Monday, November 18, 2013
Bible Lesson: Miracle Of The Old Testament: Daniel Rescued From The Lions.
Bible Lesson: Miracle Of The Old
Testament: Daniel Rescued From The Lions.
Occasion: Mouths Of The Lions Shut.
Location: Babylon.
Bible Text: Daniel 6:1-28 NLT
Daniel 6:1-28 NLT
1 Darius the
Mede decided to divide the kingdom into 120 provinces, and he
appointed a high officer to rule over each province.
2 The king also
chose Daniel and two others as administrators to supervise the high
officers and protect the king’s interests.
3 Daniel soon
proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and
high officers. Because of Daniel’s great ability, the king made
plans to place him over the entire empire.
4 Then the
other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault
in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn’t
find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always
responsible, and completely trustworthy.
5 So they
concluded, “Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel
will be in connection with the rules of his religion.”
6 So the
administrators and high officers went to the king and said, “Long
live King Darius!
7 We are all in
agreement—we administrators, officials, high officers, advisers,
and governors—that the king should make a law that will be strictly
enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days any person who
prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will
be thrown into the den of lions.
8 And now, Your
Majesty, issue and sign this law so it cannot be changed, an official
law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.”
9 So King
Darius signed the law.
10 But when
Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt
down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward
Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done,
giving thanks to his God.
11 Then the
officials went together to Daniel’s house and found him praying and
asking for God’s help.
12 So they went
straight to the king and reminded him about his law. “Did you not
sign a law that for the next thirty days any person who prays to
anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be
thrown into the den of lions?” “Yes,” the king replied, “that
decision stands; it is an official law of the Medes and Persians that
cannot be revoked.”
13 Then they
told the king, “That man Daniel, one of the captives from Judah, is
ignoring you and your law. He still prays to his God three times a
day.”
14 Hearing
this, the king was deeply troubled, and he tried to think of a way to
save Daniel. He spent the rest of the day looking for a way to get
Daniel out of this predicament.
15 In the
evening the men went together to the king and said, “Your Majesty,
you know that according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, no
law that the king signs can be changed.”
16 So 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.”
17 A 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.
18 Then the
king returned to his palace and spent the night fasting. He refused
his usual entertainment and couldn’t sleep at all that night.
19 Very early
the next morning, the king got up and hurried out to the lions’
den.
20 When 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?”
21 Daniel
answered, “Long live the king!
22 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. And I have not wronged
you, Your Majesty.”
23 The 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.
24 Then the
king gave orders to arrest the men who had maliciously accused
Daniel. He had them thrown into the lions’ den, along with their
wives and children. The lions leaped on them and tore them apart
before they even hit the floor of the den.
25 Then King
Darius sent this message to the people of every race and nation and
language throughout the world:
“Peace and
prosperity to you!
26 “I decree
that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before
the God of Daniel. For He is The Living God, and He will endure
forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed, and His rule will never
end.
27 He rescues
and saves His people; He performs miraculous signs and wonders in the
heavens and on earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the
lions.”
28 So Daniel
prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the
Persian.
Over the kingdom of Darius, were 120 princes, and the kingdom divided
into three parts each with a president, and over these one of higher
rank, Daniel, and they all answered to him.
King Belshazszar had said of Daniel.
Daniel 5:12 KJV
Forasmuch as an
excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of
dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were
found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar..."
Among princes and presidents, a sinister seed of jealousy began to
grow. They tried their best to find some deficiency in his work, but
they could not! Daniel was both faithful to his God, and to his King.
Oh, that we could but today, find such leaders for our country!
Having found no discredit in his work, they went on to find default
in his religious worship.
Again finding nothing, they schemed how to make sure there was one.
Daniel 6:5-9 NLT
5 So they
concluded, “Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel
will be in connection with the rules of his religion.”
6 So the
administrators and high officers went to the king and said, “Long
live King Darius!
7 We are all in
agreement (so, they said.)—we
administrators, officials, high officers, advisers, and
governors—that the king should make a law that will be strictly
enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days any person who
prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will
be thrown into the den of lions.
8 And now, Your
Majesty, issue and sign this law so it cannot be changed, an official
law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.”
9 So King
Darius signed the law.
Flattery
corrupts both the receiver and the giver.
Edmund Burke
Psalm 5:9-12 KJV
9 For there is
no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness;
their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.
10 Destroy thou
them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in
the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against
thee.
11 But let all
those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for
joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be
joyful in thee.
12 For thou,
Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favor wilt thou compass him as
with a shield.
Dear friend, if there was a law in our country tomorrow, that
worshiping God, was illegal, and punishable by death, what would you
do?
Psalm 55:16,17 KJV (A psalm of David-Jewish Code.)
16 As for me, I
will call upon God; and The Lord shall save me.
17 Evening, and
morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear
my voice.
Daniel, continued in his worship of The Living God.
But when Daniel
learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as
usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem.
He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving
thanks to his God.
If the real truth be known today, all of humanity is in the presence of
the lion!
I Peter 5:7-9
KJV
7 Casting all
your care upon Him; for He careth for you.
8 Be sober,
be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion,
walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9 Whom
resist stedfast in the faith..."
I Corinthians
15:57 KJV
But thanks be
to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
I John 5:4 KJV
For whatsoever
is born of God over cometh the world: and this is the victory that
over cometh the world, even our faith.
Daniel 6:11-13
NLT (Daniel did not hid his worship of The Living God.)
