DANIEL 6THE LION'S DENIs Your God Able?
Daniel 6:11-13
"Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king's decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day.” As soon as they
said it, the king saw his mistake. King Darius realized that all along it had
been just a plot to get rid of Daniel. He knew they were jealous of him and now
they had their weapon to use against Daniel and he foolishly had given to them.
14 “Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him.”
Now there was a
very interesting law that the Medo-Persian Empire had made for themselves; they
had passed a law that no law that they made could be changed. In other words
they felt they could never make any mistakes. They thought they were infallible
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like God Himself! So the king couldn’t just pass another law and not put
Daniel in with the lions. Those rulers would have made big trouble for him if he
did that. There is another
power today that claims to be infallible. Do you know who it is? Yes, it is the
Papal Ruler of Rome. He thinks he is like God also. But was Darius really infallible?
Hadn’t he just made a terrible mistake? Yes indeed! And so will the
pontiffs of
Rome find out someday that they have made a terrible mistake by persecuting
God’s people. Daniel 6:15,16 “Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed. Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.”
King Darius gave
the order and went with Daniel to the lions’ den. In those days kings like to
have caged lions and throwing people to them was a good way to get rid of people
they didn’t like, and help to feed the hungry lions. But the king had learned
something about Daniel and his God, and he assured him that his God would
protect him.
17 And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.
Daniel was thrown into the den and a stone was brought and placed on the mouth of the den and the king sealed it with his own seal. It seems King Darius was not as worried about the lions as he was about the wicked rulers coming and stealing Daniel out of the den and perhaps killing him or taking him away; and everybody would think he was eaten up. So he made sure the den could not be opened without breaking that seal.
18, 19 Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him. Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. Then he went back to his palace and spent a sad, miserable night. He felt very ashamed of himself that he had allowed the rulers to trick him like they did. He kept thinking about his dear old friend out there in the den of nasty lions. He just counted the hours till morning. Daniel 6:20 “And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?” The first rays of dawn saw the worried king hurrying out to the lions’ den. He called out to his old friend and was overjoyed to hear the polite reply of the faithful servant of God.
“Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever. My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.” Daniel 6:21,22 Quickly the king orders the stone removed and Daniel taken up out of the den. He was examined carefully and there was no hurt on him. Not even a scratch or a bite. Here then, stood Daniel, preserved by a power higher than any power of earth. His cause was vindicated, his innocence declared. “No manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.” Faith did it. A miracle had been wrought. 23 Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God. Why, then, were Daniel’s accusers brought and cast in? They probably claimed that the preservation of Daniel, was not a miracle, but the fact that the lions chanced at that time not to be hungry. The king may have said, “In that case they will no more attack you than him, so we will test the matter by putting you in.”
24. And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den.
Now Darius ordered the wicked rulers who had tricked him to be brought with their whole families and thrown into the lions’ den, ‘and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den.’ Those big cats just crunched them up like CRACKERS. So their evil plan came back onto their own selves.
25 Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you. The king then sent around a decree telling the story of the great God of heaven. 26, 27 I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end. He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions. Because of this, the message of the true God went around the world again. 28 So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.” RETURN |
