In today’s reflection from Daniel 6:10–18, we see Daniel respond to the king’s new law with quiet, consistent faithfulness. Daniel knows the decree has been signed and understands the consequences, but he simply continues doing what he has always done: praying to God three times a day. His circumstances change, but his faithfulness doesn’t. Daniel’s example challenges us to consider whose approval we are seeking and what ultimately determines our choices. Cultures, opinions, and circumstances change, but Jesus remains the same. Rather than allowing every cultural pressure or controversy to determine our focus, we are called to keep our eyes on Jesus, seeking his approval and following the demands of the gospel. Like Daniel, may we have the courage to remain faithful, to love and serve others, and to trust God with the consequences.
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Well, good morning. It’s good to be with you on this Wednesday morning. I hope you’re doing great today.
You know, we had a great Labor Day. Labor Day is always a fun day, but anytime you have a short week, you’re like, “Okay, I’m not sure what day it is. I think it’s Wednesday. Maybe it’s Thursday. Maybe it’s Tuesday. I don’t know!”
So wherever you are in your week, whatever is going on in your life, I hope that you are doing well.
I’m looking forward to church today. Wednesdays are a lot of fun here at Starkville First. I’ve got chapel with our weekday ministry at 9:00, Bible study at 10:00, and then another Bible study tonight at 6:00 after our Wednesday night meal.
So there’s lots of Bible study, lots of time to talk, lots of time to teach—and I just love it.
So if you’re around Starkville today, come join us for Bible study at 10:00 in the conference room. And then we’ll have Bible study tonight after our meal at 6:00.
Lots of great stuff happening in our church. God is being very kind and merciful to us.
Today we’re going to continue in Daniel chapter 6. Yesterday we talked about Daniel’s faithfulness, and today we get to one of the most famous stories in Scripture: Daniel and the lions’ den.
We’re reading Daniel 6:10–18.
The king has signed this decree saying that nobody can pray to anyone except the king for thirty days. And listen to what Daniel does:
“Although Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he continued to go to his house, which had windows in its upper room open toward Jerusalem, and to get down on his knees three times a day to pray to his God and praise him, just as he had done previously.”
I love that phrase:
“Just as he had done previously.”
Daniel didn’t change.
The law changed.
The circumstances changed.
The consequences changed.
But Daniel didn’t change.
He kept doing what he had always done.
He went to his room. He opened the windows toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees. And three times a day, he prayed to God and praised him.
The conspirators find him doing exactly what they knew he would be doing.
They go back to the king and remind him of the law. And the king realizes what they’ve done.
And Scripture says that when the king heard the charge against Daniel, he was deeply distressed. He spent the rest of the day trying to figure out some way to save Daniel.
But eventually, the king has no choice.
Daniel is brought to the lions’ den.
And the king says something really interesting to Daniel:
“May your God, whom you faithfully serve, deliver you!”
The king seals the den, goes back to his palace, and spends the night fasting. He can’t sleep.
Now, this whole story reminds me a little bit of another story in Scripture—the story of Herod and John the Baptist.
Herod had John the Baptist imprisoned because John had spoken truthfully about Herod’s life. Then, through a series of promises and circumstances, Herod finds himself trapped by a promise he never really wanted to keep.
He had made a foolish commitment, and then his pride and his concern about what other people thought left him unwilling to do what he knew was right.
And I think there’s a similar thing happening with Darius.
Darius actually likes Daniel.
He respects Daniel.
He has elevated Daniel to a position of tremendous authority.
And when Darius realizes what has happened, he doesn’t want Daniel to be punished.
But he has bound himself to his own decree.
His hands are tied by a law he never should have signed in the first place.
And that’s another warning for us about pride and about the desire to please other people.
But I think the more important person to look at today is Daniel.
Because Daniel gives us this incredible picture of faithfulness.
Think about that image of Daniel.
He knows the law has been signed.
He knows what the consequences are.
He knows exactly what could happen.
And he goes home and prays anyway.
He doesn’t make some dramatic announcement.
