Aspects of Loneliness
LONELY IN A CROWD! - Daniel Chapter 6
Not many years ago children in the Britain had a good knowledge of the Bible, but in recent years this has changed dramatically. No longer do they learn well-known Bible verses, and they are unfamiliar with characters that their grandparents and even their parents knew a great deal about. However the man into whose life we are looking today is probably the exception, for many people who have never opened a Bible have heard of Daniel, and his experience in a den of lions! The story is told in Daniel 6 and falls under three headings, The Enemy's Conspiracy, The King's Command and Daniel's Courage.
First the Enemy's... Conspiracy. Daniel was a godly young man who was taken into captivity in Babylon, hundreds of miles from home, yet he took his stand for the only true God! By a series of events upon which God obviously had His hand, he waspromoted to a high governmental position under King Nebuchadnezzar and when the kingdom passed to Persia, he retained popularity with the new ruler, Darius. Daniel's outstanding qualities were so unmistakable that Darius decided to promote him over the whole kingdom. This enraged the other civic leaders and they plotted Daniel's downfall. They agreed that he was so trustworthy they could only catch him out if they could bring charges against him for putting his God before his king. The clever plan was to get the king to approve a law that anyone praying to any god or man apart from to the king would be thrown into a lions' den. Darius fell for the plot and the next thing we see is The King's... Command.
The decree was duly passed. There seemed to be no way out. The enemies of Daniel had got their way, and it was well known that the laws of the Medes and Persians could not be annulled. The den of lions awaited anyone praying to any god or man apart from the king. All these wicked men had to do was to wait until they caught Daniel praying to his God, and they would soon be rid of their enemy! No doubt they wondered if he would pray secretly...they would have to watch his every movement, to make sure they could produce the evidence. Just suppose he denied that he was praying, how could they prove it? But they need not have worried on that score, for next we see Daniel's... Courage.
Daniel knew that he must either deny his God or become a meal for the hungry lions! Listen carefully, for God had other plans. Was this man, living in a strange country, many miles from home, going to obey the new law of the land and deny his God? Would he fall in with his fellow-countrymen and simply adopt their religion? Surely this would enable him to get on even further in the promotion chase; perhaps he would even become king, and then think of all the good he could do!
These, and many similar thoughts, must have troubled this lonely man as he faced the test. No doubt the devil would do his best to turn Daniel from the pathway of obedience. Yet here we see a man of great courage. He may be the only man in the kingdom prepared to take his stand for God, but take his stand he would! So three times a day, as before, he opened his upstairs window toward Jerusalem and prayed to his God. The verse actually says, "He prayed and gave thanks to his God."
I wonder what he gave thanks for? The opposition and persecution of his fellow officials? The new law which he felt obliged to break? Or was this lonely man giving thanks to God for a sense of His presence filling his life with peace in the midst of such trial. Was he thanking God in the words of Psalm 28, which no doubt he knew well, " Praise be to the Lord for He has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped." God is true to His Word and He will strengthen YOU, if you take your stand for Him!
Although we have seen Daniel's courage as he faced what seemed like certain death for disobeying the new law of the land, it is important to realise that this courage was based on his faith in the living God. He knew that the One to whom he was praying, and for whom he was witnessing was well able to take care of him. It didn't help Daniel to know that King Darius was distressed when called upon to make the order committing him to the lions' den. The king now realised that this had been wicked plot to get rid of this outstanding statesman, but he had passed the law and could not change it. So, the king reluctantly stamped the committal order, and the group of courtiers took Daniel personally and "They threw him into the lions' den." There was no relenting; no gentle treatment; no lessening of the sentence; no court of appeal. Daniel had met his end. But no! The God who had ordered the affairs of Daniel so that he was promoted to high office, was the same God who could take care of him.
There is a strange twist to the story. As God shut the mouths of the lions, and Daniel spent the night in quietconfidence in his God, we read "The king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without entertainment...he could not sleep!" Then, at the first light of dawn, the king hurried to the lions' den, and in an anguished voice cried out "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually been able to rescue you from the lions?"
As Daniel replied we see that Daniel gave all the glory to God. There was no mention of the courage of this lonely man, just a desire to set the record straight as he declared his innocence and said, "My God sent His angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions." The story then sends with Daniel's enemies being committed to the same den of lions, and Daniel prospering in the service of the king.
There are several important lessons for us to learn from this true story. First of all, when we feel lonely, for whatever reason, let us remember that God is in control. He can still order the affairs of men. His word as recorded in Romans chapter 8 is still true: "In all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." Let us also take to heart the challenge, that even if obedience to God's Word brings us into opposition with powerful enemies, God is stronger and greater than all our foes, and we can say with Paul "If God is for us, who can be against us?"