Our scripture reading for this evening, brothers and sisters, is indeed once again found in the prophecy of Daniel in the Old Testament. We turn this evening to Daniel, chapter six. After the books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, you'll soon come to the so-called major prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, chapter six. If you were with us in our last study of the book of Daniel, you may recall that in Daniel five, we looked at the handwriting on the wall. And you may recall, brothers and sisters, that King Belshazzar was having a drunken feast, a drunken orgy, many theologians believe, even as Cyrus the Great and the Medes and Persians had laid siege against the city of Babylon. And they were coming in surreptitiously. They were coming in secretly beneath the walls and under the gates, having diverted the waters of the Euphrates River. And suddenly this prophecy that the Lord had written on the wall, which we find in Daniel 5, 25, 26, which meant God had numbered the days of His reign and brought it to an end. He had been weighed on the scales and found wanting. Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians. Daniel had translated that for him. And then as we read in verse 30 and 31 of Daniel 5, that very night, Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom at the age of 62. And that is where our scripture reading begins this evening. In Daniel 6, beginning in verse 1, and we read to the end of the chapter, only able to hit several highlights along the way. But let us hear then the word of the Lord. It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel and his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally, these men said, we will never find any basis for charges against this man, Daniel, unless it has something to do with the law of his God. So the administrators and the satraps went as a group to the king and said, oh, King Darius, live forever. The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisors, and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or man during the next 30 days except to you, O king, shall be thrown into the lion's den. Now, O king, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed. So King Darius put the decree in writing. Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows open toward Jerusalem. Three times a day, he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. So they went into the king and spoke to him about his royal decree. Did you not publish a decree that during the next 30 days, anyone who prays to any God or man except to you, O king, would be thrown into the lion's den? The king answered, the decree stands in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed. And they said to the king, Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day. When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed. He was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him. And the men went as a group to the king and said to him, Remember, O king, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians, no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed. So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lion's den. The king said to Daniel, may your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you. A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles so that Daniel's situation might not be changed. And the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him, and he could not sleep. At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lion's den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions? Daniel answered, O king, live forever. My God sent his angel and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king. The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him because he had trusted in his God. At the king's command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lion's den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones. And King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and men of every language throughout the land, may you prosper greatly. I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom, people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For he is the living God and he endures forever. His kingdom will not be destroyed. His dominion will never end. He rescues and he saves. He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions. So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus, the Persian. Thus far, the reading of God's holy word. And as always, dear friends, I ask and urge you to keep your Bibles open and handy as we look to God's word together this evening. Dear congregation of Jesus Christ, just a few days ago at the meeting of our senior circle, and by the way, most of us know that the meeting of the senior circle is not a meeting of seniors in high school, but it is a meeting of seniors in our society or seniors in the life of our congregation. But at that particular meeting of our senior circle, we studied together Psalm 71. And if you would care to turn with me, I would ask you to turn back there in the Old Testament just for a moment. Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Psalm 71. It is a psalm which is referred to by some as being the old people's psalm. The old people's psalm. And as I read just a few select verses, you may understand why. Psalm 71, verse 1 begins, And you, O Lord, I have taken refuge. Let me never be put to shame. Drop down to verse 5, please. For You have been my hope, O Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth. From birth I have relied on You. You brought me forth from my mother's womb. I will ever praise You. Verse 9, Do not cast me away when I am old. Do not forsake me when my strength is gone. For my enemies speak against me. Those who wait to kill me conspire together." Verse 14. But as for me, I will always have hope. I will praise you more and more. Verse 17. Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come." Now friends, after we read this psalm, and I highlighted several of those verses, a very in-depth and very personal and practical and indeed inspiring conversation and discussion ensued. And the reason why I draw this psalm to your attention tonight is because as we turn back to our text in Daniel chapter 6, we need to be mindful of the fact that were he alive today, Daniel very well could have been a member of our senior circle. In fact, most Bible scholars and indeed virtually every biblical theologian agrees that at this particular point in time, in the context of Daniel 6, Daniel was approximately 83 years of age. He was approximately 83 years of age. And now as we consider that, and we consider what we just read here in Daniel 6, we find ourselves being challenged by this reality. Brothers and sisters, it does not matter how old we are. It does not matter what our age is. It does not matter if we are a child. It does not matter if we are a teenager. It does not matter if we are a young adult. It does not matter if we are in middle age. It does not matter if we are recently retired. It does not matter if we are well on into our senior citizen years. The Bible tells us that all those who profess faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, by the grace and mercy of God and by the strength and power of His Holy Spirit, must never be willing to compromise our commitment to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and must never refuse to be used of God for His glory, no matter what our age may be, even if the time comes in your life or in mine. Listen, when either physically or metaphorically, you and I may be thrown into the lion's den." Either physically or metaphorically, you and I may be thrown into the lion's den. Now, as we seek to apply this passage then to our own personal lives, let us consider, first of all, the trap that was set for Daniel. First of all, we will consider the trap that was set for Daniel. Look at Daniel 6 verse 1 with me, if you would. Here we read, It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. And remember, Daniel's name means something like the Lord or God is my judge. And that's a very important insight for this passage because it was the Lord who ultimately was his judge in this account. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities. The original language says something like he had an inordinate or extraordinary spirit, a ruach, within him. Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to send him over the whole kingdom. Now friends, let us not misunderstand something. This is not to say that Daniel was sinless. It says in Romans 3 23 that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and that includes you and that includes me and that includes every man woman and child who ever lived except for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But that is why we need the good news of the gospel as it is set forth in Romans 6.23 for example, that though the wages of sin is death, the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. So we just keep that in mind that Daniel was a human being like you and me, he had a fallen nature, but he was gifted of God in this particular instance to be used mightily in the kingdom of King Darius. And so look at verse 4 with me. At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Now think about that. They were watching Daniel, just as the world is watching you and me during the course of daily living. I think I've said it before down through the years, but someone has once said that the Christian is the world's Bible. The Christian is the world's Bible. Think about that. I came across a quote some time ago by a man named Gypsy Smith. Gypsy Smith was the early 20th century British evangelist who at times toured the United States. And Gypsy Smith once said this, and I quote, he said, the Christian's life is the fifth gospel. The world may not read the first four, but the world is reading you. Think about that. People are watching us. They're seeing if our walk is consistent with our talk. And that is why, whether we are a husband, whether we are a wife, whether we are a young person, a child, whether we are a parent, whether we are an employer or an employee, or if we are a student in school, as Christians, we want, by the grace of God, to be the very best we can be, because ultimately, our testimony for Jesus Christ is on the line. And they were watching Daniel. They were watching Daniel. My friends, notice this. Look with me if you would, please, a little further. It says in verse six, so the administrators and the satraps went as a group to the king. Oh, let me back up further because I've missed something very important here. Look up further with me. At this, the administrators and satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally, these men said, we will never find any basis for charges against this man, Daniel, unless it has something to do with the law of his God." Now, does that sound familiar to you in our study of Daniel thus far? Unless it has something to do with the law of his God? For example, turn back with me, please, to Daniel chapter 3. I pray the Lord will help you remember what we studied in Daniel 3 concerning the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up in the plains of Dura. And Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would not bow to that idol, young people. You may remember that. They would not worship King Nebuchadnezzar's idol. And down in Daniel 3, verse 16, they were hauled before King Nebuchadnezzar. He was furious that they would not bow down. And he said to them, when the music plays, you bow, and if you don't bow, you're going to burn. And then here in verse 16, we read, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. In what matter? In a matter concerning the law of God. In a matter concerning the precept of God. In a matter concerning who and how we worship. And that is what was happening to Daniel. He was being challenged according to the law of his God. You know, friends, as these men set their plot against Daniel and prepared their trap for him, I came across in my studies a quote by Matthew Henry that had very personal, I'll say, meaning for me, and some of us may know why and others