“So the king gave the command, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.” Daniel 6:16
Halfway though Daniel’s test of faith things do not look good for God’s man. He has been tried and found guilty of breaking the king’s law. The earthly judge has searched every nuance of the law to find a loophole to release him but none exists. Standing off to the side is a mob of hateful smug witnesses who intend to watch Daniel’s
execution. Things are bleak for Daniel but they are bleaker
for the king.
So the king gave the command With no options left Darius takes the action required by man’s law.
They brought Daniel Daniel likely has been in house arrest. The king sends his soldiers for him. (That is unnecessary. He would have obeyed the king’s commandand reported to him if asked.)
Cast him into the den of lions What the king decreed now takes place. As young men Daniel’s three friends stood before a burning fiery furnace. Now up to six decades later Daniel stands before a den of roaring lions.
The word cast means to impose or throw down. At 80+ years of age Daniel is thrown into the den. But then we read the king spoke to Daniel after he was cast into the den. How did that happen if Daniel was among roaring hungry lions?
According to historians the lion’s den consisted of a large square cavern under the earth. The den would be divided into two parts with a partition-wall in the middle of it. In the wall was a door which could be opened by the keeper from above. The keeper would throw in food to lure the lions from one chamber into the other. Once they were in the 2nd chamber the keeper would shut the door, and then he could enter the vacant space to clean it. The den-like cavern would not have a roof, it would be open from above. Around the top was a wall over which one can look down into the den. Thus Daniel could be thrown into one side of the lion’s den with the lion’s on the other side. Darius could stand at the top, looking down into the den and talk with Daniel freely before the door was opened and the lions allowed to enter Daniel’s side. Darius would leave before that happened – he could not stomach watching the man he trusted be destroyed by savage beasts.
Your God, whom you serve continually What is Darius’s message to Daniel? He is beside himself with grief. He
can do nothing to help his loyal servant. He has only one hope – that the God Daniel serves is greater than he is. By the
way, one could not receive a better testimony at their pending death than this one – he served God continually.
He will deliver you This can better be translated “He must deliver you”. In other words, as much as I tried I cannot help you. What a great truth uttered by Darius. When we are face to face with death, when our time is over, no man can stand with us or help us. God alone is the only chance anyone has. Death can be faced with great faith in God or it can be faced in grief and terror of what lies ahead.