Daniel and the Lions’ Den

Wake up, harp and lyre!

I will wake up the dawn.

I will praise you, Lord, among the peoples;

I will sing praises to you among the nations.

For your faithful love is as high as the heavens;

your faithfulness reaches the clouds.

God, be exalted above the heavens;

let your glory be over the whole earth.

Daniel’s enemies were ready and waiting. They saw what Daniel did (Dan 6:11), and they immediately brought it to the king’s attention (v. 12). They even threw in a little anti-Semitism when they made their accusation (“Daniel, one of the Judean exiles”). Darius “was very displeased” at the situation and tried to find a way to deliver a man he obviously admired, appreciated, and respected (v. 14). Unfortunately, he had stepped into his own trap and was caught. His evil administrators reminded him once more (the decree is mentioned four times for emphasis and effect) of the binding nature of the law of the Medes and Persians (v. 15). When the king makes a law, even he is bound by his words. More importantly, these evil men had counted on Daniel to be true to his God, and he had been. Daniel knew that past faithfulness would be no substitute for present faithfulness. Indeed, the past had simply prepared him for the present and the future. What a witness! What a testimony to know that you can count on the man of God to be a man of God!

Daniel 6:16-24

We have no reason to doubt that Daniel knew about Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah and their experience with the fiery furnace of chapter 3. We now have no doubt that Daniel is of the same constitution and conviction as they when they said,

Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace [for Daniel, from the lion’s den], and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O King, that we will not serve your gods or worship [what] you have set up. (Dan 3:17-18 ESV)

The three Hebrews told Nebuchadnezzar that their allegiance to God always trumped government or any other idol. Daniel tells Darius the same thing. Fidelity to God is not subject to debate or vote (cf. Acts 4:19-20). For all four Hebrew men, this issue was settled in their hearts long before they faced their challenge.

Much to his regret Darius commanded that Daniel be thrown “into the lions’ den” (v. 16). The den was probably a pit with an opening at the top. As Daniel was about to be thrown into the pit, his friend, the king, spoke to Daniel: “May your God, whom you continually serve, rescue you!” Stephen Miller notes, “Darius’ concern for his friend is touching. . . . The words express the king’s hope” (Daniel, 185). Daniel, however, was not resting in the king’s concern or his hope. He was resting in the providence and sovereignty of his God.

Daniel was cast into the lion’s den, and “a stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den” (v. 17). I guess this was to be sure the eighty-year-old man would not jump out! The king also sealed Daniel’s tomb “with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing in regard to Daniel could be changed.” We can only imagine the joy of these lords attending this “Rose Garden” ceremony and signing.

Darius did not share in their delight. Verse 18 informs us, “Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting. No diversions [NIV, “entertainment”] were brought to him, and he could not sleep.” No doubt Darius’s lords were out partying. Not so for the king. No food. No partying. No music. He knew he had been played, and it had cost him the life of his loyal friend. Ligon Duncan points out,

Of course, this passage bears an uncanny resemblance to Matthew 26:65-66, where we read, “Pilate said to them, ‘You have a guard, go, make it as secure as you know how,’ and they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard, they set a seal on the stone.” Just as Daniel was sealed in the lion’s den, so also Christ was sealed in the tomb, and this was the petty human ruler’s way to seal the fate of both of these great servants of the Lord. And in both cases, that human sealing led to greater glory for God, when He brought Daniel up out of the pit and He raised Christ up out of the tomb.

It’s not surprising that the early Church saw in Daniel in the lion’s den, a prefiguring of the resurrection of the Lord, for as Daniel was brought out of a den that had been sealed by the official rings of those in power, so was the Lord Jesus Christ raised from a tomb which had been sealed by those officials with their rings of power. (“Daniel in the Lion’s Den”)

Like Mary Magdalene and the other Mary in Matthew 28:1, Darius went “at the first light of dawn” (v. 19) to the tomb holding what might remain of Daniel’s body. As he approached the den of lions, “he cried out in anguish, . . . ‘Daniel, servant of the living God, . . . has your God, whom you continually serve, been able to rescue you from the lions?’” (v. 20). The doubt in his voice is unmistakable. He did not expect to hear a thing other than the satisfied purring of lions following their supper.

