DANIEL IN THE LION’S DEN This chapter presents the story of throwing Daniel in the lion’s den; it is similar to the story of casting the three youths in the fiery furnace. The two stories confirm God’s great power to deliver His believers, who keep His commandments, from great tribulations. The third chapter presents the determination of the believers not to worship idols, while this chapter presents the eagerness of worshipping God in all circumstances. The two stories were known during the Maccabees. (1 Mac 2: 59) 1. Daniel became very old, however his spirit was not old; and the long years of captivity did not change his heart or his faithfulness to God. Although deprived of the spiritual environment, yet he grew in faith and remained young in the heart. Daniel symbolizes the Church, especially at the end of the ages, when people will reject worshipping the Antichrist and the beast. Daniel was a captive, and God demonstrated his love through his faithful prophet Daniel, even during the chastening time. 1. Daniel’s position during the reign of Darius 1-3 2. The enemies plotting against Daniel 4-9 3. Daniel’s faith 10-15 4. Daniel’s tribulation and salvation 16-24 5. The declaration of Darius 25-28 1. DANIEL’S POSITION DURING THE REIGN OF DARIUS King Darius had no doubt heard of Daniel the prophet, and he might also have seen him when Belshazzar was killed since he was clothed in purple with golden chain around his neck. The king knew that he was the one who interpreted the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar and the writings on the wall for Belshazzar. Darius had honored Daniel and trusted him, and God used him as a tool to free his people from captivity. However, the devil did not stay quiet, for the more God was glorified in Daniel, the more the devil was stirred to destroy Daniel. The king promoted Daniel to be the second man in the kingdom, nevertheless, the enemy prepared for him a den of hungry lions to devour him and get rid of him. “It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps, to be over the whole kingdom; and over these, three governors, of whom Daniel was one, that the satraps might give account to them, so that the king would suffer no loss. Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm” (1-3). We have previously talked about Darius in the fifth chapter. Some historians think that the period of the captivity of Babylon was undetermined. Darius was probably an unknown man, who was entrusted with the kingdom by Cyrus2. 1 A New Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture, Nelson 1959, p. 661. . 2 منشو ا رت النفیر: تفسیر الكتاب المقدس، ج 4، ص 338 131 2. THE ENEMIES PLOTTING AGAINST DANIEL “So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge nor fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him. Then these men said, “We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God” (4-5). Blessed is the man, against whom the enemies cannot find any charges, except concerning the law of his God1. St. Jerome “So these governors and satraps thronged before the king, and said thus to him: “King Darius, live forever! All the governors of the kingdom, the administrators and satraps, the counselors and advisors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the writing, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter” Therefore King Darius signed the written decree” (6-9). It is obvious that Darius was not the king of the Medes Empire only, but of two empires, the Medes and the Persians, as mentioned in the previous chapter, for he was a partner in the reign with Cyrus. The enemies plotted against Daniel; they envied his greatness, his righteousness and his loyalty to the king. They could not find any charge against him so they plotted to get rid of him. They convinced the king that the decree of petitioning him would reveal whether the captives were loyal to the king or not. 3. DANIEL’S FAITH “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days” (10). The enemies knew when exactly Daniel prayed, and they could easily watch him from the open windows. The Jews used to pray three times daily2: in the morning, while offering the morning sacrifice, at 3:00 p.m. time of offering the evening sacrifice, and in the evening at sunset. Daniel used to worship in his upper room, referring to the elevation of the soul to meet God above the earthly matters. The Lord Jesus Christ celebrated the Passover in the upper room (Matt 14). In the book of Acts, it was mentioned that the Holy Spirit came upon the believers (120 men). in the upper room (Acts ch.2). And Daniel, disregarding the king’s commands and confident in God, did not pray in a dark place but went to the upper room and opened the windows toward Jerusalem, so that he may feel the peace of God. St. Jerome 1 PL 25:658B. 2 E. Schurer: A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, 2, I p. 290, n. 248. 