Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent his angel and shut the lion’s mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.”
Daniel 6:21-22 ESV
Daniel’s only problem was that the higher ups in Babylon could find no fault in him (Daniel 6:4). Daniel had been taken captive in his homeland of Jerusalem and brought to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. He had found favor with the king and had now found favor with Darius, the king of the Medo-Persian empire that had taken over Babylon.
Daniel was given a high position in the kingdom, and this must have angered some of those who were native to the land. They sought to find some charge they could bring against Daniel, but they found none. They had to trump up a charge that they knew would entrap Daniel. They had to convince the king to sign into law that anyone found praying to anyone other than the king would be thrown into the Lions’ den for the night.
They knew that Daniel worshiped the one true God and would not stop his daily prayers. They were right. Daniel prayed to God just as he had always done. He didn’t hide it, he prayed with his windows open. Three times a day he faced Jerusalem, and he knelt down and prayed and gave thanks to God as he had always done.
Daniel was thrown into the Lion’s den and our Scripture passage tells the rest of the story. God protected Daniel in that lion’s den. He shut the mouths of these hungry lions. Because Darius was fond of Daniel, he was relieved to see Daniel had survived the night.
He was not so happy with those who had maliciously accused Daniel. We are told in verse 24 that those men and their wives and children were thrown into the lion’s den and were overpowered before reaching the bottom of the den.
God shut the mouths of the lions. He will shut the mouths of the lions we face as well. I can only imagine what must have been going through Daniel’s mind as he was being led to the den or when the opening was sealed shut.
And oh, the relief he must have felt when he realized the lions were not going to harm him. My friend, we need to take a few things away from this historical narrative. First, we must realize that Daniel was found blameless before the Lord. He was being persecuted because he was praying to the one true God.
Matthew 5:10-11 says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.”
The other thing we must take away is that Daniel trusted God. What faith it must have taken to continue to pray to God knowing this law had been signed into effect by the king. Daniel had the faith to keep on keeping on. He continued to pray as he had always done. He didn’t let those evil people distract him.
Are you looking at some lion’s mouths? Are you hoping God will shut them? Know that He will, but you must do your part. Also know that even if he doesn’t, He will bring you through.
If we truly love God with all our hearts, we will trust in Him and be obedient.
He’s got this. We are told in 1 Peter 5:7 tell us to cast all our anxieties on Him. Verse 8 warns us to be sober and alert because our adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Do your best to be found blameless when the lion comes your way.
Resist the devil and trust in God.
Have a great day!