Faithfulness As A Pattern of Life

Transcript

GR1906
1/11/2015
Faithfulness as a Pattern of Life
Daniel 6:1-28
Gil Rugh

We are going to return to our study of the book of Daniel tonight. We’ve had a break over the holidays and now we are going to return and pick up with Daniel chapter 6. This brings us to the conclusion of a section of the book. We will say more about that in our next study but something of the history of the time and then with chapter 7 we will move into events that are more prophetic in their emphasis. That doesn’t mean there is nothing prophetic in the opening chapters. Chapter 2 in particular gave us an overview of the Gentile powers during the times of the Gentiles.

Remember the theme of the book of Daniel as we have talked about it and if you would come back to Daniel chapter 4 that becomes key with the changes we have in empires with the chapter before us. In Daniel chapter 4, verse 3: “How great are His signs, how mighty are His wonders, His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. His dominion is from generation to generations.” And that is Nebuchadnezzar. We are talking about the universal reign of God. There is a coming kingdom that will be the manifestation of that universal reign but He is sovereign over all and that sovereignty in the realm of mankind is the dominant emphasis in Daniel.

Come down to Daniel chapter 4, verse 17, pick up in the middle of that verse. “In order that the living may know that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, and bestows it on whom He wishes, and sets over it the lowliest of men.” The Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind. The same thing is said down at the end of verse 25: “The Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind.” At the end of verse 26: “It is heaven that rules.” Down at the end of verse 32: “The Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever he wishes.” Verse 34: “His dominion is an everlasting dominion. His kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing. But He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, What have you done;” that absolute, total sovereignty of God.

A good reminder for us in the days in which we are in a world that seems to be being enveloped in turmoil, chaos, terror, everything is under control. God rules. His sovereign purposes are being accomplished. That doesn’t mean that we understand every detail and every ‘why’ but we understand He is in control. Nothing is out of control; the most chaotic times. You turn on the news and say what chaos, what confusion and then we are reminded God is sovereign. His purposes are being worked. Everything is under control, the control of the One who rules over all. He sets up rulers, He takes down rulers.

Just an overview if you put up the kings of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. We are not going to go through them but just a reminder the king who established the Neo-Babylonian Empire was Nabopolassar. His son, Nebuchadnezzar becomes of special interest to us because that is where the book of Daniel begins with Nabopolassar’s death and his conquering of Jerusalem under his son, Nebuchadnezzar and you see the change of the Babylonian rulers over the time of Daniel’s life and ministry. Daniel was taken captive to Babylon, remember in chapter 1 under the first captivity, 605 and he continues there in a prominent, influential position through these various kings who come and go. God raises up one king, then another and you see something of Daniel’s life and it’s not over with the end of the Babylonian reign because as we come to the end of chapter 5, remember in chapter 5 we had the hand writing on the wall, the fall of the Babylonian Empire under Belshazzar, the last of the kings. Belshazzar served under his father, Nabonidus. Nabonidus is not mentioned in the book Daniel but his son Belshazzar who we talked about exercised authority from Babylon, his father remaining absent from Babylon for most of the time but then verse 31 of chapter 5: “Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of 62.” We not only change kings, we change empires. This will be the Medo-Persian Empire that will come to be dominated by the Persians. Early on the Medes were the larger number and this joined together empire. You could read something of the history of how this empire came into existence in some of the commentaries that I have mentioned.

