Title: “Daniel in the Lion’s Den” Scripture: Daniel 6
Type: Series/expository Where: GNBC 11-13-22
Intro: The account of God’s miraculous deliverance of Daniel in the lion’s den is one of the most notable stories in the OT. In the story we see how a faithful God delivers His faithful servant, Daniel. Last December, 17 CAM Missionaries from Michigan were into their 3rd month as hostages in Haiti. After delivering supplies at an orphanage, the group’s bus was attacked and taken hostage by the brutal Mawozo gang. The group prayed fervently for God’s leading. And one night a door that was locked and blocked literally opened! The group of men, women, and children, silently filed past multiple guards and with God’s help, protection, and leading, made their way 10 miles thru the night to safety! God still delivers!
Prop: In Daniel 6 we’ll see 3 important elements of jealous detractors attempting to eliminate God’s faithful witness.
BG: 1. A period of about 2 yrs has transpired since the last chapter. Babylon has fallen and is now replaced by the Medo-Persian Empire.
2. Darius is the new ruler. “Darius” was most likely a title and not the name of the individual. Most likely his real name was “Gubaru” (Like Subaru!) (Leon Wood, p.153). No wonder he went by Darius! Most likely, was the term for a regional ruler. British had viceroys in India. Huge region. Ruled directly on behalf of the crown.
3. Daniel is now about 83-85 years of age. One of three commissioners (v.2) working directly under Darius.
Prop: Let’s examine Dan. 6 to see 3 Important Elements of a Diabolical Attempt to eliminate one of God’s faithful witnesses.
I. The Conspiracy Against Daniel – vv. 1-15
A. Daniel’s Character vv.1-3
1. Daniel’s Sterling Character Draws the Attention and Anger of Evil Detractors.
a. V.3 is a story as old as time. Daniel is one of ruling triumvirate directly reporting to Darius. There are 120 Satraps (Kingdom Defenders) below them, all directly ruling this massive outpost of the Persian Empire. Everything is going fine as long as all three of the king’s advisors are doing well. However, in time, because the cream always rises to the top of the jug, Daniel begins to stand out and above the other two. That must have been humbling. An elderly man outworking and out advising them. It was an affront to their pride. However, when the king began to float the idea of making Daniel the head over everyone save himself, well at that point jealousy reared its ugly and often deadly head. “We can’t have that old man ruling over us!”
b. Here is a morsel of wisdom for all of us to take. God’s blessing on your and my life will not always be met with the approval of others! Fear and jealousy sets in.
2. Individuals Often Become Fearful and Jealous of the success of others.
a. Illust – Our daughter Katherine began to run competitively when she was a Jr. in HS. She was homeschooled and so when made her debut for the Little Hawks she was completely unknown. However, by time trials coaches new had a very good runner who would be a positive addition to the team. Would think everyone would be happy and accepting, right? Wrong! The very best girls were very accepting. The mid and lower level loved her. The three or four girls right around her time DID NOT LIKE HER! Felt threatened by her. Had a very strong work ethic. Couldn’t criticize that. Began to criticize…her schooling and religious convictions! Why? Fearful and Jealous.
b. V.4 – We see the conspirators attempt to determine if Daniel has been corrupt in any area. Maybe they tried to charge him with Greek collusion! (😊) Nope! Has his son made millions from Babylonian power companies? Oh right, he is a eunuch! No chance there! Has he had an affair with one of the king’s wives or concubines? Again, “see above!” Nope! Maybe he went to office Christmas parties without a mask while telling the whole country they couldn’t be together because of malaria.” Nope! There must be something these conspirators can find!
B. Daniel is Charged vv. 5-9
1. The Conspirators Cast their Nets to Catch and Kill Daniel.
a. The evil conspirators concoct an evil proposal by which they hope to ensnare Darius’ aged advisor. As we have already examined, there is no fault in Daniel they can bring before Darius. His work is faultless. He is diligent! Maybe Daniel learned Prov. 22:29 in Sabbath School as a little boy. “Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.” Daniel is diligent. He is faithful. He seeks the welfare of the realm.
b. The conspirators plot includes an appeal to the king’s pride. Illust – Millennium before the names of Clinton, Bush, Obama, Trump, or Biden were ever muttered, politician’s have struggled with pride and vanity. Darius was no different.
