Daniel 6 – GOD DEFENDS
#5 of 5 – D. O. G. (DEPEND ON GOD) DAYS
Psalm 7:10 – My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.
Psalm 59:16 – But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.
Psalm 62:6 – He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.
We conclude our study of D. O. G. (Depend On God) Days by looking at an event in the life of Daniel the Prophet that shows that God Defends.
When we need protection, God gives it!
So who was Daniel?
Daniel was a young Jewish man or boy who lived at the time of the fall of Jerusalem. He was taken into captivity by the Babylonians, who under the King Nebuchadnezzar, were establishing a mighty empire. Daniel 1:3-4
Daniel and others, were drafted into the service of the King. Nebuchadnezzar was taking the best young people and training them to be government employees. Nebuchadnezzar’s plan was for these boys to be subdued into worshipping his gods and being loyal to the Babylonian empire.
However, Daniel and his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, remained faithful to God. They did not allow themselves to be brain washed into serving other Gods, and God blessed them and used them.
In Daniel 6 our friend Daniel is an old man, probably in his 80’s or 90’s. He had served under Nebuchadnezzar and other Babylonian kings. Babylon had been defeated and was then a Persian king, Darius, was in charge.
Daniel was about to be the victim of a plan by his enemies that was designed to have him killed. It is here that we learn that God defends his own!
There will be times when we as Christians will also face various forms of opposition simply because of our faith in Christ. 2 Timothy 3:12,
God does not forsake us during times of opposition. He defends us. That doesn’t mean that we won’t suffer, but He will give us grace to face victoriously any opposition that comes our way. John 16:33
As He did with Daniel, God defends his own today.
This morning, let’s observe some things from Daniel 6 about God’s defense.
GOD DEFENDS THE PURE
Vss. 1-2 – There was a new government because of the conquering done by the Persians. The new government needed executives. There were 120 princes responsible for various areas of the realm. Over these three princes were three presidents or commissioners. The head commissioner was Daniel. The purpose of this government set up was to make sure that the king did not suffer loss. The king would get the taxes that were coming to him.
Vs. 3 – Of the 3 presidents, the best one of the lot was Daniel. Daniel had an excellent spirit. Daniel did his job better than anyone else!
Although Daniel was working for heathen people and a heathen king, he was still loyal to his God. Because he was loyal to his God, he did things correctly and with integrity!
Many of you work for people who are vile, corrupt, and lack integrity. You work for people who are not Christians. We are also under a government that often acts anything like Christian.
We are to act like Daniel, who was pure in spite of the fact he worked for the heathen.
In fact, Daniel was so good that the King planned on making him prime minister, second in command!
Daniel was pure because Daniel was faithful. We are to follow his example. 2 Corinthians 5:17
If you are a born again Christian God has changed your life. As a “new creation”, you are to live a life that is honoring to God. 1 Corinthians 16:10, Luke 16:10
We are to be faithful in all that we do, whether it be a little thing or a big thing. We will not be faithful in big things unless we are faithful in little things.
Vs. 4 – Daniel’s fellow officials were jealous. They didn’t like his leadership because of Daniel’s integrity. They started to look for ways they could “bring him down”. Today we would say that they started looking for “skeletons in his closet”. They were looking for some wrong doing, past or present that they could accuse him of. They found nothing!
Vs. 5 – The enemies of Daniel came to a conclusion. They would find nothing to accuse Daniel unless it was concerning Daniel’s faith, “the law of his God.”
These men understood that if Daniel ever had to choose between being loyal to government and loyal to God, that Daniel would be loyal to God.
May this be true of us as well!
May we be so upright in our dealings with others, with our jobs, and yes with government that the only reason anyone can find legitimate fault with us is over our faith in Christ! Matthew 22:37
GOD DEFENDS AGAINST PLOTS
Daniel’s enemies devised a plot.
They realized that Darius liked Daniel.
Daniel’s faith had not stopped Daniel from being a loyal employee. Darius saw Daniel’s integrity and ability.
Darius would have to be tricked in order for them to eliminate Daniel. They formed a plot and then carried it out.
Vs. 7 – In those days the kings could take on claims of deity. So the enemies of Daniel appealed to the ego of the king. “Let it be, O king that nobody can pray to any other god but you for thirty days, and if anyone does pray to another God, let him be thrown into the lion’s den.”
