The Lion's Den, Daniel 6, OT S1:E574

0:00Welcome to the Family Bible Journey. If you would like to see how the journaling that we talk about in the podcast works, go to the website familybibledjrny.com where you can learn more. This is episode 574 season one of the Family Bible Journey Old Testament podcast. Today looking at Daniel chapter 6. The title of today's podcast is The Lion's Den in our key verses for today. The entirety of Daniel chapter 6 where we read. It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 seatrapes to be throughout the whole kingdom and set over them three presidents of whom Daniel was one, to whom these seatrapes could give account so that the king might suffer no loss. Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other presidents and seatrapes because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.

1:03Then the presidents and the seatrapes sought to find ground for complaining against Daniel with regard to the kingdom but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault because he was faithful and no error or fault was found in him. Then these men said, we shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God. Then these presidents and seatrapes came by agreement to the king and sent to him. O King Darius lived forever. All the presidents of the kingdom, the prefects and the seatrapes, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction that whoever makes petition to any God or man for 30 days except to you O King shall be cast into the den of lions. Now O King established the injunction and signed the document so that it cannot be changed according to the law of the meats and Persians which cannot be revoked. Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction. 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.

2:06He 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. Then they came near and said before the king concerning the injunction. O King, did you not sign an injunction that anyone who makes petition to any God or man within 30 days except you O King shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said the things stands fast according to the law of the meats and Persians which cannot be revoked. Then they answered and said before the king Daniel who was one of the exiles from Judah paced no attention to you O King or the injunction 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 labored till the Son went down to rescue him. Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, no O King that it is

3:07a lot of the meats and Persians 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 his stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den and the king sealed it with his own segment and with the segment 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. On a break of day the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions and he came near to the den where Daniel was and cried out an atone of anguish to the king declared to Daniel. O 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 sent his angel and shut the lion's mouths and they have not harmed me because

4:11I was found blameless before him. And also before you, O 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 harm was found on him because he had 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 hands overpowered them and broke all their bones and pieces. Then King Darius wrote to all the people's nations and languages that dwell in all the earth. Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree that in all my royal dominion, people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God, enduring forever, his kingdom shall never be destroyed and his dominion shall be to the end. He delivers in rescues. He works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth. He who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.

5:14So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus, the Persian. This is the word of the Lord. This is one of our familiar Sunday school passages for those who are brought up in the church. And this Daniel being rescued from the den of lions, we see that even an edict of the King was unable to deter Daniel from praying to his God and worshipping the Lord, the one true God above all others. And through this miraculous intervention, God sending an angel to quiet the mouths of the lions. It would be fascinating not to be able to see inside the den of lions was Daniel playing with the lions like one would play with kittens. Because everybody just kind of minding their own business was the angel position between Daniel and the lions or was the warmth of his glowing light enough to quiet the appetites

6:15of these ferocious beasts. We don't have any good answers to any of these questions. So what we do know for sure is that God honored Daniel and redeemed Daniel and used Daniel to bring even Darius the meat to faith and the one true God. This proclamation at the end of the chapter I have highlighted in grain ink. And I have a note on verse 16 of chapter 6. It says, our faith grows in the hearts of others when they see how we faithfully respond to affliction. And so this chapter is a great encouragement to us to be faithful and to demonstrate crudance and wisdom and patience. Even when we are being tried by silly degrees or laws, if we find ourselves living in an ungodly land, we find ourselves persecuted for the faith as Daniel is here in this passage.

7:20We can take heart because we know that the victory has already been won for us in Christ Jesus. Yes, we live in a broken and a sinful world. We live in a world where people oftentimes set themselves up over and against the worship of the one true God. Human beings would rather do anything or honor anyone as God as opposed to the Lord. If we are left to our own devices, so we should not be frightened or alarmed when people do things that make it hard for us to practice our faith, or if we would find ourselves as Daniel most certainly did suffering for our faith, our true character and the depth and the strength of our faith. It will be seen as we lean on the Lord in faith. And those times of trial, times that we would not ask for, things that we would not want to happen normally or naturally. It is those times, those trials, those afflictions that give us better opportunity to demonstrate

8:27the strength and character of our faith to those around us than all the prosperity, the ease, the wealth, the power, the prestige that we oftentimes pray for, pursue and want to receive for ourselves. Because we know as Christians, the God who uses the hard things to shine His light brightly into our hearts and minds and as this story shows, bringing even heathen kings to faith. As dearest, it appears to this degree was brought to faith in the One True God, Daniel's God that saved him from a lion. We believe in a God who saves not only from lions, but as Christians, we know the love and power and mercy of a God who has saved us from sin, Satan and even death itself. So we have nothing to fear from our enemies and we have every reason to continue to persist

9:28in righteousness and faith, even when it's difficult, even when it's hard, even when we are afflicted for the faith, because when we conduct ourselves as Daniel does here in this passage, God is able that our faith would be able to grow in the hearts of those around us and there is nothing better that we could do for anyone than to show them the power of faith that is ours in Christ Jesus because it is through Christ Jesus that all may be saved and come to a saving knowledge of God as their Lord and Savior. As we see here in this chapter. If you are blessed by the Family Bible Journey podcast, help us get the word out, either by becoming a sponsor at FamilyBibleJourney.com or simply by liking, sharing, following and subscribing as you listen. Our blessing for today. May your faith show in adversity and their my grow in the hearts of others.

10:31Amen.