It may have looked like Daniel and his friends were going to have a hard life as exiles in Babylon. After all, they were taken captive after Nebuchadnezzar conquered and destroyed the fortified city of Ashkelon, and consolidated his authority over the land of Israel. All the kings of Syria and Israel, including Jehoiakim of Judah, were compelled to pay tribute to Nebuchadnezzar. 

Judah and Israel in Chains 

God sent many messengers (prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah) informing the wildly revelled people of the impending doom and destruction that was planned to judge them if they did not return to the Holy One. But when they mocked Him and hardened their hearts, God was forced to execute His judgment by sending the king of Babylon to destroy the temple that had been desecrated by idol worship and child sacrifice and burn down Jerusalem and its fortified walls. 

The Way Back to Freedom

Though the destruction came as a result of God’s judgment, God had not forgotten his obedient ones such as Daniel and his friends. He used the fiery trials in their lives to fortify their faith in Him so that they would not relent even at the ultimate threat of losing their lives. 

God used the events that transpired in their lives to impact nations as we shall see. First it started with king Neb having a dream which he would not disclose to the wise men or diviners or astrologers or magicians or enchanters. When they answered the king saying that no man could tell him the dream and interpret it for him, he became furious and wanted to kill them all. 

When Daniel heard the matter, he asked the king for some time to interpret his dream. Then he went to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah and urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning the mystery. Daniel received the knowledge of the mystery in a vision in the night. So he returns to the king and agrees to interpret the dream for him.

After he interprets the dream to the king, the king is so touched that he falls prostrate before Daniel and pays him honor saying, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.” Then he places Daniel in a high position and lavishes many gifts on him. He makes him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and places him in charge of all its wise men. 

Thus Daniel is promoted overnight to a very high position because of his devotion and commitment to serve God no matter what. King Neb has a second dream but this one is so terrifying that Daniel is greatly perplexed for a time but he interprets the dream and advises the king: “Renounce your sins by doing what is right and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.” 

But king Neb fails to take Daniel’s advice and his dream is fulfilled. He is driven out of his kingdom and forced to live with the wild animals. He eats grass like cattle for seven years until sanity is restored to him at the end of seven years. His honor and splendor were returned to him when he praises and exalts and glorifies the King of heaven and acknowledges that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone he wishes. He is able to humble all those who walk in pride. 

King Nebuchadnezzar is succeeded by his son Belshazzar who did not know Daniel. God had fingers of a human hand appear and write on the plaster of the wall, “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin.” These words meant:

• Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.
• Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. 
• Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.

After Daniel is called for and he interprets the dream, the very same night, Belshazzar is killed by Darius the Mede who takes over his kingdom because Belshazzar had failed to humble himself even though he knew everything that had happened to his father. 

Daniel was going to be tested yet again in the land of Persia when jealous administrators plotted against Daniel and tricked Darius into passing laws making it illegal for Daniel to worship his God. Thus Darius had him thrown into the lion’s den. But God sent his angel to shut the mouths of the lions so that when Daniel was lifted out of the den, no wound was found on him.

This incident was a turning point as King Darius the Persian issued a decree to his kingdom people to fear and revere the God of Daniel. 

Soon afterward, Darius dies, and Cyrus becomes king over all of Persia.

God is a Restorer

The LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia. This was the beginning of God’s plan to restore the temple at Jerusalem and redeem his people back to their land. The word of the LORD came by the mouth of Jeremiah and King Cyrus made a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and also put it in writing saying:

Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah.   Ezra 1:1, 2

So we see what a tremendous impact Daniel had through all his experiences including that with the lions. Note this passage from the book “Prophets and Kings.”

“The deliverance of Daniel from the den of lions had been used by God to create a favorable impression upon the mind of Cyrus the Great. . . . . And now, just at the time God had said, He would cause His temple at Jerusalem to be rebuilt, He moved upon Cyrus as His agent to discern the prophecies concerning himself, with which Daniel was so familiar, and to grant the Jewish people their liberty.” PK 557.1

“Thus says the LORD to his anointed, Cyrus, whose right hand I have hold of.” “He shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, says the LORD of hosts.” (Isaiah 45:1, 13).

We need to understand that God’s work often allows us to be placed in uncomfortable circumstances—a figurative type of “lion’s den.” These experiences may come in the form of “loss of personal wealth or the financial health of a business. It may come as the loss of our health, home, family, and friends.” It might mean the people we dearly love suffer this same loss of money, health, or family. These three—money, health, and family, are Satan’s favorite ways to test the people of God.

As with Daniel, people are watching, looking to see how you respond to your “Lion’s Den” experience. As a Christian, your response can mean the difference between those around us seeking Christ or rejecting Christ.

As Daniel did, determine in your heart to always remain faithful to God, no matter the difficult circumstance you might find yourself in. It may not be a “den of lions,” although it may feel like it at the time. As Daniel, determine in your heart to remain faithful. It will cause others to seek God.