“Then Daniel said
to the king, “O king, live
forever! My God sent His angel and shut the
lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me,
because I was found innocent before Him; and
also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.”
Daniel 6:21-22
There comes a time when God breaks into one’s
life and gives him all the evidence and light
he needs to make a decision. It happened in
Acts with King Agrippa. Paul shared with him
the truth of the Gospel. Paul shared his
testimony of how God saved him. God’s word
convicted his heart. He knew what he needed to
do yet he turned away from the truth. “You
almost persuade me to become a Christian”, he
told Paul. Darius reaches that point. He calls out to
Daniel with faint hope asking if Daniel’s God
is able to deliver him.
From the depths of the lion’s den he hears the
voice of God’s servant.
O king, live forever! Daniel expresses his
service and honor toDarius. Despite what Darius
has done to him there is no bitterness. Daniel
knows God is in control. God alone delivered
him from the lions. Daniel will continue to
serve the king if that is God’s will.
My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths
Daniel givesus insight into what happened in
the lions den that night. Note he says MY God.
This is a personal relationship, not the
worship of a man to a hunk of wood or stone.
Daniel’s God sent one of His messengers into
the den. The angel came into what should have
been Daniel’s tomb and stopped death. The
lions’ mouths were shut. God could have
delivered Daniel in many ways. Yet He chose to
give a special job to a special angel to
accomplish his special purpose. God uses His
agents – people and angels to do His work – now
and for all eternity. What a privilege to be
part of God's work!
So that they have not hurt me Daniel uses the
word destroyed. The lions were still lions.
Their nature is to destroy. Yet God sent His
messenger to stop them from fulfilling their
desires. God’s angel did his job masterfully as
did Daniel. Two servants obeying God completely
brought great joy to God’s heart that day. It
did for Darius as well.
Because I was found innocent before Him Daniel
does not gloss over the sin that was done to
him. He is innocent of the charges. Daniel
makes the point that he was innocent, the law
was sinful. We American Christians consider
ourselves as “law-abiding Christians”. We obey
the rulers over us, good and bad. There will
come a time, however, when the law will be
in direct opposition to ourfaith and service to
God. When that time comes we must be prepared
to disobey all laws which are sinful and which
are in direct violation to God’s law. When that
happens we may suffer the consequences but we
know God goes through the test with us.
Also, O king, I have done no wrong before you
Daniel makes the point that he had not harmed
the king. Unlike all of the king’s other
leaders, he did not profit from his position.
He fulfilled the task he had been assigned – to
ensure “that the king would suffer no loss”.
Now God did the same thing by protecting Daniel.
What can we learn? We will face threats to our
Christian beliefs. Often we pray that God will
deliver us from these tests. Many times that is
not God’s will – His choice is to deliver us
through the test. If and when that happens we
can be sure God who sent His angel to Daniel
and who walked through the fiery furnace with
Daniel’s three Hebrew friends will be with us
as well. God IS able!