Written ~ 08-30-2023
Daniel 6:26-27
“I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the Living God, and He will endure forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his rule will never end. He rescues and saves His people; He performs miraculous signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth. He rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”
Take the time to read the entire Book of Daniel, it’s quite fascinating how God used him. For now, I suggest just reading chapter six, just to better understand why King Darius came to this conclusion about the Almighty God. I’ll summarize it here:
Darius had just become king, he appointed Daniel along with two others as administrators to supervise the high officers. Because of the jealousy of the others, they began to plot a way to get rid of him. But they couldn’t find anything to accuse him of, he was upstanding in everything he did. Verses 6:4-5, shows us what they came up with:
“Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy. So, they concluded, ‘Our only chance to finding grounds of accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion.’”
Let’s think about this. Daniel had been placed in an authoritative position by the king and he proved himself to be very capable. No complaints could be made about his performance, his character, nothing. If someone were to take a magnifying glass and look closely at your behavior at work, at home, and when serving at church, what would they see? Daniel was found to be faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy; no accusation could be made against him. Even if we don’t realize others are watching, they are. But even if you don’t come up against such jealousy at work, in your home or at church, God is watching.
For Daniel, since the other administrators and the high officers couldn’t find anything wrong with his performance, they decide to attack his spiritual life. They were going to use his devotion to the Lord against him. That can be the case for any of us, if your coworkers have issues with you for some reason, but can’t find any wrongdoing, they may try to use the faith you have in the Lord against you. Jealousy is a strong emotion, Daniel’s coworkers hated him so much they were going to attack him where they knew they could hurt him the most. So, let me ask you this, do your coworkers know you are a believer? Do they see the Lord in you and see your devotion to Him? When people can’t express exactly why they don’t like you, it might be because of the Lord living within you!
For Daniel, it is notable that he followed the Lords commands and in Daniel 1:17 it says, “…and God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams.” So, Daniel was being used by God in a very powerful way and it had drawn the attention of others and jealousy had set in.
A plan was set into place to catch Daniel disobeying a direct law of the king. It was a law they devised and presented it in such a way to mislead the king to get him to sign a law that could not be changed or revoked for any reason. Verse 6:7b tells us the plan…
“…Give the orders that for the next 30 days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human – except you, Your Majesty – will be thrown into the den of lions.”
The plan was set in motion, eventually Daniel was “caught” praying to the Lord. Those jealous coworkers couldn’t wait to bring the news to their boss that Daniel was found praying and disobeying a direct law signed by the king. When the king heard it was Daniel, he was quite troubled, he didn’t want to enforce the punishment for breaking this law. But his hands were tied, the law was signed, he had to follow through.
This is an important lesson. I’ve heard on many occasions people say, “How can there be a God when there is so much evil in the world?” In the case of Daniel, it was not God who caused him to be arrested and charged with death for the disobedience of the king’s law. No, it was the crowd of non-believers who wanted nothing else but to take Daniel down. The king had to enforce the law; God also had to wait and let the evil plans be set into motion.
When Daniel was taken by force and thrown into the lion’s den, the king was quite distraught, and right before the stone was rolled over the mouth of the den, he said in verse 6:16,
“May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you.”
And God was faithful! For Daniel, God shut the mouths of the hungry lions. Verse 6:23, “Not a scratch was found on him, for he had trusted in his God.” When the king discovered Daniel alive and well the next morning, he began praising God! The people who had arranged this plan for Daniel were then thrown into the lion’s den. It says in verse 6:24, “The lions leaped on them and tore them apart before they even hit the floor of the den.”
Because God had shown His plan for Daniel in such a miraculous way, the king couldn’t help but set a new decree. This time it was in favor of praising God Almighty! How true it is, when those around us see the unwavering faith we have in the Lord, it is quite possible they will turn to the Lord by our unchanging and steadfast worship of the Lord. If your witness, at work, at home, even at church is reflective of Christ living within you, change will happen. Even if you must endure false accusations and jealousy, God will provide a way to show His faithfulness.
Daniel 6:26-27, what an awesome declaration of who Almighty God is…
He is the LIVING God
He will endure FOREVER
His kingdom will never be destroyed
His rule will never end
God rescues and saves His people
He performs miraculous signs and wonders
God rescued Daniel from the power of the lions!
Don’t ever forget who God is. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is worthy of our constant praise! Let’s be like Daniel, not fearful of what people can do to us, instead have full trust in what God’s plan is for our lives. What if there was a different outcome for Daniel, and the lion’s mouths remained open? Daniel would’ve died in that den. BUT… What would not have changed was the trust and the faith Daniel had in the Lord, he would’ve died praising God. His testimony would still be one of faith and obedience to the Lord no matter the outcome.
My prayer is that my testimony would show my faith and trust in the Lord, no matter what comes my way. My hopeful prayer is that you feel the same way.
~AMEN~