One of my favorite verses is II Chronicles 16:9a: “For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.”
It’s a verse that gives hope to any one and every one of us who would like to be used of the Lord that great blessing is available to us for God’s purposes. You can be greatly used of God. He strongly supports those whose hearts are completely his, and He’s looking, and looking hard throughout the earth for that kind of person.
Well, He found one of those kinds of people 25, 26 centuries ago in Babylon, of all places, the seat of idolatry. His name was Daniel. The whole book of Daniel supplies us a picture of what such a man looks like, and exactly what kind of great works God can do through such a person.
So if you’re interested in being that kind of person—a person whom God can strongly support and bless for His purposes, then take note of what the Bible says about this person. For in Daniel, we have that kind of person described for us, especially in Daniel chapter 6, perhaps the most famous of the stories found in the book of Daniel, typically called Daniel in the Lion’s Den.
Now at this point, it’s appropriate to note that between Daniel 5 and Daniel 6 we have stories that provide a great contrast—between someone whose character and actions doomed him to immediate judgment before the Lord, and someone who was greatly esteemed and highly blessed by the Lord. If you were with us last week, you might remember King Belshazzar. King Belshazzar publicly defied and defamed the Lord of Heaven, and so he experienced the handwriting on the wall, and the fate it portended—the loss of his life and the loss of his kingdom. Now Daniel, who is the hero in most of these stories, experiences another great crisis in his life. Once again, because of his devotion to the Lord, He is delivered and His faith converts a great king so that he becomes a God-fearer as well.
So what was it that was so exceptional about Daniel’s life that as the Lord’s eyes moved to and fro throughout the earth they stopped at Daniel’s doorstep? Well, he developed an impeccable character fueled by an uncompromised devotional/prayer life which was displayed in a fearless trust in God.
First, He developed an impeccable character. There was nothing about his life, or how he went about his duties that anyone could find fault with. So if you want to be a man or a woman whom God is able to powerfully work through to bless in this same way, then our first point this morning is this: Develop or pursue an impeccable character.
A new king and a new kingdom are now on the scene. It’s shortly after 539 B.C., and in accord with Daniel’s interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the dazzling statue in Daniel 2, a second great world-wide kingdom would succeed the Kingdom of Babylon. It was the Kingdom of the Medes and the Persians. That change had taken place with the handwriting on the wall at the end of Daniel 5. Darius, the Mede had become king in Belshazzar’s place. And immediately, perhaps based on his 40 years of excellent service to King Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel, even though he is now in his 80s, is playing a major role in the new administration. In fact, of the 123 government officials who are over the kingdom, he is one of the three commissioners who were over the 120 satraps. So, under King Darius, he was one of the three leading administrators. And according to Daniel 6:3, Daniel possessed such an extraordinary spirit, that Darius planned to appoint him over the entire kingdom.
Well, at this point, human nature being what it is, the other administrators became jealous of Daniel’s success. So they plotted against him, not because he had done anything wrong, but because he had done everything so splendidly well. He was making them look bad by comparison. So they decided to find anything against him that they could. Kind of like in our elections this year. One candidate tries to discredit the other candidate. In this case, in a sense, the election, or the selection, had already taken place. So they all began to examine Daniel’s life and his service to the king, and after they had scoured all the records, interviewed all the people they could interview, they came up empty. As verse four tells us, all of their combined efforts did not result in a single ground of accusation or evidence of corruption against him inasmuch as he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him. So it was at this point, they decided that the only way they could find something against him is if they somehow could use his faith and devotion to his God against him. What became evident to them is that Daniel’s devotion to his God was a priority over everything else, and that the only way to find fault with him was to create a conflict between his devotion to God and his devotion to the king.
So they went to King Darius and flattered him with the idea that he should sign an injunction that for a month, at least, he would be treated like a god himself. That it would actually be illegal for anyone in the kingdom to make a request of any god or man besides him, and if someone was found doing so, he would be thrown into the lion’s den—a very convenient means of execution for many rulers in that day.
Darius, apparently being a new and relatively naïve ruler, took the bait. And he signed the injunction, which according to the Law of the Medes and Persians, was absolutely irrevocable.
Now this tells us just what a godly man Daniel was. As I said, he was absolutely impeccable. Even his enemies could not find that there was a single ground of accusation against him.—they could find absolutely nothing that he had failed to do that he should have done, or anything he did that he shouldn’t have done. His record and his character was absolutely spotless before God and everyone else. Wow!
And Daniel is one of the few godly men we find in the Bible when there is extensive bibliographical information regarding the person about whom no fault is mentioned. I mean, think about this: some of the godliest men of Scripture blew it from time to time—think of Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses, Job, King David—they all blew it from time to time. I think perhaps the only exceptions among mortals that comes to mind are Joseph and Elisha and Daniel, and perhaps the Apostle Paul after his conversion. But it’s a rare thing to find someone of impeccable character even among the most godly men of biblical history. And certainly Daniel qualified. When these men decided to find some dirt on Daniel, they were barking up the wrong tree. He wasn’t that kind of critter!
