Daniel 6 provides the familiar account of God's rescue of Daniel from the threat of lions in a passage often called Daniel in the Lion's Den. When we rightly see God's power and deliverance however, we should refer to the passage as Daniel in the Angels' Den. Worship with us and see how embracing God's sovereign deliverance of us results in abundant life & heartfelt thanksgiving.
Daniel 6 provides the familiar account of God's rescue of Daniel from the threat of lions in a passage often called Daniel in the Lion's Den. When we rightly see God's power and deliverance however, we should refer to the passage as Daniel in the Angels' Den. Worship with us and see how embracing God's sovereign deliverance of us results in abundant life & heartfelt thanksgiving.
It is so good to be with you this morning and I'm grateful that you have made Westtown a part of your Thanksgiving weekend celebration to worship the Lord together. My name is Dwight. I am one of the pastors here at Westtown and if we haven't had a chance to meet, I would greatly appreciate if you could introduce yourself to me at the end of the service today. This Thanksgiving season, as a church we have been in the book of Daniel and we have been looking at how understanding more and more the power and the control and the sovereignty of God inspires our hope, our peace and our strength for life, as we have watched Daniel go from one crisis to another in his faith and reliance upon the power and the goodness of God. So we're going to continue that this morning. We're going to finish it up. Actually, next week we will begin our Advent series on the Songs for the Savior will be in Luke, chapters 1 and 2, looking at how various people who receive the news of Christ's birth responded in praise and song to God. But this week we look at Daniel, chapter 6, and as we come to this chapter we're introduced to a different king. The prior two weeks when we have been in Daniel, we've seen that Daniel has been in service to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. This morning we're going to be taking a look at Daniel 6, where we're introduced to Darius the Mede, and there are a couple of struggles with Darius the Mede, and one is that scripture and history both point to Cyrus, the Persian king, as being the one who conquered Babylon and ended up ultimately releasing Israelites from captivity to return back to Jerusalem, not Darius the Mede. And also there is no mention of Darius the Mede and any historical records outside of scripture. And so there are generally three solutions to this problem, if you maintain that the scriptures are the word of God, as we do. One is that we just don't know who Darius the Mede is, and we really shouldn't be troubled by that. While we do have substantial historical record outside of the Bible of this period of time, it is not complete. Belshazzar, another king mentioned in Daniel chapter 5, it was only until in relatively recent times that we had any historical confirmation of his existence, and so the records of Darius the Mede may yet not be discovered by us. The second solution to this issue of who is Darius the Mede is that Darius the Mede is actually a Babylonian name that Cyrus the king of Persia took when he came to reign, and there are various explanations for that. I won't bore you with it. And then the final is that Darius the Mede is actually one of Cyrus's generals that went by the name of Gubiru or Uggburu, depending upon which historical documents you look at, and he was one of Cyrus's general that was appointed the king over Babylon and there were various different little vice regions or various little kings, and Darius the Mede would have been acknowledged as one of those. So that will play in importance in just a few minutes.
Speaker 1:But in Daniel, chapter 6, what we find happening is that Daniel has been appointed, along with 120 people, to be governors within the nation, the kingdom of Babylon, and Daniel has done so well that Darius is about to promote him as prime minister over the whole country, and that really upsets the other 119. They're called set traps or governors, and they try to catch Daniel in some kind of unfaithfulness or malfeasance in his work as a governor, and they're unable to come up with anything. So they determine that if we're going to trap Daniel, it has to be in some way related to the law of his God, in which he is exceptionally faithful. So they devise this plan, that they convince Darius the Mede, to issue this edict that for 30 days people can only pray to him, and to know other gods. And what ends up happening? We pick up in verse 10, where Daniel learns that Darius has signed this edict in the law, and the law of the Medes and the Persians can't be changed.
Speaker 1:When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. So they run back to Darius and they say, hey, didn't you pass an edict that people can only pray for you for 30 days, and it's ironclad law of the Medes and Persians. Darius says yep.
