The Sunday of The Prophet Daniel (CL)

Daniel 6:10-24

⁶ Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live forever! ⁷ All the high officials 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 injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. ⁸ Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” ⁹ Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction.

¹⁰ 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. ¹¹ Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. ¹² 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 thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.” ¹³ Then they answered and said before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.”

¹⁴ 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. ¹⁵ Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.”

¹⁶ 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!” ¹⁷ 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. ¹⁸ Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him.

¹⁹ Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. ²⁰ As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. 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?” ²¹ Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! ²² My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ 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.” ²³ 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. ²⁴ 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 in pieces.

²⁵ Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. ²⁶ 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.

²⁷    He delivers and rescues;

he works signs and wonders

in heaven and on earth,

       he who has saved Daniel

from the power of the lions.”

²⁸ So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Daniel knowingly defies his King. Daniel boldly prays to God looking toward Jerusalem. Daniel even faithfully goes to the Lions Den. Many people enjoy talking about Daniel’s faith. They also like to talk about how the prefects, satraps, and presidents tricked the King into condemning Daniel.

But my favorite part of this text is the full condemnation of those people. When the King comes with trepidation to the Den and yells out for Daniel, he naturally expects Daniel to be dead. But Daniel is unharmed. So the King turns on those who condemned him. He instructs that they be cast in the den with their families. “And before they reached the bottom of the den,” they were killed.

Daniel survived overnight. Daniel was rescued by God. God provided Daniel with life among his fellow creatures. Daniel gives us a picture of everlasting life. The Lion and the Lamb (or Daniel) lay down together. The Satraps give us a picture everlasting condemnation. There is a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. This is a great picture of what it will be like on Judgment Day.

Daniel should be an example for all of us to be able to face death without fear. We know like Job that our Redeemer lives. We know that Christ has conquered death. So why fear it? (because it is terrifying!) King Darius even issues not a decree against worshiping the Living God, but that YHWH’s reign, or the Kingdom of heaven will never be destroyed and shall have no end.

God not only has the power over the Lions, but he has the power over death itself.

Alternative: Daniel 6:6-27