Daniel chapter 6 and in verses 19 and 20 we read, Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions. And when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The king spoke, saying to Daniel, Daniel, servant of the living God, Has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions? Now we come this morning to what is without doubt one of the best love stories in the entire Bible. I suppose most of us would have learned it as children, because it is so graphic and colourful, full of dramatic movement, gripping in its power. Everyone loves a good story, and the story of Daniel in the lion's den is clearly one of the very best. However, having said that, there is a problem, isn't there? And that is that this story has become so familiar, so well known to us, that we struggle sometimes to hear it afresh. And I think that's a great shame and a great pity. because this passage before us is one which is extremely relevant and applicable to the Christian church at the present time. In fact, Daniel chapter 6 is being re-enacted all the world over. Today, this scripture is being fulfilled in our hearing. For we too are seeing laws introduced that impinge upon the freedom of Christian worship. Laws that seem deliberately designed to silence and to shut up the people of God. And once again we are reminded of the fact that we are living in a hostile environment and that behind this human hatred and enmity lies the evil one himself who comes to steal, to kill and to destroy. As Peter says, he roams about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. And we have to recognise with Paul that we are wrestling not merely against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. And therefore we need to daily put on the whole armour of God that we may be able to stand in the evil day. You see, what we have before us here in Daniel chapter 6 is a further unfolding of that age-long conflict between the two seeds, Genesis 3. The seed of the woman, the Church, and the seed of the serpent, Satan. And once again, Satan seeks to wipe out the Church of Christ and to destroy the people of God. And yet once again here we see the ultimate triumph of faith as God himself intervenes in the situation and rescues and delivers Daniel both in and from the trial. And we have this marvellous picture before us, don't we, of this rather restless king And it's quite humorous really, isn't it? To see this king and he can't sleep and he's restless and there he is through the night pacing the floor and he gets up early the next morning and he rushes to the den and he cries out rather pathetically, doesn't he? Rather hopelessly, oh Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God whom you serve continually been able to deliver you from the lions? And the glorious answer that comes back is a resounding, yes, yes, our God is able to deliver both in and from the trial. But maybe someone is thinking, but what do you mean deliverance in the trial? Well, I mean exactly what Paul means when he wrote Romans chapter 8. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, for your sake we are killed all day long, we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Yet in all these things We are more than conquerors through him who loved us. You see, God delivers his people in the trial, but not always from the trial. Not every Christian is rescued from lions. Think, for example, of one of the early church fathers, a man by the name of Ignatius. He was the great bishop of Antioch. And he was arrested by the Roman soldiers, and he was sent off to Rome for sentencing. And on his way to Rome, he sends a letter to the Christians in the Church of Rome. And this is what Ignatius wrote. He said, I am his wheat, ground fine by the lion's teeth to be made pure bread for Christ. Better still, you shall incite the creatures to become a sepulcher for me. Let them not leave the smallest scrap of my flesh, so that I need not be a burden to anyone after I fall asleep. When there is no trace of my body left for the world to see, then I shall truly be Christ's disciple.' And it wasn't long after Ignatius wrote those words that he got his wish. because the Roman emperor Trajan in Rome threw him into the arena and he was eaten by lions. And many others through history have suffered a similar fate, haven't they? In fact, as the centuries have rolled on, things have not got any better for the Christian church. In fact, they have got progressively worse and worse. Did you know, for example, that historians today tell us, amazingly, that there were more martyrs for Jesus in the 20th century than in the previous 19 centuries put together? Now that sounds impossible, doesn't it? That sounds quite incredible to believe, and yet it's true. The figures do not lie. more martyrdoms in the 20th century than in the previous 19 centuries before. And things are not getting better. Things are hotting up. There is a mystery of wickedness and lawlessness operating in the world today. Satan is having his final fling. And I believe that history will probably show that our 21st century will prove to have been the bloodiest of them all. And yet, friends, our God is able to deliver, and thus Daniel is both delivered in and from the trial. And thus his name appears in that great list of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11, who through faith stopped the mouths of lions. Now somebody may be thinking, but does that mean to say that Daniel had more faith than Ignatius, who was eaten by lions? And of course the answer is a most emphatic, no, no, not at all. as the letter to the Hebrews chapter 11 goes on to show. