Location: Babylon, about 50 miles south of Bagdad, Iraq.
Time: Shortly
after 539 BC. As prophesied in Isaiah 44:28-45:2, about 150 years prior, Cyrus
of Persia defeated Babylon, and appointed Darius the Mede as king.
Daniel, probably in his early 80s, has been serving in
Babylon since he was taken captive as a teenager.
Daniel 6:1-2
It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and
twenty satraps, (princes) 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.
Some claim Cyrus and Darius are the same person, because
of no archeological evidence of a man named Darius at that time.
However, Darius, by definition, is a title meaning: the
one who bears the scepter.
There is archeological evidence of a ruler by the name
of Gubaru, who was 62 years old at this time, and the last verse in chapter 5 makes
a point to tell us Darius was 62.
So, most likely Darius, the one who bore the
scepter was a man named Gubaru. (Subaru with a G).
Okay, so Darius set 3 governors over 120 princes.
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.
Like Daniel, the people of God ought to be the best
workers on the planet. Colossians 3:23, And whatever you do, do it heartily,
as unto the Lord and not to men.
Daniel followed Psalm 1:1-3.
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in
His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that
brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not
wither; and whatever he does shall prosper...
Daniel sought God first. Daniel was blessed. Daniel
had favor. Daniel was up for promotion.
Daniel had enemies.
Some folks were jealous...
4 So the governors and satraps sought to
find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom...
Daniel sought God, they sought dirt on Daniel.
We ought not be surprised:
2 Timothy 3:12, Yes,
and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will
suffer persecution.
We shouldn’t be sad:
Matthew 5:10-12, Blessed are those
who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.
1 Peter 3:14, But
even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed...
1 Peter 4:14,
If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the
Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
We’re in Good Company:
John 15:18-20, If
the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first.
With your eyes on Jesus, there’s no trial
too tough to tackle.
4...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.”
Isn’t that amazing, somebody in government... no
corruption.
But surely they searched, no holds barred, no expense
spared, find dirt on Danny witch hunt on steroids.
But they came up empty, no dirt on Danny.
No unpaid parking tickets. Daniel didn’t take
kickbacks, make backroom deals, become part of the swamp.
He didn’t sing on Sunday, then curse on Monday.
Daniel was the same day in day out.
He irritated you on Brunns road because he only drove 25,
the speed limit. You rode his bumper until you could fly by. Christian music
blaring. Jesus bumper sticker all a blur. He just smiled, waved and said a
prayer for you.
Danny never cheated on his taxes.
He’ll talk as long as you need, but soon as the gossip
starts, he’ll just walk away.
That’s our Mr. Danny.
The world might not pay attention to our Christianity,
our Christ likeness, our day in day out continuous faithfulness, but they can spot
sin a mile away, they’ll see the smallest spot of selfishness, arrogance,
dishonesty, rudeness, gluttony, gossip ... slip up one time and BOOM everybody
knows.
But they couldn’t find any
dirt on Danny.
So, since they couldn’t find any, they figured they’d
make some.
An elaborate hoax.
Could anything like that ever happen in our day?
6 So these
governors and satraps thronged before the king, and said thus to
him: “King Darius, live forever!
Buttery words of flattery, make the knife of
deception, slide in more easily.
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.”
All
the governors...? Liars.
Danny definitely was not a part of this deal. There’s
the first stab of deception.
Darius should’ve said, “Everybody?” Where’s Danny?
I don’t see Danny’s name.
When anybody says “everybody’s doing it,
everybody says...” That’s a red flag.
Trust but verify.
Darius didn’t.
9 Therefore
King Darius signed the written decree.
His ego blinded his good sense and dumb, duped Darius,
signed the decree. Or was it autopen?
They started with a lie and went downhill
from there.
They were jealous.
Jealousy is a sin.
Sin is never satisfied.
Sin couldn’t just sit back and let Daniel worship God in
peace and keep doing his job making Babylon great again.
No, it had to cross the line and attack his
relationship with God.
You can only pray to the king. You can only petition
the king. The government is your god.
The decrees of a Persian king were unchangeable
because he was thought to speak for the gods, who could never be wrong and thus
never needed to change their minds.
So, now it’s the law of the land. No prayer but to the
king or, you’re a lion’s lunch.
Question: If that becomes
law of the land, would you show up for Prayer Meeting?
10 Now when
Daniel knew that the writing was signed...
He ran screaming to the king, ranted on his facebook
page, started a petition, filed an appeal, hired the best lawyer money could
buy.
Nope.
For the next thirty days he hid shivering in the
shadows, didn’t mention God out loud and only prayed silently, in the dark, in
his closet.