may not, but here's what Matthew Henry said concerning the plot that they set against him. And I quote now. Listen carefully, please. Matthew Henry said, the cause of envy is everything that is good. The better a man is, the worse he is thought of by his rivals. The effect of envy is everything that is bad. Those who envied Daniel sought no less than his ruin." Those who envied Daniel sought no less than his ruin. End of quote. Think about that. Dr. Ed Young, former professor down at Westminster Seminary, Philadelphia said this, An honest man of conviction in the midst of politicians stands out like a fair flower in a barren wilderness. Think about that concerning our modern day political life. Dr. Ed Young, an honest man of conviction in the midst of politicians, stands out like a fair flower in a barren wilderness." And then John Calvin adds a very interesting insight. He says, you know, when you look at the leaders of the world, Calvin said, and how many of them do not want gifted godly men surrounding them, He said, it is a sign that the very judgment of heaven has already fallen upon them. Think about that. Calvin said, when leaders of the nations do not attempt to surround themselves with good and godly and gifted men, it is a sign that the judgment of heaven has already fallen upon them. And so these men set this trap against Daniel, knowing that he had to be caught in something concerning the law of his God. Verse 6, look with me, please. So the administrators and the satraps went as a group to the king and said, O King Darius, live forever. The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisors, and governors have all agreed. Is that true? Did all of them agree? No, they hadn't all agreed. In fact, Daniel hadn't even been advised of it. He hadn't even been consulted about it. And so they're already lying. They said, Everybody's agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or man during the next thirty days except to you, O king, shall be thrown into the lion's den. Now, O king, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed. Now, I said here that this trap was based on a lie, and not to surprise us. Because every one of us who calls ourselves a Christian correctly is in spiritual warfare every day. It says in Ephesians 6, verse 12, the Apostle Paul says, "...for our struggle is not against flesh and blood. It is against the rulers and the authorities and the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Jesus said in John chapter 8, verse 44, Jesus said, concerning Satan, when he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies. And so these men, based on a lie, that everyone was agreed to this, they go to Darius, Darius, they make this presentation, and in verse 9 we read, so King Darius put the decree in writing. Why do you think he did that? I don't really know. I suspect that it might have flattered his ego a bit to say, everyone's going to just pray to you for 30 days. Okay, sounds pretty good to me, he thought. He might also have been thinking, well, it's just for 30 days. I don't want to ultimately violate anybody's religious principles. It's a limited period of time, not so bad. You might also have been thinking, humanly speaking, that I'm kind of a new king over this Babylonian kingdom. Maybe if everyone just prays to me for 30 days, it'll unite my people, unite the kingdom. I don't know, I don't know. All I know is that the trap was set, and King Darius put the decree in writing. But friends, secondly then, let us consider the test. The trap has been set, but now Daniel is tested by that trap. Look at verse 10 with me, if you would please. Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, I'm gonna stop right there, because think about what was going on in Daniel's mind. By the way, that indicates he didn't know about this. It says when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, what's he thinking? Daniel is thinking that he has been put in a quandary because he must now choose between two God-ordained loyalties. In fact, if you're taking notes, brothers and sisters, jot down 1 Peter 2, verse 17, where we read, "...show proper respect to everyone, love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, and honor the king." I'm going to read that again. 1 Peter 2, verse 17, "...show proper respect to everyone, love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king." In other words, if Daniel obeys this decree, he honors the king, but he's dishonoring God. And if he disobeys the decree, he's honoring God, but he's dishonoring the king. And so he's put in a quandary. And that was their very purpose to set him in that kind of a trap. And so when Daniel learned the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows open toward Jerusalem. Very interesting. As I began studying this passage this week, brothers and sisters, I thought, why? did Daniel open his windows toward Jerusalem? And I think I found the answer back in 1 Kings 8. And if you're taking notes, I'm just gonna read verses 44 and 45. 1 Kings 8. The context is that Solomon is dedicating the temple. And in 1 Kings 8, 44 and 45, notice what we read. He's praying to the Lord. And Solomon says, when your people go to war against their enemies, wherever you send them. And when they pray to the Lord toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your name, then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea and uphold their cause." And so Solomon had set this precedent, if you will, for the people to pray toward Jerusalem, knowing that's where the name of the Lord was, knowing that's where God's presence was represented, and that's exactly what Daniel did while he was in exile in Babylon. He opens his windows toward Jerusalem, and stay with me here. three times a day. Very interesting. I came across a text in Psalm 55, verse 17, Psalm 55, 17, where King David says, every morning and noon, I cry out in distress. Excuse me, evening, morning, and noon, I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice. Evening, morning, and noon, I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice. Now friends, 