So here we are. God is still sovereign and amazingly Daniel is still functioning. Now while this is still up you can see we go from 605 with Nebuchadnezzar, that is the year he conquers Jerusalem and you have what we call the first of three captivities and Daniel is carried to Babylon. We are at 539 when we have chapter 5 verses 30 and 31. That’s over 60 years, about 66 years I believe. Now Daniel was just 15. He is still over 80 years of age and his life and ministry will still go on and he will still maintain a prominent place and position in this new empire. It is just amazing. Here is a Jewish man, carried off into captivity as a very young person. We say somewhere around 15, his age is not given but just the extent of his life because he has several years after this from the days we will see as we move further through these chapters of life and ministry. So if he is 15 he is going to minister on into his middle 80’s so that’s what we get. If he was older, if he was 20 when he was carried into captivity he’s be ministering somewhere around 90 when we leave. So the point is, he has a long life, carried away, unsettled, uprooted from his home, his family, carted off to Babylon to serve pagan rulers and yet he maintains that faithfulness to God that we saw initially in chapter 1 when with great respect he talked to the one who had charge over him about being given the opportunity not to eat those things which would be contrary to what God had prescribed for him as a Jewish boy or man; a remarkable life; a remarkable life of faithfulness that he began that pattern of his life of being faithful to God. We pick him up. What maturity he demonstrates at 15 years of age to stand on his own without parents. There he is in the confines under the authority of pagan people who have conquered his people, the Jews, and he begins to manifest his faithfulness. You know some of that faithfulness becomes more clear. We talk about it today as our young people grow, become more independent, they demonstrate really where they are spiritually. And Daniel demonstrated he had a firm commitment to be faithful to the God that he served.

I just wanted to bring to your attention something of the rulers that Daniel has been through in Babylon and now here we are not only a new ruler but a new kingdom. Belshazzar was killed the night the Medo-Persians swept into Babylon. His father Nabonidus had fled Babylon earlier, would later be captured but Belshazzar who was the functioning king, if you will was executed the night that Babylon was conquered.

Chapter 6 picks up, “It seemed good to Darius to appoint a hundred and twenty satraps over the kingdom that they would be in charge of the whole kingdom.” So a lot of the details of how did this go about, the adjusting here, Daniel has been a key person. We only have certain highlights, obviously out of this life in Babylon of close to 70 years but here he is and he will be in a prominent place. This is probably the most well-known story in the Old Testament, Daniel and the lion’s den which comes out of chapter 6 so keep in mind we are dealing with that young man of chapter 1 but life has moved along as it does for us all.

So Darius, now verse 31 of chapter 5 identified him as Darius, the Mede and this is where I mentioned earlier this evening about there is discussion about the identity of this person because the king of Medo-Persian Empire at this time is Cyrus, not Darius. So this has caused some discussion. Those who don’t believe in inspiration of the Scripture and don’t believe in the prophecies of the Scripture argue that Daniel was written much later by someone who just took the name Daniel for his writing and wrote like it was happening much earlier because they have to do away with the prophetic portions so they don’t believe that God could inspire writings about the future so they say, “Here’s an example, he was confused.”

There will be later kings called Darius in the Persian Empire but significantly later than this time and they will be Persians. This is Darius the Mede. Cyrus is a Persian and there are several views excluding the one that denies inspiration but even among believers. Some take it that this is another name for Cyrus and Cyrus’ mother was a Median so we pick up that Daniel is following the heritage of the mother here and so they equate Darius and their reason to say that Darius is a title like the title pharaoh so we talk about the pharaoh in Egypt when the Exodus occurred but then you have to identify which pharaoh because pharaoh was a title. Each ruler who came up was pharaoh, Pharaoh Necho, Pharaoh, fill in the name. Sort of like president. So there is evidence that Darius could be a title. So some say it’s just a title for the ruler so Darius of Cyrus.

There are other possibilities. John Whitcomb, I mentioned the booklet that he wrote on Darius, the Mede holds that this is a man named Gubaru so he’s written an 80 page monograph or booklet on this and other commentators also followed that identification. And there is evidence from the secular accounts we have that a man named Gubaru. Gubaru, I am glad I didn’t name any of my children that. I would have never gotten it out. Gubaru was appointed by Cyrus and given great authority in Babylon and exercised a lot of authority and could have had the title, “king” because Cyrus is not going to maintain his focus by remaining in Babylon. His empire will be much larger than the Babylonian Empire so that is a possibility. But whatever, we are in the place that the person in authority in Babylon who could be called king as we will see. He will come up again later in Daniel, deals with Daniel.

