SERMON OUTLINE:
(1). THE TRAP IS SET (vs 1-9)
• (a). Daniel is a success (vs 1-3)
• (b). Daniel is envied and targeted (vs 4-9)
(2). THE TRAP IS SPRUNG (vs 10-17)
• (a). Daniel is watched (vs 9-11)
• (b). Daniel is arrested (vs 12-17)
(3). THE TRAP IS SPOILED (vs 18-28)
• (a). Daniel and the king (vs 18-20)
• (b). Daniel and his reply (vs 18-23)
SERMON BODY:
Ill:
• In the earlier part of the service we sang the old children’s song: “Dare to be a Daniel”
• And over the weeks we have noted;
• That the faith of Daniel has been an inspiration to many young people;
• As a teenager of around 15-17 years of age;
• Daniel chapter 1 verse 8 tells us:
• N.I.V.: “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine”
• K.J.B.: “But Daniel purposed in his heart...”
• GNB: “Daniel made up his mind not to let himself…”.
• NLB: “But Daniel was determined not…”
• So the faith of Daniel has been an inspiration to many young people;
• But the faith of Daniel should be an inspiration to many older people to!
• Daniel should also be an inspiration to elderly people;
• As an example of service and commitment in their “golden years”
• Because in this book we get to see and read of his faith as an older man,
• Scholars suggest that in chapter 6 he was probably in his mid-eighties.
Note:
• We often tell this story as a children’s story,
• And invite children to “dare to be a Daniel,” which is good and fine,
• But it is also an older persons story,
• And we should also invite the octogenarians in the crowd to dare to be a Daniel as well.
• (An octogenarian is somebody between 80 and 90 years of age)
• For years we have had a para-Church movement called ‘Youth For Christ’;
• Maybe it’s time to start another movement called; ‘Geriatrics For Jesus!’
Ill:
You realise that aged has many benefits:
• i.e. If ever held hostage you are likely to be released first.
• i.e. No one expects you to run into a burning building.
• i.e. People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.
• i.e. There's nothing left to learn the hard way.
• i.e. Things you buy now won't wear out.
• i.e. You enjoy hearing about other people's operations.
• i.e. You can party and the neighbours don't even realise it.
• i.e. You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge.
• i.e. Your back goes out more than you do.
• i.e. Your eyes won't get much worse.
• i.e. Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can't remember them either!
Ill:
• On Camp last week I was holding baby Emily (Mark & Sarah Donaghy’s baby)
• I walked from table to table;
• Knowing that the baby would be a good conversation starter with the campers;
• Not realising I could hear;
• One girl camper turned to her friend and said; “I think he’s the baby’s granddad!”
TRANSITION:
• We are all getting old,
• But let’s make sure we are still growing UP in our faith and not just growing older!
• There are too many grey-haired babies in our Churches!
(1). THE TRAP IS SET (vs 1-9)
(a). Daniel is a success (vs 1-3);
“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.
• Chapter 6 starts off by informing us of Daniel’s success;
• We can say that he had stood the test of time;
• And was still viewed as one of the top heads of state in the land.
Quote: Reader's Digest magazine described success this way:
“A successful man is one who can make more money than his wife can spend.
A successful woman is one who can find this man”.
• We pick up the story in Daniel chapter 6;
• Where verse 2 tells us Daniel is given a key political appointment;
• He is one of three governors presiding over the kingdom.
Note:
• As we start to look at chapter 6;
• Remember that there is a new monarch on the throne,
• There has been a change of dynasty.
• Nebuccanezer is no more,
• The Babylonian Empire is now a thing of the past.
• It has been conquered by the combined might of the Medes and the Persians.
• And King Darius the Mede is now in the hot seat.
• Taking over the running of the Babylonian Empire must have been immense;
• And these opening verses tells us how the new regime;
• Would give it a new direction and identity.
• The king put the empires affairs into the hands of 120 satraps.
• Who each probably took responsibility for a particular area;
• And these satraps were answerable to three presidents;
• Who in turn were responsible to king Darius himself.
Notice verse 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”.
• Daniel’s success was due to his “exceptional qualities”,
• And not cunning or political manoeuvring.
