Today’s Scripture tells an account of Daniel being cast into the lion’s den. Most of us first heard about Daniel when we were children from our parents or in Sunday School. There are lessons here for us adults, as well, that can help strengthen our walk with the Lord. Let’s take a look at this time in Daniel’s life and see what we can learn.
As our Scripture begins here, Daniel was now in his 80’s, an elderly man. Because of his good spirit and godly wisdom, he had been an advisor to several rulers of both the Babylonian empire and its successor, the Persian empire (vs. 1-3). However, as is often the case, many other government officials were jealous of Daniel. He had enemies because he did a good and honest job, and they did not like it that a “foreigner” held such an important position. These enemies looked for a way to bring Daniel down. However, they had a difficult time finding any legitimate charges to bring against him. Daniel was an upright, righteous man, who loved God and obeyed Him wholeheartedly, and was thus a law-abiding, moral, and ethical person. When they couldn’t find anything about Daniel’s life to criticize, they attacked his faith (vs. 5-6).
These enemies of Daniel got together and came up with a plot that would ensure his downfall. They came to the Emperor Darius, suggesting he proclaim a law, under penalty of death, that no one could pray to any other god than himself for a month, thus flattering him and feeding into his ego (vs. 6-9). Ancient kings were often worshiped as gods in many cultures. Once enacted, Medo-Persian law could not be changed, even by the king. Because Daniel never hid his faith, they felt that they had him now.
When Daniel’s enemies tricked the king into making this decree, what did Daniel do? Did he run to the king, and fight back by using his relationship with him? No, he continued to pray to God as he always had (vs. 10). He didn’t complain to God or say that it wasn’t fair that he would be arrested. He praised God and gave thanks, even in the middle of a bad situation. Daniel had a disciplined prayer life, coming to God in prayer three times a day (Psalm 55:16-17). He knew that prayer was his lifeline to God. Daniel made no attempt to now hide his daily prayer routine, even though he knew it would cost him his life.
Daniel would have been a very busy man, considering the high government position he had. Yet he made it a priority to spend time with God a minimum of three times a day, a practice he had done throughout his long life. He did not give God the crumbs of his day. This routine helped him develop a strong faith that did not waver, even when he faced persecution and a death sentence. He was committed to doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and he faced the consequences for his choices with a calm, Christ-like spirit, with no complaints or struggles.
His enemies quickly caught him, and brought it to the attention of the king. Though the king deeply loved and respected Daniel, there was nothing he could do, and he was immediately thrown into the lion’s den (vs. 13-15). Darius knew of Daniel’s faith, and it had made an impression upon him. As Daniel was thrown to the lion’s, Darius called out to him to trust in his God (vs. 16).
Both men spent the night in prayer. Darius was afraid and restless. He could not eat or sleep (vs. 18). Daniel, though, was not afraid. Instead of prayers of fear, complaint, or vengeance, Daniel gave prayers of thanksgiving. Thankfulness was a habit with him. When we are thankful we are better able to fight fear. We can’t always fix our circumstances, just like Daniel, but we can fix our eyes on God.
God openly honored Daniel’s faith for the purpose of showing His glory. Darius’s small faith brought him to the opening of the lion’s den the next morning, fearfully calling out to see if he was still alive (vs. 19-20). Daniel’s strong faith and belief kept the lions from harming him (vs. 23). Daniel didn’t suddenly turn to God for help when his crisis came. Instead, he had spent a lifetime making daily deposits of faith in his account with God, and when the time came for him to make a withdrawal, it was there for him.
How about us? Do we wait for a crisis to turn to God, and expect a supply of faith and help at our disposal? That would not have been of much help to Daniel. He had built a lifetime relationship with the Lord, a lifetime of prayer and faith. When the crisis came, he stood firm, and the Lord honored him.
No comments:
Post a Comment