Why don’t you while we are talking about this come back to the book of Isaiah? You know Isaiah prophesied around 700 B.C., before 700 and after 700 so we will just call it 700 B.C. So he is roughly 150 years before these events and you come to Isaiah chapter 44 and these chapters emphasize what we saw in Daniel chapter 4 that God is sovereign in the realm of mankind and He rules over all. In chapter 44, verse 6: “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, His redeemer, Lord of Hosts. I am the last there is no God besides Me. Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it. Let him recount it to Me in order from the time that I established the ancient nation. Let them declare to them the things that are coming, the events that are going to take place.” You see His sovereignty. I can tell you the future because I control the future, I have determined the future. The end of verse 8: “Is there any God besides Me, any other rock? I know of none.” You come down further in the chapter, verse 24 says, “The Lord, your redeemer, the One who formed you from the womb; I am the Lord, the Maker of all things. Stretching out the heavens by Myself, spreading out the earth all alone.” Then you come down to verse 28: “It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd. He will perform all My desire. He declares of Jerusalem, she will be built and of the temple your foundation will be laid.’” This is 150 plus years before it will occur. He calls Cyrus by name. That’s the one who was king of the Medo-Persian Empire and under whom Belshazzar was defeated and killed and the one that Darius that would be identified with or served under, remarkable. And God says what He will do. He is my shepherd. Now he is not saved, we will see that in a moment but he still does God’s will and one of the things he will do is what? Oversee and give permission for the Jews to return to their land, remarkable.

So chapter 45 opens up, “Thus says the Lord to Cyrus, His anointed whom I have taken by the right hand, to subdue nations before him, and to loosen the loins of kings; to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut; I will go before you and make the rough places smooth; I will shatter the doors of bronze, and cut through their iron bars. And I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden wealth of secret places, in order that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name, for the sake of Jacob My servant, and Israel My chosen one. I have also called you by your name; I have given you a title of honor (and then note that last statement) though you have not known Me.” A reminder He sets up kings, He takes down kings. He rules in the realm of mankind and puts over those kingdoms, the lowliest of men. Here it is, another world empire following the Babylonian. Then you had 150 years earlier, God had said here is the king who is going to come. Let Me tell you his name, it will be Cyrus.

Now think about that pagan family deciding what shall we name our child? And then somebody just happens to come up with the name Cyrus. They hadn’t read Isaiah’s prophecies but God is controlling down to the detail. He could have left the name out but you see how He is control of even the decision of those pagan parents named this pagan baby born into the pagan family that he is worshipper of a variety of gods and we have inscriptions he has left and so on giving credit to his gods for giving him victory. But behind it all, God is in control. Here is what his name will be. Here’s what he will do and he will declare concerning Jerusalem there can be rebuilding going on and his name is Cyrus. I love the way it is put in verse 1: “I have taken him by the right hand.” Here you go. Just like you take a little kid and you lead him along so he does just what you want him to do. Alright, now stop here, put that right down there. Okay let’s go here.

This king thinks he is leading the mighty army, crushing enemies and he did. It’s God saying, “Alright now, I’ve given you that victory;” the sovereignty of our God. We need to keep this in our mind. It becomes important as we go into the prophetic portions, as we read the news today. Everything is under His control. I just love these sections of the Word.

Verse 5 says, c“I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other, the One forming light and creating darkness; causing well-being and creating calamity.” I don’t like to think about that terrorist activity, turmoil in the world. Does evil happen and I have not done it? God says through the prophets, “I am the Lord who does all these things,” well-being, calamity. He is working His purposes and then the reminder, verse 9: “Who to the one who quarrels with His Maker – an earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth! Will the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?’”

Verse 12: “It is I who made the earth, and created man upon it. I stretched out the heavens with My hands, and I ordained all their host.” I created it all, I am sovereign over it all. It all is for the accomplishing of My purposes. As God’s people do we get any more secure than that? My Father has it all under control.

How often, a little kid, you know just comes. Oh no, my Dad will take care of it. My Dad can do it. My Heavenly Father has it all under control. Yes, but look what happened. Somebody did this. Look at the turmoil. Look at the confusion in the nations. I know but God is not confused. He causes calamities. He uses the sinful desires of men for the accomplishing of His purposes.

