God Conversation
God Conversation
Daniel in the den of lions
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Daniel in the den of lions

Podcast and outline

The story of Daniel in the lion's den teaches us about the promises and faithfulness of God, even if we feel like everything has been lost.

King Darius was ruler over Babylon and had an appointment with several men to help him govern and lead. Daniel, the leader of advisors, was a man who believed in God and followed the Lord's commands. The other men did not like Daniel and did not want him in charge so they devised a way to get rid of Daniel.

Politics are usually dirty and the plot was well thought. These men knew that Daniel served the God of Israel. They told King Darius to make a new law in which people could worship and pray to only the king and if they worshipped or prayed to other gods, they would be thrown into the den of lion's. The starving lion would eat and kill the lawbreaker.

The punishment

Daniel prayed three times a day with his windows open. When the men saw Daniel and brought accusations against him to King Darius, the king was devastated because he favored Daniel. The king knew he could not change the law and Daniel was thrown into the lion's den.

Verse 10 of Daniel 6 tells us that, “when Daniel knew that the writing was signed,” he knelt and prayed as he always had." Daniel prays toward Jerusalem, a city leveled by the Babylonians, and he prays toward a temple that no longer stands.

In the Lions' Den

At sundown, they threw Daniel into the den of lions. The king could not eat or sleep all night. At dawn, he ran to the lions' den and asked Daniel if his God had protected him. Daniel replied,

Daniel 6:22 My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king.

King Darius had the men who falsely accused Daniel arrested. Along with their wives and children, they were all thrown into the lions' den, where they were immediately killed by the beasts.

Because of the lions' den experience, Darius reached this conclusion about God:

Daniel 6:26–27, NLT For he is the living God, and he will endure forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his rule will never end. He rescues and saves his people; he performs miraculous signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.

The king issued a decree, ordering the people to fear and reverence the God of Daniel. Daniel prospered under the reign of Darius and King Cyrus the Persian after him.

A "type" of Jesus

Daniel is a type of Christ, a godly Bible character who foreshadowed the coming Messiah. He is called blameless. In the lions' den miracle, Daniel's trial resembles that of Jesus before Pontius Pilate, and Daniel's escape from certain death is like Jesus' resurrection.

The story of Daniel encourages those who follow God to focus more on what God says about them than what others say about them.

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God Conversation
God Conversation
A new episode every weekday from Monday to Friday. Tony Silveira from Montreal, Canada. Short Bible Studies every weekday.
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