Daniel 6:16-23. 16So at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him, “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you.” 17A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed the stone with his own royal seal and the seals of his nobles, so that no one could rescue Daniel…19Very early the next morning, the king got up and hurried out to the lions’ den. 20When he got there, he called out in anguish, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you serve so faithfully, able to rescue you from the lions?” 21Daniel answered, “Long live the king! 22My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty.” 23The king was overjoyed and ordered that Daniel be lifted from the den. Not a scratch was found on him, for he had trusted in his God.
Chances are you have heard the story of Daniel in the lion’s den before. Daniel, an Israelite, has been favored by the Persian King, Darius. The other Persian officials are jealous of Daniel (have you ever been jealous of someone?) so they plot to get rid of him. Because Daniel prays to God, these wicked officials convince the king to outlaw all prayer to anyone other than the King himself. This idea sounds great to King Darius, so he signs it into law. Any violators will be thrown into a den of lions. Of course, Daniel prays to God anyway and is thrown into the lion’s den.
Lions were a very big deal in ancient Persia. In fact, the lion was their national symbol. Lions are very common in Persian art and architecture (buildings). The lions that lived in Persia are called Asiatic lions. They are like the lions from Africa but with different manes (darker, less hair on top), and the shape of their head is a bit different. Sadly, the Asiatic lion is almost extinct. There are only around 600 Asiatic lions alive today, mostly in a national forest in India.
Why lions? Because the lion was the fiercest animal in Persia. Persian kings would hunt lions as a way of showing their own power over nature. The king who can kill lions can protect his kingdom from all its enemies. But the Persians also saw the lion as a force of good used to punish evil. And that’s where Daniel’s story comes in. If a person was thrown into a den of lions and eaten, well then that person MUST be evil. But what if they weren’t evil? Well then the lions would leave them alone just like they did Daniel – My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight.
We’ve said that advent is about waiting. We are waiting for a rescue to come from King Jesus. That night in the lion’s den, Daniel was waiting for a rescue to come from God and King Darius. Both rescues came. I’m sure that night in the lion’s den was scary for Daniel. It was probably the longest night of his life. But he trusted in his God while he waited for the morning to come.
The Bible calls Satan a roaring lion that seeks to devour us. Like Daniel, while we wait for King Jesus, we are surrounded by a lion that wants us to give up on God and stop trusting him. But Christmas is a great time to remember that we CAN trust God. God has come to us, and he will come again. And in the meantime God has shut the Lion’s mouth. Satan has no power over you if you are with Jesus. Jesus makes us innocent in God’s sight, like Daniel, so there is nothing to fear.
Questions: What are some ways that Satan, the roaring lion, tempts you to not trust God? How does Christmas remind us that we can trust God’s love for us?
TLICfamily 