Daniel 6

Introduction

It is good to see you this morning. It is a blessing beyond description that we can worship God together. Let me encourage you to open your Bibles to Daniel 6. To Daniel chapter 6. What we want to do first of all this morning is to tell the story of Daniel 6. A story you may be very familiar with, but we want to tell this story, and our goal is, my goal is that I can tell the story in a way that even the youngest can understand. But in Daniel chapter 6, we are in the days after the Medes and the Persians have conquered the Babylonians. The Babylonians were the most powerful nation in the world from around 605 to 539. But Daniel 5 tells us the day the Babylonian kingdom fell.

1. No Corruption, No Negligence in Daniel

And the Bible tells us in Daniel chapter 6 that Darius the king appoints several commissioners over the land. A hundred and twenty, a hundred and twenty satraps over the land, and three commissioners over them. And they are accountable to the king. And they speak to the king, they investigate matters so that the king will experience no difficulties and no troubles. Now, of these three commissioners, one of them was Daniel. And Daniel is excelling so in his work that the king wants to appoint him over all the commissioners.

When that’s taking place, verses four and five tell us that the commissioners and the satraps, they’re envious of Daniel. And they begin trying to find an accusation against him. They’re trying to find something of which to accuse Daniel. And the Bible tells us they could find no ground of accusation. There was no corruption in Daniel. There was no corruption in Daniel, there is no negligence in Daniel. No corruption, no negligence. Now, I hope is someone investigated you and your work that they would find no evidence of corruption, that you are seeking to be honest, that you are seeking to deal with others properly, that you are practicing truth and justice. I hope they would find that. But would those who investigated you and your work find any examples of negligence?

In Daniel, they found no evidence of corruption, no evidence of any negligence. And they finally recognize that if we’re going to make an accusation against Daniel, it is going to have to be about the law of his God.

2. Daniel Not Deterred From Praying

And so, as a result of this, the commissioners and the satraps, they come by agreement. They say, King Darius, live forever. They said, all the commissioners and all the prefects and all the satraps and the high officials and the governors. They’ve all consulted together. Well, they’re not telling the truth right there. Because they have left one person out of these consultations. The one person that this law is designed to entrap. But we have all consulted together. And we believe that the king should make a petition and sign a decree that no one should make any request of any man or any God except you, O king. And we encourage you to sign this according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be changed, cannot be altered.

King Darius signed the injunction. He signs a decree that no man can make any request of any God or any man for 30 days except the king. Probably this was done under the guise of uniting the kingdom. But in verses 10 and 11, the text tells us Daniel knew the document was signed. He knew what the law was. He knew the document was signed. He entered his house. Now in his roof chamber, he had his windows open toward Jerusalem. And he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praising and giving thanks before his God as he had been doing previously. Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God. Daniel knew what the law said. Daniel knew it was illegal to pray to any man or any God for 30 days except the king.

Yet he goes into his house and he does not close the windows. He does not hide what he is seeking to do.

I know when we are in a culture where we would be respected for prayer and we would be respected for our piety, we are told not to utter our prayers before men to be seen by them. Jesus gave that warning in Matthew chapter 6 in verses 5 and 6. He warned against some who prayed on the street corners or standing in the presence of others, so that others might say, What a righteous man this was, what a godly person this was. And he says, if that’s the motive that you do it with, that’s the only reward you’re going to get. And so in a culture where we would be praised, we do not pray in order to be seen by men, to be patted on the back by men doesn’t mean you can’t pray publicly, but it always must be directed to God and not directed to man about what a good prayer that we’ve prayed.

But in another setting, Daniel 6, when prayer is outlawed, Daniel leaves his windows open and kneels toward Jerusalem and prays three times a day. The fact that the law, the fact the law was you could not make a petition of any man or any God for 30 days except the king doesn’t change him. The fact that the penalty is that if you violate this decree, you are thrown into the lions, then, the fact that that is the penalty for violation of this law doesn’t deter Daniel. He continues to pray and give thanks to God three times a day. How many of us in such circumstances would have given thanks. He gives thanks as he prays. I am impressed by the fact that Daniel is not deterred by the law and not deterred by the penalty of the law from seeking his God and praying.