2. The Conspirators Appeal to the King’s Pride and Vanity in an Attempt to Eliminate Daniel.
a. V.6 – they “come by agreement” – “came in concert” – at least 3x in the passage we see their vile conspiracy, working in concert to destroy an innocent man. Be very careful friends when powerful people in the government begin to collude to eliminate the opposition!
b. Vv.6-7 These men are more oily than a canned mackerel and herring sandwich! “Oh king, live forever!” No one lives forever on this earth. Appeal to pride. Demonstrating their supposed loyalty while all the while attempting to dupe Darius. Then they roll out the plan: (Read v. 7). What are they saying? Darius, you are so great, you are “god like”. “In fact, let’s up the ante a bit and declare “Darius Deity Month” in the empire! What politician, prince or potentate doesn’t want everyone to recognize what they already know about themselves??? If anyone prays to anything or anyone other than Darius, they will die! And according to the unchangeable law of the Medes and Persians, the decree is signed, sealing Daniel’s doom.
C. Applic: An evil conspiracy arises against Daniel due to his success and the blessing of God.
II. The Conviction of Daniel vv.10-15
A. Daniel’s Principles v.10
1. Daniel’s
a. Illust: Though a veteran of 22 seasons, in only one did he win more than twenty games. He never pitched a no-hitter and only once in his career did he lead the league in any category. That was in 1980, when he led the National League with a 2.21 earned run average. Yet on June 21, 1986, pitcher Don Sutton rubbed shoulders with the true legends of baseball pitchers when he became only the 30th pitcher in baseball to win 300 games. “I never wanted to be a superstar or the highest-paid player,” In September 1986, Inside Sports Magazine called him the ‘family sedan’ of baseball’s men on the mound. He certainly boasted none of the Ferrari style of the last thirty game winner, Denny McClain, who rose to stardom but faded quickly. He boasted none of the Mercedes sparkle of a Sandy Koufax, but after their types were parked in museums or junk piles, Don Sutton was still on the mound ‘getting the job done.” Sutton told Baseball Digest in 1985. All he wanted, he said, was to be “consistent, dependable and you could count on me.”
b. Daniel was that very man in the Babylonian bureaucracy. Consistent. Dependable. Got the job done day in and day out, year in and year out. Daniel was faithful. Daniel is faithful. And Daniel will remain faithful in the midst of the accusations. He is not about to let this party of conspirators to cause him to quit his faith. Resolute!
2. The Conspiracy Thickens as a plan to entrap Daniel is accused before the king.
a. The conspirators convince the king that the decree should be for 30 days! Certainly, at some point during that month, Daniel will pray! They stationed their informants. The conspirators thought they knew Daniel so very well. They could have made it for one day, it wouldn’t have mattered, Daniel would’ve done the very same thing, and in fact he does.
b. V.10 – “When Daniel knew the document had been signed…” (Let that sink into your mind! Praying has now become very costly.) What does he do? He goes to his special place of prayer at his usual time of prayer, opens the shutters on his windows…AND PRAYS! He continues to do what he has been doing for nearly 70 years of exile…he opens his windows towards his homeland and its temple of worship and prays! Illust: I wonder how many a modern day big evangelical leader would have responded to such a preposterous proposition? “Don’t go to your rooftop, Dan!” “Pray with your eyes open and mouth shut, Dan!” “It’s ok, nothing in the Bible says you have to pray the next 30 days, Dan. God will understand.” “Maybe we should form a committee of church members who have experience with civil servants to determine what is the appropriate course of action to take, Dan.” Personally, I think Daniel must have been at least part Scots-Irish, because he simply said: “NO!” He was too old and too devout to be cowered into a corner.
c. Illust – Polycarp was the Bishop of Smyrna in the middle 100’s AD. Being an old man in his middle 80’s the Romans did not wish to kill him, but required that he burn a little incense to the emperor to demonstrate loyalty. Could not do it! Polycarp is recorded as saying on the day of his death: "86 years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King and Savior? You threaten me with a fire that burns for a season, and after a little while is quenched; but you are ignorant of the fire of everlasting punishment that is prepared for the wicked." Polycarp was burned at the stake and pierced with a spear for refusing to burn incense to the Roman emperor.
