Daniel & the Lions' Den

I. Introduction
A. Series: Bible stories which teach us about living in this world
B. Daniel 6:1–28 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 counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 8 Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 9 Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction. 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. 11 Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. 12 Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 13 Then they answered and said before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.” 14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. 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. 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. 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.” 28 So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
II. Story
A. The Jews were living in exile in the land of Babylon, only a lot of time has now passed and Babylon has been conquered by Persia. The Jews are no longer ruled by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon but by Darius of Persia.
B. We are getting close to the end of the 70 year exile. Daniel is now an old man.
C. Daniel had maintained his leadership role in the Persian government. He was one of three who served under Darius and over 120 satraps. But Darius’ empire had prospered under Daniel’s wisdom and leadership. And so Daniel had a place in Darius’ mind which no one else shared. In fact, word got out that Darius was planning to promote Daniel to a position over all the other governors and satraps.
D. All this provoked the other officials to jealousy, especially since Daniel was a Jew. And they begin looking for a way to bring Daniel down before Darius could promote him.
E. First, they did what politicians and reporters do today when they’re looking to bring down a political enemy: they began to try to dig up dirt on Daniel. But they couldn’t find anything. Daniel was so faithful and upright, that there was no dirt to dig. (Daniel was a sinner just like everyone else, but unlike many others, Daniel gives us no specific info about his sins or failings.)
F. So, the officials had to come up with another plan. They decided to use Daniel’s allegiance to the law of God against him. They went to King Darius and lied to him, saying that all of the officials were in support of a new injunction to set aside one month when no person would be permitted to pray to any god except Darius himself. (This didn’t forbid worship of other gods or believing in other gods. It just said you couldn’t pray to other gods for one short month, just to show that even while we might believe in different gods, we all agree on one thing: that Darius is Lord, he is above them all.) And if anyone didn’t cooperate, they would be thrown into a den of hungry lions. This didn’t appeal to Darius’ reason or to his compassion, but to his ego. And assuming that their lie was true – that even Daniel himself was in support of this – he declared it to be the law of the Medes and the Persians, which could not be broken.
G. When the law was announced, and Daniel heard it, what did he do? He went right up to the top floor of his house, he opened wide the windows and got down on his knees and prayed three times a day, just as he had been doing, just like the officials knew he would do. And they were there spying on him to witness his prayers.
H. And, of course, they then went and reported this to the king. And, of course, the king was distressed. He realized that he had been fooled, like a fish swallowing the bait and getting hooked.
I. He wasn’t angry with Daniel, he was actually angry with the officials who duped him. But even he did not have the power to undo this law of the Medes and the Persians, which couldn’t be broken.
J. The king wracked his brain for a way out for the rest of the day, but he couldn’t think of anything.
K. At the end of the day, the officials came back to make sure the sentence was carried out, and Darius was forced to do so..
L. But as Daniel was being dropped down into the den of lions, the king called out to Daniel, “May your God deliver you!” And a stone was laid over the mouth of the den.
M. The king went to his palace and spent the night in sleeplessness and fasting. When morning came, the king hurried to the den of lions and cried out in anguish, “Daniel, has your God been able to deliver you from the lions?” And Daniel answered, “O king, my God shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me.”
N. The king was overjoyed, and had Daniel brought up out of the den. Then he commanded that the officials who had maliciously accused Daniel be cast into the den of lions. And before they even reached the bottom of the den, the lions attacked them. And then King Darius decreed that all people in his kingdom must fear the God of Daniel, the living God, whose dominion shall know no end.
III. Explanation
A. What was the prophetic message for the exiles?
1. Exile as a lion’s den
2. God would not abandon them to their enemies. They would not be consumed by the Babylonians or the Persians. He would rescue them; He would bring them out of the exile to a place of safety.
B. What is the message for us? What can we learn from this about living in this world today?
1. Trust and obey
2. We too are exiles, living in a place which is not our homeland. Peter teaches us this:
a. 1Peter 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
b. 1Peter 1:17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,
c. 1Peter 2:11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
d. This is why these Bible stories of the exile are so relevant to us.
3. We also are in a lion’s den, aren’t we?
a. We have been put in a place where we are surrounded by dangers.
b. Sometimes we’re surrounded by human enemies, like the psalmist in Psalm 57:4, “My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down amid fiery beasts— the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.”
c. But always we have an enemy who licking his chops, wanting to devour us.
d. 1Peter 5:8 Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
e. This enemy doesn’t just want to harm us physically, he wants to harm us psychologically and spiritually.
f. The lions are stronger than we are. We can’t take care of ourselves. We are sheep who have gone astray. No matter how much we want to be unconquerable ninjas, the fact is, we are vulnerable.