Suddenly, and no doubt to his joyful surprise, Daniel speaks (vv. 21-22)! This is the only time Daniel’s words are recorded in the entire chapter. We might playfully paraphrase Daniel like this:

Good morning, my king. I hope things are going well with you and that you enjoyed a good night’s sleep. I did! I slept like a little lamb with your lions as my guests. Their quiet purring put me right to sleep, and their warm bodies and fur kept me from being cold all night. Such sweet, cute cats! Oh, I also had a very special guest show up. “My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths” (v. 22). Why I did not even get a lick from their tongue—not one. “They haven’t harmed me.” They did not touch one gray hair on my head. Of course, you should know the reason. I honored my God, and I never did anything wrong to you. I put the whole situation in the hands of my King, and this is what he did. I trusted him either way, and I will continue to do so as long as I live. Now, would you like to come down and join me?

Once again I appreciate the insight and perspective of Ligon Duncan at this point:

Daniel is not claiming to be sinless, Daniel is not claiming to never have done anything wrong, but Daniel is saying, in the heat of the moment, I chose God, and I’m innocent before Him. I didn’t do anything wrong in this circumstance before God. And furthermore, O King, I didn’t do anything wrong to you. Your henchmen, these beauracrats, have accused me of not having respect for you. That couldn’t be further from the truth, but no one has precedent or priority over my God, and therefore I have done nothing wrong to you and I’ve done nothing wrong to Him. (“Daniel in the Lion’s Den”)

Well, Darius did not join Daniel in the lions’ den, but some others took his place (v. 24). Those who “maliciously accused Daniel,” along with their families, were thrown into the lions’ den and killed even before they “reached the bottom of the den.” Sinclair Ferguson once more provides a helpful word at this point:

In a fallen and sinful world there is a somber side to the salvation of God’s people. The deliverance of Eve’s seed is always accompanied by the bruising of the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15). Christ delivers those who were subject to a lifelong fear of death by destroying the one who had the power of death (Heb. 2:14-15). The dark side to Daniel’s deliverance is the judgment that falls on those who had sought to destroy the kingdom of God. They and their entire families, even wives and children, were cast into the den of lions and immediately attacked and devoured. Herodotus informs us that such punishment of entire families was meted out according to Persian Law. It was a terrible end. Their gods were unable to deliver them from the lions, whereas Daniel’s God had delivered him. The One who was in Daniel was stronger than the one who was in the world (cf. 1 John 4:4).

The closing verses of this chapter provide an appropriate climax to the first section of the book as well as to the miracle of Daniel’s deliverance. Darius, whatever his ultimate spiritual condition, confessed the supreme authority of “the God of Daniel” (v. 26). (Daniel, 130)

Daniel 6:25-28

Bob Fyall makes a number of helpful observations about how these verses fit into the book as a whole when he writes,

In Chapters 2, 3 and 4, Nebuchadnezzar had praised Daniel’s God in an increasingly reverent way. In Chapter 5 there had been no such praise from Belshazzar who had already passed the point of no return. Here Darius virtually encapsulates the theology of the whole book in a song of praise which summarizes what God has done in the last chapters and points forward to the theology of history about to be unfolded in the second part of the book. (Daniel, 91)

Darius has clearly been impacted by God’s miraculous deliverance of Daniel. In words reminiscent of the Psalms, and in particular Psalm 2, this unbelieving ruler writes “to those of every people, nation, and language who live on the whole earth” (v. 25). Once more the language of Daniel anticipates the glorious eschatological missionary promise of Revelation 5 and 7. The decree or letter begins with words of blessing, “May your prosperity abound.” The king then quickly follows with a command or warning, “that in all [his] royal dominion, people must tremble in fear before the God of Daniel” (v. 26). The declaration accomplishes at least two important purposes. First, it recognizes the greatness, even the superiority, of Israel’s God over all would-be rivals. And second, it cancels out the irrevocable edict of 6:6-9 (Hill, “Daniel,” 127). Once again we see the truth of Proverbs 21:1: “A king’s heart is like channeled water in the Lord’s hand: He directs it wherever he chooses.”

