Shutting the mouths of the lions

I am sure we are all familiar with the story of Daniel in the lions’ den found in Daniel chapter 6.   Daniel had been taken into exile by the Babylonians. He and some other exiles had found favour and risen to prominence in the land both under King Nebuchadnezzar and King Belshazzar.   When the Persians invaded Babylon Daniel continued to play a prominent role in the administration of the country.  King Darius had appointed 120 satraps to rule over the kingdom with three administrators over them to make sure there were no financial irregularities. Daniel was one of these administrators. 

Daniel did so well that the King Darius planned to put him over the whole kingdom.  How did Daniel get to such a position?

In chapter 1 we read that all Daniel and his friends did was separate themselves from the chosen others by their Godly living. God then caused the officials to show them favour (1: 9) and God gave them knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning (1:17).    God asks that everyone of us does what we know to do to the best of our ability and he will bless our lives abundantly.  Having got to the highest position in the land, Daniel did not sit back and relax but continued to seek and serve God even when it got him into trouble.

The satraps and other administrators were not happy about Daniel’s promotion and tried to find grounds for charges to be brought against him without success. They then sought to discredit him by using his greatest strength, his relationship with God, as the means of his downfall.  

All the royal officials persuaded the king that anyone who prayed to any god except the king for the next 30 days should be thrown into the lions’ den.  The laws of the Medes and Persians that the king made were written down and were unbreakable and applied to everyone, with no exceptions.  

When Daniel learned of this, he continued to do what he had always done, prayed (giving thanks) to God three times a day from his window facing towards Jerusalem.  Daniel did not panic or run to the king, he took his case to the courts of heaven.  

This is such a wonderful lesson for us. When things go badly awry and especially when we have done nothing wrong we need to take it to God not complain to anyone who will listen.

Daniel’s accusers knew his routine and a group of them went and found him praying. They then ran to the king to tell him that Daniel was breaking this new law.  The king was greatly distressed and did all he could to save Daniel but his own law was irreversible and irrevocable. The king had to agree to Daniel being thrown into the lions’ den but he said to Daniel, ‘May your God whom you serve continually, rescue you.’   He even had to seal the stone of the lions’ den so there could be no rescue bid.  

If the king had been able to rescue Daniel, everyone would have praised the king but through God's amazing miracle of deliverance, the whole nation turned to God. 

The king was so distressed that he did not eat or have entertainment that night nor could he sleep. At first light he was down at the lions’ den calling out to Daniel to ask him if God had saved him.  Daniel’s answering call must have been the greatest relief to the king. ‘O king live forever. My God sent his angel and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I done any wrong before you. O king.’  The king was overjoyed and when they lifted Daniel out they found no wounds on him.  

Like Daniel we can trust God with our situations not just when we have no choice but in our everyday lives.  Daniel lived in a godless and violent nation and yet he served God faithfully and trusted him to rescue him when no one, not even the king, could save him.  His trust was not misplaced.  As a result of God’s deliverance from certain death, the king ordered the whole empire to ‘fear and reverence the God of Daniel (6:26).  The king was amazingly transformed and came to faith as a result of the miraculous deliverance of Daniel.  

Hopefully you are not facing a lions’ den in your life but take heart that God will answer your faith filled prayers and will shut the mouth of any lions sent to devour you.  You can trust God completely – he is able to bring deliverance from any situation – even the ones that no one else can fix – and his favour rests on you today