1 Thessalonians 5, 17 says, pray continually. And that is what we must do. We must pray our way through each and every day. But to have set times of prayer, to have set times of personal or family devotions, it helps our spiritual discipline in these things, so that we hold ourselves accountable, if you will, that we do in fact stay in God's Word, and that we do in fact stay in prayer. And Daniel had such set times for prayer. Three times a day, he got down on his knees. Did you ever pray on your knees? You know, boys and girls, we teach our children to kneel by the bed when they pray, and it's not necessary to kneel, but how do you feel when you're kneeling, when you're kneeling by your bed, or you get down on your knees, and you're praying to God? It's hard to feel proud, arrogant, self-contained, conceited, when you're on your knees, bowing before a holy God in heaven. And so it's a great discipline to engage in, to bow when we pray, even though it's not necessary. It's helpful in our own humility and humbling ourselves before the sovereign God. And it's what Daniel did. Three times a day, he got down on his knees and prayed, just stay with me, please, giving thanks. He's in exile. A trap has been set against him. His life is now hanging in the balance. And yet, when he begins praying, he begins by thanking God. And I said to myself, wow, what do my prayers sound like to God? Confession, sometimes I think my prayers are like a grocery list of requests. Tons of requests, tons of petitions, for myself, for others. Ask, ask, ask, ask, give, give, give, please, please, please, bless, bless, bless. Some of our seniors say they wrestle with their prayers becoming organ recitals. Do you know what they mean by that? Never heard the term? I had never heard it either. Some of you know. They say my prayers an organ recital. Oh, Lord, my shoulder. Oh, Lord, my hip. Oh, Lord, my knee. Oh, Lord, you know, organ recitals. Learned a child learned a song as a child. Count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done. He needs to take time enumerating those blessings and thanking God for them. That's what Daniel did. Three times a day, got on his knees, and he thanked God just as he had done before. Just as he had done before. Needless to say, brothers and sisters, Daniel had passed the test. Daniel had passed the test. Ah, but notice. By passing the test, it brought him thirdly into the trial. It brought him thirdly into the trial. Look at verse 11 with me, if you would, please. Here we read. Then these three men went as a group. Think about that. Our enemies are not always individual people. Sometimes it's groups of people. Think about that. These men went as a group and found Daniel praying. They must have like barged in on him in his house, in his room. They went as a group, they found Daniel praying and asking God for help. Boys and girls, what was he asking God for help for? He was asking God to help him through the trial he was about to face by being thrown into the lion's den. And it's okay to ask God for help any time of any day, any time of any night. Whatever we need, ask the Lord to be there with you because he's for you, because he's for you. So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree. Did you not publish a decree that during the next 30 days, anyone who prays to you or any God or man except you, O king, will be thrown into the lion's den? The king answered, the decree stands in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed. We're not in Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon any longer. Nebuchadnezzar could do what he wanted with what he wanted, whenever he wanted, however he wanted. It was what you call autocratic rule, one-man rule. Not so with the Medes and Persians. They had laws. The king signed a law. According to the laws of the Medes and Persians, the fact was it could not be altered, it could not be changed. And the king knew that, and he affirmed that to his advisors. Verse 13, they said to the king, Daniel, who is one of the exiles of Judah, interesting way to reference Daniel, is it not? They don't bring up the fact that in verse 3, the king had been intending to place Daniel over his whole kingdom. They don't say, this Daniel who you were about to place over your whole kingdom, they said he's one of the exiles of Judah. Why did he say that? Why did they introduce him that way? Well, again, Dr. Young has a great insight on this. He says, and I quote, presenting something in as bad a light as possible is a common trick of corrupt politicians. But he's really hammering on the politicians. I'm just quoting what he said. Presenting something in as bad a light as possible is a common trick of corrupt politicians. And isn't that true again? You watch the news, you hear the congressman. I'm talking both parties, political parties. They speak of one another. They speak of the president. The president speaks of somebody else. And it's always in the worst possible light. The worst possible spin is put on everything. No different 2,500 years ago. They present Daniel as this exile from Judah, who pays no attention to you, O king, which was another lie, or the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day. That was true. That was true. And the king heard this. He was greatly distressed. He was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him. What do you think he did? Very interesting to consider, to contemplate this. He tried to save Daniel from the decree that was signed according to the laws of the Medes and Persians. Different commentators have different ideas. Some say he might have tried to find some kind of a legal loophole. Others say he probably fed the lions extra food to try to get them not to be hungry so that when Daniel was thrown in, maybe they weren't gonna eat him. We don't know what he did. We just know he tried desperately to deliver Daniel. Then the men went as a group to the king and said to him, verse 15, Remember, O king, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians, no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed. They didn't want Daniel to