“Now the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; and no musicians were brought before him. Also his sleep went from him. Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions.” Daniel 6:18-19
Darius rushes back to his palace. He may be the ruler but his heart is in deep distress over an action he has taken that has harmed another. He is beside himself with guilt. When our hearts are not hardened to God, sin convicts us. David writes of that conviction. “For I know my transgressions, and mysin is ever before me.” The Psalmist says the same thing. “When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart.” (Psalm 73:21)
Spent the night fasting God is working in Darius’ heart. His heart is
sick with sin and guilt and he knows he cannot resolve the situation. He starts to look outside himself and he realizes the only person who
provides him any hope is Daniel and the God he worships.
No musicians were brought before him It was never good for the
king to be sad or troubled. If that happened musicians were brought into his bedchamber to play music to soothe his heart. (Remember David being brought into to play his harp for Saul?) This would not happen on this day. Darius did not want to mask or cover the pain
in his heart. Darius did not know Daniel’s God but he likely prayed to him that night in the silence.
Also his sleep went from him. There was no peace in the castle that night. People think riches and position and authority will make them happy. We see here that no one, not even a powerful king, can escape the consequences God told us comes from sin. God is using the test that He allowed into Daniel’s life to touch the heart of another world ruler.
Then the king arose very early in the morning Early means dawn. As soon as the light began to break in the morning Darius arose – stood up. His heart was sick and he could not sleep or stay in bed. He had to know what happened.
Went in haste to the den of lions The word went means he took off to. In haste means in alarm or dismay – Darius rushes to the den of lions. With a lot of fear and a little hope he rushed to find out the result of his injustice.
The second sleeper In Daniel 6 God keeps our eyes focused solely on the anxiety in Darius’ heart. But what about Daniel? He went through that night also. God did not remove Daniel from the trial, he had to go through it. After the king had sealed the door, the lion keeper would open the partition between the two partitions. A pride of lions would enter the room where Daniel was. He would face the hungry lions. What was going through his mind at that moment? We don’t know for sure but we can be sure he was praying and meditating on God’s Word while standing there waiting for the door to open to the lions. Perhaps he meditated on Psalm 46. “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear,
though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” This verse tells Daniel, and us, to keep our eyes on the Lord. Even as angry lions swarmed around him, he could trust that God was in control. Soon the lions lay down to sleep and Daniel lay
down to sleep with them. There was more peace in a lion’s den that night than there was in the palace of a king. Don’t ever forget this story of God’s care for Daniel. God’s way was through
the lion’s den, not out of it. That is the way God chose to touch the heart of a king.
We also see one man at peace with God who can sleep and has peace in the middle of trials and another man, rich and powerful, who is alienated from God and his heart is sick with guilt and grief.