Before Lions

Daniel 6:23-28

Then was the king exceedingly 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.

Daniel and the king went from being alone and all by themselves to having friends, confidantes, and a new co-ruler for kingdom service. For the lions and their obedience for one night, God gave them a huge meal, far more than they could reasonably eat. Before these councilors, wives, and children have even fallen into the pit they dug for another, the flesh has been stripped from the bones. For the part they played, they cowered in terror as they made so many others do with their nonsense demands, oppressive orders, and unrighteous behaviors. Their wives and children were included because they oppressed those who had none. Had these remained, their sins would have spread across the generations as Exodus 34:7 says like a wildfire in a dry place. Notice there are two types of dens here. One is a deep pit filled with lions rather like an entrance to a well. Daniel would have had to be lifted from that with rope. The other is a gradual slope which would have allowed the lions to rush out immediately as the stone is moved; Daniel would have had to be lifted out due to his terror and instability. The fact the text does not say they rushed out. For this reason, I believe these were some rather supernatural lions. I can see them now as the families and councilors hold onto one another for dear life and crouch by the entrance in terror. Here come the lions jumping and thumping towards them with glowing eyes in the dark. The lions have crunched them, munched them, and chewed them. Now they are now licking the bare bones clattering on the floor around them.

God provided for the lion's lack of food and freedom. In their want, he made sure they suffered not hunger for some time to come. How much more did God provide for Jesus when he was placed in a similar position. In Psalm 16:10 Jesus was neither left in the pit or on the cross; he saw neither corruption nor had any of his bones broken. Jesus makes sure his creation suffers not unjustly in that day, this one, and in the one to come. This is why at the end, God will use his creation to judge the world because he will give them mastery. There was no wound found on Daniel because God had already healed all of them, including emotional, mental, and spiritual ones inside him. I do not see Daniel needing to bow anymore to pray inside his closet or opening his windows towards Jerusalem. He knew now that God was with him even in the dark. This is how Jesus can be prince of peace and king of Salem all at the same time in Hebrews 6:20. How many of you remember the historical Salem witch trials where those accused of having supernatural powers of the dark forces were burned at the stake. How many of you know that God is the king of that too. He makes his angels fallen or not to serve him. Even the devil must bow before his will according to Philippians 2:10-11. Every knee under Heaven and on earth must bow and tongue confess that it is so for his glory. He may judge them, and he may bless them, but he always rules them. He has not lost control of his house as the master did who went to a far country of Matthew 25:14 or as this king whose councilors rebelled. Even to the end we do not see God wringing his hands saying, 'oh dear, whatever shall I do.' He is on his throne where he has always been as in Isaiah 6:1.

I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end.

I know some of you are reading this and thinking to yourself, 'no thanks to you, big, bad, mean king. If only you had not put Daniel there in the first place God would not have had to save him.' Yes, but notice something first before you say all that. King Darius wrote to all the people of the earth all at the same time. Do you know how many different languages this man had to know? Not only did he write to them, but they also understood him. That is the greater miracle. This king is displaying the gift of tongues already and the spirit gifts have not been given to the church of Acts 2:2-4 yet. There are some things to see about this letter as well. Fear and reverence for the God of Daniel are addressed. However, this is where many got it twisted. Instead of seeking the God of Daniel so he may be found, they made unto themselves their own gods. This is why the people will prosper greatly when they seek him. Notice now, these covert instructions for prayer found in this letter. The people will not prosper greatly if they put themselves in his place. God must be in his proper place; he is on his throne high and lifted up as well as ruling in the affairs of men. Fear and reverence of God are how the people have deliverance from their personal situations. Respect of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom as Psalm 111:10 states and allows the God of Daniel to become theirs as well. God is living seen in "he endures forever." His kingdom will not suffer loss nor will his dominion end according to Isaiah 9:7. If this is not sufficient reason to praise him, I do not know what is.

He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions. So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

We have seen a decree like this one before, have we not. We have also seen such speech before. Similar words were spoken in the presence of Daniel before by King Nebuchadnezzar. Poor Daniel must have felt a strong sense of deja-vu throughout this whole experience. There is something to be seen here. I am not saying that King Darius or King Nebuchadnezzar were God. I am saying, that in the absence of himself, God uses human people to accomplish whatever he will. This is how intimately God knows his people. King Darius would have had a strong sense of this after seeing from experience how God had delivered not only himself but also Daniel his servant. The footnote of this translated text makes it clear that Darius is really Cyrus. The text states Daniel continued under the reign of both Darius and Cyrus. Imagine both Darius and Cyrus ruling together at the same time on the throne. Daniel would not know when he woke up that morning if he was going to meet with Darius or Cyrus. They might get mad at each other. Daniel must sit there saying, 'well, I can't do this today. Darius is at the office and will be mad if I do because he does not agree with Cyrus. But Cyrus will chop off my head if I do not do what God and himself asked me to do.' I would not wonder if Cyrus would have been willing to arrange for something to happen to Darius. Such a scenario would be silly. But that is exactly how some theologians and history scholars believe.

See now this textual and historical progression. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Darius was initially a royal bodyguard prior to his ascension after assassinating a brother-usurper of the older king. Darius would have been the name of a commoner. All this aside, Darius was a Median bodyguard prior to his ascension and Cyrus was king of the Persians. Therefore, shortly after King Darius took rule, he became known upon the throne as King Cyrus of Persia. According to common English usage, the word and implies equality and inclusion of both parts. Therefore, King Cyrus and King Darius, I believe, may have been one and the same. Isaiah 45:1 even refers to King Cyrus who strips "kings of their armor" and subdues the nations at the command of the Lord. You might not see why these facts matter. However, there is a prophecy concerning the nation of Babylon spoken of by Isaiah 14:17 of the man who would not let his captives go home. There are certain specifics of this prophecy which I feel is necessary to bring forth here as did the Lord in Isaiah 14:4 concerning the king of Babylon. The one responsible for the captivity at that time would have been King Nebuchadnezzar. This passage points out this man's pride, his fall, and his grave. The text states other kings arise from the dead to greet him who was cast out of his but did not join them for burial. He was made as a living corpse trampled underfoot for he destroyed his land and his people. His son indeed was a wicked man and his passing unmentioned. Even from "the depths of the pit," the Lord is able to save as King Darius testified. See now, in Ezra 1:1-3 how King Cyrus allowed the captives to return home. Remember, I promised that King Nebuchadnezzar's closet would be messy. God can save you even from that.