4. But, just like Daniel, we have a protector who is worthy of our trust.
a. Psalm 7:1–2 O LORD my God, in you do I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and deliver me, 2 lest like a lion they tear my soul apart, rending it in pieces, with none to deliver.
(1) The Lord is our refuge. He is our safety. If He doesn’t deliver us, it’s not going to be pretty.
(2) Our enemy is going to tear us apart, rending us in pieces.
b. You know what Jesus said to Peter in Luke 22:31–32? “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.”
c. Peter had denied Jesus, just as Judas had betrayed Jesus. What was the difference? Why did Peter end up honored as a great apostle and yet heaps of shame are dumped on Judas? Well, the biggest difference is that Jesus prayed for Peter.
d. Satan was granted Judas. But Satan wanted Peter as well. In fact, presumably on the basis of Peter’s denial, Satan demanded him. But Jesus wouldn’t give him up. Instead, Jesus prayed for Peter. Jesus interceded on Peter’s behalf. This one is mine!
e. In the high priestly prayer, when on the eve of His crucifixion, Jesus is praying for His disciples, He prays this, “While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.” (John 17:12)
f. Jesus guards His own. That’s why Peter returned. That’s why Peter was restored. That’s why Peter was entrusted with the responsibility to feed Christ’s sheep (John 21:15-17).
IV. Conclusion
A. Satan wants us as well. He wants to sift us like wheat. He wants to devour us. And he’s far more powerful than we are. We are in real danger!
B. This is where we live, my Friends! This is the world we live in.
1. This world is a war zone. And our lives are a battle. “We wrestle against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Eph.6:12)
2. We don’t live in a world where we can afford to be carefree. We don’t live in a world where there is nothing to worry about. We don’t live in a world where can just take it easy.
3. We live in a world where we must “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might,” where we must put on “the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” (Eph.6:10, 13)
4. We live in a world where we must be “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” (Eph.6:18)
5. And wishing it were different doesn’t make it so.
C. But we also live in a world which is not abandoned. We may be walking through a valley of the shadow of death, but we don’t need to fear, for God is with us (Ps.23:4).
1. We are so privileged to have a Protector! We are so privileged to have a faithful Helper who loves us and cares about us, and who is invested in our welfare.
2. It doesn’t mean we don’t get thrown into lions’ dens. But it does mean we don’t get devoured.
D. So, we live in a world governed by two great realities:
1. The reality of sin and Satan and the curse, which produces a world of danger and injustice and sorrow and disappointment.
2. And the reality of a good God who is using all the evil and heartbreak for the good of His precious children.
E. Both of these must be remembered:
1. It’s wonderful to know that we are in the hands of our living and faithful – and all-powerful – Father. But we must also remember that we are not in heaven, we are not yet in paradise, where there will be no more dangers or heartbreaks. We are in exile; we are in a lions’ den.
2. But sometimes we know the reality of the lions’ den all too well, and we need to keep reminding ourselves that for the believer the lions are not the big guys in the den. There is Someone there with His people in the den who turns roaring lions into purring kittens. He rules over this world just as much as He rules over heaven – though His rule is more hidden so we believe this by faith not by sight. That’s why we have hope! And that’s the only reason we have hope.
a. Our hope is not based on the trajectory of the stock market or the soundness of our financial situation. It is not based on how we feel or how things seem to be going. It is based on our faithful Lord and His precious promises.
F. But there’s one more truth about life in this world to learn from this story.
1. The time in the lion’s den does not last forever.
2. Daniel was asked only to spend one brief night there.
3. Now one minute in a lions’ den is more than we desire, of course, as the malicious officials learned when they were thrown in. So, the struggle is much more than we like.
4. But it’s still short. We are spending the night in a lions’ den, and that’s scary. But it’s only a night. “Weeping may last for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” – Psalm 30:5
5. Don’t be discouraged. The night is almost over. Morning is coming soon: the morning of joy, the morning of light, the morning of vindication, the morning of justice, the morning of freedom, the morning of relief, the morning of rest, the morning of praise, the morning when we will cry, “My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they did not harm me, and I am found blameless before him.”
G. Do you have Someone who is watching over you? If you don’t, flee to the only One who can.
1. Come to God through Jesus. “For if God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom.8:31)