Transcription downloaded from https://legacy.freechurch.org/sermons/4502/study-in-daniel-part-6/.

Disclaimer: this is an automatically generated machine transcription - there may be small errors or mistranscriptions.
Please refer to the original audio if you are in any doubt.


[0:00] The Lord's Blessing And we'll read at verse 10. Daniel chapter 6 at verse 10.

[0:36] Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house, and his windows being open in his chamber towards Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

[0:56] He kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. Now last time we looked at the life of Daniel, we saw how the great city of Babylon fell, and King Belshazzar was put to death.

[1:23] Right in the midst of his drunken revelry, God took away his life, even as Daniel had told him, and as God himself had told him by the handwriting on the wall, which Daniel interpreted for him.

[1:37] The days of his life were numbered, they were counted, and he was laid as a man in the balance of God, and he was found wanting. He came short of the standard which God had set, because he had no faith and no covering.

[1:53] And when he was put in the balances, he was found too light. And that night when he died, a new ruler was established over Babylon, and a new empire began.

[2:06] And this became known as the Empire of the Medes and the Persians, the second great empire in the ancient world. Now when Darius came to rule this empire for the first time, he immediately set about reorganizing its government.

[2:23] And he divided the kingdom of Babylon into 120 provinces. And he established rulers or princes over these 120 provinces.

[2:35] And over these 120 men, he then set three presidents. And the chief of these three presidents was none other than Daniel himself.

[2:46] Now it seems remarkable that Darius should give this kind of position immediately to a man that he had hardly ever, well, that he had not set eyes on until that night when they conquered the city.

[3:01] But I want us to remember one thing particularly. On that night when Belshazzar was killed and the Babylonians were overrun, Daniel had just been invested with the third highest office in the land.

[3:15] In other words, after the two kings who were joint rulers, Daniel became the leading man in the Babylonian Empire. And that reminds us that when Belshazzar was slain, Daniel would be the man who was negotiating with the king and the man who was representing the people.

[3:34] And immediately Darius would have discovered what happened that night and the great power of interpretation that had been given to Daniel when he read the writing on the wall. He would have made inquiries and discovered that this 80-year-old man had been an influential man in the days of Nebuchadnezzar.

[3:51] And that he had only been discarded from office because of the petty jealousies of some people. And he would have discovered for himself through time that there was no one as able and in whom there was such an excellent spirit as this man Daniel.

[4:05] So he sets him over the presidents which were over the 120 people. And after a time Darius comes to a conclusion that he should set him over the whole realm.

[4:19] And I think what that means is this. That the 120 princes were in the kingdom of Babylon as such. In other words, the city of Babylon and its outlying provinces.

[4:30] That it did not refer to the whole empire. But Daniel distinguished himself so much in charge of Babylon and the provinces. That it was Darius thought to make him the leading man in the whole empire after himself.

[4:47] And it was that particular move by the king that aroused the enmity of the other presidents and the other princes. So that they began to plot and to scheme against Daniel in order to bring him down.

[5:02] And that plot and scheme was used by God again to show his own glory, his sovereignty, his power, his keeping of his people, his might and his majesty.

[5:14] And so I want to look with you first of all at the plot which was made against Daniel. Secondly the way in which Daniel responded to it. Thirdly the lion's den into which Daniel was cast.

[5:28] And last of all and briefly Daniel's deliverance. Now then we'll look first at the plot. And what was the plot? Well it was simply a plot to bring Daniel down.

[5:43] Why? We'll look at it in a moment. But the plot itself wasn't too easy to come by. Their first idea was to search and investigate Daniel's work as a president.

[5:55] To rake back over everything that he had done. Everything that he had approved. To see if they could find some kind of flaw. Some kind of crookery. Some shortcoming.

[6:07] Some fiddling of the figures. One thing or another that they could find and bring before the king in order to bring this man down. But as the scripture says they could find no occasion or fault.

[6:21] For as much as he was faithful neither was there any error or fault found in him. In other words he did his work meticulously. He did it with integrity.

[6:33] And he did it properly. And they could find no defect in him. So it required a change of tactic. If they couldn't actually find that he had gone wrong in his work.

[6:44] Then they would make him fall in his work. And that they would bring around a series of circumstances. That would put Daniel in an impossible position.

