Aloha Dearest Family,
Today,
I will tell you an incredible story of faithfulness, treachery, courage,
distress, and God's ability to deliver His people. Today, we will revisit the
record of Daniel and the lion's den. A story familiar to many and one worth retelling
because it is an important lesson for us today. We pick up the story in Daniel
chapter six. Keep in mind that Daniel at the time had been living in the kingdom of Babylon
Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.
The
other rulers of the Kingdom were jealous of Daniel and tried to accuse him of
something that he did wrong. The trouble was, they couldn't find anything. So
they focused on the only thing that they could find; how he worshiped his God.
So they come up with a dastardly plan. They tricked the King into signing a law
that if anyone asked a request of any God or man for thirty days, that the man
would be cast into a den of lions. Also you must understand that if a Persian
law was signed by the King, this law could not be changed. It was written in
stone. The consequence of breaking this law would be quite a deterrent, for few
things are more frightening that the thought of being eaten by a lion. What was
Daniel's response to this law?
Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
You may wonder, if Daniel knew that the law was signed,
why didn't he change his habits for the next thirty days? Daniel had no regard
for this law for he knew why it was written; to trap him. To Daniel, prayer and
praise to God was not just following some religion; this was Daniel's life. He
wouldn't let these men bully him out of time with God and he didn't care who
saw it.
Now,
when King Darius found that he had been tricked into signing such a law, he was
extremely upset. How could he have been so stupid?
Then the king, when he heard these words was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him.
King
Darius labored all day to try to deliver Daniel from this decree. He tried
whatever he could, explore every loophole, legally, to try to deliver Daniel
from the lion's den, but could not find one. He would have to throw Daniel in.
Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spoke and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou serve continually, he will deliver thee. And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.
Before
Daniel was cast into the den of lions the King said to Daniel,
Thy God whom thou serve continually, he will deliver thee.
After these words of encouragement, Daniel was
cast in. King Darius earnestly wanted Daniel to call upon his God to deliver
him because the King could not. What the King did next is remarkable.
Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of music brought before him: and his sleep went from him.
King Darius was used to living in
comfort in his palace - but not this night. He fasted, wouldn't allow any music
to be played, and he lost sleep because of Daniel's situation.
Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spoke and said to Daniel, 0 Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou serve continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?
I can just hear Darius crying out to Daniel, hoping
against all hope that God was able to deliver Daniel from his fate. The next
line must have thrilled Darius to his core,
Then said Daniel unto the King, 0 king, live forever. My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
Our God is a God of
the impossible. Nothing is too hard for Him. Only God could deliver after this
sort. Now, some have argued that these lions were old lions and were not even
hungry. This next section of the story debunks this theory,
Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God. And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den.
It
was not a good day to be married to one of these princes. The great part about
this record is that God can still do the same for us today. God has not
changed. What He did for Daniel He can and will do us. God can still make a way
where there is no way. The answer to our problems in any situation is what the
record says of Daniel, "because he
believed in his God.”
Love Always, Ray
No comments:
Post a Comment