Read Daniel 6
Chapter 6 of Daniel is one of the most famous stories in the
Bible: Daniel in the Lion’s Den. The shocking drama of spending a night in a
cave full of hungry lions captures our attention, but what are we focusing on.
Daniel’s love for God empowered him to live a faithful life committed to His
God. For close to 80 years, Daniel has lived out his faith daily in a pagan
culture and influenced 3 or 4 pagan kings for the glory of God. The story of Daniel
reminds us that our God is a Mighty God, an Unstoppable God and a God who rescues
the faithful.
Darius the Mede, upon taking control of Babylon from Belshazzar
(Daniel 5), is now setting up the new government. The Bible tells us that
because of an excellent spirit in Daniel, he won the favor of Darius, and has
been placed in a high official capacity over the kingdom.
Corrupt Politics
Nothing new in our current headlines that hasn’t been happening
throughout the centuries. Lord Acton said, “power corrupts, absolute power corrupts
absolutely.” We see a group of politicians, those whom Darius has entrusted
with power, are angry that Daniel has been given more power than them. Here we
see they used their position of authority and their access to the king to try
to leverage a power play to promote themselves and destroy Daniel.
What did Daniel do to deserve this? Nothing. He remained
faithful to the one true God and faithfully served the king with an excellent
spirit. But envy compelled the jealous to seek his destruction. Peter warns us
that this could happen to any faithful believer:
1 Peter 3:13–16
[13] Now who is there
to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? [14] But even if you should
suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor
be troubled, [15] but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always
being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the
hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, [16] having a good
conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good
behavior in Christ may be put to shame.
As they sought to attack Daniel, they could find nothing wrong
with him. So they devised a plan to use his religion against him. They convinced
king Darius to decree that all prayers and worship should come to him for the next
30 days or else the offender will be thrown into a lion’s den.
Now Darius thought these men were seeking to praise him and
he gladly made the decree, not realizing he had been played the fool.
Sanctified Civil
Disobedience
Civil disobedience is when a citizen disobeys the governing
authority placed over him. God’s word is very clear that his followers should
honor and obey the civil government (Romans 13:1-2) as they are placed over us
by God. However, the apostles pointed out that it is better for us to obey God rather
than man (Acts 5:29). There are times, when the law of man will be in opposition
to the law of God, and it is our duty as Christians to obey God first.
Just because something is legal (civil law) does not make I moral
(God’s Law), and just because something is illegal does not mean it is immoral.
Daniel heard the new law and knew that it was against God’s
law. He refused to let the law of the land keep him from his daily practice of
praying to His God, to give thanks and praise to YHWH.
How often do we face compromising ideas in our culture? How many
laws are on the books that go against God’s word? How many times are we willing
to do what is necessary to keep God’s law, in opposition to man’s law?
How often are we looking for excuses not to read our Bible,
not to pray, or to skip church/youth group? Daniel’s focus was on glorifying
God with his decisions and keep his prayer meeting. Let’s learn from Daniel to
stay to true to godly habits.
The Charade Revealed
When they came to Darius pointing fingers at Daniel, Darius
knew he had been played the fool. They didn’t want to bring Darius praise, they
wanted to destroy Daniel. There was no way to save Daniel and he had to throw
him into the lion’s den.
We, like Darius, can get caught up in the praise of man.
Once we succumb to their praises, we can be manipulated to do whatever they want.
We need to be wise and keep our focus on praising God, not on ourselves.
Darius was distressed and he cared for Daniel. When putting
Daniel in the den, he shouted out, “May your God, whom you serve continually,
deliver you!”
One Night In the Den
I’ve always loved big cats! I think lions and tigers are
amazing. I’m fascinated with the videos of the guy playing with lions. Of
course, Aslan, the Lion king of Narnia has been a favorite since childhood.
Seeing a lion at the zoo instills a sense of awe and respect.
As much as I love lions, I would be terrified to sleep in a
room with a lion. Daniel was thrown into a den made for the purpose of keeping
lions hungry and throwing criminals in to be devoured. I’m sure Daniel was
apprehensive, if not outright afraid, but his conviction and love for God was
greater than his fear.
Instead of being devoured, God stopped the mouths of the
lions and sent an angel to visit with him.
Deliverance and
Justice
The king couldn’t sleep all night, and rushed to the lion’s
den first thing in the morning and shouted, “O Daniel, servant of the living
God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from
the lions?”
Daniel’s responds with an answer to Darius’ prayer. “O king,
live forever, 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.”
God delivering Daniel gave him an opportunity to communicate
the truth and power of the one true God to another king. Daniel also shows, in
his response, that honoring God above man does not harm the king. Why? Because
honoring God above all will make you a better citizen. Daniel prayed faithfully
to God and prayed for the king. God gave Daniel an excellent spirit that blessed
the king.
Darius response was to demand justice by throwing the conspirators,
who made a fool of him, and their families into the lions’ den. They were all
devoured before they hit the ground. Reminding us of the truth, “be sure your
sins will find you out.”
Be careful when seeking to imitate Daniel. You have to start
at the right place or else everything could be disastrous. Daniel began by
loving God above self and pleasure. He refused to defile himself before his God
by eating and drinking the kings food. He wanted to honor God above king. His
determination to place God first in his life led him to a lifetime of
faithfulness. Along the way he had friends who supported him and kings who
listened to him.
Examine your heart, do you love God above all? Do you have a
group of godly friends who will encourage you to keep loving and serving God? Are
you willing to take a stand to communicate God’s word to a lost world?
The same God who called Daniel and proved to be unstoppable
in his story is calling you too. God sent an angel to stop the mouths of the
lions to rescue Daniel, which is awesome, but He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to
save you from the power of sin and darkness. Look to Jesus, learn to love Jesus
and watch how He works miracles in your life too.
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