26 Jul Against all odds: Grand reversal

Daniel 6:1-28

¹⁹ Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. ²⁰ As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” ²¹ Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! ²² My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” ²³ Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. ²⁴ And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.

²⁵ Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. ²⁶ I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. ²⁷ He delivers and rescues; he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, he who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.” ²⁸ So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Let me start with a question. Is it possible to be an uncorrupt politician? I am not a politician and I do not know many politicians. But according to media, it seems very unlikely. You can see it in the news, movies, and TV series. It seems that every politician has skeletons hidden in their closet. Let’s not talk about a politician. Let’s talk about us. Anyone here does not have anything to hide in your life? It does not matter who you are, you have skeletons in your closet. Everyone has some secrets that they don’t want people to know. The only difference is the older you are the more skeletons you have in your closet. But we all have them. We have skeletons that we try to hide from people. And all of us have that insecurity and fear of being rejected if people find out about it. So, we try our best to cover it up. Our skeletons could be our past, our present struggles, our present sins, the consequences of past sins, our family, our relationship etc. Whatever it is, it makes us feel insecure about ourselves. It destroys our courage to live faithful to God and become a blessing to the city at the same time. However, in today’s passage, we meet a man who has no blemish. The perfect man by the name of Daniel. And this is probably the most famous story of Daniel. Daniel in lion’s den. If you grow up in church, you probably heard this phrase before. “Dare to be Daniel.” There is nothing wrong with it. I do want all of us to have courage like Daniel. But how can we be like Daniel? There is a big difference between us and Daniel. Daniel has no skeleton in his closet. We have many skeletons in our closet. So how can we be Daniel? This chapter will tell us what it means to be Daniel and how can we be like Daniel. But before we go there, let’s recap what we have learned so far.

Previously, in against all odds, Daniel and his friends were sent into exile into Babylon. And this created tension. When you’re living in a country that you’re not from, you can be one of these three things. First, you can be an immigrant. An immigrant is someone who seeks to make this new country their permanent home. They are not from there, but they want this new country to be their new home. So, they used most of their resources to make life as comfortable as possible. They obsess about having their best lives now in the new country. They assimilate with the new country. Second, you can be a tourist. A tourist is the opposite of an immigrant. They don’t want to live in this new country, they’re just visiting. They don’t form any real connections to the place, but they stay huddled in their groups. They speak their own language, eat their own food, and live their own life. They basically say, “You mind your own business and I mind my own business.” They have no concern for political or social issue in the country. They never get involved. They separate themselves from the new country. However, God wants his people to do neither. God does not want his people to live like an immigrant nor tourist. God wants his people to live the third way, as sojourners and exiles. An exile is someone whose home is somewhere else, but for an undefined period of time, they have to make their home in a new place. So, they invest in this new country, form relationships, learn the culture, but they don’t want to get too attached and all the while they are looking for the day when they can go back home. It means that we are called to be spiritually bi-cultural. We work hard for the prosperity of the city and we are faithful to God at the same time. J.D Greear puts it this way. It’s like when you are in an airport, you usually have little shops that will sell you necessities at ridiculously high prices. The reason for these shops is to help you feel comfortable when you have a layover. But do you know what you never see in these shops? Shopping carts. Because nobody goes there to load up. You buy enough just to get by. It’s a temporary stop on your way to your real home.

The life of Daniel will show us what this life looks like. The life of an exile often comes with high consequences. You will oftentimes be persecuted because of your faithfulness to God. This leads to the question, when is it right for you to disobey authority? Let me give you the general guidelines. It is right to disobey authority when the authority commands what God forbids or forbids what God commands. We see the first case in Daniel chapter 3 and will see the other case in this story. It is right to disobey authority when it forbids what God commands. And the theme of the book of Daniel is once again repeated in this chapter. God is the Sovereign King of the everlasting kingdom. God is in control over who is in control despite present appearances.

One more stop before we get to the passage. In this chapter, we are introduced to Darius as the king of Persia. Here is the problem. There is no record of Darius at all in history. So, who is this guy? There are two possible explanations. First, Darius is actually General Gubaru who took down Babylon and Cyrus appointed him to be the king of Babylon in his absence. Daniel 5:31 – And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old. The word received seems to indicate that it is granted to him by higher authority. It is very common for ancient kings to have more than one name, just like Daniel has two different names. Therefore, Darius is Gubaru. Second, Darius is another name of Cyrus. If you read the last verse of this chapter, it might seem puzzling. Daniel 6:28 – So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian. It seems to indicate that Darius and Cyrus are two different people. But in the original language, it is possible to translate the word “and” differently. So, this verse can say that Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius that is the reign of Cyrus the Persians. Let’s take a poll now. How many of you think Darius is Gubaru? How many of you think Darius is Cyrus? Which one is right? I do not know. I have read the arguments for both and both seem convincing. But if I must choose one, I lean more towards Gubaru. But there is no reason to doubt the historical reliability of this story nor the lesson that we learn from it.

