Tonight I would like to look at some aspects of Daniel’s life and faith. Daniel did his best for the Lord and there are many wonderful examples of his faith in action recorded in the book of Daniel. We encounter challenges to our beliefs and our faith regularly Sometimes the reasons for the wars within us are very specifically directed towards us and we see shades of this with Daniel. Daniel fought a war within himself to remain loyal to God, but the origins of the conflict came from outside and were repetitive. Here are some examples of Daniel’s successes:
In Daniel chapter 1, Daniel does not defile himself with the king’s delicacies, but is found approved both by God and the king. In chapter 2, Daniel, by remaining loyal to God, is able to interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams. Through Daniel’s interpretations, Nebuchadnezzar comes to respect God, but still condones idol worship. Ultimately, after the interpretation of a second dream, Nebuchadnezzar was made into a sort of animal as the result of his pride, but in the end, he praises God. (Daniel 4:28-36)
In Daniel chapter 6, we find that the governors and satraps of the kingdom sought to find some charge against Daniel due to Daniel’s excellent spirit. These governors and satraps convinced the king to decree that anyone that petitioned any god or man except for the king would be cast into a den of lions. They knew that Daniel would break the decree due to his loyalty to God.
Daniel did exactly what we should all do in the face of such adversity: he worshipped and prayed to God despite the decree. When he was brought before King Darius for doing so, the king, with a heavy heart, condemned Daniel to the lion’s den.
After a sleepless night, the king went to the lion’s den to find Daniel untouched. The king was exceedingly glad and cast Daniel’s accusers (along with their families) into the den of lions. After the ordeal, the king decreed the following in Daniel 6:25-26 “Then King Darius wrote: To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God, And steadfast forever; His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed, And His dominion shall endure to the end. He delivers and rescues, And He works signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.“ Daniel’s faith had revealed the power of God to King Darius. We may not be saved from the mouths of lions, but truly, our dedication to God can do the same to others in our lives.
Some things worth noting in the example of David and the lion’s den: when the governors and satraps sought to find a charge against Daniel, they could find nothing at all concerning the kingdom, so they had to find a way of accusing him concerning the law of God. Could the same thing be said about any one of us? Doing the right thing spiritually means doing it with totality of purpose. To our friends, family and coworkers, being blameless in all of our affairs should be a goal for us.
Daniel, by remaining loyal to God, withstood pressure from many fronts in a spiritually hostile environment. By trusting in God, Daniel’s actions revealed themselves as godly and he seems to have won whatever wars took place inside him with ease.
Monday Night Bible Study 