get out of this trap, which they had set. So the king gave the order and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lion's den. Think about being thrown into a den of supposedly hungry lions for nothing wrong you had done. Wow. The king said to Daniel, and now stay with me, it's critical text. May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you. The NIV translates that from the original in what's called the optative mood. Others, New American Standard, King James, translate it differently. If you have one of those other versions, ESV, I believe that it says, the king said to Daniel, your God, whom you serve continually, will rescue you, will rescue you. We don't know for sure which is the more accurate translation because it could be translated either way. But we get the sense that this king was trying to deliver Daniel and he was he was impotent. He was he just couldn't do it. You know, it reminded me, by the way, of Pilate. With Jesus trying to wash his hands, this is an innocent man, he's trying to set Jesus free and the crowd is crying out, give us Barabbas, give us Barabbas. There's many ways in which Daniel is a type of figure of Christ, and I'll comment on that in a moment. A stone, verse 17, was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. And the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles so that Daniel's situation might not be changed. They had their rings or they had cylinders with the royal crown on it. And they would place a clay seal across an opening. and they would roll the ring or they would roll the cylinder as the seal on that, which meant that if anybody touches that, they just signed their own death warrant. That's what it was. It was to prevent anything from changing what the king had decreed. And friends, as I was reading and prayerfully contemplating the attempt here of Darius to seal that lion's den so that nothing would be changed, you know what it made me think of? And maybe you're thinking of the same thing. the way in which they attempted to seal the tomb of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In fact, if you would care to turn with me just for a minute, let's go to the Gospel according to Matthew, the 27th chapter, verses 62 through 66. Matthew 27, Jesus has been crucified. Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body. He placed Jesus' body in his own tomb. He rolled the rock against the opening of the tomb. And in Matthew 27, 62 and following, we read, the next day, the one after preparation day, the chief priests and the Pharisees, it's like all these advisors of King Darius, went to Pilate. Sir, they said, we remember that while he was still alive, that deceiver said, after three days I will rise again. So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he had been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first. Take a guard, Pilate answered. Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how. So they went and made the tomb secure, notice, by putting a seal on the stone and posting a guard. They did everything they could, and three days later, Jesus rose from the dead. All glory be to God. So the king puts the seal, Daniel's put in the lion's den, Everything can be unchanged, and we read in verse 18, Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him, and he could not sleep. And he could not sleep, even as Daniel was enduring the trial. Even as Daniel was enduring the trial. Friends, we get to verse 19, and here we read not about the trial, but we read about the triumph. We read about the triumph. Verse 19, at the first light of dawn, remind me of Mary Magdalene, Mary and the other women going early to the tomb on resurrection morning. At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lion's den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, underscore this, been able to rescue you from the lions? Brothers and sisters, if you've been with us in the study thus far, those words, been able, should really ring a biblical bell with you. Because back in Daniel chapter 3, when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were hauled before King Nebuchadnezzar and threatened with the fiery furnace, we read in Daniel 3 verse 16, but now I'm going to go through verse 18, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save. Let us never forget that. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace and there's all kinds of furnaces, fiery furnaces we go through in life, the God we serve is able to save us from it. And He will rescue us from your hand, O King. But even if He does not, we want you to know, O King, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up. And so God has already proven His ability, that He is able. And here back in Daniel chapter 6, that's what King Darius asks. He says, has your God been able to rescue you from the lions? And now look at verse 22. How would you have responded to this king that put you in there illegitimately, I'll say, when you were simply honoring your God? Daniel answered in verse 21 by saying, O king, live forever. He wishes him well. He wants God's blessing. It almost blows your mind. Oh, King, live forever. You who threw me into the lion's den. My God sent his angel. Wow. My God sent his angel. Do you remember what we read about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel chapter three, verse 25, thrown into that fiery furnace bound? And Nebuchadnezzar looks down in there and he says, hey, wait a second, didn't we throw three men in there? But I see four walking around and the fourth looks like the son of the gods. We consider together at that time that that may have been a Christophany, a pre-incarnate manifestation of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, or it may simply have been an angel whom the Lord God sent. We can't know for sure, but we do know that in Hebrews 1, verse 14, the Bible tells us, are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? The bottom line, brothers and sisters, is that as Isaiah 43, one through three tells us, when we go through high waters, when we go through the rivers, when we go through fiery