But I’ll tell you something else that impresses me. Not only that Daniel does that, but his enemies knew from the beginning that he would do that. They knew that. They came by agreement and they found Daniel making petition because they knew Daniel wasn’t going to stop because the law said you can’t make a petition of any man or any God for 30 days, and the one who does it is thrown into the lion’s den. They knew he wouldn’t stop. And so they come to the king and they said, O king, did you not sign an injunction that said that no one could make a request of any except you for 30 days, and the one who violates this would be thrown into the lion’s den. Did you not say this, O king?

3. The King Is Distressed and Cannot Deliver Daniel

And the king said, Yes. And I signed a law according to the Medes and the Persians that cannot be changed, that cannot be altered. And the men said, O king, there is someone here who does not pay any attention to what you say. Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, doesn’t pay any attention to you or the injunction that you sign. He keeps on praying three times a day, just as he had done before. In verse 14, as soon as the king hears this, he is distressed. Now there are great similarities between Daniel 3 and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abedney go cast into the lion’s den, or cast, excuse me, into the fiery furnace. And Daniel 6, where Daniel is cast in the lion’s den.

There are great similarities. But here is a difference. Here’s a striking difference. When Nebuchadnezzar hears that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not bow down to his image, he is absolutely outraged. He is outraged. He is angered. Here, the king of Persia is distressed at this news. He is distressed, and he sets his mind and heart on delivering Daniel. He tries to find some way to rescue Daniel from his own decree. But the men who made this law, who devised this law, come to him and said, No, king, remember that according to the laws of the Media and Persians, this cannot be changed. The king cannot deliver Daniel from the law he has made. And he gave orders to have Daniel cast into the lion’s den. And he says, Daniel, your God, whom you constantly serve, will deliver you.

Again, here’s a contrast with Daniel 3. Nebuchadnezzar asked defiantly in Daniel 3 15, what God is able to deliver from my hands? This king says, Your God, whom you constantly serve, will himself deliver you. They brought a stone. They placed it over the lion’s den. They sealed it with the king’s seal. And the nobles sealed it with their seal. That nothing was going to be changed concerning Daniel. Daniel is left in the lion’s den. And the biblical text focuses for the next few verses on the king. The king in Daniel chapter 6, verse 18, goes to his house. There is no entertainment brought to him that evening. He doesn’t eat anything. He is fasting, and he is not able to sleep. It may be safe to say that the king doesn’t sleep as well in the palace as Daniel did in the lion’s den.

And at the break of day, early the next morning, Daniel gets up, or the king gets up, and he runs to thee. He runs to the lion’s den where Daniel is, and he cries out, no doubt, in a troubled voice. He says, Daniel, servant of the most high God, has your God, whom you serve, been able to deliver you. And how relieved he must have been to hear Daniel’s words, O king, live forever. My God sent his angel and shut the lion’s mouth, and they have not harmed me, because I was found innocent toward you. They took Daniel out of the lion’s den, and they took him out of the lion’s den, and they looked him over, and there is not even any injury on his body.

Like was the case with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3. There was not even the smell of smoke. And here there is no injury. Daniel has spent a night in the lion’s den. And there is no injury upon him at all. But the king gave the orders that the men who brought these charges would be brought along with their wives, along with their children, and they were cast into the lion’s den. The punishment that they had plotted for Daniel is now applied to them. The punishment fits their crime in this case. But they had not reached the bottom of the lion’s den before all their bones are crushed. And they are killed. They don’t survive their experience in the lion’s den. And Darius writes a decree to all people, to all nations, to all kingdoms.