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were slain with the sword of whom the world was not worthy. And we read that these all died in faith. And so whether it's deliverance in the trial or ultimately deliverance from the trial, we see the triumph of faith and the ultimate victory of the people of God. Because nothing, nothing, not even death itself, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. You see the great message of Daniel chapter 6, indeed the great message of the entire Bible, is that in the end, we win. We are more than conquerors through him who loved us. What could be more encouraging than that? Well now as we turn to the story itself, you'll notice that it begins with a devilish plot. There is this plot to destroy Daniel, verses 1 to 9. And you'll notice that the narrative begins with a change of dynasty, because that powerful Babylonian empire is now a thing of the past. It's been conquered by the combined might of the Medes and the Persians. And thus the second great empire mentioned in Nebuchadnezzar's dream now becomes a living reality. And the first ruler of this new regime, this new dynasty, is an unknown leader, a Mede by the name of Darius. We know so little about him. And to him fell the very difficult task of trying to govern this vast empire. And as he begins his cabinet reshuffle, he immediately discovers what an asset he has in this man Daniel. Why, he's amazing, he's wonderful. Now the incredible thing to notice here is that Daniel at this stage was a man well into his 80s. And yet he's still working, he's still serving in the royal court. He still hasn't lost his marbles, has he? I mean, he's not lost any of his administrative skills at all. In fact, verse 3 tells us that he so distinguished himself among the governors and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king was planning to set him over the entire realm. And Daniel was destined to be promoted to be the Prime Minister of Babylon, second only in charge to the king. Absolutely amazing. And once again here we see that great biblical principle operating, that those who honour him, he will honour. And if we are faithful in a little, he will make us faithful in much. That little phrase here, an excellent spirit was in him, should really be translated with a capital S for spirit. Because Daniel's gifts and abilities here are not natural gifts and endowments. They are supernatural. God endowed Daniel with a charisma of the spirit for the accomplishment of the task. And that is why he shone out above all the rest. You see, whom the Lord calls, he equips. And what a tremendous encouragement that should be to us this morning. Because God has a work for every one of you to do. We're all called into his kingdom and to his service. We've all received a gift. We've all received a charisma of the Spirit for the accomplishment of God's purposes in our lives. Oh, I know there are some silly Christians today who have this misguided notion that we can only properly serve the Lord by becoming a preacher or a missionary in a foreign land, and that anything less than full-time Christian service is second best. But don't believe it for a moment, friends. You only have to look at Daniel to see the lie that is. Here was a man who is one of the great heroes of Holy Scripture. He stands head and shoulders above many of the rest. And yet he held office in a pagan court in Babylon. And he was able to achieve and accomplish things there that no pastor, no preacher, no missionary could ever achieve. And in the same way, the same is true for you and me. God has a work for each one of us to do. We're all called to full-time Christian service. That's why Paul says, whatever you do, whatever you do, whether you're working in a supermarket, whether you're working for the council, whether you're working in that office, whether you're working at home, whether you're washing dishes, changing nappies, whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. It's all part of our reasonable service, our spiritual worship, God wants us to shine out in society with a spirit of excellence. But not only do we see the power of excellence here, but we also go on to see the peril of excellence. Because as soon as the other governors and satraps in the kingdom hear about Daniel's promotion, they are filled with rage and anger. No doubt this was generated by professional jealousy and envy. But I think there may have also been a touch of racial prejudice here as well. Because why should a Jew from a conquered nation take priority over those who were natural born citizens? Just didn't seem right, did