[6:54] Because they hit on this. That the only way in which they could find a fault in him. Was if they could place him between a rock and a hard place. In other words bring about a situation.

[7:04] That put one thing against another. Obeying the government. And obeying his God. And they knew if they could squeeze Daniel in between these two things.

[7:15] They could bring the man down. And so they make this plot. And what appears to us a strange request. They went in to the king. All of them.

[7:26] The 120 princes plus the presidents. They went in. And they had this proposal. And the proposal was simply this. That the king would make a decree.

[7:38] That for the next 30 days. Or for the next month. Every petition or request. That would be addressed to a God. To a deity. Would be addressed to the person.

[7:50] Of Darius himself. Now it seems strange to us. To hear of such a request. Or such a scheme. But in fact it was really very clever.

[8:03] For two reasons. First of all. It flattered the king. And by this time. The cult of king worship had begun. It was certainly established in Egypt.

[8:14] And in other countries too. Where the ruler was considered. Not just appointed by God. But actually divine himself. And the thought went to his ego.

[8:25] And in his foolishness and vanity. He thought well. What could be more glorious. Or more conducive. To my power and stability.

[8:35] Than for every single petition. Addressed to a God. To be addressed to myself. For a whole month. And along with that. There is this. That it could be seen by the king.

[8:46] As a way in which to weld. His whole empire together. In other words. That major petitions. Could come from every province. And instead of being addressed. To their gods. They are addressed.

[8:57] To Darius himself. In order to weld. The people together. Under the rule. And the leadership. Of Darius. In other words. It functioned. Much the same way.

[9:07] As the golden image. Which had been set up. On the plain of Jura. 90 feet high. By 10 feet broad. Everyone was to fall down. And worship it. Including Shadrach. Meshach.

[9:17] And Abednego. And that was meant. To weld the people together. Under the authority of Babylon. And so this would appeal to Darius. As a quick way. To unite the people.

[9:28] Under his own authority. Now of course. The real goal. Was very simple. It was just to ensnare. And to trap. Daniel. You'll notice by the way.

[9:39] That he's not present. All the presidents and princes. Assembled before the king. With the exception. Of Daniel. Now you would have thought. In a way that he'd have smelt.

[9:50] Or that something was wrong. In the fact that Daniel. Was just not in their midst. But he glossed over that. In his vanity. And in his ego. He just omitted to see it. And he passed the decree.

[10:01] He wrote it as a statute. And put his own seal on it. And that became a law. Of the Medes. And the Persians. And as they never tired. Of pointing out to him. The law of the Medes.

[10:11] And the Persians. Could never be changed. Or altered. Once it was passed. And so the king. Fell into the trap. That was made for him. And it only remained for Daniel.

[10:22] To fall into the one. That was set. For himself. Now before. We look at that. I want to ask the question. Why? Why was this done? And the answer is so simple.

[10:34] And it belongs so easily. To the human heart. To every single one of us. In one degree or another. It is plainly. Envy. Envy. Jealousy.

[10:45] That is what lay at the root of it. They were dissatisfied. That someone else. Had been raised. To a position. That was above themselves.

[10:56] Especially. When the man was a Jew. You will notice the derogatory way they speak. This Daniel. Who is of the children. Of the captivity. Of the children of Judah.

[11:07] They resented it. That such a man. Should be placed over themselves. And very often you find that. Particularly when the people are the Lord's people. That such an envy.

[11:19] Or such a resentment. Can grow against them. Now that envy may be because. They didn't like him. Or it may be because. They felt that they were more worthy.

[11:29] Of the position themselves. And that can bring envy in a person. When you see someone. Raised above you. And you think. Well. Why should that have happened. I have more talent. Or I have more ability.

[11:40] Than that person. And he should never be raised. Above or beyond me. And that envy. When it takes to seed. It can grow. It can flower. It can build into resentment. And it can turn into hatred.

[11:52] And opposition. Of the most determined kind. The scripture tells us. Tells us that envy is worse than wrath. Proverbs tells us this. That wrath is cruel.

[12:04] And anger is outrageous. But who can stand before envy? Wrath is cruel. Anger is outrageous.

[12:15] But who can stand before envy? And once envy gets a hold. It can lead people to do. What they would never dreamt. Have dreamt of doing.