B. Daniel’s Prayer v. 11
1. Have you ever considered what Daniel may have been thinking when he went to pray? Let me give you a word of advice, if you want to see God answer prayer when you are in the lion’s den, you better make prayer your practice before you are ever faced with the lion’s den.
2. “Here the conflict between Daniel’s faith as a Jew and the injunction of Darius became irresolvable. According to the new law, the king was “mediator for 30 days.” According to Daniel’s Law, the Old Testament Scriptures, the God of Israel is God alone, and those who would be blessed will be blessed through His people, Israel. Their petitions must be directed to God, but through the place of His blessing, Jerusalem. There was no way Daniel could redirect his petitions to the king, rather than to God, by facing Jerusalem.” (Deffinbaum, ibid)
C. The King’s Predicament – vv.12-15
1. Having found Daniel at prayer the Conspirators go before the king.
a. Vv.12 – 14 (Read) – Have you ever had the words you stated come back to haunt you? The policy you wrote? The pledge you made? Well here we see the decree of the king’s is thrown back in his face at the expense of his best and most loyal advisor.
b. Although, it was no great accomplishment to catch Daniel in prayer, the conspirators approached the king very carefully with this news. Accusing a man of the king’s favor was dangerous. They began by asking the king about the law which had just gone into effect. He reiterated that he had indeed passed the law forbidding any petition be made except to him. He further acknowledged that the penalty for breaking this law was to be cast into the lion’s den. Only at this point did the conspirators shock the king with the announcement that Daniel has been found violating this very law. Their accusation was meant to impress upon the king that Daniel had not merely broken the law once, he was persisting in violating this law, showing in their minds complete disregard for the king and his authority.
2. The concerned King’s Response
a. King Darius responds to this report very differently than his predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar. When told of the refusal of the three Hebrews to bow down to his image (see Daniel 3:13-18), Nebuchadnezzar became furious and intent on putting them to death. Darius was greatly distressed and spent the remaining daylight hours trying to find a way to deliver Daniel from the lion’s den. The conspirators refused to be put off by the king’s resistance. After spending the day seeking to arrange Daniel’s release, they returned and reminded the king the law Daniel had broken was a “law of the Medes and the Persians” and thus irrevocable. Essentially, they told the king he had no choice. He was bound by the law he had signed and subject to the plot of the conspirators who had convinced him to sign it.
b. Illust: I have told the story of Rusty Woomer before. He was a vicious murderer who came to Christ in a filthy cell on death row in Columbia, SC. He was led to Christ in Oct. 1985, by Bob McAlister, chief of staff for then Gov. Carrol Campbell. Woomer was completely transformed. But by April of 1991 all the appeals had run out. McAlister was stuck firmly in the middle. The Governor whom he loved, served, and respected, and the inmate who had become a brother and like a son to him. He tried everything to change the governor’s mind. However, on April 27, 1991, surrounded by McAlister, and Chaplain Michael Brown, no earthly deliverance came. Woomer was ushered into the presence of his Lord and Savior. McAlister was devastated.
D. Applic: Daniel’s convictions led to his conspirator’s jealous plot. Daniel was a competent man of prayer of whom many were jealous and desired to destroy.
III. The Lord’s Care of Daniel vv. 16-23
A. Deadly Danger in the Lion’s Den
1. Sealing of the Den. Vv.16-17
a. Something very interesting and significant strikes me about this paragraph (vv.16ff). Do you see it? Although Daniel is the one wrongly accused and in the process of his own execution, the entire paragraph is about the king. The king orders Daniel lowered into the lion’s den; the king speaks words of encouragement to Daniel; the king abstains from entertainment that night and sleep eludes him.
