Daniel 6:1-28 Daniel in the Lions’ Den
Darius the Mede decided to divide the kingdom into 120 provinces, and he appointed a high officer to rule over each province. The king also chose Daniel and two others as administrators to supervise the high officers and protect the king’s interests. Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and high officers. Because of Daniel’s great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire.
Well! It’s a new day in the old Babylonian Empire and Darius the Mede is now in control. As a savvy ruler, Darius divides the kingdom into 120 provinces with a high official over each province. Then Darius appoints Daniel and two others to supervise these administrators. Naturally, Daniel performs admirably, demonstrating God-given ability. Darius is so impressed that he is ready to place Daniel as the Chief Administrator over the entire empire.
The other bureaucrats have been fuming about Daniel for years as he has ascended to increasingly more important positions. If only they can catch Daniel out, they can destroy his career, gaining power for themselves in the process. But “He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy.” There must be a way to bring Daniel down, but HOW?
Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy. So they concluded, “Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion.”
So the administrators and high officers went to the king and said, “Long live King Darius! We are all in agreement—we administrators, officials, high officers, advisers, and governors—that the king should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions. And now, Your Majesty, issue and sign this law so it cannot be changed, an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.” So King Darius signed the law.
Darius might be a savvy ruler, but he also has an ego that won’t quit. When all these leaders come presenting what purports to be a unanimous request that everyone in the kingdom should pray to him for the next thirty days, Darius thinks, “Why not? I AM the supreme ruler.” Blinded by pride, Darius fails to appreciate the schemes underlying this proposal until he has signed this ridiculous request into law. In these days, the law of the Medes and Persians is absolute; once an edict has become law, there are no means for reversal. The scheming administrators are rubbing their hands in glee and dancing little victory dances, for they know that now they can catch Daniel.
But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. Then the officials went together to Daniel’s house and found him praying and asking for God’s help. So they went straight to the king and reminded him about his law. “Did you not sign a law that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions?”
“Yes,” the king replied, “that decision stands; it is an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.”
Then they told the king, “That man Daniel, one of the captives from Judah, is ignoring you and your law. He still prays to his God three times a day.”
Hearing this, the king was deeply troubled, and he tried to think of a way to save Daniel. He spent the rest of the day looking for a way to get Daniel out of this predicament. In the evening the men went together to the king and said, “Your Majesty, you know that according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, no law that the king signs can be changed.”
Before going to the king, these plotters meet outside the palace, slapping one another high fives and doing little victory dances. After years of trying, these guys feel they are eliminating this obnoxious Hebrew do-gooder completely! “Okay, Bel-te-shaz-zar! Let’s see how you get out of this one!”
So at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him, “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you.”
A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed the stone with his own royal seal and the seals of his nobles, so that no one could rescue Daniel. Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night fasting. He refused his usual entertainment and couldn’t sleep at all that night.
WOW! The king is seriously concerned about Daniel. Not only does Darius refuse all food and drink, but he cannot sleep at all that night.
Very early the next morning, the king got up and hurried out to the lions’ den. When he got there, he called out in anguish, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you serve so faithfully, able to rescue you from the lions?”
Notice the king hurries anxiously to the lions’ den. Generally, kings don’t hurry anyplace; they send messengers to investigate and bring them back information while they sit grandly in the palace. And the king is in anguish, another emotion generally foreign to most sovereign rulers.
Daniel answered, “Long live the king! My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty.”
Notice how graciously Daniel speaks to Darius. Daniel might be tempted to be impertinent; however, he respects Darius’ authority and also reassures Darius that his intentions are honorable.
The king was overjoyed and ordered that Daniel be lifted from the den. Not a scratch was found on him, for he had trusted in his God. Then the king gave orders to arrest the men who had maliciously accused Daniel. He had them thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. The lions leaped on them and tore them apart before they even hit the floor of the den.
Again, this is one of the most satisfying conclusions to any Bible story. Not only are the wrong-doers punished, but they and their families are thrown to the lions. The lions are so eager to attack these people that the lions tear them apart before they even hit the floor of the den.
Then King Darius sent this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world: “Peace and prosperity to you!
“I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God, and he will endure forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his rule will never end. He rescues and saves his people; he performs miraculous signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”
So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
What can we gain from this story? First, Daniel has been honoring the Lord for his entire life; he doesn’t simply start at the time of the king’s edict. It is actually Daniel’s practice of routine worship that gives his enemies the idea of twisting it to use against him.
Next, Daniel persists in prayer and worship, even when Darius issues an edict against such practices. It is of supreme importance that Daniel continue to relate to God, whether he lives or dies.
Daniel maintains his respect for Darius, even when Darius is forced to carry out his own foolish order.
Darius lives to bitterly regret having been manipulated by greedy jealous counselors to have Daniel thrown to the lions.
And finally, when God delivers Daniel from the lions, Darius orders his subjects to worship and fear Daniel’s God. Darius learns much more quickly than Nebuchadnezzar did, for Darius believes this miracle while Nebuchadnezzar had to be humbled for seven years before he acknowledged God as sovereign.
Make no mistake! We can suffer for doing the right thing, and God might or might not deliver us. But we can also trust that the God who shut the lions’ mouths if fully capable of delivering us from any threat.
May God help us to trust Him at all times.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to trust You, even when we are suffering and facing extreme threats to our existence and our ministries. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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