• No-doubt Daniel’s reputation for hard work, honesty and wisdom;
• Had been noticed by the king and his advisors.
• And he is soon appointed to be not just one of three key administrators over the kingdom.
• But the king wants to make him prime-minister;
• The main ruler of the affairs of his kingdom.
• Daniel is an example proving one can be successful in business and politics;
• Without compromising character
Quote:
“Be genuine and sincere; remember the words of the little rhyme:
"Don't be veneer stuck on with glue, be solid mahogany all the way through."”
Application:
• If we were to ask the people you worked with for a character reference;
• What would they say?
Ill:
• God never goes to the lazy or the idle when He needs men & women for His service.
• When God wants a worker He calls a worker.
• When He has work to be done, He goes to those already at work.
• When God wants a good servant, He calls a busy man.
• i.e. Moses was busy with his flocks at Horeb.
• i.e. Gideon was busy threshing wheat by the wine press.
• i.e. Saul was busy searching for his father's lost beasts.
• i.e. Elisha was busy ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen.
• i.e. David was busy caring for his father's sheep.
• i.e. Nehemiah was busy bearing the king's wine-cup.
• i.e. Amos was busy following the flock.
• i.e. Peter and Andrew were busy casting a net into the sea.
• i.e. James and John were busy mending their nets.
• i.e. Matthew was busy collecting customs.
• i.e. William Carey was busy mending and making shoes.—
• God never goes to the lazy or the idle when He needs men & women for His service.
• When God wants a worker He calls a worker.
• When He has work to be done, He goes to those already at work.
• When God wants a good servant, He calls a busy man.
(B). DANIEL IS ENVIED & TARGETTED (vs 4-9).
4 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. 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 these administrators and satraps went as a group to the king and said: “May 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 human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den. 8 Now, Your Majesty, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” 9 So King Darius put the decree in writing”.
• Success of any kind often breeds resentment;
• Daniel soon experienced envy & resentment from the administrators and satraps.
Ill:
• There is a distinction between jealousy and envy.
• To envy is to want something which belongs to another person.
• In contrast, jealousy is the fear that something which we possess;
• Will be taken away by another person.
Quotes:
• Greek proverb:
• “As rust corrupts iron, so envy corrupts man”.
• Essayist and short story writer, Joseph Epstein:
• "Of all the 7 deadly sins, envy's the only one that's 'no fun at all'"
• A famous philosopher once said
• “Envy leads to jealousy, jealousy leads to hate, hate leads to anger, anger leads to the dark side”
• The philosopher was Yoda from Star Wars.
Success of any kind often breeds resentment;
• Daniel soon experienced envy & resentment from the administrators and satraps.
• And when his enemies could find no fault in his work or in his life;
• They are soon able to manufacture a fault with his faith.
• They knew that they could never tempt Daniel to do anything illegal;
• But they were wise enough and shrewd enough to come up with a cunning plan;
• They would attempt to make his faithful religious practices illegal.
• His enemies had been watching him closely trying to find fault with him,
• They knew that Daniel prayed three times every day;
• And he did this at home with his windows open towards Jerusalem;
Ill:
• I think one of my lasting memories from my last trip to Israel;
• Was the fact that both Jew and Arab quite unashamedly prayed wherever they were.
• I saw them praying in a shop, in a café and even on the street.
• They were disciplined and at certain times of the day everything stopped for prayers!
• Daniel’s enemies knew this to be true of him;
• Three times a day he prayed.
• And they knew if they could only pass a law preventing prayer to Daniel’s God;
• Then Daniel was as good as finished!
Note:
• These evil enemies of Daniel knew how to play the king;
• Simply ‘puff up’ his ego and watch him grant their requests.
• So when 122 government officials assemble in his throne room;
• With a plan to unite the people and pay him homage;
• The king is impressed and passes the law they have cunningly bought before him.
Look again at verse 7:
“May King Darius live forever! The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict…”
• One man was missing from the crowd that gathered before the king in his throne room;
• Yet in their speech they claim all the officers in the empire;
• Had agreed on the plan presented to king Darius.