[12:26] Before it came into them. Look at Saul. Saul. A man who stood head and shoulders. Above everyone else in Israel. Saul. A man who was renowned. For his humility.

[12:37] When they went to make the man a king. He went to hide behind the stuff. Because he could hardly bear. The thought. Of being set up as a king. Over the people. But it all went to his head.

[12:50] And one day he heard the woman. Singing a song. That Saul has slain his thousands. But David has slain his ten thousands. And when Saul heard that.

[13:01] From that day forth. He strove to kill David. And to pin him with a javelin. And to take his life away. Because envy had conquered his heart. And it's not just the world who has to take care of envy.

[13:14] It is the people of God who have to take care regarding envy too. To watch inflated thoughts of ourselves. And any resentment at others being preferred over ourselves.

[13:27] Does Paul not tell us. And does God's word not tell us. To rejoice when others are lifted up. And to be thankful when others are raised. And for each person to prefer another before himself.

[13:38] That is the Christian life. And the Christian conduct. And God's word. Rather than look after my own promotion. Or my own honor. Let me be happy. And rejoice when another person is preferred.

[13:51] Or when another person is lifted up. And of course. There are signs. Of their envy. All over the chapter. There's an interesting word. In verse 6 here.

[14:02] It doesn't come through in the English. But it's quite interesting. In the original. We're told that the presidents and the princes. Assembled together to the king. Now that word assemble.

[14:14] Doesn't really convey what's here. In the Aramaic. The word means. To rage together. Like a tumult.

[14:25] It's the same word that you have. Or the Hebrew equivalent in Psalm 2. Where it says. Why do the heathen rage? Why do they gather together.

[14:36] In a tumult. That's how they presented themselves. Before the king. In other words. There's 123 of them. Tripping up over each other. Wanting to be first. To present the idea.

[14:47] Because they're in a haste. To perform their deed. And they're in a haste. To bring that plot to fruition. In order to bring this man down. And the same word is used in verse 11.

[14:59] And in verse 15. When they assemble themselves. Before the king. It was a tumultuous gathering. And their feet were hissing together. In order to perform. An evil.

[15:10] No my friends. Never ever. Seek to bring anyone else. Down. Whoever you are. Whatever your position. Never. Seek.

[15:21] To bring. Someone else. Down. If you seek. To bring. Someone else down. You shall inevitably. Be brought down. Yourself.

[15:31] That's not even through. Nine times out of ten. It's through. Ten times out of ten. That the sinner's hands. Do make. The snares. Wherewith.

[15:42] They themselves. Are caught. And if ever. Your heart. Is caught. With a motive. Of bringing. Someone down. It shall rebound. Like a boomerang.

[15:53] Upon yourself. May the Lord. The Lord. Guard us. From having. That motive. Of malice. Or of enmity. Towards anyone else. And you'll notice it. So. True here.

[16:04] The very den. Which they prepared. For Daniel. They sank. Into. Themselves. Just as Haman. Prepared. A gallo. For Mordecai. Gallos. For Mordecai.

[16:15] And he was hanged on it. Himself. Now. What is Daniel's. Response. Well. You have his response. In the words of our text. In verse 10.

[16:27] Now. When Daniel knew. That the writing. Was signed. He went into his house. And his windows. Being open. In his chamber. Towards Jerusalem. He kneeled. Upon his knees.

[16:37] Three times a day. And prayed. And gave thanks. Before his God. As he did. Before time. Now. The important words there. Well. They're all important.

[16:48] But the. Significant ones. To get the sense of the thing. Are the last words. As he did. A four time. In other words. Daniel. Just went right. On doing.

[16:59] What he always had been doing. He went. And took everything to God. And he walked with God. Just as he always walked with God. And he left the issue.

[17:10] Of his own life. Of his own safety. And everything. In the hands of his Lord. In the hands of his maker. That was. His custom. Now. Notice something here.

[17:21] When it says. At the beginning of verse 10. When Daniel knew. That the writing was signed. He went into his house. And kneeled upon his knees.

[17:32] Three times a window. Three times a day. Before the window. It doesn't mean. That he was defiant. I suppose. You could. You could take it. At a first reading. That way. When he knew.

[17:43] That the thing was done. He went to his window. And he prayed. That is not really. What the words mean. What the words mean. Is this. That. Knowing. That it was signed.

