Sermon - Daniel 6:10-18 - The Trap is Sprung - Littleby Baptist Church - June 7, 2020
Here in the 6th
chapter Daniel is essentially running 1/3rd of king Darius’ kingdom.
He is responsible for forty satraps or governors and the king is pleased with
his work. Daniel has exceled at the job and the king is considering placing him
over all of the kingdom.
His peers and the
satraps did not like that idea very much. They dug and dug for a way to knock
Daniel down a peg or two. They did not want him to oversee them and expose
anything they may have been doing wrong. They looked and could not find
anything that would make the king think less of Daniel.
So, they hatched a
plan. A plan that would put Daniel in the position of choosing between
following his God or following the king. They rightly believed that Daniel
would honor his God over anything else. They went to the king, they played to
his ego, and suggested something that would seem reasonable to most pagan
kings. They convinced the king to pass a law that required all people to pray
to him, and him alone, for 30 days or be tossed into the lion’s den.
Seemed reasonable,
so the king signed the edict and become an unwitting accomplice to what happens
next.
Daniel 6:10-11
“10 When
Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house. The
windows in its upstairs 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.”
Maybe it is just me,
but when I read these verses, I read them as Daniel is doing this in direct
defiance to the edict and the king. Kind of like saying, the king signed this,
and I am going to go pray were everyone can see me just to make a point. The
key words here are ‘just as he had done before.’ This was not an act of defiance;
it was Daniel doing the same thing he had done every day for years.
Psalm 55:17-19
“17 I
complain and groan morning, noon, and night, and he hears my voice. 18 Though
many are against me, he will redeem me from my battle unharmed. 19 God,
the one enthroned from long ago, will hear and will humiliate them Selah because
they do not change and do not fear God.”
Daniel was not
praying 3 times a day as some guideline suggested, he was crying out to his God
because of the situation they were in. Daniel and his people were exiled from
their homeland, so part of the turning towards Jerusalem would have been
symbolic of seeking God’s mercy on them while in captivity. Daniel was
committed to honoring his God through prayer. Asking God to intervene for Daniel
and the rest of the exiles and as we saw in verse 10, Daniel gave thanks to his
God for all that God has done in his life.
Daniel is about to
face a challenge that should end with his death. He knows that he is being
setup, he knows that he is breaking the edict, and he knows that this could be
his last day on earth. He knows all of this and he still takes time to thank
God for what He has done.
I wonder if these
words crossed his mind.
Psalm 23:4
“Even when I go
through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and
your staff – they comfort me.”
Maybe Daniel was
thanking his God for taking care of him during all the trials he went through,
knowing that each trial strengthened his faith for the new ones being thrown
his way. He may have thanked God for being with him even that day as he was facing
uncertainty.
As hard as it can
be, we should thank our God for working in our lives. We should be thanking Him
for growing our faith through the different trials we have or are facing. Not
the easiest thing to do, but it is one way to recognize that God is at work in
us. As we thank our God, we should recognize that He is with us in the trials
we are facing today. Not always easy, but a good way to help us keep our focus
on God and not the storm we are facing.
Daniel was found by
the guys ‘petitioning and imploring his God.’ Our prayers should start with Thanksgiving
but then we should lay our petitions before Him. Daniel knew he was in the
middle of a life-threatening trial and he was likely petitioning God to help
him see a way out of it or to give him the strength to face it with dignity. He
was likely imploring God to intervene in his life once again.
Ask God to intervene
in your life, ask Him to guide you as your face the different trials. Don’t be
shy about it! Ask your God to work in your life, ask the Holy Spirit to bring
you peace, and for Him to show you the path forward. I encourage you to make
this part of your daily prayers.
Daniel remained true
to his God and prayed as he always did. Those who were trying to remove him
from power, found him praying and went to the king.
Daniel 6:12
“12 So
they approached the king and asked about his edict: “Didn’t you sign an edict
that for thirty days any person who petitions any god or man except you, the
king, will be thrown into the lions’ den?” The king answered, “As a law of the
Medes and Persians, the order stands and is irrevocable.””
Daniel did as was
expected and the king affirmed that the edict cannot be broken. The trap has
been sprung.
Daniel 6:13
“13 Then
they replied to the king, “Daniel, one of the Judean exiles, has ignored you,
the king, and the edict you signed, for he prays three times a day.””
