The Lions in Daniel’s Den
Date: February, 26th, 2012
Scripture: Daniel 6
The story/Daniel/lion’s den/one/best-known/best-loved stories in the entire Bible.
Little children love it/Sunday school teachers love to tell it.
Encouraged/people/God for thousands of years.
And why shouldn’t it?
The story is filled with unexpected twists and turns and the good guy wins big and the bad guys … well,
The bad guys are torn to pieces.
Along the way we learn the secret of Daniel’s success.
Somehow he managed to survive/thrive in a spiritually hostile environment.
Good point because Christians live in a world of spiritual hostility where the temptation to compromise our faith/with us every day.
The world doesn’t want its conscience pricked and doesn’t reward those who dare to stand up for what they believe.
INTEGRITY is the theme of this 6th/Daniel
The story of Daniel and the Lions’ den...
“The story of the lions in Daniel’s den.
But before we read this familiar story, let’s remind ourselves of the SETTING.
Daniel/still in Babylon/but/different government is in charge.
Belshazzar’s death/chap 5 and/ascension of Darius the Mede in chap 6, we pass/gold head/Neb statue to/silver chest and arms.
“The sunset of Babylon’s kingdom has now become the dawning of the Medo-Persian empire.”
Now—remember—by this time Daniel is an octogenarian.
He’s well into his 80's—
he still has/health/and his mental faculties have not diminished in the least
this aging prophet still had a job to do
Work for which God had prepared him in advance to do.
He's still God's choice.
And he was still the choice of the king to be the prime minister.
You know, the power of a virtuous life extends into old age.
Take your Bibles and turn to Daniel chap 6 and follow along as I read.
1 - It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom.
2 - with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. 3 - Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.
Let’s understand the name “Darius”
You see, “Darius” means “owner of the scepter.”
“Darius” was more/title than a name.
There were several Persian rulers who were called “Darius”.
The “Darius” in this 6th chapter refers to Cyrus the Great, ________________________________________________
It’s interesting, 1st year of Cyrus, or 1st year of Darius, he gave a decree/Jews could go back to Judah.
The 70 yrs/Babylonian captivity was up…Cyrus gave that decree.
I really believe Daniel was the one who was of great influence on him to that extent.
I think it was because of the power of the life of Daniel, because of the wisdom of Daniel and his influence.
That even in the first year of Cyrus' rule, around 538/537 B.C.; he made the decree to let the people go.
And that occurred before the lion's den incident, in the very first year of Cyrus.
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I’m sorry but I have to stop again and ask—don’t these first 3 verses sound kind of familiar?
Isn’t this the story of Daniel’s life.
I mean, whenever he was given a job to do
He did it better than anyone else...
Which is why Darius—CYRUS—planned to set him over the whole kingdom.
So let’s read on in verses 4-10
4 - At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of governmental affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.5 - Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”6 - So the administrators and the satraps went as a group to the king and said: “O King Darius, live forever! 7 - The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers, and governors have all agreed that 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, shall be thrown into the lions’ den.8 - Now, O king, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.”9 - So King Darius put the decree in writing.10 - Now, when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, 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.
But, when the other two administrators heard of this they were upset.
Maybe they were skimming some off the top
Maybe they knew that with Daniel in charge they would no longer be able to fill their own pockets
So they tried to find something wrong with Daniel—some reason they could justify his arrest.
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Notice verse 3…”…in him was an excellent spirit.”
That’s talking about his attitude.
Attitude pervades everything we do.
A commendable thing, the right attitude.
He had experience/He lived thru/last regime as prime minister.
He had wisdom. Wisdom like nobody else had.
He had a sense of history.
He had dramatic leadership.
Look at the effect he had on those three young men in chapter 3.
Beyond all that, he/ability/interpret dreams/visions
This was invaluable as it gave a coming of the future.
Why? Because he lived his life according God’s will!
What a man.
God put him right where He wanted him.
God allowed Darius to recognize the capability of Daniel and to put him in a very strategic place, a place of influence.
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Whenever a man is lifted up by the Lord to a place of prominence, he falls into certain difficulty.
There's always a price to pay.
There's no exaltation/no success/no prominence that's not paid for by a certain amount of slavery.
The man who succeeds is a man who works...the man who slaves, who labors.
He is chained.
If he is a musician, he is fastened to his piano.
