Tonight we are in Daniel 6:16. From last time you might remember that King Darius’ advisors plotted to get rid of Daniel. There was surely jealousy because King Darius had made Daniel 3rd ruling official in Babylon. The cultic advisors were jealous that a Jew had been appointed in a position above them.
So they tried to plot a scheme where they could get rid of Daniel. They searched high and low to find some sort of discrepancy in Daniel’s leadership or anything that could get him kicked out of office. Daniel was well above reproach and they could find nothing that they could use to get rid of him.
We also learned how open Daniel's testimony was for his Lord. He had a reputation of serving God with all of his heart. He prayed to God three times a day. With that testimony, those that were against him plotted a way to use his dedication to the Lord against him to have him removed from office and executed.
In their scheme of things, they convinced King Darius to make a decree that no one was allowed to worship or pray to any other God or person for the next 30 days. All prayers and praises were to be directed toward King Darius and only him.
They figured that since Daniel allowed no one or nothing to get between him and his God that this scheme would work when Daniel offered up his prayers to God as he always did. They convinced King Darius to sign this decree and make it irrevocable. They lied to King Darius and told him that all of the officials decided this would be a good thing for Babylon. Darius assumed that ALL meant that Daniel was included in this decision. They lied. Daniel was not in on this. King Darius signed the decree.
That same day, at his appointed time, Daniel went into his upper room and opened his windows that faced toward Jerusalem where the temple of God once was. The other officials spied on him and caught him in the act. They rushed to King Darius and told him what Daniel had done.
Instead of Darius being angry at Daniel, he tried to figure out a way that Daniel could be released from this decree. But his advisors reminded him that this was a signed degree and it stood as law and could not be changed. King Darius had been tricked by his advisors and Daniel was doomed to go to the lion's den. We pick up our story in verse 16.
Daniel 6: 16 - 17. Darius reluctantly pronounced the sentence. And Daniel was thrown into the lion's den. This was a touching scene. The king spoke to Daniel and expressed his wish that Daniel's God would rescue him. Note also that the king referenced Daniel's continual worshiping the lord. The King was well aware of Daniel's faithfulness to the Lord, and for some reason the king believed that Daniel's God could rescue him from the lions. This suggests that Daniel had been burying a strong testimony to the king, maybe sharing the wonderful promises of the Lord and His mighty works down through history on behalf of those who truly believed in Him.
In verse 17, after Daniel had been thrown into the lion’s den, the king had a stone rolled over the den's opening. Then he stamped the stone with the Royal seal of his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles. This Royal seal indicated that the King’s authority stood behind the execution; therefore, the death of the guilty was irrevocable.
Daniel 6:18. Darius had a rough night. He returned to his palace as a troubled man, very distressed and filled with anxiety. He had been forced to execute his most trusted and capable official, all because he had been misled by a group of conspirators. The more he thought about the situation, the more disturbed he became. He spent the night without eating or being entertained.
Daniel 6:19-20. Unable to sleep, he tossed and turned all night long. Then at first light of dawn, Darius rushed to the lion's den. Apparently, he had already ordered the seal to be broken, because when he arrived at the den, he immediately called out to Daniel in the hope that he was still alive. He wanted to know if Daniel's God had been able to deliver him from the lions.
Daniel 6:21-22. To Darius' surprise, Daniel answered. The Lord had sent his Angel to protect him from the mouths of the lions. There were two reasons why they had not hurt him:
--Daniel was blameless before God and the king. He had not betrayed God or Darius, but rather honored both of them.
--Daniel 6:23. Daniel had trusted the Lord. So, the Lord delivered him, and Daniel was counted among the great heroes of the faith. The writer of Hebrews 11:33 expresses that.
Joy flooded the King's heart, and he immediately ordered Daniel taken out of the Lion's den. Standing in utter amazement, the king looked Daniel over very closely and found no injury whatsoever on Daniel's body. Again, notice the reason. Because Daniel had trusted in the Lord, completely relied upon him.
Daniel 6:24 - 27. Remember at the beginning of this lesson we said chapters 2 through 7 were written in Aramaic which were more so for those that did not know or follow God (the non-Jews). Keep that in mind as we look at what the king said about Daniel's God. The king's reaction to the Lord's deliverance was two-fold.
First, he immediately had the corrupt officials and their families executed. These men were the true traders of the king. They had conspired to deceive the king and to have his most trusted advisor executed. So, they were to reap what they had sown, suffered the very execution that they sought for Daniel. They and their families were thrown into the lion's den. Most likely, Darius had the criminals’ wives and children executed in order to prevent revenge from any of the family members. Executing families along with criminals was a policy followed by many ancient rulers.
Second, Darius issued a proclamation declaring that all people must fear and reverence the Lord, the God of Daniel, because:
--he is the living God who endures forever.
--his kingdom and rule will never pass away.
--he delivers and saves.
--he works miracles.
--he rescued Daniel from the lions.
I don't know about you but I feel that Darius was more of a god-fearing man now than he ever was in his life.
Daniel 6:28. Although Daniel was at least 80 years old at the time of this event, he continued to serve faithfully during the reigns of Darius, who ruled over Babylon, and Cyrus, who ruled over the empire. Throughout the remaining years of his life, he continued to prosper under the guidance of the Lord.
Soon after Daniel's amazing deliverance from the lions, Cyrus released the Jewish exiles and allowed them to return to the promised land under the leadership of Zerubbabel.
Through this miracle, the Jewish exiles knew that the power of God was at their disposal. If they placed their trust in him, he would look after them. No matter who or what stood against them, the Lord would deliver them and give them the strength to overcome and rebuild their cities, communities, homes, and temple.
What a lesson all of this is for us if we would only trust in the Lord. If we do trust in God, he will deliver us through the trials of life. No matter what opposition or persecution we may face, the Lord will give us the strength to overcome. All because we trust him. The Lord's power will carry us through any and all trials. That is the wonderful promise of God's Holy Word.