• To king Darius this sounded like the perfect way;
• To unite the people and pay him homage;
• His aim was to as soon as possible;
• To transform these defeated Babylonian captives into loyal Persian citizens.
• And so king Darius signs the decree
(2). THE TRAP IS SPRUNG (vs 10-17)
ill:
• Men who trap animals in Africa for conservation & protection of species;
• Say that one of the hardest animals to catch is the ring-tailed monkey.
• But for the Zulus of that continent, however, it’s simple.
• They’ve been catching this agile little animal with ease for years.
• The method the Zulus use is based on knowledge of the animal.
• Their trap is nothing more than a melon growing on a vine.
• The seeds of this melon are a favourite of the monkey.
• Knowing this, the Zulus simply cut a hole in the melon,
• Just large enough for the monkey to insert his hand to reach the seeds inside.
• The monkey will stick his hand in, grab as many seeds as he can,
• Then start to withdraw it.
• This he cannot do because his fist is now larger than the hole.
• The monkey will pull and tug, screech and fight the melon for hours.
• But he can’t get free of the trap unless he gives up the seeds, which he refuses to do. Meanwhile, the Zulus sneak up and nab him.
TRANSITION:
• Daniel will also be trapped by people who have a local knowledge!
• They knew Daniel would not go home and close the window,
• He would not draw the curtains and pray in secret.
• They knew Daniel was a man of character and conviction;
• When it came to his faith - he would do what he had always done!
• Despite the consequences.
(a). Daniel is watched (vs 9-11)
“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. 11 Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help.
• So Daniel continued to practicing a custom that was common among the Jews;
• That is he would pray three times a day.
• (i.e. Psalm 55 verse 17)
Quote:
• Quote: Horace Mann:
• "Habit is a cable; we weave a thread of it each day, and at last we cannot break it."
• Just as bad habits stick with us and shame us;
• So good habits also stick with us and shape us!
Application:
• Daniel knew the importance of a “Quiet Time” (or “Devotions”)
• A “Quiet Time” is a daily personal appointment with God,
• During which we get away from distractions around us;
• And meet with God through prayer and Bible study.
Ill:
• A Pastor shocked his Church congregation;
• When he entitles his sermon; ‘How to Steal, Drink, and Lie!’
• He went on to say:
• If you don't set aside a marked time and place to have a quiet time,
• You probably won't do it for long.
• So each day you will need to steal time out of every day to read God's Word
• Each day you will need to drink from it's clear, refreshing waters
• Each day you will need to lie on your bed at night and meditate on what you have read!
• Daniel continues his good habit or living a disciplined life:
• Despite the consequences.
Note:
• I would suggest that the real struggle for Daniel took place here in the bedroom;
• And not in the den full of lions.
• i.e. As with Jesus and his substitutional death;
• In many ways the battle of the will was won in the Garden of Gethsemane;
• The cross came out of that victory (Luke chapter 22 verse 44):
• I would suggest that the real struggle for Daniel took place here in the bedroom;
• He knew that if he disobeyed the king’s command;
• Then it seemed most logical that he would be mauled and savaged by wild animals,
• He knew he would lose his life;
• But he also knew that he would not have lost his testimony!
Ill:
• Tertullian was a leader in the early Christian Church;
• On day a Christian came to speak with him regarding a decision he had to make.
• "What can I do?" the Christian asked. "I must live!"
• Tertullian replied: "Must you?"
• Most of us in the West would prefer to keep our lives and lose our testimonies;
• Yet many, many persecuted Christians around the world:
• Prefer to keep their testimonies and lose their lives!
(b). Daniel is arrested (vs 12-17):
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 human being except to you, Your Majesty, would be thrown into the lions’ den?”
The king answered, “The decree stands—in accordance with the law of the Medes and 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, Your Majesty, 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 King Darius and said to him, “Remember, Your Majesty, that according to the law of the Medes and 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”
• He is soon caught and reported to the king (vs 11-12):
• And his enemies are quick to remind king Darius of the unalterable decree
• And of the fact Daniel has deliberately, intentionally disobeyed the king and his decree.
• And although he does not want to;
• The king is forced to abide by his own decree.
• And so Daniel is thrown into the lions’ den.