If he is an artist, he is fastened to his canvas.
If he is a preacher, he is fastened to his books and his prayers.
If he is an author, it is his manuscript.
If he is a poet, it is his lyric.
If he is a theologian, it is his study.
Anybody and everybody who excels is a prisoner.
And so, there's a price to pay. He slaves at his assignment; he pours his life into it.
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This is what his enemies discovered when they examined his life:
He was faithful in his duties.
He was faultless in his character.
He was fervent in his prayers.
These are three marks of godliness even unbelievers could see.
The people who watch you can tell if you work hard at your job.
They know what kind of character you have.
And if they watch long enough, they will learn whether or not you are a person of prayer.
Whatever is in your heart will come out sooner or later, and people who don’t know the Lord will know the truth about you.
In Daniel’s case even his enemies had to admit he had no glaring weaknesses.
No finer thing could be said than for your enemies to admit that they can find nothing wrong with you.
But, there's another price to pay for being in a position of blessing by God.
And that is the fact that whenever you get into that position, you will find yourself dogged/hounded and followed by envy.
It's just the way it is.
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Daniel knew that if he gave up his practice of daily prayer, he would be joining the rest of the kingdom in their idolatry and he had too much integrity to do that.
11 - Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help.12 - So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: “Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or man except you, O king, would be thrown into the lions’ den?” The king answered, “The decree stands—in accordance with the laws of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be repealed.”
13 - Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.”14 - When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed: he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.15 - Then the men went as a group to the king and said to him, “Remember, O king, that according to the law of the Medes and the Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed.”
16 - So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, Whom you serve continually, rescue you!17 - A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed.18 - Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.19 - At the first light of dawn the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den.
By the way, kings don’t hurry anywhere...they are majestic and unruffled but not this king. He was genuinely concerned for Daniel, which is why verse 20 says,
20 - When he came near the den, 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?” 21 - Daniel answered, “O king, live forever!22 - My God sent His angel, and 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.”
I think it’s interesting to note that whereas the king could not sleep in his palatial and luxurious home, Daniel apparently slept great even though he was surrounded by a den full of hungry lions.
He probably even used one of them as his pillow that night!
Maybe he read some of the Psalms and fell asleep—while reading between the lions! Sorry—I couldn’t resist.
23 - The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted his God.24 - At the king’s command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed their bones.25 - Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and men of every language throughout the land, “May you prosper greatly!26 - I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For He is the living God and He endures forever; His kingdom will not be destroyed, His dominion will never end. 27 - He rescues and He saves; He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”28 - So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
Okay—before we go any further in our study of this Godly virtue/so prevalent in Daniel’s life—let’s agree on a definition.
What exactly is INTEGRITY?
Webster defines, “consistency and sincerity, with no deception or pretense” and that gives us a good start in our understanding
“INTEGRITY” and the math term “INTEGER” come from the same root word which means, “WHOLE.”
There is no discrepancy between what a person of integrity appears to be on the outside and what he is on the inside.
• He is whole...consistent...the same through and through.
• A person with integrity is not divided (that’s duplicity)
• Or merely pretending (that’s hypocrisy).
• He or she is ‘whole;’ their life is ‘put together,’ and things are working together harmoniously.
• People with integrity have nothing to hide/nothing to fear.
• Their lives are open books.
Genuine integrity means the outside matches what is inside.
There is no division in a person of integrity...they are whole.
For the Christian, integrity means there is a congruence between our character and our creed,
Between our beliefs and our behavior.
It means loving God with the totality of who we are
and allowing our faith to extend to the whole of our life,
Including our families, community relationships, and careers.
Okay, with all this in mind—what can this familiar story from the golden years of Daniel’s life teach us about this virtue?
(1) First the events of this 6th chapter help us to understand that Christian integrity SHOWS.
I mean, this is why Daniel got this high power job in the first place.
People, Darius included, NOTICED his great integrity.
As he began to organize his government I’m sure he must have heard about Daniel because he was known throughout the kingdom as a man whose walk matched his talk.
Day to day Daniel had lived his eighty plus years with consistency—
• It was common knowledge/his word was his bond and that he could be trusted to be completely fair and just.
• Daniel’s integrity/OBVIOUS throughout that pagan empire.
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I’m reminded of Paul’s words in Philippians 2 when he said, that as children of God, “...we must become blameless and pure, without fault, in a crooked and depraved generation in which you shine like stars in the universe as we hold out the word of life.”