it? Didn't seem fair. But I think perhaps the thing that grieved these people most was that Daniel was acknowledged to be a man of unimpeachable honesty and integrity. And Babylon was not noted for either of those qualities. In fact, corruption and vice and cheating and stealing and embezzlement were the order of the day. They were rife in the kingdom. And it was a case of every man, every woman for themselves. You'll notice in verse 2 that Darius was concerned that he should suffer no loss. That is, loss of revenue. And that's why he made the appointments and the promotions that he did. Possibly the others saw Daniel as a potential whistleblower. You know, one who would quickly root out all corruption and come down hard on any excesses. He was certainly a dangerous man to have around, wasn't he? And so they had to get rid of him. And so they looked to see if they could find some dirt on him. And probably what they did is what people do today, well, they employ a private investigator to spy on him. And you can imagine them watching Daniel like a hawk, following him about from place to place, rummaging through his dustbins, you know, looking at his tax returns, searching them with a fine-tooth comb, and interrogating his neighbours. What sort of a man is he? Do you know anything on him? Have you got any dirt to dish? And yet, however hard they tried, we read that they could find nothing, nothing. And we have their rather rueful testimony at the end of verse four. They could find no charge or fault because he was faithful, nor was there any error or fault found in him. Friends, what a testimony. It was annoying to these people, but what a testimony. Now that doesn't mean, of course, that Daniel was perfect. Daniel was blameless. No, because no one is. No one is sinless, even in the workplace. But what it means is that Daniel's life was outwardly blameless, that no one could throw mud at this man and make any of it stick. He sought to have a conscience that was void of offence before God and before men. And that's a very rare thing today. And so these men came to the conclusion that the only way they were going to get Daniel was to find something concerning the law of God, the law of his God. They would have to find a trap to catch him in, to engineer a situation in which the very earnestness and zeal of his high principles would be the death of him. a crisis of conscience perhaps, where he would have to choose between his loyalty to God and his loyalty to the crown. And so we read in verse 6, so these governors and satraps thronged before the king and said thus to him, King Darius live forever. All the governors of the kingdom, the administrators, the satraps, the councillors, the advisers have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree that whoever petitions any god or man for 30 days except you, O king, should be cast into the den of lions. Darius had no idea of the trap that he was walking right into. You know, he liked the sound of this. No doubt it appealed to his human pride. For after all, he would be God for 30 days. Who wouldn't want a situation like that? And he also saw it as an opportunity to cement and to unify his great kingdom. And so he fell for it hook, line, and sinker. He signed there and then on the bottom line, and it became part of the law of the Medes and Persians, which just cannot be changed. Now, how did Daniel respond to this devilish plot? How did he react? Well, it's beautifully summarised, isn't it? Verse 10. Now, when Daniel knew the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days." Now this is absolutely incredible, isn't it? As soon as he hears the news, he doesn't go into a panic. and become fueled by anxiety, thinking, what on earth am I going to do now? Nor does he rush to the nearest airport, packs his bags, and tries to emigrate. No, no, he simply returns calmly to his own home, continues his normal routine as he always had done, completely unflustered, unmoved, unchanged. Incredible. You see, for Daniel, the issue was really straightforward, wasn't it? Black and white. There was no grey area here. He must obey God rather than man. You see, Daniel saw the plot for what it really was. A devilish plot. He saw the hand of evil behind this. It was the evil one at work. You see, all that the satraps wanted to do was to prevent Daniel's promotion. But all that the devil wanted to do was to stop Daniel from praying. For this was the great secret of his life. This was the secret of his ministry, his testimony, and his strength. And Satan knows that he's won an immense victory if he can stop us from praying and keep us from the place of prayer. Do you remember those words of William Cowper? And Satan trembles. The lion trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his or her knees. He trembles, and rightly so, because prayer is such a mighty, powerful, and tremendous thing. But then he comes to tempt us and attack us, and he will do everything he can to distract us and to keep us from the place of prayer. And friends, this I believe is the real miracle of Daniel chapter six. Not that Daniel faced lions in a den, but