Speaker 1:And then we pick up in verse 13. They answered and said before the king, daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, oh king, or the injunction that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day. Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel and he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king no, oh king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians and that no injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed. Then the king commanded and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel may your God, whom you serve, continually, deliver you. And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting. No diversions were brought to him and sleep fled from him.
Speaker 1:Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in Haste to the den of the lions. As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel oh Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions? Then Daniel said to the king oh, king, live forever. My God has sent his angel and shut the lion's mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him and also before you, oh King, I have done no harm. Then the king was exceedingly glad and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den and no kind of harm was found on him because he trusted in his God. And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions they, their children and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones and pieces.
Speaker 1:Then Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations and languages that dwell on the earth peace be multiplied. To you. I make a decree that in all my royal dominion, people are to tremble in fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God and during forever. His kingdom shall never be destroyed and his dominion shall be to the end. He delivers and rescues, he works signs and wonders, and heaven and on earth, he who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions. So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
Speaker 1:Now it's important that we must see what the nature of this conflict genuinely is. While on the surface it looks like some people are jealous of somebody else's success and wanna take that from him, the real nature of the conflict rests between the wisdom of God, the blessings and the strength and the victory that it assures, or the wisdom of the world and its promises that it holds out for peace and security in the world. Verse five states that the conflict related to Daniel and the law of his God, and so this was, at its very heart, a battle between the enemies of God and God himself. So that in verses eight, 12, 15 and 17, all refer to Darius's decree being unable to be changed. And verse 17 brings that to a height when it says that nothing can be done to alter Daniel's condition. According to the powers and the wisdom of this world, he's done. There's nothing that can intervene in his behalf. But Daniel six clearly demonstrates that those who live according to the eternal word of God shall have peace, they shall prevail, while all of those who live according to the fleeting promises of this world are going to be anxious and they will ultimately be destroyed. So let's take a look at how the word of God should influence our lives that result in us being thankful. You might remember that when Daniel went to his upper room, according to his practice, opened his windows and bowed down towards Jerusalem to pray, that the very first thing he did, knowing that the decree was signed, was that he gave thanks to God. So the first thing we see is that God's word must form our character from the heart.
Speaker 1:This passage contains great contrasts between the citizens of the kingdom of God's light and the citizens of the kingdom of this dark world. One of the primary contrasts is between Daniel's blameless life. No fault can be found in the work that he does. No fault can be found in the way in which he follows the word of God, and that is contrasted with the murderous scheming of the governors and the set traps who plot against Daniel. And because Darius intended to set up Daniel as the prime minister over all of the kingdom, the other governors, and great jealousy, conspire against Daniel. Three times in this passage we read how they were all in agreement to conspire against Daniel. They lie to the king, they tell the king that all of the governors and the set traps, the prefix and so on, and the counselors all agree together that Darius should pass this edict that nobody pray but to him for 30 days. Well, that was a blatant lie. Daniel was not a part of that decision at all. They feed into the king's ego, they manipulate him and the passing this unwise law and make it so that he can't circumvent it. And when they are able to unearth any fault or complaint against the way in which Daniel served the king, they created a scheme whereby, knowing that he would be faithful to his God, that he would be held accountable for his relationship with God, contrast their evil conduct with Daniel's righteous life.
Speaker 1:Often times in this passage it mentions how Daniel is faithful and he is blameless and the way in which he serves the king and his God. Daniel declares in verse 22, my God sent his angel and shut the lion's mouths, and they have not harmed me because I was found blameless before him and also before you, o king. I have done no harm Now because the word of God had shaped Daniel's character from the inside. It governed his actions externally. Now it's important to note that there are a number of circumstances here that would almost excuse in many people's minds that Daniel would not follow or that Daniel would not continue his practice of prayer, but he would submit to the edict of the king. Daniel is probably 70 years old by this point.