There are four lessons that we can learn from the life of Daniel in this passage. The blessing; the struggle; the courage; the reversal.

The blessing

Daniel 6:1-5 – It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; ² and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. ³ Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. ⁴ Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. ⁵ Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.”

This is remarkable. Daniel is over 80 years old by now. He is an old man and has spent most of his life in exile. People around him dig hard to find skeletons in his closet and there is none! Zero. Daniel has nothing to hide. He is a man of integrity. And not only that. Darius chooses 120 satraps. And above these satraps, there are 3 high officials. These 3 oversee the whole affairs of Babylon. And Darius wants to promote Daniel to be 1 man in charge of all. With another word, the king wants to promote Daniel to be the Prime Minister of Persia. Daniel is that good at what he does. He is honest, hard-working and has an excellent spirit. And Daniel did not do it for his own sake. The text tells us that Daniel does all of it so that the king might suffer no loss. He works hard for the prosperity of Persia. Daniel is a man who is deeply engaged with the culture and gives his life for his city. And he remains faithful to God at the same time. Daniel lives the life of Jeremiah 29. There is no flaw in him unless in his commitment to the God of Israel.

What can we learn from it? Few things. First, you can be a blessing in whatever you do. You don’t have to be in a fulltime ministry to make an impact for the kingdom of God. Look at Daniel. Daniel has all the gifts needed to be a prophet of God. He receives supernatural visions. You can read chapter 7 to 12 if you want to know more. He interprets dreams. He also speaks for God. This is the job description of a prophet. And yet Daniel has a secular job and excel at it. He is a politician. It means that you need to get rid of the understanding that fulltime ministry is better than secular ministry. Being a pastor does not make you more useful to the kingdom of God than an accountant. Secular people are not a second class in the kingdom of God. The opposite is also true. Just because you are in a secular world, does not make you more useful than fulltime ministers. What matters is not what kind of ministry or job you have but how you use the job and ministry that you have. Like Daniel, you can be really good at what you do and remain faithful to God at the same time.

Second, you can be a blessing wherever you are. Here is what I mean. If we are not careful, we tend to avoid Babylon and Persia. Why? Because they are wicked. So, when we decide where to live, where to work, which school to send our kids, we choose safe places. And there is wisdom to it. But if we are driven by safety, we are not living a spiritually bi-cultural life. We are not living in the tension. We withdraw from the city. Let me use Jesus’ word for this. Jesus calls Christians the salt of the earth. The primary use of salt in Jesus’ days is to prevent decay. What Jesus is saying is that our presence in our city acts as a preservative to prevent the city from decaying. And that’s the reality of the city that we live in. We must understand that the city that we live in is decaying. We live in a corrupted, decaying city. But in the midst of this decay, God has decided that your presence and my presence act as a preservative to stop our city from decaying. One of the biggest errors we can make as Christians is to disassociate ourselves from our city. We see how corrupted and how dark the city is and we try to hide from it. We created our own Christian circle with a Christian school, Christian restaurant, Christian cafe, and we become very exclusive and we are proud of it. We are proud of how safe it is for us and our family to be in this Christian club.

It’s like this. We try to find the cutest saltshaker to store salts. And here is the funny thing we do a lot of times as Christians. We talk about how amazing our saltshaker is. We talk about our church. How the church is great, how the church is awesome, how amazing, and how cute it is. We praise the church-shaker. But let me tell you. It does not matter how amazing the saltshaker is, the salt in saltshaker is useless if it remains there. Salt is only useful when it is taken out of the saltshaker and it is spread. Here is my point. Christians are useless if Christians remain in the church-shaker. God wants Christians in every part of the city. And only then Christians can prevent decays. And to do that, God must take Christians out of church-shaker. He must take you out of comfort zone. And do you know how he does that? God takes the church-shaker, turns it upside down, and shakes it! Hear me. Christians, you are not called to play safe in the church, you are called to give your life for the city. We are not the salt of the church but the salt of the earth. And oftentimes, God needs to turn our lives upside down and shake it for him to use us.