132 Moreover, he used to pray according to the commandment of God and according to King Solomon’s teaching that they should worship looking toward the temple1.] [We have to worship God three times a day. The tradition in the church had set the three times a day as follows: the third hour or 9:00 a.m., when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples (Acts 2: 15); the sixth hour or 12:00 noon, when St. Peter went up the upper room to pray (Acts 10); and the ninth hour or 3:00 p.m., when St. Peter and St. John were on their way to the temple (Acts 3) 2.] St. Jerome “Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. And they went before the king, and spoke concerning the king’s decree: “Have you not signed a decree that every man who petitions any god or man within thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter.” So they answered and said before the king, “That Daniel, who is one of the captives from Judah, does not show due regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.” And the king, when he heard these words, was greatly displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him; and he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him. Then these men approached the king, and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is the law of the Medes and Persians that no decree or statute which the king establishes may be changed” (11-15). St. Jerome said that the king understood the intention of Daniel’s enemies who wanted to harm him, and that the enemies, too, understood the intention of the king, who abstained from food until sunset, to put them under pressure them so that they would not ask for Daniel’s death. For the king could not change the decree that he had issued, but they could overlook the prayers of Daniel and drop the charge against him. However, they did not take into consideration the act of the king and insisted on applying the decree on Daniel3. Daniel could have stopped praying for thirty days until the period of time stated in the decree was over, and he could have prayed secretly in his house with the windows closed, or he could have pretended that he worshiped the idols. However, Daniel found this occasion a good opportunity to declare his faith, therefore he opened the windows and challenged the devil, not to show off but to testify to his faith. Daniel got into the habit of setting special hours of the day, evening, morning and at noon for worship, so did David the psalmist too (Ps 55: 16-17). The enemies talked against him in hatred, saying: “This Daniel…”, and the king defended him. But the enemies were firm in their plot, for the king had already signed a decree on which he could not go back. 4. DANIEL’S TRIBULATION AND DELIVERANCE “So the king gave the command, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, ‘Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you” (16). 1 PL 25:659. 2 PL 25:660A. 3 PL 25:660A. 133 The king realized that the God of Daniel is the God of the impossible, when all human efforts are incapable of any doing, then God’s power is revealed. The king left the plot of casting Daniel in the lion’s den to the multitudes, and did not dare to stop their plot but depended on God’s power to implement what he could not do. He did not doubt God’s power, for he did not say, “If God can save you.” But he dared to say, in great assurance, “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.” Definitely, he had heard about the three youths, whom God had delivered from the fiery furnace, and he had heard of the mysteries that were declared to Daniel, thus he regarded him highly regardless of the fact that he is a captive1.] St. Jerome “Then a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signets of his lords, that the purpose concerning Daniel might not be changed” (17). The stone was sealed with the king’s seal, so that no one could open it. Daniel was entrusted in God’s hand and he was not scared from the lions. The king was worried about Daniel from the people; he sealed the den with the king’s seal so that no doubt could enter their hearts about God’s deliverance2.] St. Jerome “Now the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; and no musicians were brought before him. Also his sleep went from him” (18). How great was the king’s concern! He did not touch any food day or night, and he could not sleep. Because Daniel was in danger, the king was worried about him. If the king, who did not know God, could not eat and could not sleep because he cared about someone whom he wanted to deliver from evil, then how much we, the believers, should fast and pray asking God’s mercy for our many sins! 3] St. Jerome “Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions. And when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The king spoke, saying to Daniel, ‘Daniel, servant of the living God, has Your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” (19-20). The king revealed his inner emotions by crying; he forgot his royal dignity and his triumph over the captives as well as his dominion over his servant Daniel. He called the living God to distinguish him from the other gods, which were like idols for the dead. He did not doubt the power of God whom he trusted, but he uttered these words, without hesitation, so that when he finds Daniel safe he could justify his wrath on the governors4. St. Jerome “Then Daniel said to the king, ‘O king, live forever!” (21). Daniel honored the king, who earlier honored him, and asked that he lives forever5] St. Jerome 1 PL 25:660A. 2 PL 25:660A. 3 PL 25:660A. 4 PL 25:660A. 5 PL 25:660A. 134 “My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also O king, I have done no wrong before you” (22). He who prays saying, ‘Oh, do not deliver the life of Your turtledove to the wild beast” (Ps 74: 19). is heard. He does not suffer from the serpent, because with Christ, he can trample on serpents and scorpions (Ps 91: 13). He is granted the glorious power by God to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy (Lk. 10: 19). He is not harmed by any of these. Such a person has to thank God, more than Daniel, because He saved him from much wilder animals1. The mouths of invisible lions were shut, so that the visible lions do not harm his soul2. Origen These beasts could be not harmful, unless they are considered as punishment or as a test of faith to prove the virtues of the believer3] St. Augustine Let every saint utters these words, then he is released from the mouths of the invisible lions and from the pit, for he trusts God4. St. Jerome “Now the king was exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he believed in his God. And the king gave the command, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions - them, their children, and their wives; and the lions overpowered them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they ever came to the bottom of the den” (23-24). On the one hand, Daniel’s story gives a living picture of the role of man within the community. Daniel lived a holy life and he succeeded to involve his three friends in the holy life too. He served his people in the captivity, served the kings, and the gentiles, and he presented them with prophecies about the coming of Jesus Christ. In the captivity, he served the Lord with no limits because he was closely attached to the Lord. On the other hand, the corruption, which befell his envious enemies, made them lose their peace. It drove them, their wives, and their children to become prey to the hungry lions and subject to destruction. We should be constructive and do not deviate like Jonah, who escaped from the Lord and because of him a great storm happened. The punishment of the whole family was common in the earlier communities. This contradicted what was mentioned in the book of Deuteronomy 24: 16, in the book of Jeremiah 31: 29, and in the book of Ezekiel chapter 18. The king failed in rescuing Daniel for he had already signed the decree and sealed it, but God saved him. 1 On Prayer, ch 13:4. 2 On Prayer, ch 16:3. 3 The Literal Meaning of Genesis, Book 15:24. 4 PL 25:662. 135 The king was depressed in his castle and he could not sleep. The evil people were plotting against Daniel and were happy for their success of getting rid of Daniel. They were probably plotting to appoint another person to replace Daniel. But Daniel was still alive as if befriending the animals in Paradise, for he experienced the pledge of heaven. When the angel descended and shut the mouths of the lions, this was the happiest night that Daniel had ever lived. If the king had not cast the evil people in the den, one could have said that the lions were not hungry and that was the reason why they did not do any harm to Daniel. Daniel spent a whole night with the hungry lions in complete peace, whereas the hungry lions could not wait but devoured the evil people as soon as they were cast down and crushed all their bones. This revealed God’s mighty hand who saved Daniel and removed any doubt about Him being the true God. Daniel rested, not because he was saved from physical death, but because he enjoyed a new revelation of God and discovered His deep love, care and concern for him. The king did not rest when he threw Daniel in the den, for he realized that he was unjust and that he had lost a loyal friend, but he had faith in God, the God of Daniel to save him. Daniel praised God in the lion’s den saying with David the Psalmist: “You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore, I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation” (Ps 91: 13-16). The following verses apply to Daniel’s enemies: “It will be as though a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him! Or as though he went into the house, leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light? Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it?” (Amos 5: 19-20). After God saved Daniel, the king decided to punish the evil people and their families who plotted against the righteous Daniel. 