July 30

Daniel and the Lions’ Den

             Then the king gave the command, and Daniel was brought and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you faithfully serve, deliver you!”  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, so that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel.  Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no food was brought to him, and sleep fled from him.

                 Then, at break of day, the king got up and hurried to the den of lions.  When he came near the den where Daniel was, he cried out anxiously to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God whom you faithfully serve been able to deliver you from the lions?”  Daniel then said to the king, “O king, live forever!  My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no wrong.”  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.

Daniel 6:16-23

             

             Do you know one of the interesting things about Daniel and the Lions’ Den?  Daniel wrote it.  Daniel was the one in mortal danger.  But it is not told from Daniel’s perspective.  King Darius is the character that we follow even though I would be fascinated to know what exactly transpired in that cave.

            King Darius ruled over an incredible empire.  He had 120 governors to manage his nation.  Overseeing those governors, he had three officials who made sure that everything was running smoothly.  One of those officials was Daniel and he did such a good job that the king was going to elevate him to 2^nd in command of the empire, in charge of overseeing the overseers.  Daniel’s peers were jealous, so they set a trap to use his faith against him.  The king signed an order that any citizen who prayed to anyone or anything other than King Darius over the span of a month would be thrown to the lions.

            Daniel heard the edict.  He had integrity and continued to pray to God.  He was caught, sentenced and given to the lions, a sure death sentence.  The narrative then follows the king.  He offers Daniel a few final words of hope then heads back home.  The king cannot eat.  He cannot sleep.  In the morning he runs to the den to see if maybe, just maybe, God had protected Daniel.  When they get Daniel out and hear about how God has delivered him, the king is elated and makes some changes to his empire.  The conspirators are given to the lions.  King Darius sends out a message to the entire nation telling them to honor and worship Daniel’s God because of His mighty power.

            Why does Daniel decide to write about the King’s night instead of his own?  I think that in Daniel’s eyes, the more interesting and important miracle took place in the palace, not the lions’ den.  Just as with his friends who were thrown into the furnace, Daniel knew that his life was in God’s hands.  Whether God saved him or not, God was good and he loved Daniel.  The miracle with the lions impacted one life.  The miracle that was going on in the palace impacted millions.

            King Darius was rich and mighty with the power of life and death over countless souls.  He was arrogant and ambitious.  He had conquered the greatest nations that the world had to offer and every deity that been invoked to stop him had been toppled.  When his officials approached him about being worshipped, he thought it was a good idea.  Maybe he actually was a god.

            Then he found something that he wanted that he could not control.  He could not save Daniel’s life.  His arrogance had doomed the one that he trusted the most and for all his power and authority, Darius could do nothing.  And all he could do was wait..and hope…and pray.  Daniel’s testimony showed what the real God could do, what real power was and Darius knew.  He knew that the One who had saved Daniel was not a statue to be knocked down or a set of rules to be followed or a collection of myths.  The God that Daniel served was power and deserved honor and respect and worship.  His edict let every soul in his kingdom know that the God of the Hebrews was worthy of their praise.

            Sometimes God works in our lives just for us…just so that we will know that He knows and He cares.  Sometimes He does the impossible so that those around us will see His power and His love for us and they will know the truth about Him.  Sometimes there is a ripple effect that impacts not just us and not just those around us, but spreads far and wide as the Good News goes further than we could possibly travel.

            That was the miracle that was far more interesting to Daniel than just a few lions not eating him.

           

A moment to reflect:

Think of the most arrogant and self-absorbed person that you know.  What would happen if they had an encounter with the Living God?