NO WAY!
10...he went
home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward
Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed
and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early
days.
Even though Acts 5:29 wouldn’t be written for over 500
years he understood it perfectly. We ought to obey God rather than man.
Daniel took prayer seriously, his prayers had purpose,
pattern and power
PURPOSE.
He flung open his windows toward Jerusalem (about
500 miles west) and even though in his eighties, he got on his knees as
Solomon had done some 400 years prior.
In 1 Kings 8, Solomon prayed for the future Israel in
case they sinned and were taken captive to a foreign land. That if they
repented and returned to God and prayed toward Jerusalem and the temple,
that God would hear them and forgive them and bring them back into their land.
So, Daniel, even though he’d been in Babylon for 65
years or so, was still purposefully praying for his people
to be delivered.
Do you pray with Scripturally based purpose
and endurance like that?
POWER.
Daniel’s prayers were not only purposeful, but
powerful.
During these prayer times came the wisdom to interpret
dreams, and writings on walls.
During these prayer times he was given dreams and
visions of the future, the coming of the Messiah, our future, and the end of
the age.
During these prayer times he was given courage to face
the mouths of lions.
Oh, and that prayer for his people to be delivered? God
never forgets. Within the year King Cyrus will issue a decree to free the Jews
to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. He even funds the rebuild. More
about that when we get to Daniel 9.
Are our prayers powerful and effective
like that?
Umm, well, like, yeah, no, that’s Daniel, he had some
kind of Superhero Saint Prophet like faith stuff.
Umm, well, like, James 5:16-17 says: Confess your trespasses
one to another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent
prayer of the righteous avails much. 17 Elijah
was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed
earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three
years and six months. 18 And he prayed again,
and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
PATTERN.
Daniel had a pattern to his prayer life. Not a
mindless religious routine, but scheduled appointments with God that were so
important Daniel never missed them.
The pattern of prayer was so obvious in Danny’s life
that his enemies knew about it and used it to trap him.
He prayed three times a day, as was his custom.
Probably prayed 3,000 times a day, praying without ceasing, but three times a
day, he made a hard stop, a standing appointment with his God.
Could you do that? How about just once a day? God, I’m
yours from 6-7 am. Or 9-10 pm. Or 12-1, something, anything?
Is God important enough to purposefully
pattern your life to include Him?
Or does He just get the leftovers...if there are any.
Now, back to Daniel, notice just because things went
sideways, he didn’t change his pattern of behavior. He just went
right on doing what he’d always done.
That’s the steadfast,
stable, peace filled, joy saturated, awesomeness of simply living a Godly
Christian lifestyle. You’re not shaken, changing, flip-flopping, wishy washy,
but like a tree planted by the rivers of living water, bringing
forth fruit in season and out, not withering and fading but growing and glowing and going from glory to glory.
Did you know, Prayer is the number one
subject in Christian bookstores, but the least attended
service in Churches?
A couple weeks ago for our Thursday night prayer
meeting, Jesus was the only one to show up. It was Jesus, Roxy and I. That’s
it.
He cried the whole hour, or so it seemed. About five
minutes after the start, the sky went black, the thunder rolled, the lightning
struck, the rain poured. As we talked and prayed our way through the hour of prayer,
about halfway through I said, “It will storm until the hour is over.”
Sure enough, when the hour had ended, all went quiet, the sky cleared, and I took a picture out the window of the blue sky.
11 Then these
men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before
his God.
They knew just where he’d be and what he’d be doing.
Like a tree by the waters, he was there, planted, praying,
unmoved by the new law of the land.
Would that be true of you?
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?”
Wait, what happened to the “long live the king”
buttery flattery nonsense?
Bunch of slimy hypocrites.
The king answered and said, “The
thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians,
which does not alter.”
Yes, of course, you know it’s true, what are you
sleaze balls up to?
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.”
There are times, when rebellion to man
is obedience to God.
If they made a decree, you must not meet, we’d rebel
against man in obedience to God. Hebrews 10:25, Forsake not the assembling...
If they made a decree, you can no longer preach in Jesus’
name, we’d rebel against man in obedience to God. Mark 16:15, Go into all
the world and preach...
If they made a decree that Biblical Truth is hate speech,
we’d rebel against man in obedience to God. John 17:17, Your Word is
Truth...
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.
Darius kicked himself all over the kingdom. He was mad
at himself for being duped by those dopes.
He labored till the going down of the sun. Looking
for a loophole. If he had a legal team they searched the law right up to the
last minute.
But, according to ancient eastern custom, the
execution was to be carried out on the evening of the day that the accusation
was made and found valid.