[17:55] Knowing. That it was done. And that a plot. Had been laid. For his own life. He still went. And did. What he always did. Three times a day. Anyway. At the window.

[18:05] And so. He was still. Going to pray. Three times a day. At the window. He went on. In his walk. With God. Now. I think this text.

[18:16] Takes us. To the heart. Of Daniel's life. It takes us. Really. To the heart. Of any Christian life. He was a man. Of prayer. A man.

[18:26] Of prayer. And that was the ballast. That kept him. Through all the storms. Through which he passed. Now. I want to look with you. A little. At this prayer. Here. Notice first.

[18:38] It was a prayer. Obviously. To his God. To Jehovah. The God of Israel. We're told. That he prayed. Towards Jerusalem. Now. That may cause.

[18:49] A few. Thoughts. In your mind. What does it mean. To pray towards Jerusalem. Most of you. Are familiar. With the idea. Of a Muslim. Praying. Towards Mecca. And facing.

[19:00] In a certain direction. Is that what it means here? Well. In a sense. Yes. He did literally. Pray. Towards Jerusalem. But I want you to remember this.

[19:11] That Jerusalem. Was the place. In which God. Had manifested himself. Particularly. There was a special. Shekinah. Presence of God. In Jerusalem.

[19:21] Jerusalem. The temple. The temple of Jehovah. Was built there. And although it was destroyed here. God still had appointed it for his name. He took pleasure in its walls. Even when there were dust and rubble.

[19:34] And God was going to rebuild this temple. And he was going to place his own presence there. And Daniel still prayed towards that temple. He prayed towards the presence of God.

[19:46] He prayed where God revealed himself. And that is precisely what the Christian still does today. We don't pray towards Jerusalem. Neither do we pray to this building here.

[19:57] Or anywhere else. Because Christ. Who is the Shekinah glory of God. Is in heaven. That is where the Lord's presence now is particularly revealed.

[20:08] And that is why we lift up our eyes. And we lift up our hearts. To heaven. When we pray. We pray to God. The hearer and answerer of prayer. To the Lord Jesus Christ.

[20:19] Who understands our need. And who knows well our providence. And who is able out of his own riches to help us. In our times of need. We pray towards Christ.

[20:30] We pray towards him in heaven. Even as Daniel prayed towards the presence. In Jerusalem. Now notice. That he prays first of all.

[20:41] Regularly. He kneeled upon his knees. Three times a day. That's what he had done before. And he wasn't going to change it now. Three times a day he prayed.

[20:53] Now I think there's some significance in this. Because in Psalm 55. David speaks too. Of praying. Three times a day. Evening. Morning.

[21:05] And at noon. I will pray. And cry aloud. And he shall hear my voice. In other words. Three times in the day. He set aside a portion.

[21:15] Of time. For God. Now friends. I don't know. How much time. How much time. Or how often. You draw aside. Into God's presence. In a particular way.

[21:26] But I've no doubt about this. That the more your life. Is disciplined. Prayerfully. And spiritually. Then the stronger. Of Christian lives. Will be. It's no coincidence.

[21:38] That Daniel. Did. What he did. Being a man. Who prayed. Three times a day. In the secret place. And you say. Well. I hope. That I pray.

[21:48] Without ceasing. Well. The mark of a man. Who prays. Without ceasing. Is a man. Who disciplines. His time. To spend time. With God. Together. In a secret place.

[22:00] Daniel did that. And it lay. At the heart. Of his whole life. And I would venture. To say. That if we're. Indisciplined there. We're probably. Indisciplined. Everywhere. And when your prayer.

[22:11] Becomes haphazard. Then probably. Everything else. Becomes. Hap hastal too. Three times a day. He went into the presence. Of God. Because he knew. He needed it.

[22:22] He could never rely. On himself. He relied. Upon his God. And you'll notice. That he went humbly too. Because he kneeled. Upon his knees. Three times a day.

[22:34] He went humbly. Kneeling. Is the posture. Of humility. And I wonder sometimes. If we're too proud. To kneel. In the presence.

[22:44] Of God. Now you can say to me. It doesn't matter. What posture I mean. Well. All right. I'll agree with you. In so far. As that you can cry. Before God.

[22:55] At any time. Whether you be upon your bed. Or whether you're walking. Upon the road. Or whatever. You can call upon. The name of the Lord. But is it not good. When we draw aside.

