DANIEL SIMPLIFIED
CHAPTER 6.23
Gleanings
from the Book of Daniel:
A
Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series
DANIEL
Chapter
Six
Daniel in the Lion’s Den
(The Miraculous Delivery of Daniel)
Introduction
In
the last episode, King Darius found Daniel alive and well after spending a
night in the lion’s den. A miracle had been wrought. Daniel survived because
his God had sent an angel of the Lord to close the mouths of the lions so they
would do Daniel no harm. By divine deliverance, God vindicated Daniel. As a
result, Darius was elated. What transpires next is quite interesting.
5. The Protection of
Daniel (Vv. 18-23) continued…
(Verse 23)
Then was the king exceeding (extremely) 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 (injury) was found upon him because he believed in his God.
The King’s Reaction
Daniel had no
assurance of escaping the lion’s den alive than his 3 friends, Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego had of escaping the fiery furnace (cf. 3:23). Moreover,
in both instances, their faith and trust in the Most High God and His
sovereignty outweighed their deliverance.
After spending the night
agonizing, King Darius was overjoyed by Daniel’s survival. And he immediately
gave a command to have Daniel lifted up out of the pit.
So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no
manner of hurt (injury) was found upon him, because he believed in his God
The Secret to Daniel’s
Life
Following the King’s
command, Daniel was lifted (taken) up out of the lion's den without any harm because of
God’s direct intervention. Daniel’s belief and trust in his God thereby not
only gained his deliverance but also honorable mention (although not
specifically named) in the Faith Hall of
Fame:
Hebrews 11:32g-33 – …and of the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises,
stopped the mouths
of lions.
6. The Proclamation of Darius (Vv. 24-27)
(Verse
24)
And the king commanded, and they brought those
men which had accused Daniel, and they cast (throw) 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.
The Fate of Daniel’s
Accusers
The second command of
Darius was immediate retribution against the enemies of Daniel who tricked him,
in the first place, to issue the initial revengeful Lion’s Den Decree. Without a judicial hearing or trial, Darius
ordered his court guards to arrest the satraps or governors, and presidents who
conspired against Daniel to be brought before the King. Subsequently, the elite
guards threw the accomplices, along with their wives and children into the pit
of hungry lions.
*NOTE: Recall, there were 122 men in authority besides Daniel.
Scripture does not say all 120 governors and 2 presidents were cast into the
lion’s den along with their wives and children. Presumably, just the ones who
conspired against Daniel would be a more logical explanation.
**NOTE: Under Persian law, the guilt of one would be shared by
his family. Wives and children were included in the punishment. Their rationale
was one day in the future, retaliation by the criminals’ families would be
thwarted.
By comparison, Mosaic
Law was quite the opposite, the wives and children were not made to suffer
[read Deuteronomy 16-21]:
Deuteronomy 19:21 - And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth,
hand for hand, foot for foot.
And the lions had the mastery (power) of them, and
brake all their bones in pieces [Literally: devoured the bones
and flesh] or ever (before) they came at the bottom of the den
The Fury of the Lions
The lions were hungry
enough when they were not restrained by the angel. Before they touched the
ground underscored the miracle of Daniel’s deliverance. Their bodies were
instantly torn apart and eaten by the lions and their bones were broken into
pieces.
Applicable to this
situation, Solomon prophesied well:
Proverbs 11:8 - The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in
his stead (place
below).
(Verse 25)
Then King Darius wrote: To all peoples,
nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you.
The Prologue to
Darius’ Decree
Darius begins his
public proclamation to the entire Medo-Persian Empire, which will be his
testimony. Oddly, his opening statement is strongly Jewish: “Peace be
multiplied to you.”
Compare translations:
1. “May you prosper
greatly?” (NIV)
2. “May your prosperity
abound.” (BSB)
3. “May your peace be
great?” (NASB)
Note: For a Bible
study group, look up these passages in the New Testament Letters to see how
they compare: [Of Paul, 1 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:3;
Ephesians 1:2; Philippians 1:2; Colossians 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2
Thessalonians 1:2; 1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:1; Titus 1:4. The writer of
Hebrews, Hebrews 13:25. Of Peter, 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Peter 1:2. Of John, 3 John
1:14; Revelation 1:4, and of Jude, Jude 1:2].