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.”
The king’s probably thinking, as soon as this is
over, I’ll have their heads for deceiving me into thinking Daniel had any part
in this foolish wicked scheme.
But the law was the law.
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.”
What did Daniel say?
Nothing.
Everything.
We hear no plea, no argument. But his Godly character
gave Darius cause to say, “Your God whom you serve continually,
He will deliver you.”
Without Daniel uttering a word, Darius, testifies that
Daniel serves the Lord, continually, day in day out,
faithful, steady, stable, like a tree.
What a testimony.
“Hey Danny boy,” says the king, “you’re the real deal.
If your God makes you the way you are, then I believe. I know, He will deliver
you, from the mouths of lions.”
Awesome.
Because of the way you serve your God continually,
I believe. It doesn’t make sense. I don’t know why, but I just do. No matter
what happens, I believe your God is real, alive and well and will deliver.
Because of you.
I believe.
I just do.
Perhaps in that moment, God gave Darius the gift of
faith.
Perhaps eternal, soul saving faith.
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.
Documented and sealed with witnesses.
So, no one could say Darius failed to follow through
with his command.
And, a statement of faith, so, like Christ, when the
sealed stone is rolled away and Danny is found alive, the slimy scumbag
governors and satraps will have to shut their trap and not be able to
say it didn’t happen.
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 king did not lose sleep over every person thrown
in the lion’s den.
But obviously Danny was different, the king cared for
and respected him, evidenced by his misery over the fate of his faithful friend.
19 Then
the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste
to the den of lions.
With no sleep, nothing to eat, no coffee, at the crack
of dawn he was back at the den to see the fate of his friend.
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?”
Notice, this is the second time Darius says Daniel continually,
serves his God.
What a powerful, steadfast impression Danny made.
Do we do that in this ever changing,
moving, shifting, shaking, transitioning, world? Are we like trees planted by
rivers of living water, bearing His fruit, continually?
Could we show a video of your life for Sunday service
as an example of serving God continually?
Has your continual Godly behavior
rubbed off on those around you so much that without even knowing it, they
believe God will deliver?
21 Then Daniel
said to the king, “O king, live forever!
Same words as slimeballs but this is not buttery
flattery, but “O’ king live forever, in Eternity, for believing My God,
who can be your God, and give you eternal Life.
22My God sent
His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, (soon
the liars 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.”
Make no mistake, Divine intervention protected
Daniel from being devoured by man eating lions.
Some delusional critics say the lions just weren’t
hungry, or Danny hid in a crevice or under some hay.
That’s ridiculous.
Daniel said God sent His angel and shut the lions’
mouths. That is exactly what happened.
23 Now 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.
No injury was found on him.
There’s more than just the miracle of closing the mouths of the lions.
Throwing an 80 plus year old
man into a pit of stone so deep that lions couldn’t leap out, would probably break
some bones just from the fall.
But Danny came out unharmed.
Maybe he landed on a
nice soft lion’s mane. Or, angel’s wings? 😊
24 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.
The accuser of the brethren, and his family,
(followers) will one day be cast into the bottomless pit, and then the lake of
fire, forever.
According to Medo-Persian laws and customs, “on
account of the guilt of one, shall all his kindred perish.” Thus, all the
families suffered the same punishment for the sin of their fathers.
God established a sort of similar law for His
people back in Deuteronomy 19, called the Law of Retaliation. If someone
made a false accusation, the punishment they intended for the accused, fell
back on the accuser.
Spiritually speaking, there’s a law that applies to us
all, a law we all know. The law of sowing and reaping.
Galatians 6:8,
For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption,
but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting
life.
25 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.
28 So this
Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the
Persian.
Throughout this entire chapter we read less than 40
words spoken by Daniel, yet his continual Godly character spoke volumes
and caused God’s Goodness to be proclaimed by the king throughout all the
world.
Let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, we pray You’ll speak to us and
through us, every day in every way to every one You send us, and sometimes,
Lord, let us use words. Mostly, please help us to simply shine, Your Love, Your
Light, steady, steadfast, stable, like a tree planted by You, the Living Water,
bearing Your fruit, in season and out. So that of all those You’ve given us, none
are lost.
Thank You.
We love You, forever.
Amen.
Prayer Requests:
Call or text: 612-554-2522
Email: pray4measap@aol.com
Facebook: Church at WPV
Books: amazon.com/author/dougspurling
Watch online:
Facebook: Daniel in the Lions’ Den,
Daniel 6
You Tube: Daniel in the Lions’
Den, Daniel 6
This was feed for you to read. Now it’s
Seed for you to sow.
Thank you for sharing.
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