This is the kind of man that Chronicles assures us God is looking for. One whose heart was wholly devoted to the Lord, and as a result He was the kind of man whom God would strongly support. He was a blessable man. And so that’s why he was so blessed even in such a thoroughly pagan and potentially hostile environment. And certainly pagan Babylon had proved to be such a hostile environment—Daniel’s life had been on the line more than once—and here it was on the line once again, because of his extraordinary spirit and character.
Now think about this for a moment. Imagine if you were in Daniel’s shoes, or at least in a similar situation. Imagine that your enemies, if you have any, were looking for dirt on you in order to discredit you. And they scoured the recesses of your life to find something. That’s the kind of scrutiny that Daniel experienced, and he came out clean! He was indeed an extraordinary person, the kind of person God can bless.
Let me encourage you to be that kind of person, to take stock of your own life. Whatever hasn’t been excellent morally, confess it and seek God’s forgiveness. Make things right with anyone you’ve offended. Make restitution wherever restitution is due. And from this point forward determine that you’ll have a spotless reputation like Daniel.
But watch out! Even that could get you in trouble, because there are people in the world who will not like to be shown up like that.
And that was Daniel’s experience, and that’s when the secret to his spotless character emerged. It was his devotional life. In his private life, he was extremely devoted to the Lord. He wasn’t one thing publicly, and another thing privately. No, the public Daniel was fueled and energized by the private Daniel. For Daniel was as devoted in private to the Lord as he was publicly. He prayed three times a day. Verse 10: “Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously.”
In other words, Daniel didn’t change his routine one bit once he knew that the law had been signed. He just continued to do what he had always done. And notice this. He devoted himself to prayer and thanksgiving three times each day, on his knees, with his face pointed toward and his windows open toward Jerusalem. In case you’re wondering why he prayed in this way, if you take a look at II Chronicles 7:13-14, God had directed the people of Israel to pray in this way, and in this direction, toward Jerusalem, and the temple in Jerusalem, when Solomon dedicated his temple there about 500 years earlier. We’re familiar with the verse which promises blessing for prayers of repentance, but the rest of the context actually would encourage this kind of prayer, directed toward the site of the temple, from any place in the world. Listen to II Chronicles 7:13-16: “If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, 14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place. 16 For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that My name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.” Obviously, Daniel took God’s promises in His Word here literally, and since God’s eyes and heart of God would be at the site of the temple perpetually, that’s the direction in which he prayed.
Now this was no casual attitude toward God or prayer or God’s Word. This was no casual Christianity. Though it’s clear from Scripture we can pray in any position, and people, including Jesus did, the heart posture is always to be one of humility, and Daniel reflected that even at 80 years old, on old knees. He kneeled before God as he prayed, and he prayed in accord with what the Word of God said. He was clearly intensely devoted to both the Word of God and prayer and thus we have the second evidence of what the kind of man whom God will bless looks like. He will practice an uncompromised devotional life. He will be in God’s Word and take it seriously, and he will pray regularly and intensely.
So, let me ask you what your devotional life is like. The same question I asked myself, and I had to say it was pretty scattered, even during this time of quarantine and pandemic. Of course, I’m busy. Of course, you’re busy. But was Daniel not busy? Here was a man who was one of the most important men in all the kingdom, with responsibilities galore, making sure that the 40 satraps or 120 satraps under him did not cause the king to suffer loss, and he found the time to be in prayer, intensely, three times a day.
No doubt this was the fuel, consistently being in prayer and in the Word, that enabled Daniel to live such an impeccable life, and provided him with such an extraordinary spirit. Want to be distinguished among men as Daniel was, by the Lord God of heaven? Practice an uncompromised devotional life. Make it an absolute priority. The godliest people I know do so. They’re in the Word on their own. It becomes evident because of their wisdom, their lives, their heart for God and their willingness to serve the Lord. They are anything but casual about the Lord, precisely because they are ardent in prayer and the Word.
I’ve cited this study many times, but it’s always worth mentioning. Back to the Bible, an organization I once worked for, did a study 10 or 15 years ago on how often people in our country were engaged biblically--in other words, how many times a week they were exposed to or spent time in the Word. What they found was that at a minimum, people needed to be engaged in the Word 4 times a week for it to make any difference whatsoever. All those who were engaged in the Word of God less than that had lifestyles that were characterized by all the same sins and problems that their non-Christian neighbors experienced. Four times a week is minimum. Colossians 3:16-17 puts it like this: “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” And what you are privately becomes what you are publicly and in every way.
More than that, Jesus gives us this encouragement. When his family came looking for him, since they did not believe in Him, He said this in Matthew 12:48-50: “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49 And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.” And how do you know the will of the Father except by being In His word and in prayer.