Speaker 1:Sometimes we think that we're going to be spared great challenges later in our life, but that certainly was not the case for Daniel, and we would not blame Daniel, would we, if, being an old man, we thought that he would sort of skirt around his devotional practices and just refrain from praying for a few days. Nor would somebody really fault Daniel if he followed this edict, because it was actually the first year of Darius's reign, and what that means is that it's getting very close to the time, according to the prophecies in the book of Jeremiah, that the people of Israel were going to be released from their captivity. Why go through all of this trouble and this difficulty if the people are going to be released to return to their homeland in a short period of time? And also, the king's edict was only for 30 days. Right, daniel isn't being asked to deny his faith. He's not being asked to worship the false God. He is just being asked not to pray for 30 days.
Speaker 1:But Daniel did not base his decisions upon what was expedient or comfortable, but rather he based his decisions upon his relationship with God that had formed his heart, that governed his outward actions. His obedience to God's law was impeccable. So why we read in verse 5 that Daniel's opponents did not find any ground for complaint against Daniel, unless we find it in the connection from the law of his God. Now it is possible, is it not, that we would obey God's law, that we would conform to the standards of holiness, just sort of in an outward appearance way right, and it's not something that derives from the love of God in our hearts. It's very easy, when we're a part of a church culture, that we behave in a certain way so that we're accepted by the people in that culture, rather than out of a love to the Lord. You might remember that Jesus said of the Pharisees what the prophet Isaiah said of the people of Israel these people worship me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. You see, it's possible even to gather in church and just sort of skid and slide through the motions rather than coming to engage with God and worship. And also we see that change does not come from the outside in. It is something that happens as a result of God changing our hearts than our outward behavior changes. You know it's not possible just by following certain commands that we're going to increase in our love with Jesus. No, our obedience should result from our love to Christ first and foremost.
Speaker 1:It reminds me of when our kids were little. We had one of our kids in a high chair. He wasn't all that old and this kid was a Houdini. He could get out of any strap, any belt, any harness, and mealtime was often the struggle of trying to get the kid to remain in this high chair until we could finish the meal. So Connie and I would tag team. We were on either side of him in the high chair and we kept sitting him down. We tell him, please sit down. He keeps standing up. And so finally I can't remember what the consequence was that I told him that if he didn't sit down he would have to suffer. But finally he did sit down and he looked at both Connie and me and he said outwardly I'm sitting, but inside I'm standing. I mean, this is coming from a little kid. And I looked at Connie and I said he looks like you. He must get this from your side of the family. And then Connie points out our oldest, who looked and behaved like me and did many of the same things, and she's like, hey, it's not just me, and that's the point. Right, we're all descended from Adam.
Speaker 1:We all want to be the captains of our own fate. We want to be autonomous. We don't want to submit to God, we want to control things on our own, and when we run into trouble we'll ask God to help us out of the jam and make things of the way that we want them. You see, character is formed as our hearts are transformed by the grace and the power of God. That results an outward change that reflects the character of Jesus. So not only should the word of God transform our character from inside out, from the heart, but we see, secondly, that God's word must shape our prayer. We saw this in our sermon series this past year as we went through the Lord's Prayer.
Speaker 1:I'm not going to spend a lot of time here and much could be said about Daniel's prayer life, his discipline, his regularity and how the spontaneity of his prayer arises actually from that discipline, how he thanked and worshiped God in addition to asking God for deliverance. However, what we should focus on is how the Word of God shaped Daniel's prayer, both what he prayed about and the way in which he practiced prayer. Verse 10 mentions how it was Daniel's custom to pray with the window open, facing the city of Jerusalem. Now, this practice really wasn't commanded anywhere in Scripture, so why is it that Daniel would do it? Why would he continue with it when he knew that it very well could bring him into conflict with the king's edict? Daniel faced Jerusalem when he prayed to remind himself of God's covenant promises to his people that if they would turn their hearts to him, that he would forgive them, that he would restore them back into the land. Daniel's worship of God in prayer and the basis of his pleas were shaped by the promises of God to deliver his people. He's actually following a practice that Solomon mentioned in 930 BC. Daniel was taken into captivity around 605 BC, so hundreds of years before. When Solomon was dedicating the temple, he offered a prayer that if the people sinned against the Lord and he sent them out into captivity. That in 1 Kings, chapter 8, I'm just going to highlight this part of the passage that if the people of God repented and prayed toward their land, which the Lord gave to their fathers, that he would restore them. And so it was on the basis of those promises that Daniel opened the window and he prayed.