11 Then the
officials went together to Daniel’s house and found him praying and
asking for God’s help.
12 So they went
straight to the king and reminded him about his law. “Did you not
sign a law that for the next thirty days any person who prays to
anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be
thrown into the den of lions?” “Yes,” the king replied, “that
decision stands; it is an official law of the Medes and Persians that
cannot be revoked.”
13 Then they
told the king, “That man Daniel, one of the captives from Judah, is
ignoring you and your law. He still prays to his God three times a
day.”
God's children;
II Timothy 1:7
KJV
For God hath
not given (His people) the spirit of fear; but of power, and
of love, and of a sound mind.
Revelation
12:10,11 NLT
10 Then I heard
a loud voice shouting across the heavens,
“..the
accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth—the
one who accuses them before our God day and night.
11 And they
have defeated him by The Blood Of The Lamb and by their testimony.
And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to
die.
Daniel 6:13,14
NLT
13 Then they
told the king, “That man Daniel, one of the captives from Judah, is
ignoring you and your law. He still prays to his God three times a
day.”
14 Hearing
this, the king was deeply troubled, and he tried to think
of a way to save Daniel.
He spent the
rest of the day looking for a way to get Daniel out of this
predicament.
King Darius, loved Daniel, and had the greatest respect for his God,
but he had been tricked by means of his own conceit.
Proverbs 3:7 KJV
Be not wise in
thine own eyes: fear The LORD, and depart from evil.
Proverbs 28:26
KJV
He that
trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he
shall be delivered.
Daniel 6:15-17 NLT
15 In the
evening the men went together to the king and said, “Your Majesty,
you know that according to the law of the Medes and the Persians,
no law that the king signs can be changed.”
16 So 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.”
17 A 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.
Friends, it is so good to have various versions of The Bible, and one
reason here is the ease of reading Daniel's story, ( as we have here in the New Living Translation), but
“never-ever,” let your King James Bible, be far away! Never!
Verse 16 (In the KJV) is translated from the original Hebrew, much
differently than how the NLT translates it.
Daniel 6:16,17
KJV
16Then the king
commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of
lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou
servest continually, He will deliver thee.
17 A 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.
Compare the verses above.
In our KJV, we see the King who so greatly loved Daniel,
and who so greatly tried his best to save him from the lions den said
in faith, “Thy God whom thou servest continually, He
will deliver thee.”
Not, May your God, whom you serve so faithfully,
rescue you.”but “He will deliver thee.”
King Darius had faith that the great God, that Daniel served, WOULD
SAVE HIM!
(Whenever using any other version than the King James Version,
compare the other verses to it (KJV) and see what- it says!)
God always honors righteousness, and faith!
Hebrews 11:6 KJV
But without
faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must
believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently
seek Him.
I John 5:14,15
KJV
14 And this is
the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing
according to His will (The Word
Of God), He heareth us:
15 And if we
know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the
petitions that we desired of Him.
Daniel 6:18 NLT
Then the king
returned to his palace and spent the night fasting. He
refused his usual entertainment and couldn’t sleep at all that
night.
Daniel, a Godly man made no protest in his arrest and sentence.
Daniel's faith was in his God.
Romans 8:28 KJV
And we know
that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them
who are the called according to His purpose.
Daniel 6:19,20
NLT
19 Very early
the next morning, the king got up and hurried out to the lions’
den.
20 When he got
there, he called out in anguish ((a lamentable voice - KJV), “Daniel,
servant of The Living God! Was your God, whom you serve so
faithfully, able to rescue you from the lions?”
Matthew 22:32
KJV
I am the God of
Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the
God of the dead, but of the living.
Mark 12:27 KJV
He is not the
God of the dead, but The God Of The Living..."
Daniel 6:21-28
NLT
21 Daniel
answered, “Long live the king!
22 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. And I have not wronged
you, Your Majesty.”
23 The 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.
24 Then the
king gave orders to arrest the men who had maliciously accused
Daniel. He had them thrown into the lions’ den, along with their
wives and children. The lions leaped on them and tore them apart
before they even hit the floor of the den.
Daniel 6:24 KJV
And the king
commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and
they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their
wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all
their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den.
(The lions broke all their bones, before the hit the bottom of the
pit.)
25 Then King
Darius sent this message to the people of every race and nation and
language throughout the world:
“Peace and
prosperity to you!
26 “I decree
that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before
the God of Daniel. For He is The Living God, and He will endure
forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed, and His rule will never
end.
27 He rescues
and saves His people; He performs miraculous signs and wonders in the
heavens and on earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the
lions.”
28 So Daniel
prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the
Persian.
The Lord Our
Deliverer:
II Samuel 22:2 KJV (King David)
And he said, The Lord is my Rock, and my Fortress,
and my Deliverer;
I Chronicles 29:11 KJV (King David)
Thine, O Lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and
the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in
the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art
exalted as head above all.
Psalm 18:1-3 NLT
1 I love you, Lord; you are my Strength.
2 The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Savior;
my God is my Rock, in whom I find protection. He is my Shield, the
power that saves me, and my place of safety.
3 I called on The Lord, who is worthy of praise, and He saved me
from my enemies.
Psalm 40:17 KJV
But I am poor and needy; yet The Lord thinketh upon me: thou art
my Help and my Deliverer..."
Psalm 144:2 KJV
My Goodness, and my Fortress; my High Tower, and my Deliverer; my
Shield, and He in whom I trust..."
Do you know this great Savior, the one who can deliver you from the
lions?