College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
Daniel 6:19-28
c. PRESERVATION
TEXT: Daniel 6:19-28
19
Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.
20
And when he came near unto the den to Daniel, he cried with a lamentable voice; the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?
21
Then said Daniel unto the king, O King, live for ever.
22
My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions-' mouths, and they have not hurt me; forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
23
Then was the king glad, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he had trusted in his God.
24
And the king commanded, and they brought those men that had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces, before they came to the bottom of the den.
25
Then king Darius wrote unto all the peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied unto you.
26
I make a decree, that in all the dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel; for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed: and his dominion shall be even unto the end:
27
he delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.
28
So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
QUERIES
a.
Why did the king cry with a lamentable voice?
b.
Just how innocent was Daniel before the living God?
c.
Why did the king have the wives and children of Daniel's enemies thrown into the lion's den?
PARAPHRASE
Very early the next morning the king hurried to the lions-' den. As he ran toward the den he began crying out, O Daniel, servant of the living God, was your God, whom you worship faithfully, able to deliver you from death by the lions? Then the king was almost overcome with relief to hear Daniel's voice as he answered, O king, may thy days be many. My God has sent His angel to shut the lions-' mouths so that they cannot harm me. My God has protected me because I am innocent of the wrong of which I have been accused, and you know that I have done no wrong to you, O king. The king was so glad that he was nearly beside himself and he ordered that Daniel be hoisted up out of the lions-' den. When Daniel had been brought up not a scratch was found on him. Daniel's deliverance was due to his complete trust in God. Immediately the king ordered that the men who had accused Daniel, along with their wives and children, be brought and thrown into the lions-' den. As they were being cast into the den, the lions leaped upon them and tore their bodies apart before they even hit the bottom of the pit. Afterwards king Darius issued this decree addressed to everyone under his administration: May all my subjects dwell in peace! I hereby decree that in all the areas where Cyrus has appointed me to rule men shall pay due respect to the God of Daniel. His God is the living, unchanging God whose kingdom shall never be destroyed and whose power is omnipotent. Daniel's God delivers His people, preserving them from harm and He does it by performing great miracles in heaven and earth. This is the omnipotent God who delivered Daniel from the power of the lions. So Daniel prospered in the days Darius ruled for Cyrus in Babylon and during all the rest of the reign of Cyrus who ruled all the empire.
God Rewards Faith
COMMENT
Daniel 6:19-22. THE KING AROSE VERY EARLY IN THE MORNING. The king could hardly contain himself until the very beginning of sunrise. At the first sign of dawn he gathered a few servants and went with much haste to the lions-' den. Hoping against hope he came near the pit yelling the name of Daniel. Drawing up to the hole opened at the top of the pit he yelled with a voice of pain and pleading, down into it, Daniel! You who serve Jehovah God as your God, are you still alive? When he heard the voice of Daniel replying, he was very evidently overjoyed (Daniel 6:23). Daniel answers, respectful as ever, informing the king that the angel of Jehovah was sent to shut the mouths of the lions. Scriptures abound in revelation concerning the activity of angels of God as ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation (Hebrews 1:14). We have outlined a special study on angels in Daniel chapter 10.
Daniel does not mean to infer that he was sinless but simply that he was innocent of the charges for which he had been thrown to the lions and, therefore, because of his complete trust in God and not in himself, God delivered him. He also politely, but frankly, reminded the king that the king was well aware of his innocence.
Daniel 6:23-24. THEN WAS THE KING GLAD. The original indicates the king was exceedingly glad. Daniel was hoisted out of the pit through the opening at the top. Not one scratch was found on his body. The lions had been completely restrained from harming him in any way.
Then Oriental justice was meted out. The men who had lied about Daniel were ordered brought, along with their wives and children, and they were cast into the jaws of death they had been so ready to give Daniel. Their fate is mentioned by Daniel, not out of malice, but objectively, in order to show that Daniel's deliverance was miraculous. The lions did no harm to Daniel, not because they were not hungry or because they were docile, but because some supernatural power prevented them from putting even the slightest scratch upon him.
Daniel 6:25-28 THEN KING DARIUS WROTE UNTO ALL THE PEOPLES. Darius ruled in the region of Babylon and beyond the River (see comments at beginning of this chapter), so he wrote to all under his sub-rule (Cyrus the Great was ruler over all the empire). It would be too much conjecture to think Darius was doing anything more than commanding that Daniel's God be worshipped along with all the other gods of the Persian pantheon. He does not confess Daniel's God to be the only True God. He knows now that Daniel's God is able to do miraculous wonders, but he believes his gods are able to do such wonders also.
so ends the historical portion of the book. Daniel's purpose has been to record the mighty demonstration of God's miraculous power to deliver and the sovereignty of God over the greatest of pagan powers. These historical demonstrations are to provide the basis for the prophecies of deliverance for the captive Jews that follow in Daniel's book. The visions of deliverance and the visions of 600 years of history God unfolds through the pen of Daniel are to be believed! The people of God will be victorious over all bondage and persecution! They will have their Messiah and messianic kingdom! Their prince will usher in a time of spiritual renewal (chap. 9)! If God can deliver from the fiery furnace, from the lions-' den, and can bring down a Nebuchadnezzar and a Belshazzarthen He can deliver these captives!
QUIZ
1.
What was the attitude of the king as he went to the lions-' den?
2.
What was his attitude when he heard Daniel's voice?
3.
Why mention that the lions tore the Persians asunder?
4.
What is the purpose of the historical section of Daniel?