[23:06] At least. On certain times. And on certain occasions. Into the presence of God. To fall into an outward posture. That helps us to remember. What we are before God.

[23:17] And falling on our knees. Reminds us. Of precisely that. That that's where we should be. In our souls. Before God. It's too easy. Just to divorce the outward.

[23:28] From the inward. And to say well. It doesn't really matter. They're not the same. But God never looks at people like that. And we should never look at ourselves like that. Let the outward and the inward go together.

[23:39] At least sometimes. When you call upon God's name. Do so. Either prostrate on the floor. Or upon your knees before him. A position of humility. Where you recognize him.

[23:51] As your maker. And your God. And then again. He prayed earnestly. Because we're told in verse 11. That the men assembled. And found Daniel.

[24:03] Praying. And making supplication. Now the word praying there. Is an unusual one. Which means. Searching out. And I think that that brings before us.

[24:15] That Daniel was searching out. The purposes of God. And he was striving to come to a better understanding. Of his God. And a better understanding. Of his providence. And he used the opportunity.

[24:27] When he came near to God. To get to know the Lord better. And to understand him better. And to come face to face with him. For that reason. And he made supplication. And to supplicate.

[24:39] Means that you ask for something specific. And you ask for it earnestly. That's what supplicating means. It means that Daniel. Was bringing specific things. Before God.

[24:50] And earnestly asking about them. I've no doubt. That in the light of the decree. That's passed. That he was asking the Lord. To protect him. To preserve him. If he was to be detected.

[25:01] And discovered. If he was to be put into the pit. That God would give him grace. To stand there. To be obedient there. To believe there. To help him. He supplicated his God.

[25:13] And he prayed that the Lord would help him. In whatever situation he was to be found. Daniel prayed. For all these things. And you'll notice. That he gave thanks.

[25:25] Before his God. Verse 10. He gave thanks. Now. That's not something. That you would have associated. With this prayer. Here's a man. Who's virtually.

[25:35] Been consigned already. To the lion's den. And he goes home. To his window. And he prays. As he always had prayed. To Jerusalem. Towards Jerusalem.

[25:46] And he gives thanks. To his God. Thanks. Now the scriptures tell us. Always. To give thanks. For this is the will of God.

[25:58] In Christ Jesus. Concerning us. And it says this too. Every time we pray. To be anxious for nothing. But in everything. By prayer.

[26:09] And supplication. With thanksgiving. Let your requests. Be made known to God. So that. The peace of God. Which passeth all understanding.

[26:21] Shall keep your hearts. And your minds. Through Christ Jesus. He prayed for that. And he got that. The peace of God. Went with this man. Because he prayed for it.

[26:33] And no man. Who really prays. Like this to God. Will lose out on it. But the Lord. Will answer. And he will preserve. And he will keep. Notice what Daniel.

[26:44] Didn't do. He didn't say. Well. It's time. I got away from the window. And did everything in private. Neither did he say. I'm going to stop praying. In the daytime.

[26:54] And I'll pray. Through the night. Neither did he say. I'll play. Pray less regularly. And it'll be one time a day. Very early in the morning. He didn't say that either.

[27:06] Neither did he say. Well I'd better lower my voice. And ensure that no one hears me. Neither did he say that. And neither on the other hand. Did he go out into the street.

[27:17] To do what he had done before. In his own bedrock. Neither did he invite everybody. To come and see himself. Pray. Neither did he raise his voice. So that everybody would hear him.

[27:27] In other words. He did just exactly. What he had always been doing. And he kept on obediently. In the fear of God. And he just went forward like that.

[27:39] And he left it with the Lord. To look after him. Because he knew that to go overboard. Was to tempt God. It was to tempt him for his protection. But he knew at the same time.

[27:49] That to go back. Was more or less to go back. On all he had said and done. As though God wasn't able. To look after him. And that's the way. That you should be. And I should be with you.

[28:01] Just to go on. As we always go on. In the strength of God. And leave the consequences. To himself. God can look after his own cause. And he can look after you too.

[28:12] As he can look after me. You just walk with him. And leave the Lord. To take care of the other things. That's what glorifies him. It would never have glorified him. For Daniel to shut his window.