Quote:
• Someone asked C.S. Lewis, "Why do the righteous suffer?"
• "Why not?" he replied. "They're the only ones who can take it."
Quote: Unknown author:
“God hath not promised
Skies ever blue,
Flower-strewn pathways
always for you.
God hath not promised
Sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow,
Peace without pain.
But He hath promised
Strength from above,
Unfailing sympathy,
undying love”.
• Daniel an innocent man is arrested for being true to his God;
• And he will soon face the unfairness of a gruesome punishment.
(3). THE TRAP IS SPOILED (vs 18-28)
(a). Daniel and the king (vs 18-20):
Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any 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. 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?”
• Darius was a man marked by worry;
• Daniel was a man marked by prayer.
• Darius could not sleep or eat, he did not want his entertainers n or his concubines.
• Although we are not told I think Daniel enjoyed a last meal and a good night’s sleep.
• Question: What made the difference?
• Answer: Faith!
Quote:
• Prayer is an acknowledgment of faith;
• Worry is a denial of faith.
• Prayer is putting my hand in God's, trusting to His loving guidance;
• Worry is withdrawing my hand, and denying His power to lead me.
• Prayer leads through the door of faith into the presence of God;
• Worry leads through the door of anxiety into the darkness of loneliness and discouragement.
• If worry dictates then a life of defeat results
• If prayer rules the life victory results
(b). Daniel and his reply (vs 18-23):
• Now don’t hurry over those first two words in verse 21:
• Because they are the most important in the chapter;
• Without out them the chapter ends here;
• Without them it ends in defeat and despair!
21 DANIEL ANSWERED, “May the king live forever! 22 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, Your Majesty.”
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 in his God”.
In Conclusion: There are three things happen in these final few verses:
• FIRST: The Lord is exalted (vs 19-23).
• Daniel makes sure God gets the glory!
• This is typical Daniel – he has done this all through the book:
• i.e. When he interprets the kings dream he gives the glory to God;
• (Chapter 2 verses 27-28).
• i.e. When he interprets ‘The Writing on the Wall’ he again gives the glory to God;
• (Chapter 4 verse 25; Chapter 5 verses 21-23).
Ill:
• The great composer Johann Sebastian Bach headed his compositions:
• "J.J." shorthand for "Jesus Juva" which means "Jesus help me."
• He ended them "S.D.G." shorthand for "Soli Dei gratia"
• Which means "To God alone the praise."
• SECOND: The traitors were judged (vs 24):
• Those who plotted Daniel’s destruction by throwing him into a pit of lions;
• Were caught and the king threw them into the pit instead!
Ill:
• Sir Robert Watson Watt,
• Was the inventor of the radar gun used to catch speeding motorists.
• On one occasion he was arrested himself for speeding.
• He had been caught in a radar trap.
• Shortly after this irony he wrote this poem:
“Pity Sir Robert Watson Watt
Strange target of his radar plot,
And this, with others I could mention,
A victim of his own invention”.
• Well this book is never wrong - Galatians chapter 6 verse 7:
• “God is not mocked: for whatever a man sows that shall he also reap”.
• Too many people are sowing the wrong seeds in life;
• And then praying for a crop failure!
• THIRD: God’s servant prospered (vs 28).
• “So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian”
• The reign of king Darius the Mede was short;
• We don’t know how long but he was succeeded by Cyrus the Persian.
• Yet again whoever is reigning on the earthly throne;
• Daniel prospered, he flourished, he did well!
• That statement may mean financially, it may refer to his position in government;
• He may even have seen the answer to his greatest prayers being fulfilled;
• Because it was King Cyrus who allowed the Jews to return home from exile!
Daniel has a message for God’s people today:
• We are being attacked by the enemy;
• We live in a hostile world.
• Many Christians are suffering because they are standing up for righteousness;
• They are standing up for the things of the Lord.
• We may well experience our own ‘fiery furnace’;
• We may well experience our own ‘den full of lions’;
• Whatever our circumstances like Daniel may we keep on;
• Trusting the Lord with all our hearts;
• And watch him make our paths straight;
• As he works out his divine purposes for his glory!