So, what’s your devotional life look like. Casual. I’m afraid mine’s a bit too casual. Determine this week to practice an uncompromised devotional life. Devote time each day to prayer and the word. Be ardent about it to be the kind of man or woman the Lord is looking for to strongly support.
I suppose it was those windows opened toward Jerusalem that gave Daniel’s private devotional life away. Or perhaps it just the whole character of his life. But as Daniel continued in prayer, and he did so without skipping a beat, his enemies by agreement rushed in and caught him in the act. Oh heavens! What a crime.
And they immediately brought his crime before the King, and the King, now recognizing his error, hesitated. But they would not be denied. Even though Darius sought a way out of the dilemma his ego had created, there was no way out. The Law of the Medes and Persians was irrevocable, so the enemies of Daniel showed up again to remind the king of his responsibility, and so Daniel was delivered into the lion’s den.
Now the King was terribly repentant--and repentant before Daniel’s God. It becomes evident that Darius was familiar with Daniel’s God. He even called him the living God repeatedly. And in verse 16, it becomes evident to the King that the only one who can deliver Daniel from this unjust judgment was Daniel’s God. And so as he gave the orders for Daniel to be placed in the Lion’s den, he spoke and said to Daniel. “Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you.” This was another testimony to Daniel’s devotion to the Lord, but a sign that the King Himself was coming around. And then verse 18 tells us that the King went off to his palace where he refused entertainment, fasted and spent a sleepless night concerned about Daniel’s fate. Wherever I see fasting, I suspect prayer is also involved. And then he shows up at the lion’s den at dawn, at the break of day the next morning and went in haste to the lion’s den according to verse 19, notice his faith as he speaks anxiously to Daniel. The king spoke and said to Daniel in verse 20; “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you constantly serve, been able to deliver you from the lions.” And guess what? Daniel answered, “O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime.
Now notice here: Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar both give glory to God for an angel who had shut the lions’ mouths, but Daniel also cites his impeccable character, his innocence before God and the King as a part of the reason for his incredible deliverance.
What we see here is Daniel’s fearless faith. A fierce faith even in the line of fire. He was not going to abandon his relationship with God for a moment. He was not going to vary his routine for a moment out of the fear of men whom he knew were out to get him. You know, he could have just simply decided to silently pray as he went about his duties. But as he had said to Belshazzar in the previous chapter, he knew that his life breath and all his ways were in God’s hands. And so we see the third element in Daniel’s life that commended him to God and his blessing and deliverance: He demonstrated a fearless faith in God. He had seen God deliver him and his friends over and over again in Babylon in the most incredible ways. If the fire hadn’t consumed his friends, then neither would the lions consume him on this night.
Do you have a fearless faith! Are you willing to stand for Jesus no matter what! Or are you ashamed of Jesus and the Gospel? I encourage you in prayer that you ask God for the courage of a Daniel, to stand for Jesus, no matter the odds or the intentions of your enemies, and let God deliver you.
Well, God not only delivered Daniel, but he converted a king and brought retribution against Daniel’s enemies. He completely turned the situation around, not only delivering Daniel, but punishing his enemies and bring glory to Himself.
The rest of the story is this. Daniel had been thrown into the lions’ den. The king’s decree had been fulfilled. So the king gave orders to have him removed, and instead, his enemies, and according to Persian law, even their families were thrown in to the lions’ den, and in their case, not coincidentally, the lions were hungry, and they began devouring them before they hit the floor. And more than that, did you notice the decree that Darius sends out to the whole kingdom. It appears that Darius, in seeing both his prayers and Daniel’s answered, has become a believer. And he sends out a proclamation to his whole kingdom of Gentiles, to men of every nation and language, that they should become believers—that they should fear the God of Daniel as well.
It is worth reading, because it is indeed remarkable, especially from the pen of a pagan king: Verse 26: “I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel; For He is the living God and enduring forever,
And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed,
And His dominion will be forever.
27 “He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders
In heaven and on earth,
Who has also delivered Daniel from the [c]power of the lions.”
Once again, Daniel was used powerfully to convert a pagan king who then urged his whole kingdom of pagans to turn to the God of Daniel as well, because He is the living God, not like the dead idols of the pagans, whose kingdom will not be destroyed—more than that, He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders in heaven and on earth—and here’s one great example—He has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.
No wonder 50 years later Haman’s wife realizes he’s in trouble if he has opposed a Jew. You don’t mess with God’s people—especially when someone is wholly devoted to the Lord.
Final point this morning: When you’ve demonstrated impeccable character, fueled by an uncompromised prayer life and demonstrate a fearless trust in the Lord—stand back and watch God use you mightily for His glory and your good.
Yes, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. I encourage you to pray and make your heart wholly His so that II Chronicles 16:9 might be shown to be true in your life as well: “For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His”
Will He find you?!