He doesn’t say, “Look at me! I’m going to rebel against the king!”
He simply continues doing what he has always done.
He prays.
He worships.
He seeks God.
He remains faithful.
And that makes me think about an image I’ve seen from time to time of Jewish people during the Holocaust. You sometimes see pictures or artistic renderings of Jewish families lighting the menorah while the symbols of Nazi Germany are visible outside.
And there’s something incredibly powerful about that image.
The darkness is there.
The threat is there.
The evil is there.
But the light keeps shining.
And that’s Daniel.
The king has issued his decree.
The culture around him has changed.
The pressure is there.
But Daniel keeps praying.
The light keeps shining.
His faithfulness isn’t determined by his circumstances.
And I think that’s an important word for us.
Our faithfulness should never be determined by anything outside of our desire to be faithful to God.
We serve God, and ultimately, it is to God that we will give an account.
I often think about the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard and his emphasis on the individual standing before God. At the end of the day, each of us will stand before God.
And I’ve said this before in sermons: I know that when I stand before God, I’m going to have all kinds of stupid things to confess.
Things I did wrong.
Things I said wrong.
Things I handled badly.
Things I should have done differently.
I’ve got plenty of those!
But there is one thing I don’t want to have to confess to God.
I don’t want to have to confess that I simply didn’t care.
I don’t want apathy to be the thing I have to answer for.
Daniel understood that his ultimate accountability was to God.
And that mattered more than the king.
That mattered more than the law.
That mattered more than what everybody else thought.
Daniel wasn’t afraid of the king.
He wasn’t afraid of public opinion.
He wasn’t afraid of the consequences.
He simply did what he knew was right.
There’s a quote often attributed to Thomas Jefferson that says, “One man with courage is a majority.”
Whether or not Jefferson actually said it, I think the sentiment is a good one.
Sometimes it takes courage to stand faithfully.
And I think that’s something we need to remember as Christians.
Our focus should always be on what the gospel demands of us, not simply on what our culture expects from us.
That applies to our local culture.
It applies to our state.
It applies to our nation.
It applies to the world around us.
Cultures change.
Opinions change.
Trends change.
The things everybody is excited about today may be completely forgotten tomorrow.
But Jesus remains.
And that’s one of the reasons I’m so passionate about the church focusing first and foremost on Jesus.
I was talking with someone recently about the church, and one of the things I believe is happening right now at Starkville First is that God is blessing us because we’re trying, first and foremost, to focus on Jesus.
Not on every prevailing cultural wind.
Not on every controversy.
Not on trying to keep up with everything everybody is fired up about.
That doesn’t mean we don’t speak about right and wrong.
It doesn’t mean we don’t talk about morality.
It doesn’t mean we don’t engage the world around us.
But I want to talk a lot about Jesus.
I want to talk a lot about Jesus because I truly believe Jesus is the answer to what ails me in my life, and I believe Jesus is the answer to what ails you in your life.
That’s what matters.
So sometimes the pressure on the church is to talk about whatever everybody else is talking about.
But I want to talk about Jesus.
I want to make sure that he is the one whose approval I seek.
He is the one I seek to please.
He is the one I seek to obey.
Not anybody else.
So let me ask you today:
Who are you trying to please?
Who are you trying to make happy?
Whose approval are you seeking?
Who are you trying to impress?
Who are you trying to curry favor with?
Is it Jesus?
Because if it’s anything other than Jesus, eventually you’re going to find yourself lacking.
Daniel was focused on obeying God, no matter what the consequences might be.
And that’s a good example for us today.
So today, let’s have Daniel’s courage.
Let’s have Daniel’s faithfulness.
Let’s be obedient to what the gospel demands of us.
Let’s love.
Let’s serve.
Let’s lay down our lives for the sake of the gospel.
And then let’s trust God to be there when we do.
That’s the good stuff here in Daniel today.
So let’s have Daniel’s courage to be obedient at all times.
Hey, thanks for being with us today.
Have a great rest of your day, and I’ll see you in the morning.