So come back to Daniel. This is where we are. A new king of a new empire and Darius decides to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom. These are individuals who will have authority. He is dividing the realm of his responsibility. They would be in charge of the whole kingdom. Over them three commissioners and it just so happens that Daniel was one of them. Now who picks an 80 some year old man? I mean you need young men of vigor and Daniel is one of them. Isn’t it amazing? Remember who’s got Cyrus by the right hand. Cyrus is doing the directions of the God he doesn’t even know and he has a heart for Daniel and he sees in Daniel one who would be good to be in a ruling triumvirate. These satraps might be accountable to them and the king that he might not suffer loss. The point of this is, be sure the taxations are taken care of. Be sure the revenue comes in as it should and no one is syphoning it off or anything like that. You protect the king from loss; a responsible position. We have divided this kingdom down into 120 sections, provinces, counties we might say and now you have three men over them, over the 120. So you see you have the king, you have the three and you have the 120 and Daniel is one of the three.

“Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself among the commissioners and satraps because he possessed an extraordinary spirit. The king planned to appoint him over the entire kingdom.” Sort of like the account of Joseph in Egypt. All of a sudden he is going to the top. People plan and men maneuver and struggle and do all kind of things to get to the top. All Daniel is doing is what God would have him do, honoring Him and honoring Him by being faithful in the responsibility that he is given here. So the King had planned to appoint him over the entire kingdom.

Now as you might expect this is not going to go over well because there is jealousy here. You not only have Daniel being elevated but he is one of the exiles among the Jews and we see in the news today the talk about the anti-Semitism. That expression of the hatred and animosity to the Jews is not new because they are God’s people and the devil hates them and it’s why we get to Revelation, chapter 12 we see the devils intention to destroy the Jews.

I was interested, watching a history program this last week and the last couple of weeks where they were reviewing history from Nazi Germany under Hitler and when he saw Germany beginning to crumble and said he devoted his total attention to trying to exterminate the Jews. It makes no sense. Your empire is crumbling. Even now your own nation is collapsing as he meets with his key leaders to determine we have to accelerate all efforts to exterminate Jews. Well the animosity is back here and began when God chose Abraham and his descendants.
So he plans to appoint him. He has an extraordinary spirit and that’s not just he’s such a godly man because the king is not a godly man, neither Cyrus nor Darius but he does his job well. You know, that is part of being a godly individual. We fulfil our responsibilities.

Before we go on, come over to I Peter chapter 2, I Peter chapter 2. You know we get the highlights of a life like Daniel. We understand he had his daily life, want to say the daily grind. You say, well I don’t know that Daniel’s life was a grind. He had to be fulfilling the responsibilities given to him by the king and those who were in authority over him. Things like managing the taxes, managing the revenue, being sure that things were being done as they should be done. It wasn’t just going from one exciting adventure to the other. Every day, I mean for these almost 70 years in Babylon.

In I Peter chapter 2, verse 13: “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution whether to a king as the one who is in authority or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evil doers and the praise of those who do right. Such is the will of God that by doing right you silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men. Do not use your freedom as a covering for evil but use it as bond-slaves of God. Honor all people. Love the brethren. Fear God. Honor the king.” And then he goes on to talk about other specific areas; slaves to masters, wives to husbands and on it goes. Other passages he talks about children to parents. This is God’s plan. That’s why you know you start out. What’s my responsibility? Daniel here, I am put in a position. These are pagan, godless men over me. This is a godless empire as was the Babylonian Empire. This is not an improvement. This is deterioration. We’ve gone from the gold empire to the silver empire remember, from chapter 2. We will see more of that as we go along. Daniel, what’s my responsibility? I’ve been given this responsibility as one of the commissioners, one of the presidents, one of the three overseers. I have to carry out those to the best of my ability. It’s not well, I only serve God. I don’t serve men. I can’t be concerned about that, it’s a pagan empire. I’m going to because I serve the Lord. This is God’s will that I do the best to honor Him, carrying out the responsibility that He has given to me. Sometimes we complicate our lives to no end. We begin to think, well as my boss, I don’t know whether I want to give him my best because it pleases the Lord when I do it. What is my responsibility? Simply my life. For Daniel, I have to be the best commissioner that I can. I have to do the best with the responsibility that has been entrusted to me. Not my responsibility to decide what the king ought to do. It is my responsibility to do what the king says. That carries on for us as God’s people in all the details of our life. Daniel was ready for what we would call the highlights of his life as we have it because he is doing what God’s will is for him in the little details along the way. Making sure that the king doesn’t suffer any loss, verse 2. Take care whether this pagan king gets everything he wrings out of people or not. It’s my duty. What did Joseph do in serving pharaoh? He enhanced the treasuries of pharaoh and expanded his possessions and so on. He was good in his position.