(Verse 26)
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 (firm, fixed, enduring, permanent) for
ever (endure, permanent), and His Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and His Dominion
(realm, sovereignty) shall be even unto the end.
The Decree of Darius
Amazingly, the King
delivered a national statement of faith after being touched by the power of
Almighty God. Now, men must bow before the Living God. Understand Darius was
polytheistic. He did not confess Daniel’s God to be the only God, but he
elevated Him above all other gods.
There are seven points
to consider in his proclamation:
1. The God of Daniel: All
men shall tremble before Him
2. The God of Daniel: All
men shall fear Him
3. The God of Daniel is a
living God
4. The God of Daniel is
steadfast
5. The God of Daniel is
eternal
6. The God of Daniel: His
Kingdom shall ne’er be destroyed
7. The God of Daniel: His
Dominion endures forever
The decree is quite
similar to the fiery furnace ordeal when Nebuchadnezzar declared:
Daniel 3:29cf - …there is no other God that can deliver after this. sort.
(Verse 27)
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.
Deliverance
Verse 27 is a
continuation of Darius’ decree. The remaining points include:
1. The God of Daniel is a
Deliverer
2. The God of Daniel is a
Rescuer
3. The God of Daniel
works signs in heaven
4. The God of Daniel
works signs on the earth
5. The God of Daniel
works wonders in heaven
6. The God of Daniel
works wonders on the earth
7. The God of Daniel
controls the power of lions
The Lion’s Den and the
Fiery Furnace episodes illustrate God’s faithfulness in preserving Israel – a
remnant of Israel will always survive on account of God’s covenants with them.
So, consider contrasting the foreshadowing deliverance of His chosen people,
the remnant of Israel, from the Great Tribulation (cf. Romans 11:25-28), and
how God’s enemies will be cast into the eternal Lake of Fire (cf. Revelation
20:10, 14-15).
7. The Prosperity of Daniel (v. 28)
(Verse 28)
So this Daniel prospered in the reign of
Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
Verse 28 brings the
sixth chapter and historical section of the book of Daniel to a close. The
record of Daniel’s political career prospered well into his 90’s. He had served
five Gentile kings throughout the 70-year captivity. They included:
1. Nebuchadnezzar
2. Evil-Merodach
3. Belshazzar
4. Darius (or Gubaru)
5. Cyrus
The text informs:
Daniel was exalted to honour and prospered into the reign of Cyrus the Great of
the Persian Empire. In his first year of authority, Cyrus, led by God, ended
the Exile and allowed the Jewish people to return to their homeland, Jerusalem,
and rebuild their Temple [about 537 B.C. (cf. Ezra 1:1-4)]. It was in the third
year of Cyrus' reign Daniel received a great vision of the End Times [to be
discussed later (cf. Daniel 10:1- 12:13).
Note: History is in a
fog when it comes to Darius and Cyrus:
1. Some say Darius and
Cyrus are the same people
2. Some say they were
contemporaneous
We will leave it at
that.
Postscripts
1. The Contrast of the book of Daniel
a. The first six chapters
of Daniel are court tales.
b. The final six chapters
determine the future destinies of the Kingdoms of the world to the Kingdom of
God.
2. The Comparisons of Daniel
a. At the beginning of
Chapter 1, there is a new regime.
b. At the end of Chapter
6, there is a new religion.
3.
The Character of Daniel
a. At the beginning of Chapter 1, we see Daniel having a godly, uncompromising, righteous, and excellent spirit.
b. At the closing of Chapter 6, 70 years later, his character never waned from God – the secret of his success
QUESTIONS:
1. What was the situation that led to
verse 23?
2. Why did Daniel remain unharmed in the lion’s
den?
3. What was the fate of Daniel’s accusers?
4. Why were their families included?
5. What are some of the highlights of
Darius’ decree?
6. How did God reward Daniel for his faith?
7. What were some of Daniel’s character
traits?
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