The content of the decree is in verses 26-27. It is a theological doxology that takes note of God’s greatness universally (v. 26) and personally (v. 27). As to his nature, he is the living and eternal God. As to his sovereignty, his kingdom will not be destroyed or brought to an end (v. 26). He is universally unparalleled and without rival.

On the personal level he is a delivering and rescuing God. He is not limited spatially, for he works his signs and wonders, his mighty and supernatural acts, “in the heavens and on the earth.” In the most immediate context, just look to Daniel, whom he has rescued “from the power of the lions” (v. 27).

Once again God honors his faithful servant. Just as he blessed and honored Daniel under the Babylonians, Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar, he does so again under the Medo-Persians and Darius (that is, Cyrus the Persian; v. 28). The truth of James 4:10 rings forth again, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” The New Living Translation says, “He will lift you up in honor.”

Throughout the Bible, especially the Old Testament, God uses typology to point us to a coming deliverer, a rescuer, in fulfillment of the first gospel promise in Genesis 3:15. Sometimes our Lord uses events like the Passover in Exodus 12. Other times he uses institutions like the temple and the sacrificial system. And still other times he uses individuals like Adam, Abraham, Moses, David, and Daniel. In the messianic Psalm 22, the righteous sufferer proclaims in verse 21, “Save me from the lion’s mouth.” God indeed saved Messiah Jesus from the mouth of the lion of death by his glorious resurrection. In like manner he saved Daniel from a lion’s attack when early in the morning, “at the first light of dawn” (6:19), Darius arrived at what could be described as Daniel’s tomb, only to discover he was not dead; he was alive!

Lest you think I am guilty of overreading the text, let me point you to Tim Keller’s encouragement for us all to develop an instinct for seeing Jesus in all of Scripture. If it is true that the Bible is not about me but about Jesus, “the source and perfecter of our faith” (Heb 12:2), then we are justified to see him here in Daniel. He illustrates this instinct beautifully:

Jesus is the true and better Adam, who passed the test in the garden, His garden—a much tougher garden—and whose obedience is imputed to us.

Jesus is the true and better Abel, who though innocently slain, has blood that cries out, not for our condemnation, but for our acquittal.

Jesus is the true and better Abraham, who answered the call of God to leave all the comfortable and familiar and go into the void not knowing whither He went.

Jesus is the true and better Isaac, who was not just offered up by His Father on the mount, but was truly sacrificed for us all while God said to Abraham, “Now I know you love Me because you did not withhold your son, your only son, whom you love from Me.” Now we at the foot of the cross can say to God, “Now we know that You love me because You did not withhold Your Son, Your only Son whom You love, from me.”

Jesus is the true and better Jacob, who wrestled and took the blow of justice we deserve so we, like Jacob, only receive the wounds of grace that wake us up and discipline us.

Jesus is the true and better Joseph, who is at the right hand of the king and forgives those who betrayed and sold him and uses his power to save them.

Jesus is the true and better Moses, who stands in the gap between the people and the Lord and who mediates a new covenant.

Jesus is the true and better Rock of Moses who, struck with the rod of God’s justice, now gives us water in the desert.

Jesus is the true and better Job —He’s the truly innocent sufferer who then intercedes for and saves His stupid friends. . . .

Jesus is the true and better David, whose victory becomes His people’s victory though they never lifted a stone to accomplish it themselves.

Jesus is the true and better Esther, who didn’t just risk losing an earthly palace, but lost the ultimate heavenly one, who didn’t just risk His life, but gave His life, who didn’t say, “If I perish, I perish,” but said, “When I perish, I will perish for them to save My people.”

Jesus is the true and better Jonah, who was cast out into the storm so we could be brought in.

He’s the real Passover Lamb. He’s the true temple, the true prophet, the true priest, the true king, the true sacrifice, the true lamb, the true light, the true bread. (“What Is Gospel-Centered Ministry?”)

Indeed Jesus is all of these things. And to them we may rightly add, Jesus is the true and better Daniel, who having been lowered into a lion’s den of death, emerges early the next morning alive and vindicated by his God.