The story of Daniel ep. 5 - In the lions' den

Daniel, may the God you serve so faithfully save you from the lions, said King Darius with regret in his voice. Then, with hesitation, he commanded his servants to carry out his order. The king and his servants took Daniel to the den of the hungry lions who were roaring loudly as they fiercely circled around inside their den. Following the king's orders, they threw Daniel in the lion's den and covered the front opening with a big stone. Now Daniel was trapped inside with the hungry lions. King Darius returned to his palace with a troubled heart. He could not sleep all night thinking about Daniel. So early in the morning, the king went quickly to the lion's den, and with a quivering voice, he shouted as loudly as he could, Daniel, servant of the living God, was your God able to save you from the lions? After a few moments, a voice was heard from deep within the den. May the king live forever! Welcome to the last story in our series about Daniel's life. Today, we will end our journey in the land of Babylon, but not before discovering perhaps the most exciting experience in Daniel's life. Are you eager to find out more? Let's see what happens next. Time passed and King Nebuchadnezzar, whom we met in our previous episodes, died. So King Darius was chosen to take his place as king. After taking control of the Babylonian Empire, Darius divided it into 120 different provinces so that he could control it more easily. A governor ruled over each province, and over these governors, the king appointed three supervisors with Daniel being one of them. Daniel was full of wisdom and skill because the Lord was with him, so King Darius thought of putting him in charge of the whole kingdom. The governors and other supervisors appointed by the king were very envious of Daniel. Because of their jealousy, they wanted to find something wrong with Daniel or something bad in his life so they could report it to the king. So they carefully watched everything Daniel did, but they could not find anything, not a single thing Daniel had done wrong because Daniel was trustworthy. He did not cheat the king, and nothing bad could be said about Daniel to the king. Kids, have you heard the saying, to pick a hole in somebody's coat? This means to look for or find mistakes at any cost, even when there are none, in order to unfairly blame someone. That's what happened in Daniel's situation. Let's continue our story. Close the door, said the governor, and speak in a whisper so that no one can hear us. Now, what can we use to take down our friend Daniel? Governor, we will not find a single complaint against this Daniel, one of the servants answered. Yes, I've noticed that too, the governor replied. Only if I have an idea, another servant interrupted. The only way to accuse him of wrongdoing has to be related to how he obeys the laws of his god. My sources tell me that Daniel prays to his god three times each day. If Daniel puts his god above the king, we could finally find a reason to accuse him of wrongdoing. So, the governors and the other servants went to the king with great excitement and told him the following. May King Darius live forever! King Darius, you are above everyone and everything in this kingdom. So, as a sign of appreciation, we all, the supervisors, captains, governors, and other counselors at your palace, have agreed to ask you to give a royal order that says that anyone who, within the next thirty days, prays to any god or to any man other than you, our king, will be thrown into the lion's den. King Darius accepted and issued the law. When Daniel found out about the king's new law, he entered his house where the windows of the upper room were opened towards Jerusalem and, just as he had always done, he knelt down to pray and praise God three times a day. But one day, spies broke into Daniel's house and found him worshiping and praying to God. Immediately, they grabbed him and took him to the palace where they brought him before the king. What's going on here? King Darius asked them. Why do you have Daniel? And why is he tied up? Then one of the governors began to arrogantly respond. Didn't you, my king, write a law saying that for the next thirty days, anyone who worshiped a god other than you would be thrown into the lion's den? That is correct, the king answered, and the law cannot be changed. The governor spoke again. This time pointing at Daniel. One of your servants, Daniel, who is one of the captives from Judah, does not pay any attention to you, our king, nor to the law you wrote. And even more, he worships his god, praying to him three times a day. The king was very upset when he heard about how Daniel would be punished because of his law. He valued Daniel very much. Daniel was a wise and trustworthy servant, but the law could not be changed. So it ended up that the king ordered his servants to take Daniel and throw him into the lion's den. Before Daniel was taken away, King Darius looked toward Daniel with deep regret and said, Daniel, may the god you serve so faithfully save you from the lions. Then, with hesitation, he commanded his servants to carry out his order. The king and his servants took Daniel to the den of the hungry lions who were roaring loudly as they fiercely circled around inside their den. Following the king's orders, they threw Daniel in the lion's den and covered the front opening with a big stone. Now Daniel was trapped inside with the hungry lions. King Darius returned to his palace with a troubled heart. He could not sleep all night thinking about Daniel. So early in the morning, the king went quickly to the lion's den, and with a quivering voice, he shouted as loudly as he could. Daniel, servant of the living god, was your god able to save you from the lions? After a few moments, a voice was heard from deep within the den. May the king live forever! Daniel answered the king by saying, my god sent his angel and closed the lion's mouths. Thus, the lions did not hurt me because my god knows I am innocent. I never did anything wrong to you, my king. Daniel continued. King Darius was so happy to find Daniel alive. With his heart full of joy, the king immediately asked his servants to lift Daniel out of the lion's den. When the king saw Daniel, he was amazed. Daniel looked well, and what's more, he did not have a single scratch on him. Realizing that Daniel was the victim of a conspiracy, King Darius ordered that the men who accused Daniel, along with their families, be thrown into the lion's den. This time, the lord's angel was no longer in the den to protect them from the lions, so they were torn apart. Following this terrible situation, King Darius decided to write a letter to all the people who lived in his kingdom. Here is what the letter said. May the peace be with you! I, King Darius, give the following command. In every part of my kingdom, all people should fear and respect the god of Daniel, for he is the living god who lives forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his rule will never end. God rescues and saves. He does mighty miracles in heaven and on earth, and he saved Daniel from the power of the lions. Dear children, Daniel chose to put God first in every situation. Daniel never forgot his childhood home in Jerusalem, and he continued to serve God, pray to Him every day, and always put Him first. Because of this, God gave Daniel wisdom and skill, and Daniel was both a wise governor and a great prophet. Through his courage and trust in God, Daniel helped several kings come to know the one true God. God wants us to put Him first in every situation, just as Daniel did. It may not always be easy, but the Lord promises to be with us, just as He was with Daniel in the lion's den. Also, you can find our series in audio format on most podcast apps. You can also follow us on the DG Bible Songs channel on YouTube, where we frequently post Christian songs and animations for children.