Daniel 6
Daniel was a man of great insight and ability. This is not just an observation about his natural gifts. It was recognized that he was a man who had a spiritual discernment that came from beyond him. Because this was known by king Darius, Daniel was distinguished above other royal advisors. In this way his story is reminiscent of the patriarch Joseph, who did well no matter where he was placed, whether in the home of an Egyptian official, in the king’s prison, or in service to Pharaoh himself. Joseph’s story tells us that this kind of favor with God and man does not rule out suffering. In Daniel 6 we read of an episode of tremendous betrayal and trouble, but also of divine deliverance more powerful than the plots of evil men.
Daniel’s advancement had not escaped the attention of the many advisors to the king. When we read of them taking counsel together for the destruction of Daniel we remember the religious leaders at the time of Jesus, and their efforts to counteract the popularity of the Messiah, and even to have him turned over to the Gentiles in order to kill him. In the case of Daniel, his adversaries knew that they could not credibly accuse him of incompetence or wrongdoing. Their only hope was to create some conflict between the Law of Daniel’s God and some edict of the king. Their plan was to have the king prohibit the petition of any god or even any other man but the king for thirty days upon pain of death.
We are not told why the king agreed to such a decree, but he did. Daniel’s response to all of this was intriguing. He kept on doing what he had apparently been doing for some time according to a well-developed habit of spiritual discipline. Three times per day he went to his knees and prayed toward
Like Pilate, who would have seen Jesus released, king Darius became an unwitting participant in a trap that was intended to force him to kill the man that others had come to hate. The king searched for a way out of this predicament, but he was unable to do so. Daniel would go to the lions for his offense, and the rule of law in the empire would be upheld. Yet the King spent the night fasting after expressing hope that Daniel’s God would step in and save this great man.
The story of the care of Darius for Daniel is moving. He wanted him to live, and he did live. He wanted to have a voice answer him when he cried out in anguish as he came near the lion’s den, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” Then he heard the words that his soul loved: “O king, live forever! My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths.” He was alive! We are told that he was alive because he was blameless before God and man, but how can a man be blameless?
We know the end of Daniel’s story, and we know the end of the story of his enemies who wanted him dead. This does not answer our question about blamelessness. Daniel came into this world with the stain of Adam’s sin. He was a truly great man, but like Joseph, Samuel, Ruth, Mary, and a handful of other truly great Bible heroes, he needed a Savior to come so that before the judgment seat of God he could be acknowledged as fully blameless because of the perfect blamelessness of Jesus Christ. The answer is in Daniel’s God, the one he prayed to when praying meant facing death by wild beasts.
When Pilate said about Jesus, “I find no guilt in him,” he could not have understood how true his words were. His enemies took counsel together against Jesus out of envy. They wanted to see him dead. They thought that they had succeeded in their plans, but Jesus was not dying on a cross because of their clever scheme. He went to the cross because of his willing agreement to the plan of our sovereign God that the Lord’s beloved people might be counted as blameless. Jesus did not lose his battle on the cross. It was through the cross and the resurrection that He won His great victory. He did this so that we would live forever.
Today we are still in an age where it could be said of us that we are in harm’s way. If we are faithful to God more than men, those who have the power of the sword may determine to use it against us. We do not choose to enter a den of lions, but that den may find us. Christ has warned us that what people have done to Him, who is our great King, they will also do to us, who seek to serve Him as His faithful subjects. God can deliver you out of the mouth of a lion, but that is actually a small matter compared to what He has already done for you through His beloved Son. Because of Jesus Christ, though we die, we shall live. This is better than any health or prosperity that might be ours for a brief moment. Follow the King who died on the cross for you. Live forever.
posted by Pastor Magee @ 7:00 AM
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