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.
Whenever something terrible happens to us God already knows about it.
He knew about it before the foundation of the world
Comforting thought: If God has known about everything I’m going through from eternity past then He has had all that time to think of an answer.
3. God is all-powerful
Why did the enemies of Daniel come up with the idea of throwing Daniel into the Lion’s den? (instead of throwing him into the river?)
The lion’s den represented a place of impossible deliverance.
(Indiana Jones) pit of snakes – den of lions
They used the decree to tie the hands of the king (he could not reverse the decree)
(v14) “He was greatly distressed, he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to rescue him.
(v16) So the king gave the order and they brought Daniel and threw him into the Lion’s den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”
They could not tie the hands of God
(v20-21) He called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?
Daniel answered “O king, live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king.”
Nothing is impossible with God.
If God can get Daniel out of a lion’s den unharmed- My problem is no problem for God
•God is all loving
•God is all knowing
•God is all powerful
Someone has expressed these three truths as they relate to us in this way:
God in His love always wills what is best for us. In his wisdom He always knows what is best, and in His sovereignty he has the power to bring it about.”
3. What will trusting in God do for your life?
A. Those who trust God will keep the law of God.
(v5) “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”
Question? Why do I keep doing things that break God’s law?
The simple answer is that I am not trusting God.
Those who really trust in God will keep the law of God.
If I am not keeping the law of God it is because I am not trusting God.
Why did Adam and Eve sin in the garden? They did not trust God!
The devil is behind our mistrust in God
We believe the devil but we won’t believe God!
The #1 problem in our life is lack of trust in God!
I lie to others because I don’t trust God
I steal because I don’t trust God
The reason I am sinning is because I don’t trust God.
Those who trust God keep the law of God.
B. Those who trust in God will pray more
(v10) “He went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.”
Those who trust in God are those who pray about everything!
I don’t need to pray because I trust God!
You never see Daniel doing that
You never see Jesus doing that
You never see Paul doing that
The reason you don’t pray more is because you don’t trust God.
Why don’t I pray? You don’t pray because you don’t trust God!
C. Those who trust in God will serve God more
“He called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions? (v20)
Lots of Christians only serve God in the good times.
There service to God is conditional.
Daniel serving God in the good times and in the bad times
Fact: Daniel was in his 80’s when he was thrown into the lion’s den.
It’s not more passion we need in order to serve God. We need more trust.
The passion will come from trust. Never the other way around
D. Those who trust in God will win other people to God (v25-27)
“Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language throughout the land: May you prosper greatly!
I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.”
The best evangelism strategy is -to show the unsaved how much you trust God!
I wish I could win more people to God.
Are you living a life of trust in God?
Do people see you as someone who is always worrying or complaining?
If so the only person you will win for the lord is someone who is blind and deaf.
“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15)
