Daniel and the Lions

“My God sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions.” — Daniel 6:22

Years later, when Daniel was an old man, a new king ruled in Babylon. His name was Darius. Darius put 120 officials in charge of his kingdom, with three leaders over them. Daniel was one of the three.

Daniel was so wise and so honest, and did his work so well, that King Darius planned to put him in charge of the whole kingdom. The other leaders and officials were jealous. They tried to find something Daniel had done wrong, so they could get him into trouble. But they couldn’t find anything. Daniel was trustworthy, and he never cheated or lied.

“We’ll never catch Daniel doing anything wrong,” they said, “unless it has to do with the law of his God.”

So they went to the king. “King Darius, live for ever!” they said. “We think you should make a new law. For the next thirty days, anyone who prays to any god or person except you, O king, must be thrown into the den of lions.”

King Darius liked the idea, and he signed the law. And in that kingdom, once the king had signed a law, it could never be changed.

When Daniel heard about the new law, he went home to his upstairs room. Its windows opened towards Jerusalem. And three times a day, just as he always did, Daniel got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to God.

The jealous men were watching. They rushed in and found Daniel praying. Then they went straight to the king. “Daniel isn’t paying any attention to you, O king, or to your law. He still prays three times a day!”

When the king heard this, he was very upset. He liked Daniel. He tried all day until sunset to find a way to save him. But the men said, “Remember, O king, no law that the king signs can be changed.”

So the king gave the order, and Daniel was thrown into the den of lions. “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you!” the king said to Daniel. A stone was rolled over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own ring.

The king went back to his palace. He didn’t eat that night, and he couldn’t sleep.

At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. “Daniel!” he called anxiously. “Daniel, servant of the living God! Has your God, whom you serve so faithfully, been able to rescue you from the lions?”

And Daniel answered, “O king, live for ever! My God sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions. They haven’t hurt me, because I was found innocent in His sight. And I have never done anything wrong to you, O king.”

The king was overjoyed. He had Daniel lifted out of the den. There wasn’t a scratch on him, because he had trusted in his God. The men who had plotted against Daniel were punished instead.

Then King Darius wrote to all the people in his kingdom. “Everyone must fear and respect the God of Daniel,” he wrote. “For He is the living God, and He lasts for ever. His kingdom will never be destroyed. He rescues and He saves. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”

Read it in your Bible: Daniel 6

Dear God, help me to talk to you every day, like Daniel did, even when it’s hard. Thank you that you are the living God who rescues. Amen.