5. THE DECLARATION OF DARIUS “Then king Darius wrote: ‘To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God, and steadfast forever; His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed, and His dominion shall endure to the end. He delivers and rescues, and He works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions” (25-27). The declaration of Darius was stronger than the declaration of Nebuchadnezzar (3: 29), for it was very positive. Darius was touched by the miracle that happened. He realized that the true God is the God of Daniel, and that He is the eternal, the immortal, who controls heaven and earth to deliver His believers. But this did not mean that Darius became righteous because he still had the pagan worship in his palace. For a period of time, he glorified God temporarily, but he remained in paganism. The king called God the God of Daniel, as He was previously called the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Because the king did not experience the life with God, he could not say that God is his God. We are in dire need to enjoy our God, who desires to attribute Himself to us, as well as we are attributed to Him and say with Jeremiah the 136 prophet, “The Lord is my portion, says my soul..” (Lament 3: 24). We also hear His voice saying, “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.” (Rev 21: 7). The king said that God is the Savior who saved and saves Daniel, however, he did not enjoy His divine mercies nor tasted His fatherhood in his private life. He praised God as Maker of wonders and miracles in heaven and on earth. He knew all what God did with his predecessors and what is being done with Daniel. However, he did not enjoy these miracles in his inner depth and did not submit his body and soul to God like earth and heaven, which God can move with His mighty hand and declare His wonders! Some people asked how could the den fit 120 satraps with their wives and children? The answer is those who were thrown were only the few satraps who accused Daniel. According to Persian customs, the relatives of the accused person were punished too, that is why the wives and children were thrown too. “So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian” (28). This chapter concludes by saying that Daniel prospered in the reign of Cyrus and Darius. During the kingdoms of the Persians and the Medes, Darius shared with Cyrus the ruling of the kingdom. This statement does not mean that they were two consecutive rulers, and the recent discoveries confirmed that. Daniel succeeded during the Chaldeans or the Babylonian kingdom where he was exiled and was chosen to serve before the king (ch.1). God gave him grace in the eyes of Nebuchadnezzar for interpreting his dreams. But he was excluded from the council of the wise men because of the envy of the magicians, astrologers and the Babylonian wise men. During Belshazzar’s last days of life, he was called to interpret the writing on the wall. When Darius and Cyrus invaded Babylon, they gave Daniel special honor; Darius honored him until he died, and Cyrus the Persian, the nephew of Darius, considered him one of the greatest men in his kingdom. Thus, God changed the sorrows of Daniel in the captivity to consolation. Daniel succeeded in his daily life and in his work. He mightily served his generation, as well as the following generations from the Gentiles and the Jews, through the prophecies that were mentioned in the second part of this book. No doubt that Daniel was sad because he was a captive, like many peoples, which Nebuchadnezzar had dominated. But his sorrow was even bigger because he was deprived of the Promised Land and of enjoying the holy land and the temple of the Lord. However, God had used him for a greater work among the nations and for a better mission, which has its impact on all the generations. Thus God gave him success according to the divine plan and not according to his human thought. He was deprived of the temple in Jerusalem, but he stood before the new temple of God to open the doors of hope before the Gentiles to enjoy the divine holy. Thus, he was able to sing, “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness” (Ps 84: 10). Ezekiel the prophet counted him one of the first three great men: Noah, Daniel, and Job (Ezek 14: 14). 137 FROM DANIEL’S INSPIRATION (6) HE CHANGED DEN INTO HEAVEN! How wonderful is Your care, O You the Almighty! You allow me to be thrown in the den with Daniel, however you change the den into paradise! You grant me to see Your angels, who minister unto us for salvation and love and work for the sake of Your kingdom inside us! May You throw me in the den, but may You shut the mouths of the hungry lions so they would not devour me. In my perplexity, I see that all are against me, but I see, even among the unbelievers, Darius the faithful king! I am ashamed of his sincerity and his confidence in You! For the sake of Daniel, Darius did not eat until sunset and remained fasting until dawn. He deprived himself of his human rights, could not sleep and at dawn hurried to the den for the sake of his servant Daniel! With a sorrowful voice, he called Daniel to find out what happened to him. The God of Daniel is able to save unto the end! Darius condemns me! Do I fast and weep for the salvation of my brothers, and for the salvation of the whole world? Do I believe that the God of Daniel is able to save? Do I give up sleeping as long as there are souls in the den of the invisible lions? Do I wake up early seeking the salvation of every soul that is drifting away? What do I answer?
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