Daniel was a “bright star” in that sense.
In fact, his character was so inculpable that his enemies had to create a brand new law against praying to God in order to accuse him of anything.
• They had to make INTEGRITY illegal in order to have grounds for his arrest!
• Do you remember the exact words these evil satraps used?
• Look at verse 5.
They said: “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”
Now, think of that! What a compliment!
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if that could be said of you or me?
I mean, wouldn’t it be great if our integrity—
the CONSISTENCY of our Christ like behavior—
was so evident...
that our peers could find no fault in the way we did our work and lived our lives?
Wouldn’t it be wonderful/only thing/enemies could find to criticize about us was the way we “shined like stars as we held out the word of life?”
• How would you feel to know/only charge that/leveled against you/you faithfully worship/serve the one True God?
• Well, let me ask again—
• How well does YOUR integrity show?
• How brightly do your Christian convictions shine in this dark and fallen world of ours?
• Do you stand out—or do you blend in?
Here’s a second lesson Daniel’s life shows us.
(2) Living a life of integrity does not shelter you from the UNFAIRNESS of life.
Remember/Daniel wasn’t thrown/lions’ den because he had done something WRONG
• But because he had done something RIGHT.
• Daniel was punished for the “crime” of praying in the privacy of his home
• Which I’m sure you will agree is UNFAIR!
• Daniel’s integrity landed him in the lions’ den
• And I want you to understand just HOW unfair that was.
I want you/get beyond/nice little story you heard/child.
• Being thrown in this lions’ den would have been a horrible a fate if it weren’t for God’s intervention.
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First, this was not ONE lion but several
• lions with incredible strength
• lions that were KEPT hungry and ferocious
• So they would attack whoever was thrown in their den.
Did you know that a lion’s tongue is made up of thousands of little knife-like cells?
Think/house cat/uses its tongue to clean itself (in essence giving itself a haircut).
• A lion’s tongue is like that but much stronger
• It is possible for a lion to literally lick the skin off its prey!
• Did you know lions don’t kill their prey before they eat it.
• No—it is not uncommon for the king of beasts to eat his prey alive.
Imagine being held on the ground with a lion’s paw....while he flays you alive with that tongue?
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I say this to help you see that this was not going to be a quick and painless death.
This is an 80-something-year-old man
a man of great integrity who’s only fault was the consistent way he followed God
And he was about to be eaten alive.
UNFAIR!
Some Christians/under/false impression/if you live/Godly life you will be exempt from pain and hardship in life...but this isn’t always true.
• Truth is--in our fallen world—
• things are so warped that at times people are
• REWARDED for doing wrong and PUNISHED for doing right.
Many people who try to live lives of integrity endure hardship because of that.
They are like the psalmist who confessed, “Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning.” (Psalm 73:13-14)
• Don’t raise your hand
• Have you ever suffered for your efforts to live a Godly life?
• If you haven’t there’s a very good chance you will
When that happens--when our INTEGRITY causes us to endure adversity
We must remember that this is a sinful world that we live in
• Because LIFE IS OFTEN UNFAIR.
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No one—not even the righteous—are exempt from tragedy and disappointment.
• In fact, as the events of the first Holy Week remind us....
• Even God Himself was not exempt.
• Jesus, sinless in thought, word, and deed, died for OUR sins.
If you are facing unfairness because you are striving to live a life of INTEGRITY follow the advice of King David in Psalm 37.
He said, “Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
Trust in the Lord and do good...Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn.”
• To endure UNFAIRNESS in life...
• We need to learn to do as David says...
• TRUST IN THE LORD...
Which leads us to the next thing that Daniel’s life shows us about this Christian virtue...
(3) People of Christian integrity are people who know the importance of PRAYER.
• They learned/we gain both guidance/strength by spending time on our knees talking to God.
• Praying three times a day was apparently Daniel’s habit throughout his long life.
Perhaps he was following the example of David who wrote Psalm 55:17 and said, “EVENING, MORNING, and NOON I cry out in distress and [God] hears my voice.”
And note his position. Daniel KNEELED.
If health permits that’s a good position in which to talk to God...
• It symbolizes our humbling ourselves before God...
• But also because that position is UNCOMFORTABLE.
If you’re like me, when you pray in the recliner or something like that it is easy to drift off after a few sentences....
