Trusting God Series

Text: Daniel Chapter 6

Title: Trusting God

Introduction

From beginning to end Daniel Chapter 6 is all about trust.

(v1-2) It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to the administrations …“so that the king might not suffer loss.”

Right away we see a lack of trust.

The king appointed administrators over the satraps because…he did not trust the satraps.

(Later on we discover that he was right not to trust them.)

One of those administrators was Daniel.

(v3) “Now Daniel so distinguished himself by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.”

What were Daniel’s exceptional qualities?

What was it that distinguished Daniel from everyone else?

What was so outstanding about Daniel that the king planned to set him over the entire kingdom?

(v4) “At this the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.”

His #1 distinguishing quality was his trustworthiness!

Never underestimate the power of trust!

Trust is a huge issue!

1. Trust is a huge issue socially.

Where there is no trust everyone in society suffers.

Crime rises!

In Daniel’s case- because those who worked under him were so untrustworthy they tried to get him killed.

2. Trust is a huge issue emotionally.

(v18) (After putting Daniel in the Lion’s Den) Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating, without entertainment and without sleeping.

Lack of trust eventually leads to sleepless nights and loss of appetite

3. Trust is a huge issue spiritually

Daniel chapter 6 is a chapter about trusting God.

Daniel 6 addresses such questions as

•Can you really trust God?

•What evidence is there for trusting God?

•What will trusting God do for your life?

1.Can you trust God?

The Bible certainly believes so!

Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your path straight

John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled, trust in God trust also in me.”

Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Daniel 6 was written in order to encourage us to trust God.

2. What evidence is there for trusting God?

In Daniel 6 we see that

1.God is all-loving.

2.God is all-knowing

3.God is all-powerful (The sovereignty of God)

Let’s look at these three qualities of God more closely

1. God is all loving.

There is lots of evidence found in Daniel 6 that the king was very fond of Daniel.

A. He appointed Daniel an administrator

B. He was planning to set him over the entire kingdom.

C. He tried to save Daniel from the lion’s den

However although the king was very fond of Daniel the king did not love Daniel.

(v7) “The king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or man during the next thirty days, except to you O king should be thrown into the lion’s den.”

If the King really loved Daniel he would never have said yes to their request.

The king loved himself more than he loved Daniel.

Because he loved himself more – he put Daniel’s life in jeopardy

How many people have we trusted in- thinking that they loved us- only to find out that they really only loved themselves?

Only God is all-loving!

In the gospels we always see Jesus putting his life in jeopardy for others. It was never the other way around.

God demonstrates his love for us in this; while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

2. God is all knowing

If the king was all-knowing He would have never have said yes to the decree. Daniel would never have ended up in the lions den. (Daniel 6 would only have 3 verses in it)

Instead the King did not know what they had in mind when they requested the decree.

So he said yes! (It was a great idea to the king too)

How many times have we trusted someone without knowing all the true facts?

God is all-knowing

The first thing Daniel did after hearing about the decree was he went home to pray.

He did not go home to pray in order to tell God about the decree.

We know this because we are told in verse 11

“They went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help;”

Daniel understood that God all ready knew about the decree.