Daniel In The Lions Den
Daniel 6:1-23
The prophet Daniel lived during a time when Israel was a conquered nation. Defeated first by the Babylonians and then ruled by the Persians, many of the inhabitants of Israel were deported to Babylon. This strategy of depopulating and then repopulating a land was designed so as to quell any remains of nationalistic fervor to the former government and to consolidate the power of the conquering nation.
Daniel was one of those deported to Babylon. In fact, he lived his life in Babylon and served in the courts of at least two different kings. However, his life was not always lived in the palace. Daniel refused to sacrifice the commitments of his Hebrew faith and consequently he faced many challenges and opposition. Time and time again, it looked as if Daniel would face prison and even death for disobeying the dictates of the king. Time and time again, God delivered Daniel and taught him and shaped his life through those experiences so that Daniel became known as a man of integrity and great wisdom.
Fast forward with me to Daniel now in his eighties. He has become known as a wise man, but he has had some hair-raising experiences along the way. He has survived deportation from his homeland as a young man, and he has survived after disobeying the king's orders in order to maintain his spiritual integrity. And... he has even survived being the one who had to give give two different kings the bad news that they were going to lose their crown and one of them was going to lose his life.
Now, in his eighties he is the victim of a conspiracy. He has been set up by his peers so that he is once again faced with the awareness that to pray and worship his God is going to violate an edict by the new king and as a consequence land Daniel in a Lion's Den to face what most would agree was certain death.
Rather than turn from this challenge of his old age, Daniel faces it head-on. He continues his practice of worship, is arrested and thrown in the den, but by God's miraculous intervention he is spared. The king who is suitably impressed makes a proclamation that Daniel's God is the one true God of all the earth.
Sounds good, doesn't it? But there are some important considerations. How would you like to face this kind of trouble late in life? And doesn't it seem to you that after all these years of faithfulness God would spare Daniel this intense trial?
Here are a couple of lessons for us from Daniel's life.
First, this world is not your home. No matter how well things seem to be going always remember your living in a place that is not your home. And like Daniel if you live out your faith, you
will face hostility and adversity no matter how long you live. But take heart, God will use all those events to shape your life and grow you just like He did for Daniel. And you have a homeland of heaven waiting for you that the apostle Paul described as “better by far.”
Second, God is always with you and will provide for you. Three different times an angel came to Daniel with a message from God that began with reminding him that he was greatly loved by God. Think of it, displaced from his homeland, dominated by foreigners and threatened for practicing his faith. Yet, through all of that God was with him and would save him through the experiences.
In this world, you will have difficulties. We live in a world cursed with sin. Our lives, along with all the rest of creation are affected by this curse. Poor health, financial reversals, interpersonal conflicts, addictions of various sorts...all of these things are just some of the struggles facing believers who live behind enemy lines. But through it all God is with you and will make provision for you to overcome whatever it is your facing.
Daniel was in his eighties and he was in the lion's den. But God was with Him, faithful in his provisions and constant presence. And one day, God would take him home. He knows how to take care of you too.
Pastor Tommy