So the commissioners and the satraps began to try to find a ground of accusation against Daniel in regard to government affairs. Let’s watch him closely; the other two commissioners and some of the satraps. It doesn’t mean every one of the 120 because they would be obviously spread out into the different realms of the empire but there is this group that has agreed. Perhaps these two had key people that were under them, these two commissioners in addition to Daniel. They get some of the satraps that are under them, and I say, let’s watch Daniel. He will slip up. He will not pay attention to what he should be doing and then we will have a reason to accuse him. He didn’t do his job well. He didn’t carry out his responsibility. The king suffered loss here because he was careless about what he did. The problem was they could find no ground of accusation or evidence or corruption. In as much as he was faithful. No negligence, no corruption was to be found in him. What a testimony to a godly life.

Pagan people watching him in a pagan setting and what I mean by that, serving a pagan king, doing things for the good of a pagan empire. They didn’t find anything wrong. So they come to a conclusion. Verse 5: “We will not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the law of his God.” What a testimony he has maintained. Both in his job and his walk with the Lord and they go together. One supports the other and Daniel had not subdued in any way his testimony of commitment to be faithful to God. So they are well aware of that commitment to serve God and they know he will not bend on that any more than he would bend on being faithful in the responsibilities the king had given to him. So they come up with a plan to trap him. They agree and so they come to the king and they say, “King Darius live forever.”

Verse 7: “And all the commissioners of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps,” in other words, everybody agrees on this. Well everybody doesn’t because Daniel hasn’t been included and he is one of the highest officials. So you see the underhandedness here and it will come back to these men. They come and tell the king, O King and here you are early in the kingdom here. Babylon has been conquered. This would be a good time for everybody to join together and express their absolute loyalty to you. Make a petition that no one can ask anything from a god or a man except you for thirty days. Why thirty days? You know, you want to be careful. You don’t want to say this can get out of hand. This sounds reasonable doesn’t it? Because they say well, they have their concern that we unify this kingdom. We just conquered a kingdom. Now let’s unify them under the authority of this king and of course that has a certain appeal to pride. So it sounds like a good idea to Darius.

Verse 8: “Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document so that it may not be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked.” We have an account in secular history where a later king of the Persians rashly condemns a man to death for something he did and then he’s greatly upset because that wasn’t fair, that wasn’t right but he had to have the man executed because he, the king, couldn’t undo what he had set down as the law.

Now we see this in the book of Esther and most of you are familiar with that account. It occurs under the Persians as well; similar kind of thing. So this will be a binding edict, once the king declares it that the king can’t even change. There you see something of the deterioration of the king and the kingdom. Nebuchadnezzar maintained an absolute complete control. We would say maybe in our democratic way of thinking that is not good but in the picture it is the head of gold and that absolute control and sovereignty. It is going to be ultimately God’s plan because when the Messiah reigns it will be an absolute, complete control but we will get to that later in Daniel.

So, verse 9 Darius, the king signed the document. “Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house” and goes to his roof chamber, the room up on top of the roof which would be good in those days because you could open the windows and let the breeze come through. You are up a little higher to catch the breeze. You note something of the kind of temperatures in that region of the world. He opens the windows toward Jerusalem.

We won’t go back there but back in Kings when Solomon in I Kings 8 dedicates the temple he refers to the Jews praying toward that place, toward Jerusalem and toward the temple where God manifested His presence and the point there, well maybe we’d better go back. Why should I tell you the whole thing when you could look at it?

I Kings because I don’t want you to get confused on what is happening when they pray toward Jerusalem. This is Solomon dedicating the temple that has been rebuilt to replace the tabernacle which was that structure they would use from their travels but now they are ready for a permanent temple in Jerusalem.

