Daniel in the Lion's Den

Daniel in the Lions Den
I preached this message at the Mission Prison Institution last night (december 14th):


Daniel 6:1 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps, to be over the whole kingdom; 2 and over these, three governors, of whom Daniel was one, that the satraps might give account to them, so that the king would suffer no loss.


Daniel is a captive, he is a prisoner in another land, separated from most of his people and his family. But Daniel prospered in His Captivity- he’s like Joseph in Egypt.

Being successful rarely wins you any real friends. In fact, I think Daniel’s only real friend was Darius. His colleagues were envious of his success. After-all, he was a captive, a slave, and most of them were pure-bred Babylonians. "Who is this Jew that he should rule over us"- they were racists. There’s no room for racism in the God’s economy.

Look at the lengths that his enemies went to to try to incriminate him:


3 Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps,because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm. 4 So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him. 5 Then these men said, "We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God."


But these guys couldn’t find anything to accuse him of. Daniel was so righteous, he was so careful to good, that even his enemies could find no fault with him. The Bible says "be perfect, for God is perfect." That kind of righteousness begins in your heart; it starts with a humility and willingness to obey God.

So they went after Daniel's faith. Being a Christian is not a guarantee that all of your enemies will live at peace with you, but it is a guarantee that, one way or another, we will share in Christ’s suffering. And whenever we suffer for the cause of Christ, it is always for our profit. If we share in the likeness of his suffering it is to bring us into the likeness of his glory.


6 So these governors and satraps thronged before the king, and said thus to him: "King Darius, live forever! 7 All the governors of the kingdom, the administrators and satraps, the counselors and advisors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 8 Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the writing, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter." 9 Therefore King Darius signed the written decree.
So in verse 10, Daniel, knowing that the law had passed, went and prayed anyway- just like he had always done. He did what was right even when it was wrong. Our culture gets that backwards: we do what’s wrong morally because it’s right socially; we do what’s fashionable, not what’s moral.

O Boy were his enemies ticked off at him, bowing his head and his heart to the Jewish God and not to the Babylonian king. Maybe they even justified it in their minds, that Daniel’s prayer was an act of treason. His enemies knew him so well... his righteous reputation and his reputation for piety were public knowledge. "Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God" (verse 11).


12 And they went before the king, and spoke concerning the king's decree: "Have you not signed a decree that every man who petitions any god or man within thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?" The king answered and said, "The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter." 13 So they answered and said before the King, "That Daniel, who is one of the captives from Judah, does not show due regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day." 14 And the king, when he heard these words, was greatly Displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him; and he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him. 15 Then these men approached the king, and said to the king, "Know, O king, that it is the law of the Medes and Persians that no decree or statute which the king establishes may be changed." 16 So the king gave the command, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, "Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you." 17 Then a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signets of his lords, that the purpose concerning Daniel might not be changed. 18 Now the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; and no musicians were brought before him. Also his sleep went from him.



The bible says to count it all joy when you suffer for doing good. I think that guarantees that we will suffer as Christians. A lot of people give up on doing good because it gets them no where. But we do good because God is good to us, not to win man’s favour. Isn’t it worth it to suffer temporarily for doing good and be just in God’s eyes then to suffer justly for doing evil?

But you know, the Bible also promises that God will not allow us to suffer beyond what we can handle. God will certainly allow us to suffer, he will allow us to suffer unjustly, but in the end, we can do all things through Christ knowing that He has the final judgment in all things and one day he will vindicate us.


19 Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions. 20 And when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The king spoke, saying to Daniel, "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, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you." 23 Then the king was exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he believed in his God.


It’s a funny thing, whenever I read the prayers of David in the Psalms, he always prays that his enemies would stumble into the pit that they dug for David. And he always rejoices to God that God does exactly that that. I call it God’s ironic justice, he causes the very weapon of the wicked to be their own instrument of judgment.

I’ve even seen myself, people who slander, are ruined by slander, people who beat are beaten, people who kill are killed. "Live by the sword, die by the sword." People who dig holes for others end up falling into it themselves. They’re called fools for a reason and if you are a wise man you’ll stay away from the fool because he’ll lead you straight into a pit. "And the king gave the command, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions--them, their children, and their wives; and the lions overpowered them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they ever came to the bottom of the den" (verse 24).


Then Darius himself, the Ruler over Iraq, was converted to Judaism, what a miracle, what a scandal, and he wrote a press release, that if it were today would have been broadcast on Al-Gazera and CNN :

Then King Darius wrote: To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. 26 I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God, And steadfast forever; His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed, And His dominion shall endure to the end. 27 He delivers and rescues, And He works signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.


Look at what Darius learned from Daniel’s suffering:
1. God is a living God, not a dead god
2. God is steadfat forever, He doesn’t change
3. There is no end to God’s Kingdom, God’s Kingdom always advances and never retreats.
4. God delivers and rescues, he never abandons us, not even in the lions den.
5. God works signs and wonders, he’s not boxed onto the laws of the universe.


How does your situation wreck you acunamatata? Does it cause you to enjoy God more or less? You see, the chief end of man is not liberty, it’s not to have the good life, its not even to be liked by everyone. The chief end of man, his purpose here on earth is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. How does you situation cause you to enjoy God?


Three quick things we can learn from Daniel on how to enjoy God:
1. Daniel was faithful, even when it hurt
2. Cling to your integrity. Even when there is no reward for it.
3. Be patient when you suffer for good and let God have vengeance.


And look what God did for Daniel: "So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian" (verse 28).