4. The Focus Is on the God Daniel Serves

May your peace abound. God, the God of Daniel, is a God before whom men should fear and tremble. He’s a living God. He’s enduring forever. He delivers, he rescues, he performs signs and wonders in heaven and on earth. Now, the focus of this chapter is not on Daniel’s faith and courage. As great of a lesson as it is. I’m not denying that is a lesson. In Hebrews chapter 11, verse 32 alludes to Daniel and his friends. But I am saying the focus of this chapter is on the God that Daniel serves. The same God that you serve today, the same God that I serve. The focus is on him, on his ability to rescue and deliver. The king is powerless to deliver Daniel from his own decree.

He’s powerless to deliver Daniel from his own decree. But God can do what the most powerful mortal on earth cannot do. The king recognizes this. When the king throws Daniel into the den, he says, your God will deliver you. Your God will deliver you. He comes to the lion’s den early in the morning. He asks the question has the God whom you constantly serve been able to deliver you? And Daniel gives all credit and all praise to God. My God has sent his angel and shut the mouth of the lions. There’s no harm that’s come to me because I trusted in him. And the king makes a decree. That the God of Daniel is to be feared and trembled before. Because he delivers, he rescues, he performs signs, and he performs wonders.

5. Envied, Accused and Arrested at the Place of Prayer

No God is like this God. Daniel 3, Daniel 6. Both of them focus on God. And remember when we pray, when we worship, when we look into his words, we are reading the words of this God. May we all fear and tremble before him. As powerful as this story is, it also foreshadows even greater events. Daniel’s foes are moved with envy against Daniel. Do you remember in Matthew 27, verse 18? Pilate says, it says of Pilate that he knew because of envy. They had handed Jesus over to him. Just as Daniel’s foes were motivated by envy, so Jesus’ foes were motivated by envy. They try desperately to find an accusation against Daniel. And they try desperately, and there are multitude of other passages we could put up there.

But a couple of them, Luke 11, 54, Luke 20, verse 20, where they try to find an accusation against Jesus. Remember the account in Luke 20, they come to Jesus and ask, should we pay taxes to Caesar? But their whole motive in that is to seek to accuse Jesus, to seek to find accusation against him. And just as, just as Daniel was arrested at the place of prayer, so Jesus was arrested at the place of prayer as well. Jesus had gone to Gethsemane, a place where he often went with his disciples to pray. He goes to Gethsemane to pray. He prays three times, my Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. He is praying, and sweat is falling as great drops of blood.

He is offering up strong crying and tears, according to Hebrews 5 and verse 7, while his disciples sleep. And while a crowd gathers to arrest him.

Should we not stand in awe of Jesus, God’s son. Daniel is accused before the leaders of the land. Jesus is brought before the Jewish leaders and accused. He is brought before the Roman leaders and accused. And again, there’s so many passages that we could jot down here. But in John 18, the Bible talks of Jesus being brought before Pilate to stand trial before him. And they say, if he were not a wrongdoer, we would not deliver him for you. He’s accused before the ruler, and the ruler seeks to let him go. In Daniel chapter 6, Darius is seeking to deliver Daniel from the decree that he himself has made. And in the gospel accounts, Pilate is diligently trying to find a way to rescue Jesus. He says, I find no guilt in him three times according to Luke’s account.

He seeks to send Jesus to Herod. Maybe Herod will deal with this political hot potato, and he will not have to deal with it. He sends Jesus to Herod after Jesus comes back. He says, Neither I nor Herod have found any guilt in him. He offers them a choice. Shall I crucify Jesus? Shall I release to you Jesus or Barabbas? The crowds chant for Barabbas. Pilate suggests scourging Jesus and letting him go. Pilate knows Jesus is innocent. Pilate’s wife knows Jesus is innocent. And in Matthew 27, verse 19, hey, send him a message. Have nothing to do with this righteous man. For last night I suffered much in a dream because of him. Pilate’s wife knows he’s innocent. Pilate knows he’s innocent. And Pilate desperately seeks to let him go.