Verse 13: “I have surely built you a lofty house, a place for your dwelling forever.” Verse 27: “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house which I have built!” Then you have repeated through this chapter, the end of verse 30” “Hear in heaven, your dwelling place.” Verse 32: “Hear in heaven.” Verse 34: “Then hear in heaven.” Verse 36: “Then hear in heaven.” Verse 39: “Then hear in heaven Your dwelling place.” Verse 43: “In heaven, Your dwelling place.” Verse 45: “Then hear in heaven, their prayer.” Verse 49 the same thing. The point is Solomon is clear. God doesn’t dwell and cannot be contained in a temple made with hands. But this temple would be the place where God manifested His presence as He did in the tabernacle in the midst of His people.

So verse 44 says: “When Your people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatever say You shall send them, and they pray to the Lord toward the city which You have chosen and the house which I have built for Your name.” That seems to be the beginning of this practice among the Jews where they would pray toward Jerusalem, toward the temple, acknowledging that is where God has chosen to establish His capital and manifest His presence in His temple but there is no misunderstanding. God is not contained in that temple but for the Jews it is special. It reminds them of their position as God’s people with Jerusalem as their capital. The temple is His place to manifest His presence on earth but in that context we see Solomon is clear. He can’t be contained in a temple. Our prayers come to Him in heaven.

So when you read back in Daniel chapter 6 that Daniel opened his windows toward Jerusalem it seems to go back to that. He’s been out of Jerusalem for a long time, going on 70 years but he still believes the promises of God and that Jerusalem is the place that God has chosen as the temple there will be the place where His name is manifested even though in the third and final captivity under Nebuchadnezzar resulted in the items of the temple being carried to Babylon and then Belshazzar had them brought out and desecrated in his feast in chapter 5 you will remember. But Daniel’s faithfulness. He still believed the promises of God and he kneels on his knees three times a day praying and giving thanks before His God as he had done previously. Now Daniel doesn’t do this just to show he is defiant. I’m just doing what I always do and these men know what he always does. He prays to his God. “He’s praying the giving thanks before his God,” giving thanks. He had been almost 70 years captive in a land, not your own. Obviously you are not going back. You had just been appointed under a new empire to a position of responsibility but he is giving thanks before his God and this has been his pattern. Three times a day over these many years in Babylon so the pagans know what Daniel does. If you get to the right place you will see him in the morning. You will see him in the afternoon. You will see him in the evening.

The Psalmist refers to this. He starts with the evening when their new day and then morning and noon referring to his prayers. The faithfulness in prayer. How much of Daniel’s life is shaped by this faithfulness in prayer. I sometimes think when we do get to glory the one thing we might say we wish we had done more of was pray. I mean what more effective way. I can go to the God of heaven multiple times a day and pour out my heart to Him, pray to Him, give Him thanks, praying the desires of my heart to Him and be heard. Daniel is a testimony to the importance of that in his life.

And so they knew what they were doing because Daniel will be faithful in this the decree won’t change anything just as he has been faithful to the king in his service he will remain faithful to his God and now we’ve got him trapped. “These men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and supplication.” It won’t be hard to do. Daniel didn’t say, “Well you know, I think I will keep the windows closed. No sense in putting myself at risk here,” but his testimony is at stake. We have to make decisions but we want to be careful that it will compromise my testimony in a wrong sense. They say there is a right time and a wrong time. This has been Daniel’s pattern and why should that change? I mean his commitment to God is unchanged just like it was in chapter 1, almost 70 years earlier. Well, I mean I wouldn’t want to eat the king’s meat. I am going to maintain my faithfulness that I started earlier in my life, my young life. I will be faithful to him just like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Well I can’t bow down before that image. We have to be faithful to God, so Daniel here. It doesn’t matter whether he’s 15, or 80, it is the pattern of his life. They find Daniel, they come to the king and first they want to make sure the king doesn’t get out. Didn’t you make an injunction, didn’t you say for 30 days no one could make a request of any god or man but to you. “The king replied, ‘this statement is true according to the law of the Medes and Persians” the end of verse 12 “which may not be revoked.” Darius is exercising his authority here. Yes, that’s right. “Then they answered and spoke before the king. Daniel, one of the exiles from Judah.” Got to bring that in, exile from almost 70 years earlier. He’s one of the exiles from Judah. “He pays no attention to you, O king, or to the injunction, he keeps making his petition three times a day.” He keeps going before his God. “As soon as the king heard this statement he was deeply distressed and set his mind on delivering Daniel.”

