Daniel in the Lions Den--I love this story, don't you?! Okay, so I love the whole book of Daniel . . . because good triumphs over evil again and again. Please take the time to click the link at the beginning of this paragraph and re-read this story for yourself. Take time to notice details you have not paid attention to before.
One thing that really jumps off the page at me is the jealousy the other administrators had toward Daniel. As far as we know, Daniel had been a man of integrity, and he had worked his way to the top through much patience. He had endured the reign of about six different kings. (See timeline)
He had earned his position. Yet the other guys were green with envy. It makes me reflect on times when I have viewed the success of others with a jealous heart. Was I mean, bitter, and caniving toward these people? I can also think of times when I have been the victim of jealous gossip. It should make us stop and think about our words, thoughts, and actions. Don't you think?
Verse 10 is priceless. "Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before." The government's actions did not affect Daniel's commitment to worship God one little bit!
Can you imagine the predicament in which King Darius found himself? The king planned to give Daniel a great deal of authority. He did not want to have Daniel killed. Yet, the king had signed a law, and he could not set the precedent of repealing decrees to show favoritism. He would have been inundated with future requests. (More on this topic when we study the book of Ezra.)
Instead, both King Darius and Daniel were given the opportunity to demonstrate great faith in the living God. "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." (vs. 26-27) Can you imagine the celebration Daniel and the other Hebrews had? I imagine King Darius threw a huge party in their honor. We know the lions feasted heartily on the administrators and their families.
I love it when the good guys win! Now, let's just make sure we are on the right side of justice.
Our next set of readings covers Ezra 3, 6-7, Haggai, and Zechariah 1-2. Do you think you could push me to finish the Old Testament before Easter?? I wish!
Darius was king after all so what in the world made him agree to the decree they were asking him to do. Didn't he know of his ancestor's experiences and realizations of Daniel's God? Just goes to show that even in Biblical times, people made stupid decisions without thinking it all through. And then he doesn't want to put Daniel in the lion's den, but he does anyways because of fear about what others would think. He was still king, didn't that give him grounds to change the decrees? However, then we wouldn't have been able to see how God kept Daniel safe!! Hmmmm, what a great example to us that even through trials and tribulations, God uses it all for good!!!
ReplyDeleteI had these very same questions! I learned some interesting things when I started reading Ezra, however. So I will wait to answer your question until I post my Ezra blog. K?
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