But the leaders came to derive us in Daniel 6. And they said, O king, remember, it is a law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be changed. That anyone who made a prayer to any God or any man for 30 days is to be cast into the lion’s den. Remember that law, O King. When Pilate is seeking to release Jesus, they come to him and they say, We have a law, and by that law he ought to be put to death. He ought to die, for he has made himself to be the Son of God.

6. The Stone, the Seal, and the Victim Is Alive

And just as there it was, a stone placed upon the lion’s den. There was a stone placed upon the tomb of Jesus. A seal was put upon that stone over the lion’s den that nothing would be changed about Daniel’s circumstances. And a seal was placed upon the tomb of Jesus. So that if anyone disturbed that tomb, they would be judged. They’d come to Pilate, you remember, and they said, Sir, the deceiver said, after three days I’ll rise again. And we don’t want him, we don’t want his disciples to come and steal the body and say he’s risen from the dead. The last end would be worse than the first. He said, You have a guard, make it as secure as you know how. And he places a seal upon the tomb that no one was to violate this and to enter this tomb.

The king gets up early in the morning. He comes to the lion’s den. He asks, Daniel, has your God been able to deliver you? And so early on the first day of the week, after Jesus was crucified, or the first day of the week, the women come to the tomb. The women are expecting to finish the work of the burial of Jesus. But instead they come and find the stone has been rolled away from the tomb already. They arose early in the morning. When Darius arises early in the morning, Daniel, has your God been able to deliver you? He finds the person who was cast in the lion’s den. Is alive. He is alive. The lions have not bothered him. And as the women come to the tomb early on the first day of the week, when they come into the tomb, the text tells us that they see two angels, one at the head and one at the foot of where Jesus had been.

And they ask the question, why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but he is risen. The victim is alive. Our God has delivered. Acts 2 24. Peter quotes from Psalm 16. And states it was impossible for death to hold him in his power. It was impossible for death to hold him in his power. Let me give you a contrast, though. I have talked about comparisons between Daniel 6 and Jesus. When Daniel is taken up out of the lion’s den, they examine him, and there is no injury found on him. The lions did not hurt him in the least. You remember in John 20 that Jesus appears to the disciples, and they tell their fellow disciple Thomas, it is true, he’s alive, he’s been raised.

Thomas said, I will not believe until I put my hand, my finger into his hand, where the nails were, until I put my hand into his side. When Jesus appeared to Thomas eight days later, he said, Thomas, put your finger in my hand and put your hand into my side, and be not unbelieving, but believing. You could look at the body of Jesus and still see the injuries and still see the scars and know that the one who was crucified has been raised from the dead. No injury was found on him. And this series of events actually led to the destruction, the destruction of Daniel’s enemies. And the events of the cross lead to the destruction of Jesus’ enemies. Colossians 2 verses 14 and 15 tells us he was triumphant over his foes through the cross.

Colossians 2, 14 and 15, Hebrews 2, 14 through 18 are among many passages. The Christ overcame through his death and resurrection. He defeated all of his foes. Last night we defined a type as an event, as a person, as an institution, and by institution I mean something like priesthood or feast days. A type is any of those that foreshadows a later person or event. All the Bible ultimately foreshadows Jesus. In some ways, that is some passages that is clearer and easier to detect than others. But I would suggest that as powerful as Daniel 6 is, that those events foreshadow a greater event in the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Conclusion

I hope I’m not put in the position that Daniel was in Daniel 6. I hope you’re not.

The one who voluntarily put himself in that position and was crucified and raised for me. Let us pray. O Lord our God. We stand in awe of you and in awe of your mercy. We stand in awe of you who ask nothing of us that you were not willing to do yourself.

We thank you that you loved us, that you saved us, that you rescued us from sin and the horrible consequences of sin, especially death. We thank you, O God, for your mercy. Help us to stand in awe of Jesus and of his love. May we stand in awe of him. May we truly honor you and him this day. We know you reveal yourself as Father, Son, and Spirit. We bow before you. We honor your name. We pray you bring us to your presence. In Jesus we pray. Amen.