Isn’t it amazing the testimony of a godly life? Here’s a pagan man, a king and yet he realizes Daniel is a faithful man, a man I could trust, a man to whom I could entrust responsibility. A man that is honorable and I can respect. He was faithful to his God. It is not the god that I serve. Then he would like to deliver Daniel.

The end of verse 14: “And even until sunset, he kept exerting himself to rescue him.” It seemed under Persian law that the violation of a commandment like this the punishment had to be executed the same day. So when it comes evening there is no going back.

Verse 15: Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Recognize, O king that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or statue which the king establishes may be changed.” So we’ve got you. You can’t rescue Daniel.

So the king gave orders. Daniel was to be brought and cast into the lion’s den and this was a form often of punishment for criminals. We would see it later when criminals would be in the coliseum and fed to the animals. Here put in the lion’s den, probably a cave like structure opening at the top where they could control a gate for different rooms so when they wanted to clean a portion they could put food in one room and then move and then there would be a gate down below for the lions to get in and so on.

Verse 16: “Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and cast into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “This is remarkable.” He’s not a king who believes in the God of Israel but he is a king who believes in the power of the gods. When Cyrus conquered Babylon, we have in Scripture, he gave credit to his gods. This god gave me the victory. This god delivered into my hands so here is a remarkable statement. “Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you.” Now that is a remarkable statement that Darius, the pagan king would believe that it is possible that the God of Daniel could save him from the lions. You note what he says, “The God whom you constantly serve.” I mean he hasn’t had 10 years with Daniel but he’s had enough time in the weeks and months to observe. This is a man committed to faithfulness to his God.

“A stone was brought and laid over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing might be changed in regard to Daniel.”

That clay, that soft clay sealed so then you could tell if the seal was broken. There is no rescuing Daniel. “The king went off to his palace and spent the night fasting, and no entertainment was brought before him and his sleep fled from him.” If the king was having a sleepless night you know in those days you couldn’t turn on the television but he could call for entertainment of one kind or another but not tonight. He is so troubled over Daniel. It is remarkable the impact that God has given Daniel on this pagan king, so troubled over him. I mean I can appoint other advisors but God has given a special place in his heart for Daniel.

“The king arose at dawn, at the break of day, and went in haste to the lions’ den. When he had come near to the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God (now you note he doesn’t say, ‘has our god because it’s not the god that he worships) has your God whom you constantly serve been able to deliver you from the lions?” This remarkable statement and the impact of this godly life that he would even think there was a possibility here. I don’t want to go over there. What will be left will be broken bones. No, he is there early in the morning and you know he has hope that maybe the God of Daniel, the God he constantly served would deliver him.

“Daniel spoke to the king and said, ‘O king live forever.’” You know, you see a constant respect in the godly men of the Old and New Testament in dealing with these pagan rulers. We read Peter. You know who was on the throne of Rome when Peter wrote that, respect, honor the king? Nero. Does anybody respect Nero? His own people drove him to suicide because they couldn’t stomach him anymore. You know but Daniel’s concern, what’s my responsibility? Peter, what’s my responsibility? He doesn’t say, “O king, you’re a pagan, the gods you worship are nothing.” And I know, its complete respect. “O king, live forever. My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths and they have not harmed me.” They didn’t bite me, they didn’t scratch me. And we have pictures sometimes of artist. Daniel snuggled up, resting on a lion, sleeping for the night. We don’t know what went on there. But it wasn’t a problem. You know, sort of a little picture of the millennium when the lion will lie down with the lamb. Well here they lie down with Daniel.

Why? “I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king. I have committed no crime.” He puts it, “I was faithful to my God, I have been faithful to you.” That doesn’t validate everything that Darius does or Cyrus does but he gives testimony to God.

“Then the king was very pleased and gave orders for Daniel to be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him because he had trusted in his God.” So now then, “The king gave orders, and they brought those men who had maliciously accused Daniel, and they cast them, their children, and their wives.” You say, “Whoa.” You get some idea of what you are dealing with. It was like with Nebuchadnezzar earlier. These pagan kings were not what we would call nice men and this was a Persian practice. That way it kept down any possibility of revenge from a family member because there will be no family members and it would help remind people of the seriousness of their crime. If I commit a crime against the king and get caught I will not only die. My wife will die. My children will die. My parents will die. It’s a horrible world.

