Daniel in the Lions' Den - Faithful in Danger

By the time Daniel was an old man, a new king named Darius ruled the kingdom. King Darius loved Daniel! He saw that Daniel was honest, trustworthy, and wise. Daniel did such excellent work that the king planned to put him in charge of the entire kingdom! Daniel would be the most powerful person in the land, right under the king himself!

But not everyone was happy about this. There were other government officials who were jealous of Daniel! They didn't like that this Jewish foreigner was getting all the honor and power. They wanted to find some way to get rid of Daniel. So they started watching him carefully, looking for any mistake he might make.

They searched and searched, trying to find something wrong with Daniel's work. Did he take bribes? No! Did he lie or cheat? No! Did he do his job poorly? No! They couldn't find a single thing wrong! Daniel was faithful in everything he did!

Finally, these jealous men said to each other, "We'll never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God." They knew Daniel prayed to God every day - it was the most important thing in Daniel's life! So they came up with a sneaky, evil plan.

These men went together to King Darius and said, "O King Darius, live forever! All of us government officials think you should make a new law: For the next thirty days, anyone who prays to any god or human being except to you, O king, should be thrown into the lions' den! And make it an official law that cannot be changed!"

This sounded good to King Darius! He liked the idea of everyone honoring him for thirty days. He didn't realize it was a trap! So the king signed the law, making it official. According to the laws of the Medes and Persians, once the king signed a law, it could never, ever be changed - not even by the king himself!

Now when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, did he stop praying? Did he hide his faith? NO! Daniel went home to his upstairs room, where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day, just like he always did, Daniel got down on his knees and prayed to God, giving thanks to Him. Daniel wasn't showing off - this was just his normal routine. He had been praying like this for years and years! He wasn't going to stop now, no matter what the law said!

The jealous officials were watching and waiting. As soon as they saw Daniel praying to God, they rushed to the king! "Didn't you sign a law that says anyone who prays to any god or human except you must be thrown into the lions' den?" they asked.

The king answered, "Yes, that's the law, and according to the law of the Medes and Persians, it cannot be changed."

Then they said, "Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the law you signed! He still prays three times a day!"

When King Darius heard this, he was terribly upset! He realized he had been tricked! These men had used him to trap Daniel! The king loved Daniel and didn't want him to be hurt! All day long, until sunset, the king tried desperately to think of a way to save Daniel. But the jealous officials kept coming back, saying, "Remember, O king, that no law of the Medes and Persians can be changed!" The king's hands were tied. He had to enforce his own law, even though he didn't want to!

So sadly, the king gave the order. The soldiers arrested Daniel and brought him to the lions' den - a deep pit where fierce, hungry lions were kept. These weren't tame zoo animals - they were wild, dangerous beasts with sharp teeth and powerful jaws! Anyone thrown to these lions would be torn apart and eaten!

Before they threw Daniel in, King Darius said to him with tears in his eyes, "May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!" Even the king was hoping that Daniel's God would save him!

The soldiers threw Daniel down into the dark pit with the lions. Then they brought a huge stone and rolled it over the opening of the den so Daniel couldn't escape. The king sealed it with his own royal seal and the seals of his nobles. Now no one could help Daniel. He was alone in the darkness with the hungry, roaring lions!

King Darius went back to his palace, but he was so worried about Daniel that he couldn't eat! He couldn't sleep! He refused any entertainment. All night long, he tossed and turned, thinking about his faithful friend Daniel trapped with those terrible lions.

As soon as the sun began to rise the next morning, the king jumped up and hurried to the lions' den! His heart was pounding! With a worried, anguished voice, he called out, "Daniel, servant of the living God! Has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?"

There was a moment of silence. Then - joy of joys! - Daniel's voice came from inside the den! "O king, live forever! 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, O king!"

Daniel was ALIVE! The king was so happy he could hardly believe it! He immediately ordered, "Lift Daniel out of the den!" When they pulled Daniel up, they examined him carefully. There wasn't a single scratch on him! Not one tooth mark! Not even a bruise! The lions hadn't touched him at all! God had protected His faithful servant!

King Darius was filled with joy and also with anger - anger at the wicked men who had tricked him! He ordered that those jealous officials be brought and thrown into the lions' den. And the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones before they even reached the floor of the den! This proved that the lions were fierce and hungry - they would have definitely killed Daniel if God hadn't protected him!

Then King Darius wrote a new decree to all the people in his kingdom: "I decree that in every part of my kingdom, people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel! For He is the living God, and He endures forever! His kingdom will not be destroyed! His dominion will never end! He rescues and He saves! He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth! He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions!"

And Daniel continued to prosper and serve God faithfully for the rest of his long life! He had been faithful to God, and God had been faithful to him!

This wonderful story teaches us so many important lessons! First, we should be faithful to God no matter what - even when it's hard, even when it costs us something, even when others make fun of us or threaten us. Daniel could have hidden his prayers or stopped praying for thirty days, but he chose to honor God no matter what!

Second, God is able to protect us in any situation! Those lions could have easily killed Daniel, but God sent His angel to shut their mouths! Nothing is too hard for God! He can save us from any danger!

Third, when we honor God, God will honor us! Daniel didn't pray just to show off or be seen. He prayed because he loved God and had a real relationship with Him. God saw Daniel's faithful heart and rescued him in a miraculous way!

Most importantly, this story reminds us that God is with us even in the darkest, scariest places - even in the lions' den! Daniel wasn't alone in that pit. God's angel was right there with him! And God is with you too, wherever you are! He will never leave you or forsake you! When you face scary situations, remember Daniel and trust in God. He is able to save!

Big idea: God is always with us and loves us very much!