[28:23] And go back. Neither would it have glorified him. To go out into the street. And tell everyone to watch him pray. But just to go on. In the same quiet way. That would have glorified God.

[28:35] And so it did. And it's interesting too. That neither did he conspire. Against those who conspired against him. Didn't do that either.

[28:46] He didn't repay evil with evil. He didn't burst in. And excuse himself before the king. He just let it be. And leave it to the Lord.

[28:58] Now of course. The result of that was obvious. The people assembled. At his own home. And they discovered him. In prayer. And again you have this word.

[29:09] More or less. They tripped over themselves. In a tumult. To go back to the king. And they first check and say. Did you pass such and such a law? And he says yes. That law is passed.

[29:21] And then they say. This Daniel. Of the children of the captivity of Judah. And notice how black they make it. They say. He regardeth not thee. Nor the decree that thou hast signed.

[29:34] As though this was Daniel's prime objective. Just to ignore the king. As though that was his motive. When of course it never was. But that's the way they put it. And that's the way envy works.

[29:45] He regardeth not thee. Nor the decree. But makes his petition. Three times a day. And immediately. It comes home. To the foolish king.

[29:55] He knows what he's done. And it goes like a sword. Into his heart. Because he loved Daniel. And he respected Daniel. And he knew that his own foolish pride.

[30:07] Had ensnared Daniel. And brought him into a pit. And he felt himself. Responsible for it. And he's aghast. And he labors. And the word is strong.

[30:18] He labors. Till the going down of the sun. In one way or another. To find a way. In which he can deliver Daniel from this. And I think that means going through the laws.

[30:29] And the statute books. Is there ever a case. Or ever a situation. In which the king could go back on his word. Or undo what he did. He takes counsel. He takes advice. And he works as hard as he can.

[30:41] Till the sun goes down. To see if he can reverse. What he has done. But of course he can't. And at night time they come back. And they remind him. It has to be executed.

[30:52] And Darius gives the order. And Daniel is taken. And he is brought out. To the den of the lions. Now. When we say a den. Really what you have is a cistern.

[31:05] Or a pit. Subterranean. Underneath the ground. Usually rectangular. And of a pretty fair size. The eastern kings.

[31:15] Used to hunt lions. And they used to keep them. And the Persians. As well as the Romans. Used to have lions in a pit. In order to devour.

[31:26] Certain kinds of criminals. And clearly this is the reason. Why this lion's pit. Or the cistern. Lay near the palace. And Daniel is brought.

[31:37] And he is dropped. Into the top entrance. Of that pit. And a stone. Is used. To cover it. And before Daniel is put in.

[31:48] The king. Who actually goes out with him. Because of his care for him. And his affection. He says. Your God. Daniel. Will deliver you. Your God.

[31:58] Will deliver you. I don't know. I don't know. If he believed it. Maybe he was only trying. To comfort him. But whatever. He tells him. That his God. Will deliver him. And Daniel.

[32:09] Is thrown. Into the den. And the stone. Is moved. On top of the pit. And its edge. Is sealed. In a couple of places. With wax.

[32:19] Tablets. And in the soft. Moist wax. The king rolls. His cylindrical seal. Right across the wax. So. And the prince.

[32:30] Is doing the same. All the seals. Of the rulers. Are rolled. Across the wax. So that the stone. Is sealed. To the top of the pit. And there. Is Daniel.

[32:41] Cast into the den. Of lions. According to people's. Expectations. To meet. His end. And the king. Goes back. To spend a troubled night. In the palace.

[32:52] No music. No food. Nothing. He tosses. From side to side. And gets no peace. Because he knows. That he. Has brought Daniel. Into this situation.

[33:04] What of Daniel? What of Daniel? Well. He's in the darkness. Of the den. He's in the presence. Of the lions.

[33:15] And what are they. But powerful. Emblems of evil. And of the power. Of darkness. Of the devil himself. Who is a roaring lion. Going up and down. Seeking whom he may devour.

[33:27] And the lions represent. What is evil. And they represent wickedness. And the evil spirits. And the chief. Of the evil spirits. Himself. Beelzebub. And he's in the darkness.

[33:38] And he's in the pit. Surrounded by them. And he's in a place of conflict. He's passing through the valley. Of the shadow of death. Where the fowler snare is.