So they are all thrown in to the lions’ den and down over the side. They don’t even get a chance. And what, “the lions overpower them and crushed all their bones.” Showing these weren’t some toothless, old lions, maybe overly fed, not hungry.

So Daniel made it through the night. You understand these were lions of power and they are thrown in without the protection of God. They are torn apart before they can hit the ground.

Verse 25: “Then Darius the king wrote to all the peoples, nations, and men of every language who were living in the land, “May your peace abound! I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God and enduring forever. And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed and His dominion will be forever. He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders in heaven and on earth. Who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions. So this Daniel enjoyed success in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.”

Here we have Cyrus the Persian brought in along with Darius the Mede. So the reason why this Darius is often associated with a man named Gubaru who was given responsibility under Cyrus. It doesn’t necessarily mean that Darius had become a true believer. We like to think he did. No indication that Cyrus did an indication like we read in Isaiah that he never did and that would be the probably testimony of secular history as well.

But there is no problem. He doesn’t say they can’t honor other gods but this is another god to be honored. You know one of the reasons the Babylonians believed that their kingdom was crumbling was Nabonidus if you remember, had left Babylon and gone to another city because he wanted to worship other gods, those that were prominent in Babylon but when the empire began to crumble a few months before the final collapse, he brought all the gods back to Babylon thinking maybe I could rescue the city. So he had this kind of pagan thinking with this multiple gods and maybe I have offended a god. Here we take it that he is not saying he is the only god to be worshiped but he is impressed.

So Daniel enjoyed success in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian. He was elevated to probably third in the kingdom as he was under Nabonidus, Belshazzar then Daniel. Here you have Cyrus, Darius, Daniel who was going to be elevated to chief among the three and the other two were gone now, in the belly of the lions.

The sovereignty of God. You see He rules. He is able to protect His children. Where was He when Israel was conquered, when Jerusalem fell, when Daniel was carted off into captivity? He was ruling over all. He’s sovereign. His purposes are being accomplished. It was time for judgment on Judah and so it was exercised.

Come over to the New Testament and we will be done. Just go to Hebrews, chapter 11. I just want you to see what is said here in its context. Hebrews 11in this summary statement after spending a little more time with specific individuals to show the manifestation of their faith from Old Testament history. Then he summarizes, verse 32: “What more shall I say? Time will fail to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah; of David and Samuel the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions,” that would be Daniel, of course a well-known occasion. But what I want to say is God’s purposes are not the same for everyone. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were carried safely through the fiery furnace. Daniel comes safely through the lions’ den but many men and women of faith didn’t get delivered.

Verse 35: “Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured.” Verse 36: “Others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two,” which early tradition said happened to Isaiah the prophet. “They were tempted; they were put to death with the sword; destitute, afflicted, ill-treated of whom the world was not worthy.” What do we want to get out of this? What we see is God’s hand in control and sometimes He demonstrates He has the power to deliver. That doesn’t mean every time I am going through a trial if I am faithful God will deliver me. Isaiah didn’t get delivered, he got sawn in two. Others died. In God’s plan Daniel was delivered for a long life into his 80’s; faithfully serving under pagan rulers. Others were faithful but they weren’t delivered. That is where we say, “What is my responsibility, I will serve the Lord.”

Remember Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego? Our God is able to deliver us from your fiery furnace but even if He doesn’t we will be faithful to Him.

So number one I want to be faithful to God, serve Him, honor Him in all that I do and Daniel is a good example of that.

Let us pray together: Thank You Lord for the faithful testimony of Your servant Daniel. You have preserved the record of His life and Your graciousness to him so that we might learn, might be encouraged, might be challenged. May we be faithful under pressure in difficult circumstances. May our number one concern that we fulfill our responsibility to You, honor You with our lives, testify of our faithfulness and testify by being good stewards, honoring You in the place that You place us so that people might see we are people who can be trusted and whom trust their God. Bless us as we serve You this week wherever You place us, however You choose to use us we pray in Christ’s name amen.