Notice the lie here. They claimed that all the presidents and everyone else had agreed to this plan. Daniel hadn’t and he was the head president!
Vs. 8 – They pressed to king to sign this law and to sign it in a hurry! They were like the aggressive car salesmen who want you to sign up to buy a car before you think about it!
The “law of the Medes and Persians” was that once a king had signed a law it could not be reversed!
Vs. 9 – Without thinking and without consulting Daniel, Darius signed the law.
God’s enemies will plot against God’s people.
They will plot against you in order that they may discredit you or remove you from your position.
But God will defend you as He did Daniel.
GOD DEFENDS AGAINST PRESSURE
Vs. 10 – When Daniel knew that the writing was signed,
Daniel was under great pressure.
He knew that if he continued to do what he had always done he was going to thrown into the lion’s den.
Daniel was probably tempted to compromise.
Daniel was probably tempted to give in under pressure and become a secret worshipper of God.
But Daniel realized that compromise in this case was not right. Daniel’s whole reputation was at stake.
He was under pressure to give in.
There will be times when you will be tempted to compromise your faith.
There will be times when you will be forced to chose between doing something to please a friend, a boss, a loved one, or pleasing God.
The pressure is often great to give into the wishes of our peers instead of following God.
God defended Daniel when he was under pressure.
As we’ll see in a minute, God gave him the strength to stand for what is right.
He will do the same for you.
God will defend us when we are under pressure. John 16:33
Peace during persecution is found in dependence upon the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one who has overcome the world. 1 Corinthians 10:13
GOD DEFENDS THE PRAYERFUL
Vs. 10 – Daniel did not change a thing. Some of the windows of his house pointed towards Jerusalem. He was in the habit of praying three times a day towards Jerusalem.
He didn’t close his windows. He simply got on his knees, as he always did and prayed to God, pointing towards Jerusalem.
What do you do when you’re under pressure?
Daniel prayed as was his habit!
We Christians are to people of prayer no matter what the circumstances.
Prayer is to be our habit. Psalm 55:16-17, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Ephesians 6:18, 1 Peter 4:7
When the pressure comes, God wants you to pray.
But there’s more here.
Look at the end of verse 10. DANIEL GAVE THANKS!
The pattern of our prayers is always to be with praise and thanksgiving. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
GOD DEFENDS AGAINST PERSECUTORS
Vs. 11 – It should be of no surprise that Daniel’s enemies were ready to pounce! They watched to see what Daniel would do.
Your enemies, or should I say, God’s enemies will do the same for you! They will be watching for you to do something that they can persecute you for! They are like their boss, the devil. 1 Peter 5:8
Vss. 12-13 – They came to the king with their accusation.
Vss. 14-15 – The king was displeased with himself. He realized that he had been tricked! He did all that he could to release Daniel, but there was no solution.
My friend, persecutors can really give us a hard time over our faith in Christ. But remember this, God defends his own.
GOD DEFENDS AGAINST PERIL
Vs. 16-17 – The King assured Daniel that Daniel’s God would take care of him as Daniel was cast into a den of hungry lions. The trouble is, the King didn’t really believe it.
Vs. 18 – The king had a miserable night. But, what about Daniel? We are told little. As we’ll see God sent an angel to protect him. That means Daniel was able to sleep peacefully, knowing that God was taking care of him. As someone has suggested, the lions may have even snuggled close to him to keep him warm.
Vss. 20-23 – Daniel was kept safe and his testimony was preserved.
Vs. 24 – Daniel’s persecutors were then cast into the same lions den. They were destroyed.
The conclusion of the story is found in Vss. 25-28.
A proclamation that was a tremendous testimony was made concerning Daniel’s God.
Daniel finished his days in peace and prosperity.
My friend, we will not always be delivered from suffering the pain or peril of a persecution. We are however assured of ultimate deliverance! Psalm 23:4, 6
GOD DEFENDS THE PURE
GOD DEFENDS AGAINST PLOTS
GOD DEFENDS AGAINST PRESSURE
GOD DEFENDS THE PRAYERFUL
GOD DEFENDS AGAINST PERSECUTORS
GOD DEFENDS AGAINST PERIL
