Daniel 6:6-27

So the presidents and satraps conspired and came to the king and said to him, ‘O King Darius, live forever! All the presidents of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors, are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an interdict, that whoever prays to anyone, divine or human, for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into a den of lions. Now, O king, establish the interdict and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.’ Therefore King Darius signed the document and interdict.

Although Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he continued to go to his house, which had windows in its upper room open towards Jerusalem, and to get down on his knees three times a day to pray to his God and praise him, just as he had done previously. The conspirators came and found Daniel praying and seeking mercy before his God. Then they approached the king and said concerning the interdict, ‘O king! Did you not sign an interdict, that anyone who prays to anyone, divine or human, within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be thrown into a den of lions?’ The king answered, ‘The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.’ Then they responded to the king, ‘Daniel, one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the interdict you have signed, but he is saying his prayers three times a day.’

When the king heard the charge, he was very much distressed. He was determined to save Daniel, and until the sun went down he made every effort to rescue him. Then the conspirators came to the king and said to him, ‘Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no interdict or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.’

Then the king gave the command, and Daniel was brought and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to Daniel, ‘May your God, whom you faithfully serve, deliver you!’ 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, so that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no food was brought to him, and sleep fled from him.

Then, at break of day, the king got up and hurried to the den of lions. When he came near the den where Daniel was, he cried out anxiously to Daniel, ‘O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God whom you faithfully serve been able to deliver you from the lions?’ Daniel then said to the king, ‘O king, live forever! My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no wrong.’ 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 had trusted in his God. The king gave a command, and those who had accused Daniel were brought and thrown into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. Before they reached the bottom of the den the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.

Then King Darius wrote to all peoples and nations of every language throughout the whole world: ‘May you have abundant prosperity! I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people should 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 has no end.

He delivers and rescues,

he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth;

for he has saved Daniel

from the power of the lions.’

This morning’s reading reminds me of the one about a young missionary who was on his first term in Africa. One day he was reading his Bible in a clearing of the savanna when a lion came up and laid down beside him. The missionary was greatly terrified and while he quietly prayed for deliverance, another lion came out of the bush and laid down on his other side. Convinced that this was a test of his faith, he returned to reading his bible. As soon as he did, the two lions pounced on him and devoured him. Now then, what is the moral of the story? Do not try to read between the lions.

Unless, of course, you’re our friend, Daniel! I doubt he was allowed to take a Bible…well, the Holy Scriptures of his time…into that lion’s den. No, Daniel had to rely on nothing but prayer to save him from that terrifying experience. I like to envision the lions lying down next to him just as they did for that missionary, their mouths muzzled and completely at peace. Perhaps because Daniel was praying instead of reading as the moral of the missionary’s story suggests!

We’re continuing along in our reflection on Daniel’s life and witness this morning with yet another miraculous story of God’s salvation. As if the story of Daniel’s friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego being saved from the fiery furnace wasn’t witness enough to God’s mighty power, Daniel himself had to experience it firsthand. But before we reflect on the miracle in today’s reading, we ought to consider its context. Recall from last week that Daniel was a powerful prophet who had the gift of interpreting dreams. He successfully interpreted King Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams and was elevated to a position overseeing all the wise leaders of Babylon. Daniel, in turn, asked for his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, to be elevated to distinguishing titles of administrators over the province of Babylon. Keep in mind that Daniel and his friends were faithful followers of our God which poses a serious problem for the leaders of Babylon. First, Nebuchadnezzar challenged the faiths of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego by having a statue erected and expecting everyone in his kingdom to worship. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to worship the statue and were condemned to a fiery furnace. Alas, God came to their rescue and delivered them from their fiery fate. Nebuchadnezzar was convinced of our God’s might and had his kingdom worship our God thereafter. That worship continued through Nebuchadnezzar’s reign and through his son, Belshazzar’s, reign but was again challenged under Belshazzar’s successor, Darius’ reign. Not by Darius but by the leaders around him who conspired to challenge our God’s authority. We heard in our reading for today how Darius’ trusted advisors managed to convince him to declare a 30-day ban on praying to anyone or anything along with the lion’s den as punishment for disobedience. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego before him, Daniel wasn’t dissuaded by the decree and continued praying to our God three times a day. Daniel was thrown into the den and miraculously saved.

Now then, what wisdom can we take away from Daniel’s powerful witness? There are forces in this world that are always conspiring to challenge the power and authority of our God. Darius himself was a supporter of Daniel and our God yet he was surrounded by wicked, prideful advisors. In their pride they thought they could control the prayer and worship of the people. But God will not be mocked! Our God has absolute authority over all things and will have our committed devotion! Daniel knew this…Daniel knew this and trusted this. This world is full of not only wicked, prideful people but also foolish people. People who behave without sense or reason. Some might argue that Daniel’s persistence in prayer was foolish behavior but that’s because they don’t know God. They don’t know the stories of God’s mighty power and deliverance. They don’t know that God can make and has made the impossible possible. They’re not paying attention to God’s powerful work in their own lives. Trusting in God is not foolish behavior! Trusting in God is the wisest thing that we can do!

Our God is a God of freedom which means He values freedom above anything that tries to enslave us. This world is full of not only prideful, foolish people but it also has several traps that are meant to ensnare us. The lion’s den is representative of all those traps that try to devour us. Without God on our side, they will consume us! But with God on our side, they merely inconvenience us. Our God can and will deliver us from whatever dangerous situation we find ourselves in. Simply recall the wisdom of King David. He, too, found himself in all sorts of dangerous situations. Like Darius, I imagine he was surrounded by wicked, prideful advisors as well. Remember, the world is full of them, and they tend to gravitate towards people in power. But unlike Darius, David rarely if ever actually listened to those wicked people. Instead, he clung to our God and led wisely. It’s no wonder he sang so wisely in his psalms. In his 34th psalm, he sang, “when the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles.” (vs. 17) The Lord delivers those who do the right thing and are assailed by the wicked around them. The Lord delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The Lord delivered Daniel. Be assured that our God is a God of freedom and deliverance. Peter tells us in his 2nd letter, “then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment.” (2:9) Those words resonate particularly with Daniel’s witness. No one could save Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fiery furnace. No one could save Daniel from the lion’s den. Only God knows how to rescue the godly from trial! Only God knows how to give impossible salvation!

There might be no “reading between the lions” but there certainly is “praying between the lions!” Daniel’s witness showed this with powerful effect! Let us be affirmed and assured by his witness. Let us not be afraid to place our trust in God in whatever situations we find ourselves. Our God is a God of freedom and deliverance! Let us fearlessly trust our God and boldly cling to his words spoken through David, “Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” (Ps. 50:15) Thanks be to God!

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.