trials, the Lord God promises each and every one of his own. I will be with you. I will be with you. And that's true. And Daniel says, My God sent his angel and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me because I was found innocent in his sight. Daniel was acknowledging the fact that God is the ultimate arbiter of our guilt or innocence. He is our ultimate judge. And when we read in 2 Corinthians 5, 21, that God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. We know that if we are in Christ, God declares us not guilty, clothed in the white robes of the righteousness of our blessed Savior. All glory be to God. He said, I was innocent in his sight. And then interestingly enough, nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O King. The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him. Boys and girls, notice this, because he had trusted in his God. It all came down to that. We learned this song in Sunday school, do we not trust and obey? For there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. No wound was found on Daniel because he had trusted in his God. Well, we're just gonna not take the time to study those other verses in depth, but if you will skim over them, you find that King Darius was quite moved by this miraculous deliverance. And so, according to what the Persian custom was, he gathered the men who had accused Daniel, and along with their wives and children, it's hard for us to comprehend that, but that was what the Persians did. They took the wives and children, the whole families of these men, and they threw them into the lion's den, and it says, brothers and sisters, in verse 24, before they reached the floor of the den, The lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones. What does that tell us? It tells us that they had not been overfed. It tells us that they were just not hungry that night. It tells us that God had miraculously delivered His servant Daniel. That's what it tells us. And then like Nebuchadnezzar before him, King Darius writes to the people, nations, and men of every language, May you prosper greatly. I issue a decree that at every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. Notice what he says, but notice what he doesn't say. He doesn't denounce all other gods. He doesn't denounce his own polytheism, his worship of many gods. He only extols this God who had in fact delivered Daniel as Nebuchadnezzar had done. He acknowledges that he is the living God. He is the great I am, we would say. He endures forever. His kingdom will not be destroyed. He rescues, he saves, he performs signs and wonders. He rescued Daniel from the power of the lions. And what was the effect of Daniel not dying in that lion's den? Verse 28 tells us, so Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius, notice, and the reign of Cyrus the Persian. Do you know who Cyrus the Persian was and why it was so significant for God's people that Daniel did not die in that lion's den? We close with this. Let's go to Ezra 1. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs. Before Job, Psalms, Proverbs, turn to Ezra 1. And I'm just gonna read verses one through four, and we're done. Ezra 1, verses one through four. In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, the one to whom Daniel ministered, In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus, king of Persia, to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing. This is what Cyrus, king of Persia says, "'The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to build a temple for Him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any one of His people among you, may his God be with him. and let him go up to Jerusalem and Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem. And the people of any place where survivors may now be living are to provide him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem." Think about that. Cyrus was the one who issued the proclamation and fulfillment of the prophecies of God through his prophets that the exiled Jews could return from Babylon to the promised land and not only so, they could rebuild the temple of the living God. And it was partly or perhaps even largely because Daniel had been delivered and God was still willing and able to use him. And all my dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, as we began the message this evening, I conclude with the same thought. It doesn't matter what your age may be. It doesn't matter how old you or I are, or even if how old we become. If by the grace and mercy of God and by the power of His Holy Spirit, you and I seek to never compromise our commitment to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and to be willing to be used of Him, lives are literally hanging in the balance and will greatly and graciously be blessed of God. If you and I remain faithful, as the children used to sing, if we dare to be a Daniel, if we dare to be a Daniel, even at those times that we may be physically or metaphorically thrown into the lion's den. Amen. Let's bow our heads and our hearts in prayer together. Oh, almighty God, and ever merciful Father, It's true that the children over the years have learned to sing, dare to be a Daniel, dare to stand alone, dare to have a purpose firm, dare to make it known. O Lord our God, as any number of individuals or even groups of people may rise up and seek to entrap us into denying or even compromising the faith which we profess. Indeed, even as Satan himself The one of whom the Apostle Peter writes saying, be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And so, O Lord, by Your grace and mercy, and by Your Holy Spirit's power, enable each and every one of us to withstand the test lest we deny You or worship someone or something besides You. O Father, bring us safely through all of the high waters and fiery trials of life. Enable us to achieve a full and complete triumph over all of our foes unto the eloquent and eternal testimony of Your faithfulness, Your power, and Your glory, the God who alone is worthy. Hear us, O faithful Heavenly Father, we pray and we plead, in Jesus' name, Amen.