Speaker 1:When God's word shapes our prayer, when we begin to pray concerning the things that matter to God, when we pray with the promises of the word of God, taking them in the context, taking them appropriately, then we are praying the very will of God and he will answer us through Christ. Finally, we see that when God's word governs our faith, we will have peace. When God's word shapes our character, it will be transformed from the heart. When we pray. We should let God's word shape and form the way in which we pray. And we also see how the word of God, when it shapes, when it informs, when it sustains our faith, we will have great peace. That's why in Daniel, chapter 6, verse 23, the king is exceedingly glad that the Lord spares Daniel and he commands that Daniel would be taken up out of the den.
Speaker 1:And so Daniel, when he's taken out of the den and no harm was found on him, the word of God says it was because he had trusted in his God. It wasn't just for his physical safety that Daniel had trusted the Lord. He was with his eternal salvation and his eternal security that he trusted the Lord, that he believed in the promise that God would send a deliverer, a Messiah, who would redeem his people from their sins. That Daniel believed in God and from that basis he had peace in life. Because he had peace with God, daniel says it like this in Romans, chapter 5, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. You see, having peace with God and salvation gives us the ability to experience the peace of God in daily life. This has demonstrated for us wonderfully in this passage between the great contrast and the feverish scheming of the other officials against Daniel and the anxious efforts of Darius to spare him. Meanwhile, daniel is at peace with great calm and confidence.
Speaker 1:We see in verses 14 to 20, for instance I'm just going to highlight portions of these verses that the king, when he heard these words in verse 14, was much distressed and he labored until the sun went down to rescue Daniel. In verse 18, the king spent the night fasting, no diversions were brought to him and sleep fled from him. Then, at the break of day, he rose and he went in haste to the den of lions and he cried out in a tone of anguish. Now contrast the king and how anxious and upset he is with the guy who was actually thrown into the den with the lions In verse 21, daniel says to the king O king, live forever. My God, send his angel and shut the lion's mouths. And they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him and also before you, o king, I have done no harm.
Speaker 1:I often wonder what did Daniel and the angel talk about all night long? I mean, I don't think we're too far off base when we engage in a holy speculation, if you will, that they would have pointed to God reigning over all that, his purposes, that his plans can never be thwarted and they will be achieved. How God is with his people, even in the den of the lion and whatever hardship they face, that God brings peace to his people and, as a result, they worshiped and glorified God. It reminds us of when Paul and Silas were in the jail at Philippi and at midnight they sang hymns to God, even when they were imprisoned. That is the kind of peace that a relationship with God through Jesus Christ brings to his people.
Speaker 1:Now you may object at this point. You might say, and you would be right, that for every one of the wonderful deliverances like Daniel experienced, there's probably 100 other faithful believers who were not spared their suffering. Christian history is full of martyrs and full of people who have been persecuted for their faith and had not been delivered. So what gives then? What's the difference between God delivering Daniel and God not delivering some others? Well, we must look at Daniel chapter 6 in this context as something more than God's deliverance of an individual believer. It points us to something bigger and grander. This is not about having enough faith so that God will bless you, but rather, when we look at Daniel chapter 6, we see that what is provided for us is a picture of the verdict that God will pronounce on all believers in the final judgment. Daniel came safely through the lion's den because God judged him and found him not guilty. Therefore, the lions that were acting as the tools of God's judgment did not destroy Daniel, but in fact, they were kept from destroying him and he was spared.