that he faced the lion in his own bedroom. And he just went on and on praying. That's the real miracle of the chapter. I think there are a number of important principles we can learn from Daniel's prayer life here. Notice, first of all, the regularity of his prayer. The regularity of his prayer. You see, Daniel didn't only pray when there was a crisis in his life. And nor did he only pray when he felt in the mood, when he felt like praying. No, no. We read that this was the custom from his earliest days. Daniel kept devotion from his earliest years three times a day. Now the scripture doesn't say that we must have a quiet time three times every day. There was nothing legalistic, friends, about this. This was simply the spontaneous overflow of Daniel's heart towards his God. He felt that this was the pattern that was best for him to follow to maintain his own intimate walk with God. For us this morning, it will be different. But whether we pray in the morning or whether we pray last thing at night, whether it's once, twice, three times a day, find a pattern, friends, that fits into your daily schedule and stick to it like glue. There must be the regularity of prayer. Notice also the posture of Daniel's prayer, the posture of his praying. He knelt down. on his knees. Now once again scripture doesn't say that we must always pray on our knees or always pray standing up or sitting down. But that doesn't mean to say that the posture we adopt is totally irrelevant and without significance. I think the important thing to notice here is that Daniel was a very important ruler in the kingdom. juniors would have got down on their knees before him. And that was the usual way of approaching a person of senior rank and position in the Babylonian civil service. Quite clearly, Daniel felt it important, very important, as he approached God, to abandon any semblance of pride and self-esteem and to adopt the body language of total submission that others had to adopt when approaching him. You see, Daniel realised when he prayed, he was praying to the real king of heaven and earth. And that's why he got down on his knees to pray. One writer says, it is probably true that the higher, the cleverer, the more powerful we are in worldly terms, the more important it is for us to get down on our knees when we pray, and the less congenial it may feel. And do we not see this in our blessed Lord himself in the days of his flesh? God the Son and the Son of God, how did he approach his Father? See him there in the Garden of Gethsemane, kneeling, down in prayer, praying to his Father. See him in John 17, his great intercessory prayer, Holy Father. We also see this attitude, don't we, in the life of God's servant Paul. Ephesians chapter 3, he says, I bow my knees to the Father from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. The posture of prayer. And then notice the direction of Daniel's praying. What was the direction of his praying? Well, here in his upper room, he has his windows open towards Jerusalem. Now some people have accused Daniel of ostentation. They say, surely he should have been a bit more discreet about this. But we need to remember that this was not his downstairs living room, was it? It was his upstairs bedroom, and he's kneeling down with his windows open toward Jerusalem. You know, he doesn't make a secret of his praying, but neither does he make a great show of it either. I think there's a perfect balance in Daniel's piety here. He enters the secret place without being secretive about it. And why does he open his windows towards Jerusalem? Well, because it was a daily reminder to him that he was a man who was living in an alien world, an alien country. He was a citizen of another kingdom. He was an inhabitant of Zion, that beautiful city of God. But he was also well aware of the fact, as he prayed, that that city was lying in ruins. And so as he gets down on his knees to pray, he not only gives thanks, but he engages in earnest intercession for the land. You see, Daniel had learned from the writings of Jeremiah the prophet that this captivity in Babylon was not going to go on forever. It was going to last for 70 years. And Daniel also realised from the writings of the contemporary prophet Isaiah that God was going to raise up a king by the name of Cyrus who would deliver his people and bring them home. And so Daniel is good at maths. He puts two and two together. And he realizes that the time is now fast approaching. And so what does he do? Does he sit back waiting for it to happen? No, no. He's no hyper-Calvinist. He gets down upon his knees and engages in earnest intercession that this would come to pass, that there would be a speedy return of the Jews to their hometown. Is it any wonder that Satan wanted to stop him praying? And is it any wonder that Daniel refused to capitulate? God was looking for a man to stand in the gap, to stand in the breach, to intercede for the land, and that man was Daniel. And I think this is a wonderful picture of true prayer, isn't it? Because prayer is not us trying to get our will done in heaven. It's that God's will might be done here on