But when we kneel it is easier to maintain the conversation.
• Well, how is your prayer time?
• What does it take to get you on your knees?
You know, when we face the UNFAIRNESS of life
• when crisis looms
• When we get one of those phone calls/middle/night
In those times when it feels like we’ve been thrown in the lions’ den
We tend to react in one of three ways
We PANIC. We become PARALYZED. Or we PRAY.
■When we panic we do the WRONG thing.
■When we are paralyzed we to NO thing.
■And when we pray we are doing the RIGHT thing.
Well, I believe we should follow Daniel’s example and pray regularly until it becomes our natural response to the stresses of life—whatever they may be.
• Let’s be honest, for many of us our natural response to the “lions of life” is to panic
• And we RAGE against life’s unfairness or complain or criticize...
• Or to become paralyzed and slip into a defeated sense of depression.
These are our patterns—these are the ruts we fall into when unfairness comes.
• And if that hits home with you
• I would challenge you to strive to walk with God so closely that your old patterns CHANGE.
• Learn to walk so closely with God that your natural reaction to tough times is to drop to your knees and pray.
Do you remember Paul’s words from Philippians 4:6-7?
He said, “Do not be anxious about anything...but in EVERYTHING...with thanksgiving present your requests to God...”
Paul knew that EVERYTHING can be affected by prayer...so that was always his FIRST reaction to crisis.
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One of the reasons we feel defeated by the unfairness of life is that we tend to compartmentalize.
• We think, “This is a medical matter not a spiritual matter.”
• “work issue or a financial issue—not a spiritual one.”
Well Paul—and Daniel would say that EVERYTHING is a spiritual matter.
Everything can be affected by prayer so we should pray about everything.
• I’m sure Daniel spent a lot of time praying that night in the lions’ den.
• After all, as I said, that was his natural habit
• God ANSWERED his prayer by shutting the mouths of those lions
• Then the king came the next morning and ordered the stone rolled away.
I can’t help but think of another stone that another King—the KING OF KINGS—rolled away—and as I think of that I am reminded that there is no stone God cannot move.
I mean, if God can defeat death as He did on that Easter morning—
He is more than able to deal with any “lions’ den” you are in.
■God can heal a broken marriage....ANY marriage.
■God can help us straighten out our finances. He can and will provide for our physical needs.
■God can help us heal family relationships...not matter how broken they might be.
■God can defeat the fear that comes with a doctor’s grim diagnosis—any diagnosis.
■God can become so close to you—that you never feel alone or afraid.
■God can even forgive your sin—and give you eternal life.
And that phrase, “eternal life” does not just refer/length/your life.
• It also refers to the quality of your life.
• I mean, God can change YOU.
• He can empower you to live a life of integrity...
• Because as we spend time with God...
• We become more and more like Him.
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1st Peter 5:8 says that our adversary the devil is, “...like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour”
• Since he knows the power of prayer
• One of the things he constantly tries to do is to keep us from praying.
He fears nothing from prayer-less studies
• Prayer-less work and prayer-less religion.
• He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom
• But he trembles when we pray.”
• Does Satan tremble at your prayer life
• Or are you like many prayer-less, ineffective Christians?
Before we close I want to point out one other thing that this chapter of Daniel’s life teaches us...
(4) His example proves that by living a life of integrity we can have an amazing IMPACT on this world.
Daniel’s reputation as a man of integrity not only gave him the opportunity to impact two great empires...the Babylonian and the Persian.
• He also changed the course/history of the people of God.
• Do you remember the king’s proclamation after finding Daniel unharmed the next morning?
He said, “I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For He is the living God and He endures forever; His kingdom will not be destroyed, His dominion will never end. He rescues and He saves; He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”
Invitation
Now, most scholars doubt that Darius ever became a worshiper of Yahweh, but he did respect God’s power so much that he later sent the Jews back to Jerusalem to rebuild their temple.
And I for one believe this never would have happened if it were not for Daniel’s integrity.
• That makes me wonder—how could God use YOUR integrity?
• What kind of impact could you have if you consistently followed God?
• How could it change your work place—your family—your neighborhood?
• Like Daniel, you too could change your world.
• This morning is God calling you to do that?
• Is His Holy Spirit speaking to you, urging you to BE a Christian in your scope of influence?
LET US PRAY
