This week, Pastor Bart concludes his series through the book of Daniel entitled “Living With Lions”, with the eighth lion, “The Lion of Lethargy”.

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This week, Pastor Bart continues his series through the book of Daniel entitled, “Living With Lions”, with his message on the seventh lion, the Lion of Confusion.

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Daniel 6:25-28

²⁵Then King Darius sent this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world:

“Peace and prosperity to you!
²⁶“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.
²⁷He rescues and saves his people;
he performs miraculous signs and wonders
in the heavens and on earth.
He has rescued Daniel
from the power of the lions.”

²⁸So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Reflect

King Darius came to believe that Daniel’s God was real because of Daniel’s faithfulness. He also witnessed first hand the power of God when Daniel was faithful and God rescued Daniel. Daniel was in a strange land but was still a witness to God’s faithfulness and power. Through Daniel’s faithful devotion to God, Daniel was able to be a testimony to powerful people.

Even in your everyday life, you too can be a testimony about God’s power and faithfulness in your own life. If you are faithful to God, you can make an impact for God by your example.

Respond

1. Did King Darius eventually come to believe in God?
2. What convinced the King that God is faithful?
3. How can you make an impact for God in your everyday life?

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Daniel 6:19-24

¹⁹Very early the next morning, the king got up and hurried out to the lions’ den. ²⁰When he got there, he called out in anguish, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you serve so faithfully, able to rescue you from the lions?”

²¹Daniel answered, “Long live the king! ²²My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty.”

²³The king was overjoyed and ordered that Daniel be lifted from the den. Not a scratch was found on him, for he had trusted in his God.

²⁴Then the king gave orders to arrest the men who had maliciously accused Daniel. He had them thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. The lions leaped on them and tore them apart before they even hit the floor of the den.

Reflect

From yesterday’s reading, we know that the king worried about what he had been forced to do to Daniel. Even as an unbeliever, the king knew that Daniel was faithful to God (’whom you serve so faithfully’). I can almost hear the king praying for God to keep Daniel safe. You can tell that Daniel and the king had respect for each other and Daniel’s faith had impressed the king so much that the king even addressed Daniel as “servant of the living God”! Daniel also knew that the king was tricked into this and acknowledged the respect he had for the king. He knew that this wasn’t the king’s fault. He addressed the king by saying, ‘Long live the king!’.

Daniel had impressed the king by his hard work and his faithfulness to God. Daniel was an awesome witness to the king because of his actions. He was unwavering in his faithfulness to God and his friends. After God had rescued Daniel, those who were responsible for provoking the king into an unjust action received the cruel punishment that was intended for Daniel, in accordance with Persian custom.

Respond

1. How was Daniels actions a witness to the king?
2. Was the king a believer in God prior to Daniel being rescued from the lion’s den?
3. Do you trust God with your life, like Daniel did?

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Daniel 6:13-18

¹³Then they told the king, “That man Daniel, one of the captives from Judah, is ignoring you and your law. He still prays to his God three times a day.”

¹⁴Hearing this, the king was deeply troubled, and he tried to think of a way to save Daniel. He spent the rest of the day looking for a way to get Daniel out of this predicament.

¹⁵In the evening the men went together to the king and said, “Your Majesty, you know that according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, no law that the king signs can be changed.”

¹⁶So at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him, “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you.”

¹⁷A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed the stone with his own royal seal and the seals of his nobles, so that no one could rescue Daniel. ¹⁸Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night fasting. He refused his usual entertainment and couldn’t sleep at all that night.

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Daniel 6:6-12

⁶So the administrators and high officers went to the king and said, “Long live King Darius! ⁷We are all in agreement-we administrators, officials, high officers, advisers, and governors-that the king should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human-except to you, Your Majesty-will be thrown into the den of lions. ⁸And now, Your Majesty, issue and sign this law so it cannot be changed, an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.” ⁹So King Darius signed the law.

¹⁰But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. ¹¹Then the officials went together to Daniel’s house and found him praying and asking for God’s help. ¹²So they went straight to the king and reminded him about his law. “Did you not sign a law that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human-except to you, Your Majesty-will be thrown into the den of lions?”

“Yes,” the king replied, “that decision stands; it is an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.”

Reflect

One thing that must have been in large supply back then was pride. King Darius was full of it! Daniel’s jealous co-workers knew this and used the king’s vanity against Daniel. In Babylon, the king’s word was the law but in the Medo-Persian Empire, when a law was made, even the king couldn’t change it. By appealing to his vanity, Darius was convinced to effectively make himself God for 30 days. This law could not be broken, even by important people like Daniel.

Daniel knew all of this but yet, he went home and thanked God. That seems a little strange at first glance but if you think of all of the miracles Daniel had experienced, you might understand why he would give thanks to God. I imagine that he knew that this would be a great opportunity to once again show a new king how God was always in control and that He is the only God to be worshiped.

Respond

1. Why couldn’t Daniel just close the windows and pray in private to avoid obeying the law?
2. Why did Daniel continue to pray in the open?
3. When you are faced with a situation in which you might be ridiculed for practicing your faith, what do you do?

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The sixth lion in our message series entitled, Living With Lions, is the Lion of Reputation. We learn from Daniel Chapter 6 that even a good reputation can be used against us.

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