[33:49] And the noise and pestilence. He's with the adder. And the lion. He is face to face. With the devil. And with all his legions. But the remarkable thing. In the midst of the fire.

[34:00] Like Shadrach, Mishach and Nebuchadnezzar. God keeps him. God gave him the faith. First to believe that God could keep him. His mind went back to when he was a boy.

[34:11] Growing up in Judah. He was taken out of it at 17 years of age. But as a young boy. He grew up in the court of Josiah. He himself was a prince. He was in the princely family.

[34:22] And he grew up in the court of Josiah. And he had heard the word preached. And how as a young man. He used to enjoy hearing of Samson. Who broke the lion's jaws. Of David. Who was able to kill the lion.

[34:34] And because of that slew the Philistine. And now when he needed it. His mind went back to these things. And he's strengthened by it. And he's encouraged by it. And even before he's thrown into the pit at all.

[34:46] He remembers these things. And like Shadrach, Mishach and Nebuchadnezzar. He says. You are able to deliver me. And if it is your will. Deliver me. If not. Preserve me in it.

[34:57] And keep my faith. And keep me strong. And when they push him down. Into that black tunnel. And when he lands at the bottom of that pit. He's in the midst of the lions. And he's face to face with evil.

[35:09] And when the stone goes on top of him. There's nothing but darkness. And the smell of the lions all around. But. In the midst of the darkness. A light ariseth for the upright.

[35:21] And what is that? But the angel of God's presence. That is sent. To shut the mouths of the lions. God shuts them. God shuts the devil.

[35:33] God restrains him. God quietens him. So that the powers of evil. Are not able to tear this man apart. Why? Because as Hebrews tells us.

[35:45] By faith. He shut the mouths of the lions. And don't forget that. God. When Daniel says. That the angel shut the mouths of the lions. That is to be complimented by this.

[35:58] What the Hebrews tells us. That by faith. Daniel. Shut the mouths. Of the lions. It was Daniel's faith. That was honored by God.

[36:09] And it was because of Daniel's faith. And his prayer. That God kept. The mouths of these lions shut. Because the devil. Cannot harm you. He can never destroy you.

[36:21] He can tempt you. He can assail you. But he can't touch you. He can't touch you. Because you are in the Lord. He cannot. There is a limit.

[36:34] Unimportant limit. Beyond it. He cannot pass. And he is not permitted. To devour this man. And that reminds us.

[36:45] Of why that's so. It takes us. To another place of darkness. When Christ himself. Was on the cross. And where he was confronted.

[36:56] With the lions. Psalm 22. The ravening lions. Roaring for their prey. This time they are not silent. This time. The mouths. Are not shut.

[37:06] This time they are roaring. And ravening. Christ fights with principalities. And powers. To the point where he himself. Was overwhelmed by death.

[37:17] And he is put into. A rock. A rocky cave. Into a grave. And the stone of Pilate. Is rolled over it. And the seal is put upon it. As much as to say.

[37:27] That the world has crucified him. Got rid of him. And sealed it. As finally done. Authoritatively finished. Until. The power of God. Moves the stone.

[37:39] And the life flows back. Into the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he is raised back. Into life. And into power. The resurrection. Of the first man.

[37:50] Of the second man. The second Adam. From the dead. He. Got the victory. And therefore. The lions. Around Daniel.

[38:01] Have shut mouths. They would tear. Every one of you apart. Were it not for the fact. That Christ fought them. Were it not for the fact. That Christ got the victory.

[38:12] Over them. And. Interestingly too. You see. A natural thing here. You see. Christ's power. Over the animal world. Not taken figuratively.

[38:23] It represents evil. But taken even naturally. At the level of them being lions. It is remarkable. How now and again. God's power. Over the wild beasts.

[38:34] Comes to be seen. The wild beasts. Were led. Into the ark. Two by two. As well as the other beasts. God took. The two milk cows.

[38:45] And caused them. To carry the ark. Of the covenant. Into Beth Shemesh. You also have Christ. Riding into Jerusalem. On a colt. Whereon man. Had never sat.

[38:56] Because Christ. Easily. Tames. An animal. And here you find him. Shutting. The mouths. Of the lions. Because. Daniel. Had been faithful.

[39:07] To God. And here's a remarkable. Contrast. Darius. Who has everything. Is miserable. In the palace. And Daniel.