earth. And prayer is taking the promises of God into the presence of God and reminding him of them, saying, Lord, do as you have said. What an example we have in Daniel. Well now as we turn from the devilish plot and Daniel's response to it, we come finally, briefly, to the den of lions and Daniel's deliverance and vindication. And clearly it wasn't long before Daniel was discovered praying, making supplication to his God, and so he's arrested and he's hauled in before the king. And when the king hears the news, well, he's greatly displeased with himself, isn't he? He realizes what a fool he's been in giving in to these people and signing this declaration, this decree. And he realizes something has to be done. He tries everything he can to deliver Daniel, but he can't do it. It's impossible. The decree has been signed. The law has been made. And so reluctantly, he gives the command, and the men take Daniel and throw him. into a den of hungry lions. And we are left in suspense, aren't we, as the king has the worst night of his life. I mean, just look at the state he's in. He can't eat. He can't enjoy music, entertainment. He can't sleep. He's pacing the floor constantly. He gets up at the crack of dawn. He goes quickly to the tomb. I think Daniel conversely had the best night he had ever had in his life. Why? Because we are told that the Lord sent an angel to shut the lion's mouths and those ferocious creatures suddenly became as docile as little kittens. And you can imagine, can't you, Daniel asleep with them curled up on the floor. And what is that, friends? But a glorious preview, isn't it? A foreshadowing of the renewal of creation that's going to take place at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you remember how Isaiah saw this vision? Chapter 11 of his prophecy. Listen to this. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb. The leopard shall lie down with the young goat. the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. Isn't that beautiful? You will eventually be stroking lions. The nursing, their young ones shall lie down together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox, the nursing child shall play by the cobra's hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper's den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." What a vision! What a certain hope, friends. No longer nature, red in tooth and claw. But we see the curse has been lifted, and paradise lost has become paradise regained, and the whole earth is filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. And here in Daniel's deliverance from this den of hungry lions, we have a glorious picture, a glorious symbol of how God is able to preserve his church, his people, even in the darkest of times. But not only do we see how God can preserve his church, we also finally see the ultimate triumph of his kingdom. because you'll notice that when Darius hears the lovely sound of Daniel's voice again and when he realizes that he's alive and he brings him up out of that den and he examines him and discovers there is not even a scratch on his body, what does he do? He puts pen to paper, he writes another decree and he sends it to all the inhabitants of the land. To all peoples, nations, 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 in 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. He works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions. Oh, my friends, what a statement, what a confession of faith. Here we have an Israelite confession on the lips of a pagan Persian king. I mean, it's absolutely incredible, isn't it? He causes the wrath of men to praise him. He turns the hearts of kings and rulers wherever he pleases. He is the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth. And what is this but a glorious foretaste, a preview, a foreshadowing of the coming day, friends, and we will see it when all the kings and the rulers of this earth, indeed, when every knee to him will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. to the glory of God the Father. Jesus said, I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Oh, how I love those words of Martin Luther in his great battle hymn of the Reformation. I'm sure Daniel was probably singing that when he was thrown into the lion's den. Listen to these final two verses. And were this world, or devils all, and watching to devour us, we lay it not to hearts so sore, not they can overpower us. And let the prince of ill look grim as e'er he will, he harms us not a whit, for why his doom is writ. a word shall quickly slay him. God's word for all their craft and force one moment will not linger, but spite of hell shall have its course, tis written by his finger. And though they take our life, goods honour, children, wife, yet is their profit small, these things shall vanish all. The city of God remaineth. Yes, the church will prevail. The gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Friends, be encouraged in these days, these dark evil times. Look up, see the one who reigns on high, who is bringing in his kingdom, a kingdom without ends. In the end, friends, we win.