the privelege to walk through deep mental illness and bouts of tremendous agony with folks from our Church. And to see God bring such a healing into that mental illness that years later we would never imagine. God is able.

I have entered homes late at night to find marriages that were over. Mistakes that seemed insurmountable. Anger between husband and wife that so tense it was violent. And I have seen those marriages work through it, be transformed, be saved. God is able.

I have friends who were walking in such addiction to drugs that that they were certain their days were numbered. One friend tells the story he once had a shotgun aimed at his head from a drug deal gone bad. That man is now a Pastor in Chicago and a primary leader helping to plant churches across the city. God is able.

I have walked with folks whose relationships with their parents were broken. Over. Nothing left. Tears. And then, somehow restoration begins. God is doing something that could not be foreseen. God is able.

I have walked with couples who were told they would never have children. And I have since seen those couples give birth to healthy children with no scientific or medical interference. God is able.

I have seen my own vivid dreams of what was to come, become reality before my very eyes. God is able.

We have those in this Church with major medical challenges suddenly disappear overnight to the astonishment of doctors. God is able.

I know of men who were deeply involved in the LGBTQ community. And clubs and raves across the country, who are since committed followers of Christ, married to wonderful women, chasing after Christ together. God is able.

I know of generational sins that were broken on a dime. Generations of alcholics on both sides of the family. And then one day, the Lord just ripped it out of their life. Desire gone. God is able.

I know of men who have addictions of pornography that they never thought would break. And have had those men tell me that God not only fully removed the addiction and the desire for pornography, but also went above and beyond and God removed the images and the memories from their minds. God is able.

I know of stubborn agnostic aging parents, of whom on their death bed the Lord sent a Christian to share the gospel with, and who received faith in Jesus in their dying breaths. God is able.

Can I tell you the marvelous miracle of all. I was dead in my sin. I was headed out down the wrong path. I didn’t know God. Yet while I was still a sinner, Christ rescued me. He changed my life when I was 17 years old. He placed my feet on solid ground. He gave me a new heart. God is able.

The Gospel

I don’t know every person’s story in this room. But I know this, if you are in Jesus Christ, then God has done the most miraculous miracle of all by sending Christ Jesus to pay your debt. Christ, you could say, literally entered the lion’s den on your behalf. Unlike Daniel we were actually guilty and punishable by death. But rather than permit his beloved to pay that umbearable penalty, Christ willingly paid it for us. He died in that lion’s den, up on that cross. And as he shed his blood, your debt was being paid. This is faith in Christ. That he has delivered you already from the greatest lion’s den you might ever face. God is able.

Close this up

I don’t know what lion’s den you are facing. But hear me Church. The same God that delivered Daniel from the Lion’s Den is the very same God we serve today, and he has not changed. So long as you have breath cling to God, seek his favor, seek his healing, seek his presence. God is able to deliver you.

Principle 4: Faithful Endurance of Lion’s Dens Often

The end of Chapter 6 is quite possible the single greatest moment in all world history for world evangelism. We are told that King Darius upon realizing that God saved Danield:

Daniel 6:25-27 “25 Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. 26 I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. 27 He delivers and rescues; he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, he who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.””

I don’t know what you are going through right now, or what Lion’s Dens await you in the coming months and years. But I have seen time and time again that when Christians live up to their standard and suffer as faithful Christians. Not seeking vengaence, not forsaking their Church. But rather when Christians draw near to Christ, and find strength when it all seems to be failing around them in Christ alone. It is there in that very place that the world looks in and sees something unique. They see something different. When others would throw the towel in, Christians keep going. And the world doesn’t understand. When others would throw hatred and blame, Christians wash the feet of our enemies. And the world doesn’t understand. When others would break relationships altogether, Christians somehow seek reconciliation even when its undeserved. And in all of this, the world watches and Christ gets the glory.

Illustration: Ministry in Ukraine

This last week I was speaking with a fellow pastor up on our North side, Pastor John Latorre who has helped plant one of our newest locations, Park Albany Park. John’s brother is a minister of the gospel in Romania, right near the border of Ukraine....

There is a constant influx and efflux of Ukrainians seeking refuge. We have about 30 who have chosen to remain with us to provide housing. But many pass through on their way to a western European destination and stay for a night or two. Most have left with just the clothes on their backs, and we are trying our best to accommodate the most pressing needs.

Fuel costs, which were already high in Europe, have skyrocketed since the start of the war. Since the beginning of aiding refugees, our driving has nearly tripled. Last week prices at the pump surged to almost $10.50 a gallon.

Our heating and hot water are also all gas-based, and in our home alone, we currently have about 20 people in our house, all of which are, of course, bathing or showering. We also have a family in an apartment in the city that our church uses for office space, and multiple families in our small church have taken families in. No one in our context is well-off, and all of us are trying to do what is right, not necessarily what makes sense on paper. We are walking by faith, not by sight. 

Per the request of the Ukrainians who are with us, we have also begun bringing supplies to the border to aid those who cannot get across as the Ukrainian border is only a couple of hours from us. This extra effort means we will need and go through more food, clothing, and other supplies than if we were not trying to help out at the border. 

Everyone in our church is starting to get tired emotionally and physically as the days are long and unpredictable. We need supernatural grace to not only have the stamina to continue in this, but the grace to continue doing it joyfully. 

We are trying to have realistic conversations with the Ukrainians regarding the long-term plans if things do not turn in their favor as we hope and pray with them for all of this to come to an end peacefully and for them to return to their homes. We need both wisdom and discernment as we try to navigate through such uncharted waters.  Thank you for you help and supporting.

Closing