[39:17] Who's got outwardly. Nothing. Is in the lion's den. Rejoicing. In the presence of God. It's a strange thing. You have the same thing. In the new testament.

[39:27] Where the kings. And the rulers. Were miserable. In their palaces. And Paul. And Silas. Sung praises to God. In their chains. What has. Darius.

[39:38] Got after all. He has everything. Everything. Absolutely. Everything. That the world. Can give him. But his conscience. Bothers him. Because he's not.

[39:48] What Daniel is. And Daniel. Appears to have nothing. In the midst. Of the den of lions. But he's got the most. Precious thing of all. And that's peace with God. Through the Lord. Jesus Christ. He's got that.

[40:00] And when you're a Christian. And a fearful Christian. And you're walking. As you should. When these fires. Come upon you. It doesn't really matter. When you're in that place. With God.

[40:10] Nothing. Can take that away from you. Nothing. It doesn't matter. What's thrown at you. It cannot move. The peace that you have with God. And your relationship with God.

[40:21] Which just. Does not. Change. Now. You have his deliverance. All night. Daniel passes. In quiet. With some visible indication.

[40:33] Of the angel of the Lord. And the lions. Quietly. Lying there. And in the morning. Darius. Goes out. Very early in the morning. At the break of dawn. And he makes his way to the pit.

[40:44] And he shouts. For Daniel. And he asks him. With a lamentable voice. Servant of the living God. Is thy God. Whom thou servest continually.

[40:56] Able to deliver thee. From the lions. And Daniel says. My God. Sent his angel. And has shut. The lions mouths. That they have not hurt me.

[41:06] For as much as before him. Innocence he was found in me. And also before thee. O king. I have done. No hurt. And the king. Can scarcely hide.

[41:17] His own gladness. The command is given. The stone. Is moved away. Daniel. Comes. As it were. From the dead. In the power of a resurrection. He arises.

[41:28] Out of that pit. And who goes into it. The very men. Who conspired. Put them in. With their wives. And their families. When the Persians punished. They punished the whole family.

[41:40] Along with the person. Now. On one or two occasions. That happens too. Amongst Israel. But I want. To notice. That in the Old Testament. Law of God. It was prohibited.

[41:52] To punish sons. And daughters. Along with their parents. But this was prescribed. In Persia. That the whole family. Be careful. Cast into the den.

[42:02] And so they were. And just in case. Anyone thought. That Darius. Had overfed the lions. So they would never touch the man. It's written for us.

[42:14] That they had broken their bones. Before they touched. The bottom. Of the pit. It was never. A natural thing. It was a supernatural. Shutting. Of the mouths.

[42:25] Of the lions. And in that. God's. God's. God's. God's. Glory. Was seen. And what we discover is. Again. That the sinner's hands. Do make the snares. Wherewith they themselves.

[42:37] Are called. God's hands. And Daniel. Daniel. Is brought. By the king. And we're told. That he prospered. In the reign of Darius. And in the reign. Of Cyrus. The Persian.

[42:49] For over 60 years. He has been used. By God. In Babylon. And they still. Couldn't find. Fault in him. And God. It's interesting.

[43:00] Just in the closing. How God had. Even in his. His obscurity. Under Belshazzar. Right at the last minute. He takes him out. And makes him third ruler. In the land. Makes him ready.

[43:11] For the beginning. Of this new kingdom. Because what God. Is about to do now. Is he is about to give. The decree. That allows the Jews. To come out of bondage. And to go back. Into.

[43:22] Jerusalem. Now. God willing. I'm not finished. With the life of Daniel. Yet. There are one or two things. I want to bring. Before you concerning it. But if it's God's will. That you.

[43:33] Enter the den of the lions. Enter it prayerfully. And you will know. The keeping. Of the Lord. Let us pray. O gracious God.

[43:46] We ask thee. In thy mercy. To hear our prayers. And petitions. And enable us. To walk with thee. Even as Daniel. Walked with thee. It is written.

[43:57] That Enoch. Walked with God. And he was not. For God to come. And help us. To have that life. Of consecration. And of prayerful.

[44:07] Trust and obedience. That will enable us. To stand. In the evil day. O Lord. Forgive our sins. And accept us. In Christ. For his sake.

[44:17] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[44:32] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[44:42]  Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Yep.