“May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” -Daniel 6:16
As chapter six begins, King Darius is now in power, and he plans to give Daniel a raise and a promotion, but high government officials in Babylon want to complain about him. Because Daniel’s a man of God, they can’t find a reason to gripe about him, so they realize they’ll have to either lie or set a trap for him.
Among the many lessons we can learn from the example of Daniel, we learn a couple more here:
- If you are filled with the Spirit of God and faithful to God, you can be helpful to any leader or organization. Leaders are looking for people of character and consistency, and that’s why he keeps getting chosen. Some may say Daniel was a sell-out by serving a pagan government, but he was able to bring godly influence to ungodly men.
- Being Spirit-filled is ultimately about revealing the character of Jesus Christ under pressure. Under pressure, your character is revealed, and his character is similar to that of Jesus because they’re both Spirit-filled.
- Character counts. Daniel had been in politics for 70 years, and they find nothing nefarious about him. Every election year, if someone is running for office or in power, there’s lots of digging. It’s possible to have good character in a bad world.
Politicians and prophets are always at odds. Politicians don’t like prophets because prophets will do and say what is right, so politicians say and do what is wrong to take down the prophet. In Daniel 6:6-9, a group of high government officials comes to King Darius, who was actually not a terrible guy and much better than several of the kings who came before him and encourages him to sign a document that anyone who makes a “petition” or prayer to anyone but the king for 30 days would be thrown into the lion’s den. He signs it because they appeal to his pride.
As soon as Daniel knows the document has been signed, he’s steadfast and continues doing what he had always done: praying three times a day next to his open window, publicly. He doesn’t get fearful and start praying in private. He’s not hiding; he’s not in a closet. If everyone else is going to be proud of their lifestyle, don’t be ashamed of yours as a Christian. These evil politicians just happen to see him praying because they were likely following him around, and they let the king know. King Darius is conflicted because he likes Daniel, and Daniel has been super helpful to him and his government, but he upholds the document he signed into law and calls for Daniel to be thrown into the lion’s den. A stone is put over the den, and the king’s signet ring seals it, but he is distressed and regretful all night.
Daniel had a few options at this point: 1) Run; 2) Obey the decree and compromise for 30 days; 3) Deny praying; 4) Start praying privately rather than publicly; 5) Kill himself; 6) Go into the lion’s den and trust God to save him. He reacts with faith, while King Darius reacts with fear, and the politicians have faith in themselves.
Though Daniel has faith in God, he has no idea if God will deliver him. He knows God will either get him out of the lion’s den or he’ll die and stand before God for judgment. Either way, he’ll be hearing, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:23) Faith is tested under crisis and impossible circumstances where you have a God-sized problem.
Tomorrow, we will join Daniel in the lion’s den.
What pit do you find yourself in? How can you receive courage from God in it?
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