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Daniel 6 (ESV)

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.

 

REFLECTION:

1. After Daniel experienced Babylonian rule, he is now facing the change of regime again. By calculation, Daniel was already eighty years old at the time, but he still had to accept the challenge to his faith. Daniel was still valued before the king of Persia, but he was hated by other leaders who oversaw civil servants and they set a trap against his beliefs.
2. According to the Jewish habit, they pray to God three times a day, that is, every morning, at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, and at sunset. And Daniel opened the windowin his upper chamber toward Jerusalem and prayed because Solomon said in the prayer of the dedication of the temple: If the people are taken into captivity because of sinning against God, as long as they return to God there and pray to the holy city and temple, God will listen (refer to 2 Chronicles 6). The Jews who lived in the exile had the habit of prayingin the direction of the temple.
3. The king’s ban directly challenged Daniel’s belief and mission, and when Darius found that the situation was serious, it was difficult to remedy it, but Daniel would be punished by being thrown into the den of lions. The lion den is a torture tool in Persia, which is different from Babylon. The Babylonians uses a fire furnace as a torture tool, but the Persians have the habit of worshiping fire, so they will not use fire as a torture tool. In Daniel, we see an important truth. A person with a good spiritual life does not mean that everything will go well; although Daniel has a good spiritual life, he still has to face various trials.
4. The Bible does not record whether Daniel sought help from the king, but the author clearly tells us that the king seems to be powerless in this case, and Daniel received help directly from God. When some Christians encounter difficulties, they will find a mentor, experienced counselor or problem expert to solve the problem at the first time. We should first come to God and directly seek God’s help.

 

PRAYER:

Pray for God to make you understand that the difficulties and trials in life are inevitable. Pray for the Lord to give you firm faith and courage to not give up the principles of your faith in the difficulties, and get direct help from God.