b. Illust – “It appears the king suffered more than Daniel. I believe Daniel had a great night’s sleep. The angel of the Lord was there with him, much as He was present with the three Hebrews in the furnace. The mouths of the lions were stopped, preventing any harm to Daniel. I wonder if Daniel had a lion for a pillow that night. It could easily have been so.” (Bob Deffingbaum, Daniel 6)
2. Sorrow of the King vv.18-19
a. While Daniel is in the den, Darius is in distress. This passage shows us that even powerful people can realize that they make stupid and impetuous decrees that they either instantly or later regret. Darius is no different. His foolish pride, vanity, and arrogance has most likely caused his most faithful advisor’s life! What a fool he had been and he knew it. All night long he attempts to free his friend.
b. Illust – Louis DelCourt was a French soldier in WWI who overstayed his leave and, fearing disgrace, deserted. He persuaded his mother to lock him up in the attic of their home and there she hid him and fed him for 21 years. But in August 1937 his mother died. There was no chance now of his retaining his incognito and remaining in hiding. So, pale and haggard, he staggered along to the nearest police officer, where he gave himself up. The police officer looked at him in utter incredulity and asked him, “where have you been that you have not heard?” “That a law of amnesty for all deserters was passed years ago.” Louis Delcourt had freedom but did not enjoy it because he did not know that he had it. Daniel was prisoner in a lion’s den. However, many people live as prisoners today. Not knowing they can be free in Jesus Christ.
B. A Divine Deliverer in the Lion’s Den! Vv. 20ff
1. Daniel Answers from the Den!
a. At literally daybreak, or first light, the troubled tyrant makes his way to see if there is any chance Daniel is still alive. Notice the question Darius asked when he arrives at the lion’s den: Read v. 20 – “has your God, whom you constantly serve been able to deliver you?” As we have seen, Darius didn’t spend the night with usual entertainment. Entertainment is ok as a temporary diversion, however, it can be deadly if it distracts us from considering the eternal. So many people in Western culture today have no time for serious contemplation because of entertainment and distraction! God help us! Religion is not the opiate of the people, entertainment is!
b. Now, let’s go back to that question that Darius asks. You see, Darius has had what we might refer to as a “Come to Jesus experience” in the night. He realizes two very important truths: 1. Daniel is a devout man. 2. Only something or Someone supernatural can deliver Daniel in this instance. Either Daniel’s God is real or He isn’t. v.22
2. A Divine Deliver is Sent to Save Daniel in the Lion’s Den!
a. Vv.21-22 – “My God has sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths…” Praise God! Now this may have been “an” angel, or “The Angel of the Lord”. I suspect it is the same Being that was in the fiery furnace with the 3 Hebrews in 3.
b. Daniel extols his innocence! Daniel makes the connection between his deliverance and his innocence! (Read v.22) Right before God and innocent before the king! No crime! No treason! Let me tell you friend, a clear conscience will give you a good night’s sleep. Daniel is unharmed. Illust – Christian, whether it’s Noah in the Ark, Moses walking across the Red Sea, S-M-A in the fiery furnace, God protects His children in the midst of tribulation! Ps. 46:1 is true: “God is our refuge and strength, and very present help in trouble.”
3. The conspirators are appropriately punished.
a. V.24 – Just has Haman was hanged on the gallows he had built for Mordechai, the two commissioner and the satraps we destroyed in the very way they had sought to destroy Daniel. God is a just God. (Beware if jealous of others!)
b. Illust – Midnight, Aug 14th/15, 1947, the Crown Colony of India was split into 2 states, Pakistan and India. Pakistan was to be Muslim and India was to be Hindu. The Rev. Elisha was a Presbyterian evangelist living with his large family in what was to become Muslim Pakistan. The Muslim police chief of the village they lived in came to the Elisha’s Following partition and told them: You will publicly convert to Islam by tomorrow or you and your family will all be shot at noon. Elisha gathered his wife and children. There would be no recanting of their faith. They spent the night in prayer. At day, a guard came to their cell to be led to what was believed their execution. However, the guard opened the doors of the jail and said: “You are free! Run!” Both the police chief and assistant had been murdered in the night. Sam Elisha, one of the evangelist’s sons is still alive and serving the Lord today!
C. Applic: Darius’ decree: Read vv.25-28
