Daniel 6: The Lion’s Den

Info

Series: Daniel

Title: 6. Daniel 6: The Lion's Den #repentence

Preached:

2017-12-30: White Rock Lake

Songs:

Dare to Be a Daniel

Scripture: Ephesians 6:11-13

Intro
The story
1. Daniel 6:1-5 p 863: Is it the case for you, also, that someone who desired to take you down could find nothing against you except the law of your God?
2. Vv 6-9: The scheme of Daniel’s enemies had two important features:
  1. Babylonian kings weren’t generally regarded as divine. Darius was a foreigner, and may have feared that he wasn’t fully accepted as the legitimate ruler. Therefore, the idea to elevate his status by making him a god-king was an attractive proposition. The king no doubt expected this decree to greatly enhance his political power.
  2. The unchangeable nature of the laws of the Medes and the Persians was intended to show the power of the kings. The idea was that the Medo-Persian kings were so great that there could never be a need to change their decrees. This characteristic was exploited, however, by various malevolent forces: here, and Haman, in the story of Esther.
3. V 10: Daniel’s response
  1. What’s the best thing to do when in trouble? Pray.
  2. Notice that Daniel didn’t set out to antagonize his enemies.
    1. He didn’t suddenly start praying in his window three times a day.
    2. Following God doesn’t mean deliberately causing problems.
    3. Persecution isn’t necessarily a sign of serving God; sometimes it’s a result of foolishness.
  3. However, Daniel wasn’t intimidated into changing his practices.
    1. He could have reasoned that God can hear prayers from the inner rooms, where Daniel’s enemies wouldn’t be able to prove that he had been praying. But, he didn’t.
    2. Daniel instead chose to stand firm and not follow the crowd.
    3. His relationship with God was more important to him than whatever might have seemed expedient.
  4. First point: When we know what is right, we need to stand firm and not be shaken by the attacks of the evil one.
  5. Daniel must have been well aware of the decree, and he probably realized that it was the result of a plot against him.
  6. However, he knew that his God would honor obedience. This wasn’t the first time such a situation had arisen in his lifetime. Daniel 3 records the story of the fiery furnace in which Daniel’s friends had told the king:
    1. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”
    2. Daniel 3:17-18 (NKJV)
    3. Just like in the previous story, Daniel chose to serve God, without knowing in advance what God would do. He must have known that his prayers would be reported to the king, but he left the outcome in God’s hands.
  7. Second point: When we’re faced with a choice between honoring God and facing an expected bad outcome, we need to trust God first and leave the outcome to Him.
4. Vv 11-14: The king instantly regretted his decree, but was powerless to reverse it.
  1. Third point: Be careful what you agree to. Don’t make decisions in haste.
5. Vv 15-23: God did His work, and Daniel was delivered.
6. Vv 24-28: God used Daniel’s trials to bring about a great result.
Conclusion