Daniel Chapter 6 Daniel in the Lions Den

Daniel Chapter 6 Daniel in the Lion’s Den

Setting & Background �Belshazzar’s rule has now ended, and Darius is now the king � 539 BC �Daniel is now an old man (>70) �Daniel had been the third highest in the Babylonian empire. Darius re-appoints him as one of the three administrators over the satraps of Medo-Persia �Darius is the first king mentioned Biblically of the Medo-Persian empire of this time �Darius and Cyrus had a co-regency or a shared kingdom. Cyrus is mentioned in v 28.

Recap �Daniel is excellent in character and the king puts his eye on him to put him over the entire kingdom (v 3) �In knowing this, the satraps and administrators set out to frame him (v 4) �Daniel was so blameless, they could not find anything against him (v 4) �They knew the only way to “frame” him would be to make his faith be in conflict with the kingdom’s laws (v 5)

Daniel in Prayer

Recap �The satraps get the king to issue a law that anyone who prays to a god besides the king should be thrown to the lions (v 9) �Knowing this, Daniel continues to pray to God (v 10) �The satraps catch him praying and hold the king to his law (v 11 -v 12) �Daniel is thrown to the lions and is miraculously delivered (v 16 -21)

The Lions’s Den

What can we learn about God from Chapter 6? �God is able to deliver His people from otherwise hopeless circumstances �God uses us to show His miraculous power as a witness to all �God can influence even a pagan king to praise Him and realize He is God.

Integrity �One predominant trait of Daniel’s is personal integrity �Some passages about Integrity: ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Psalm 7: 8 Psalm 26: 1 Proverbs 10: 9 Proverbs 11: 3 Job 2: 1 -10 Titus 2: 2 -8 2 Corinthians 1: 12

How important is our integrity? �If we do not have integrity, our ways will be exposed �If we do have integrity, we’ll be vindicated (found blameless, set free) �We only have integrity by the Lord Himself

Discussion �What are some safeguards for integrity? How can we have better integrity? �Do you know anyone who is challenged with integrity? How do you think about him/her? Would you want others to see you the same way? �If you are willing, the Lord is willing to forgive you for your lack of integrity: 1 John 1: 9