Daniel 6:16-23~ Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions, Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee. 17. 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. 18. 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. 19. Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. 20. And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel; and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? 21. Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live forever. 22. 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. 23. 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.
The lion is the king of the beast. Ancient kings collected lions like some folk collect baseball cards. Many kings had a dungeon or den where they could go and watch the lions and feed them with their enemies. The lion’s dungeon was a square or rectangular type pit in the ground, lined with rocks. A wall of masonry divided the area in half. The keeper could open the gate in that wall from up above and throw food in the other half. The lions immediately changed sides. The keeper closed the gate and lowered himself into the pit on the empty side, cleaned it, and then got out safely.
Read vs. 16 ~18 ~ Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions, Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee. 17. 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. 18. 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.
Daniel's faithfulness got him into a den of trouble. Daniel was sealed, sealed in with vicious hungry meat eating animals. Imagine being 80 plus years old and locked a lion's den full of lions. You can hear them roaring. A cold, damp, dirty dungeon is the last place I’d want to be when it gets dark. Daniel has been thrown in a pit with some big, wild, hungry animals. Just picture that!
It must have been a long hard night for Daniel. It’s hard enough to sleep with someone who SNORES, just imagine trying it with ROARS! That's what Daniel had to contend with. King Darius didn't sleep either. He requested no entertainment. He loved Daniel. Daniel was his friend. And yet he’s in charge and couldn't help his friend. He was so distraught that he worried about it all night.
I want you to notice something that opposes what many preach. So often we hear from the pulpit that if we serve God, if we pay our tithes, if we give our offerings, if we plant a seed and name it, if we come to church, if we pray, if we read our Bibles, if we are saved, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Ghost nothing bad will happen to us. You'll never get divorced, you’ll never be broke, and everything will be just fine. That's not the case! Notice, Daniel was a chosen vessel of God, blessed and highly favored but God did not prevent Daniel's enemies from casting him into the lion's den. We’ve been tricked into believing that Christianity means being shielded from the issues of life but look at Daniel.
God did not prevent his servant from being thrown into the den of lions. But God did go into the den with Daniel! God was with His servant and He has ways of delivering us that far exceeds our minds! We can depend on God! Even in the midst of what some call a recession wait on the Lord. Even in the midst of hungry lions, Daniel is waiting on the Lord! While the king is not sleeping, eating, or enjoying his life, God is working on Daniel’s and our behalf.
It’s so important that we listen and hear the voice of God when He’s speaking. It’s so important that we are not distracted by what looks good, feels good, or even taste good. Let me say that one more time we can’t get distracted by our appetites. It’s so important that we are not distracted by what looks good, feels good, or even taste good. In chapter one the prince of the eunuchs was trying to feed Daniel the king’s meat. I heard a great man of God say the other day the worst thing Daniel could have done was to have gone into the lion’s den smelling like a piece of meat. You didn’t get it. The worst thing Daniel could have done was to have gone into a den full of hungry meat eaters smelling like meat. It is vital that we are able to discern God’s will for our lives. While you’re trying to figure it out, God’s already worked it out.
Read vs. 19-23 ~ 19. Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. 20. And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel; and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? 21. Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live forever. 22. 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. 23. 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.
God was down there with His servant Daniel and God will be with you in your trials and deepest troubles. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had been tested in their early youth, but Daniel's test was in his older years. His three friends endured the fire for only a few moments. What would have happened if Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had bowed to the king and drank his wine? You do know that alcohol and fire don’t mix. Whatever the test, don’t fall prey to the enemy. Wait on the Lord because while you’re trying to figure it out, the Lord’s already worked it out.
Early the next morning the king was in a hurry to check on Daniel. The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. When Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound, not a scratch was found on him, because he had TRUSTED in HIS God!" Why were no stitches, not even a band-aid needed? Because Daniel trusted in HIS God! No matter how bad your situation looks TRUST IN THE LORD!
If God can save Daniel from lions, He can save you from sin. He can save you from meth. He can save you from crack. He can save you from illicit and immoral sex. He can save you from gambling. He can save you from alcohol. He can save you from foul language. God can save you from a bad temper. He can save you from tobacco. He can save you from whatever it is that is keeping you bound. While you’re trying to figure it out, God’s already worked it out.
The (-ed) in worked is past tense. It indicates it’s already done, it’s finished! Suffering – He’s worked it out. It’s done! Worrying– He’s worked it out. It’s done! Healing – He’s worked it out. It’s done! Chaos – He’s worked it out. It’s done! Financial Issues – He’s worked it out. It’s done! Joblessness – He’s worked it out. It’s done! Loneliness – He’s worked it out. It’s done! Homelessness – He’s worked it out. It’s done! Whatever your issue is – He’s worked it out. It’s done! Tell somebody today God's got it and it’s done!
Jesus had some haters. While He was in the garden of Gethsemane Judas approached Him with a multitude of haters with swords and clubs and with flattery Judas cried out Master, Master then kissed Jesus as a sign of identification. Judas betrayed Judas with a kiss and they arrested Him. They took Jesus from judgment hall to judgment hall and they couldn’t find any fault in Him. No fault could be found because Jesus was innocent. Like Jesus, Daniel was innocent. Innocent, kind-hearted Daniel just stood there before the King satisfied with Jesus. Like Jesus, Daniel did not even ask for revenge to get even with his enemies. He left that with God. He knew the Lord and He was working things out on his behalf. While Jesus was being questioned, God was working things out. As Peter denied knowing Jesus, God was working things out. As the religious leaders condemn Jesus, God was working things out. As Jesus stood trial before Pilate, God was working things out. While the Roman soldiers mocked Jesus, God was working things out. As Jesus was led away to be crucified, God was working things out. As they nailed Him in His hands and nailed Him in His feet, God was working things out. While He hung for your sins and agonized for my sins from the 6th to the 9th hour, God was working things out. As He cried out, “It is finished!” There was nothing left to figure out, for God in His awesomeness, had worked it out forever through the shedding of the blood of Jesus.
Well, they rolled the stone away from Daniel's "Tomb" and Daniel came forth unharmed. Like Jesus, not a bone was broken. Do you know what took the appetite away from those Lions? Hebrews 11:33 says-- "Who through faith conquered kingdoms....who shut the mouths of lions..." There is power in faith." It was faith that stopped the mouths of lions.
On the third day Jesus rose from the dead with all power. Right now He’s seated in heaven on the right hand side of His Father making intercession for us. Let us remember when life happens: ~ Be steadfast ~ Pray Your Way Through~ and ~ Wait on the Lord~ Because while you’re trying to figure things out, our God has already worked it out.
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