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Evening Sermon Reading: Daniel 6: 1 – 23 Daniel in the Den of Lions 1 [a]It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, 2 with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. 3 Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4 At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. 5 Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.” 6 So these administrators and satraps went as a group to the king and said: “May King Darius live forever! 7 The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den. 8 Now, Your Majesty, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” 9 So King Darius put the decree in writing. 10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. 11 Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. 12 So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: “Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human being except to you, Your Majesty, would be thrown into the lions’ den?” The king answered, “The decree stands—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” 13 Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, Your Majesty, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.” 14 When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him. 15 Then the men went as a group to King Darius and said to him, “Remember, Your Majesty, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed.” 16 So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!” 17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed. 18 Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep. 19 At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. 20 When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?” 21 Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! 22 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 ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.” 23 The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.
In life we have enemies. Virtually every character in the Scriptures, who achieved anything for God, had enemies. Think about it: Adam, Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph - we haven’t got out of the Book of Genesis yet! There are 59 more books to go! The reason for this is that we live in a fallen world. The Scriptures speak of the sources of this antipathy toward God’s interests as the world, the flesh and the devil. The world: a spirit of general antipathy towards God and godliness The flesh: that selfish and independently minded old nature The devil: the spiritual forces marshalled against God The point is we can have people, who for any number of reasons, oppose us – sometimes quite severely. Jesus recognised this and quite plainly said, the world will hate you. Daniel had some particularly determined and powerful enemies. These were the top men in the country after the king! They lay a sophisticated trap for him (one they know he’ll fall into - for Daniel is not about to stop worshipping God), watch him carefully and catch him in the act of prayer! And it’s a trap with dire consequences: he is to be thrown to hungry lions. We should notice that, unlike in the event of the fiery furnace, Daniel did not have his friends with him. There is no mention of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. He is alone in this and therefore more vulnerable … BUT he finds a friend in the King who fasted and prayed for him all night! God hears King Darius’s prayers and shuts the lions’ mouths. Daniel did not make it alone and neither should we. God has designed us to be part of the Body of Christ, and it is here that we find both nurture and protection. That is why belonging to a small group is so important. Spiritually – we need to watch one anothers’ backs and support one another as we grow in Christ together. Paul in his letter to the church in Ephesus has 4 powerful images of how we should be: 1. Ephesians 1: 3, and 2: 6. 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, Seated with Christ in heavenly realms. And believe you me, it’s not just me and Jesus! No privatised faith – just me and God. There are a whole lot of other people there. It’s kind of crowded round the throne! The kingdom of God is more like a rugby scrum than it is a cricket match. Get into the scrum! We’re more effective for God together, and we are more protected together. 2. Ephesians 2: 19 – 22 19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. We are members of God’s household - bricks built into the building of God, and Jesus in the chief cornerstone. We are no pile of loose bricks. Together we make a household, a building, a temple, a dwelling – which houses God. God can’t be housed by a pile of independent bricks. Be built into the household of faith. We’re more effective for God together, and we are more protected together. 3. Ephesians 4: 15 – 16 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. We’re organs in the body. The body is held together by every supporting ligament. We’re more effective for God together, and we are more protected together. 4. Ephesians 6: 10 - 13 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. The image here is of a Roman soldier and Paul goes on to name each part of armour. The overriding image of the Roman soldier was the testudo or tortoise formation, where together, the soldiers’ shields formed a complete protection. Both over their heads and around the sides of the platoon. Like the Roman soldier, armed and ready for action, we work together. We’re more effective for God together, and we are more protected together.
This is how God expects us to be, for we’re more effective for God together, and we are more protected together. Daniel was fortunate to find a friend in the King who stood with him before God. Let us, in this time after Easter when the dominant image in our minds is the resurrection power of Christ, remember: we can’t do it on our own. Find Christians to stand with you in the particular ministry God calls you to. You’d be surprised how pleasing this is to the Holy Spirit, for the Spirit is given to the Church (the Body) not for individual benefit. And remember, when we find enemies, Jesus bids us love them. This too, we can only do together: for in God’s world, enemies often become friends. I’d like to end with a poem I read not long after I became a Christian. It goes something like this: He drew a circle to shut me out; Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout. But Love and I had the wit to win. We drew a circle that took him in. God bless you. |
