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Writer's pictureDeborah

Daniel in the Den






Daniel 6:1-5 ESV

Daniel 6:6b-7 ESV

Daniel 6:10-11 (Daniel caught praying to God)

Daniel 6:12-13 (the other satraps turn Daniel in for praying)

Daniel 6:14 ESV

Daniel 6:15 (the other satraps remind the King about the proclamation)

Daniel 6:16-18 (Daniel is thrown into the Den and the King doesn’t sleep)

Daniel 6:20-22 ESV

Daniel 9:19 ESV

Daniel 6:24 (Accusing satraps thrown into the Lion’s Den)


Daniel was an interesting guy.


I say that because even though we often think of him as a prophet, he wasn’t actually considered to be a prophet in his day…at lease not like Jeremiah or Isaiah.


We read in Daniel 6:1-5, “It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint 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.”


That actually set the stage for who and why why Daniel was thrown into the Lion’s Den.


So the jealous gents set a trap for Daniel. In Daniel 6:6b-7 they went to King Darius and said,

“O King Darius, live forever! 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.”


See, they knew Daniel was a devout Hebrew so in Daniel 6:10-11 they followed him and found Daniel praying and giving thanks to the Hebrew God as he did three times a day.


Boy, oh boy the other satraps were really proud of themselves!


They staged this just right. So, they set him up.


They caught Daniel in the act of praying to his Hebrew God and they made a beeline straight for the king to tell him the previously thought high and mighty satrap Daniel broke the ordinance King Darius had just signed (Daniel 6:12-13).


King Darius was in a really bad spot as we read in Daniel 6:14, “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.”  It didn’t matter how hard King Darius tried to save Daniel from his fate because the other satraps reminded Darius that once the proclamation was signed it couldn’t be changed (Daniel 6:15).


Even though King Darius did not want to lose Daniel…the guy who was the best of the bunch and he was the guy the king wanted to promote to top satrap, there was absolutely no way out of this.


King Darius HAD to give the order that Daniel would be thrown into the lion’s den and they even placed a large stone at the mouth of the den so Daniel could not get out. The king was totally upset but he went back to the palace. Darius was so upset that he didn’t sleep a wink. (Daniel 6:16-18).


The King had to be dreading the awful sight in the Lion’s Den the next morning!


Daniel 6:20-22 tells us about the king, “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?”  Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! 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.”


Daniel prayed and he asked to be delivered.


He was faithful to God and Daniel took prayer seriously…God heard and answered.


Even when Daniel was in exile in a strange land that had weird customs, Daniel held fast to the God of his fathers, the Hebrew God of Israel.


As time went on, God continued to bless Daniel and speak to him in mighty ways. Daniel had many dreams and visions that foretold things to come. Daniel had several major visions that foretold of kingdoms to come, the future of the Jewish nation, and the coming kingdom.


In Daniel 9:19 he prayed for his people and for the city of God, “O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”


Daniel prayed for their future and their hope.


Oh, and by the way, remember the other satraps who tried to set Daniel up. In Daniel 6:24, they were thrown into the Lion’s Den and they didn’t pray…they didn’t stand a chance against the hungry lions.


Today’s Spiritual Practice is: Protection


Boldly ask God for protection. God can and will protect you from seen or unseen forces when you ask.


In God, Deborah

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