An Excellent Spirit

Examining the situation, the friend remarked as usual, "That’s a good thing!" To which the king replied, "No, that’s a bad thing!" and had his friend thrown in jail.

About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured him and took him to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake.

As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone who was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way. As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend.

He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend. "You were right," he said, "it was good that my thumb was blown off." And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened. "And so, I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this." "No," his friend replied, "That’s a good thing!" "What do you mean ‘that’s a good thing? How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?" "If I had not been in jail, I would have been with you."

-How many of us gripe, complain and give ourselves excuses because of our circumstances?

If the story ended here we could learn that by doing the right thing we get the good stuff. But that’s not the way the world works. Because even though things are looking up for Daniel’s career, the other 2 Presidents and the 120 Governors are jealous. They begin to scheme to bring Daniel down.

-Whenever you are in God’s will –be assured that people and satan will scheme to bring you down. The sinful nature of man doesn’t want to see others do better than themselves.

Read Daniel 6: 6-9

The schemers trap Darius the King. He is trapped by his own pride and vanity into making a ridiculous law. The den of lions were reserved for terrible crimes against the king and state.

How do they plan to catch Daniel? They know that he prays to his God three times a day every day at the same time without fail. They knew that Daniel would honor God before man. He was honorable that way.

-Do our friends and family know that we honor God above man? That we honor God above our own desires? Honor Him above our own safety?

Time for a Change?

How does Daniel change his worship to accommodate the new law? He doesn’t. He keeps doing what he always did.

-How will you or I change our worship when our very lives depend on it?

READ Daniel 6: 10-15

So Daniel is caught praying to God after King Darius is tricked into singing the order that no one can pray to any other God for 30 days but must worship King Darius only or be thrown into a den of lions. These jealous fellows are clever little devils. Too clever, we shall soon see for their own goods.

Daniel is cast into the den of lions and King Darius calls down to him “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!”

Serving Continually

-Christians today tend to serve God on Sunday and go back to serving satan the rest of the week.