Speaker 1:You think of other times in Scripture and even in the malicious officials that tried to trap Daniel. They and their full families were thrown into the lion's den and they were crushed before the bodies hit the ground. And we see in Scripture sometimes these terrible executions of God's judgment. Think of Sodom and Gomorrah being destroyed. Think of the cities in Joshua, where some of the Canaanite cities were absolutely leveled. Or even think of Korah, datham and Abirams rebellion in the ground opening up and them all being swallowed up. We wonder, wow, that seems pretty severe, and it is. And it's a picture of the final day of judgment, and all of those who think that they can bear the judgment of God themselves will be destroyed. But for all of those who rest in the grace of God, through Christ, who bore the judgment on our behalf, they will be spared, not because they're more wise, not because they're better behaved, but because of the goodness and the mercy of God. On that last day, all of those who are in sin will be declared guilty and they will suffer the judgment of God. And all of those who have trusted in God's mercy and provision for a Savior will be declared not guilty through the righteousness of Christ, and they will share in Christ's glory.
Speaker 1:But Daniel 6 not only points to the ultimate day of judgment, but it also points to the way in which Jesus fulfills Daniel, chapter 6. Like Daniel, jesus was one who was falsely accused by his enemies and an impotent ruler, and Pontius Pilate did what he could to try to release Jesus and have him escape that punishment, but the trickery of the Christ's opponents and their hatred against them secured that judgment. It reminds us that Jesus was condemned to die, that his body was placed in a tomb and it was sealed so that no situation could be changed by human intervention. Jesus was not, however, just threatened with death. Like Daniel, he himself actually experienced the darkness, the isolation and the abandonment of God that death brought to him. It was the fate that we deserved, but he bore it for us. And Jesus, however, rose victorious from that tomb and, unlike Daniel who, when he was declared by God to be not guilty, was the only one who benefited from that judgment.
Speaker 1:For all of those who rest in Christ as a result of Christ's victory over death, they too will be declared not guilty through the work and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. So what should be our takeaway here? Well, if you are a believer, if you are a one who rests in Jesus Christ as the only hope whereby you might be saved, then be encouraged. Even though life is difficult, even though there are great trials and difficulties that we will experience, we know that we are more than conquerors, through Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us. Through the mercy and the goodness of God, we will prevail. That is the promise of the kingdom of God For those who do not yet believe in Jesus.
Speaker 1:It reminds me of a time when Connie and I were first home owners. First time home owners, we bought a house that had like an acre of ground and there were 18 fruit trees. I knew nothing about taking care of fruit trees. They had been neglected for well over 10 years because of the age and the declining health of the previous owners. So I did all kinds of research to figure out how to care for these fruit trees. I set out one Saturday early in the morning with a bow saw to prune all of these trees.
Speaker 1:It's getting dark. I had been at it all day and I was trying to finish up this one tree and I set the ladder up and I started up the ladder and it wasn't really secure. It was a little bit wobbly and I thought you know, it's only a six foot step ladder, I'm not going up that high and if something happens I'll jump off the ladder and I'll be okay. You know what I learned that day you can't jump from a falling ladder. It doesn't work Now, fortunately I wasn't hurt. I got up, looked around make sure nobody saw what happened and I cleaned up and I went in the house.
Speaker 1:But you see, the folly of thinking that you can jump from a falling ladder is the same for people who feel that you know, I'll believe in Jesus tomorrow. There will be another day and then I'll believe in Jesus. We don't know what days are given to us. We don't know what tomorrow will bring. So scripture urges us that today is the day of salvation, that we should be ready every day for the return of Jesus. So if you're a one who is not yet trusted in Christ as your Lord and Savior, would you confess to him your sin? Would you acknowledge that you're powerless before God to do anything to change your condition before him, that you would be a just recipient of this judgment? But would you cry out to him and mercy through Christ and trust in the work of Jesus for your salvation and experience the release and the fullness of forgiveness that we have in him and the assurance that we will be with him forever? Let us pray.