10 Now when Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house, where the windows of his upper room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before. 11 Then these men went as a group and found Daniel petitioning and imploring his God. 12 So they approached the king and asked about his royal decree: “Did you not sign a decree that for thirty days any man who petitions any god or man except you, O king, will be thrown into the den of lions?”

The king replied, “According to the law of the Medes and Persians the order stands, and it cannot be repealed.”

13 Then they told the king, “Daniel, one of the exiles from Judah, shows no regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed. He still makes his petition three times a day.”

14 As soon as the king heard this, he was deeply distressed and set his mind on delivering Daniel, and he labored until sundown to rescue him.

15 Then the men approached the king together and said to him, “Remember, O king, that by the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or ordinance established by the king can be changed.”

16 So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the den of lions.

The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Andy Rowland

Daniel, a Jewish exile and one of the 120 satraps of the Median kingdom, has had a trap laid for him by the other satraps and administrators because of the favour he has found in the king's eyes. His opponents know that he devotedly serves the Lord, praying three times a day, and so they have deceitfully tricked the king into signing a decree outlawing prayer to any God or man, except the king himself, punishable by being cast into a den of lions.

I am so thankful to live in a country where being a Christian and living it out wholeheartedly is not outlawed and punishable. That is not the case for many of our Christian brothers and sisters around the world, where the threat of death is a near and present one. Even still, there are cultural and legal difficulties that we face, and there will always be pressure from the world to give up on our faith in God and to fear man over God.

It is striking that Daniel does nothing different in light of the king's decree. Given the temporary nature of the decree, 30 days, I would be tempted to let it pass or continue in a more hidden way to survive without causing trouble. But Daniel knows that the king is in the wrong, and so he continues to serve and fear the Lord first, praying as he always did and knowingly walking straight into their trap.

Like Daniel and us, our Lord Jesus knows this temptation. As he faced betrayal and judgment by the jealousy of the Pharisees and Sadducees, he did not deny himself or hide from them. He continually feared God and obeyed him even before those who would kill him. But unlike Daniel, as Jesus was crucified, there was no one to deliver him, for he went to face the wrath of God, not man. And he did so for our sake.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andy is one of our Student Ministers.