Those accusing
Daniel are trying to rile up the king by saying that Daniel is ignoring the
king and his edict, by praying not just once but three times a day.
As we looked at last
week.
Exodus 20:3
“Do not have other
gods besides me.”
Daniel was going to
remain true to the One and Only God. He was not turning his back on the king,
he was simply honoring God above all else.
Today we hear a lot
about the balance between being law abiding citizens and should we be following
the government guidance, rules, and orders that could be impeding our rights.
Acts 5:25-29
“25 Someone
came and reported to them, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the
temple and teaching the people.” 26 Then the commander
went with the servants and brought them in without force, because they were
afraid the people might stone them. 27 After they
brought them in, they had them stand before the Sanhedrin, and the high priest
asked, 28 “Didn’t we strictly order you not to teach in
this name? Look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are
determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” 29 Peter
and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than people.”
If the government is
telling us we cannot do something that the Bible specifically tells us to do,
then we need to obey God and not man. We are to honor our God, His calling on
our lives, and the commands He has given us over anything else. What we have to
be careful of is to make sure we are not drawing a line where it was not drawn
by God. For example, if we are told that we cannot have gatherings of greater
than 10 people. While this may inhibit most churches from gathering in their
church building, it is not telling us we cannot do something that we are
commanded to do in Scripture. Yes, we are to fellowship with other believers.
Yes, we are to study God’s Word together. But I can’t find where it says we
have to meet in a big building each week.
What many are
concerned with in this Covid-19 world we live in today is not the same as
Daniel being told not to pray to God. Is it concerning as an American and our Constitutional
rights? Yes, I think so. But it is not against God’s commands for His
followers. Two different lines and we are focusing on the lines God drew.
Daniel 6:14-15
“14 As
soon as the king heard this, he was very displeased; he set his mind on
rescuing Daniel and made every effort until sundown to deliver him. 15 Then
these men went together to the king and said to him, “You know, Your Majesty,
that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no edict or ordinance the king
establishes can be changed.””
The king realized
that while the edict may have made sense in one form or fashion, he did not
realize it would trap someone he knew he could trust. The king looked for a way
out but could not find one.
Daniel 5:16
“16 So
the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’
den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you continually serve, rescue
you!””
Another reminder
that people watch us. The king knows that Daniel is honest and ethical in all
his dealings, but he had also seen Daniel faithfully serve his God. He has probably
heard all the stories from the last 70 years while Daniel was serving in
Babylon. If so, he would know that Daniel always put God first. He probably
heard that God worked through Daniel and seemed to answer his prayers.
Hence, his plea that
Daniel’s God rescue him.
You never know what
someone sees and the impact it has. When I was a young man, I remember hearing a
guy sharing a testimony about how a comment someone said while on a business
trip changed him. He was sitting with a couple of the guys he was traveling
with having a beer at the hotel bar and asked where another one of their
coworkers were. One of the guys said, he was a Christian and did not drink.
The guy sharing his
testimony was a Christian but realized that people did not see him in the same
light. After some prayer and reflection, he changed his ways. The guy who was
not at the bar that night, had an impact on others without ever realizing it. I
never met the guy and he had an impact on my life. When people see that we live
our lives differently for our God, they take notice and it has a bigger impact
than we will ever know.
Daniel 6:17-18
“17 A
stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed it with
his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing in
regard to Daniel could be changed. 18 Then the king went
to his palace and spent the night fasting. No diversions were brought to him,
and he could not sleep.”
The king had no
choice. He had Daniel thrown in the lion’s den. Daniel is at deaths door. He
knew the risks if he continued to worship the One True God and he did not let
it detour him.
As we draw closer to
the second coming of Christ, we will find ourselves in a world that is more and
more hostile to all who walk with Jesus. As followers of Christ there is a
chance that we will face persecution from as minor as being excluded from
things, which can be common today, to the point of facing death for our faith.
2 Timothy 3:12-15
“12 In
fact, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 13 Evil
people and impostors will become worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But
as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed. You know
those who taught you, 15 and you know that from infancy
you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for
salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”
When the trials hit,
when your faith is challenged, turn to Your God, hold on to the truth found in
Scripture, trust in the Salvation you have been given by your faith in Christ
Jesus.
The trials of this
world are temporary, life in Glory is Eternal!
God Bless,
Robert
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