The struggle

Let’s go back to the story of Daniel. Darius wants to promote Daniel as the Prime Minister and the other high officials are not happy because of it. They want the position for themselves. So, they start digging to find Daniel’s skeletons. At first, they thought, “If we just dig deep enough, we will find his skeletons and destroy him. Surely, he has something to hide. Surely he is corrupt like we are.” But they find nothing. At first, they don’t like Daniel because they are envious of him. But they soon discover that Daniel is not like them. Daniel is different. He is not corrupt. He is a man of integrity and he is simply an incredible man. Do you know what they do? They hated Daniel even more. Why? Because Daniel is different from them. They know that the only ground for complaint against Daniel is in his faithfulness to God. So, they scheme a plan. They come to the king and ask the king to make a decree that no one should pray to any god or man for thirty days, except to the king. And whoever breaks this law will be cast into a den of lions. And they ask the king to sign the document that signifies the law cannot be revoked. This is remarkable. With another word, Daniel’s enemy is confident that Daniel would rather die than disobey God. They know that Daniel would rather go to the lion’s den than give up on daily prayer. They know that although Daniel gives his life to serve the king, he would not worship the king.

Here is what I am trying to say. It doesn’t matter how much of a blessing you are to the city, you will experience struggle. You will have people who hated you. And get this. Christians are not hated because they are so much better than others but because they are different. Sometimes we over-romanticized Christianity. We say things like, “The world hated us because we are so much better than them. They are jealous of us.” I don’t think that’s true. The main reason the people in the world do not like Christian is because Christians are weird. Christians have a different set of value. Christians have a different king and belong to a different kingdom. We do not march to the beat of this world. Imagine a marching band. In marching band, everyone in the band follows the same beat. But then you notice there is one person in the middle. He has a headphone on his ears, and he is not paying attention to the drummer’s beat. He is listening to k-pop and marching to that beat. What happens? He will look odd and out of sync with everybody else. And he will be hated by many because of it. If we are faithful to God’s beat, we will be out of sync with the world and the world will hate us.

Let me give you an example. One time I was talking to a friend of mine who is not a Christian. We were talking about same-sex marriage. He argues that as long as they love one another sincerely, then it is not wrong. Who are we to tell them who can they love and who can’t they love? Now that put me in a dilemma. On one side, I am convinced that same-sex marriage is a sin but on the other side, I do not want him to dislike me. I like to be liked by people. Don’t judge me. I know you feel the same way. But if I am faithful to God’s beat, I have to say that same-sex marriage is wrong. And because of my conviction on same-sex marriage, I will be hated by many. Why? Because I am not in sync with the culture. The same principle is true for Christians. Christians, you must expect the world to hurt you because you are different from the world. You must expect your friends to mock you at school. You must expect to be ridiculed at work. If you avoid hurt, you have either assimilate or withdraw from the city. But to engage the city with the gospel is to be misunderstood. And it hurts. It often comes with high consequences like the one we see in this story. Let’s continue with the story.

The courage

So, Daniel heard about the new decree that had been signed by King Darius. Here is the question I want to ask you. What would you do if you were Daniel? Once again, do not answer too quickly because there are many reasons to compromise. Let’s use the same reasons as last time. First, rational reason. Daniel can compromise for the sake of other Jews in the exiles. Daniel is about to be promoted to the second most powerful man in the kingdom. Think about all the goods he can do for the other Jews and Persia. So, he can choose not to pray for the sake of a greater purpose. It is rational right? Second, wise reason. The command to not pray is not forever. It is not a command to stop worshipping God. It is simply a command to hit the pause button on prayer for 30 days. That’s it. Or Daniel can choose to pray in secret. He can close the window when he prays, or he can pray in hidden places. It sounds wise right? Third, theological reason. The Bible is clear that you can pray to God anytime and anywhere. Daniel does not need to get on his knee to pray. Daniel can simply pray in his heart. After all, God hears the cries of our heart, right? Let’s not be legalistic about prayer. You can pray and communicate with God anytime in your heart. You can even do it while you are laying on a bed. Praying to God while laying on your bed at night and say amen in the morning when you wake up. All-night prayer. Does anyone ever do that? It is theological right? But look at his response. Daniel chooses none of the above. It is beautiful.

Daniel 6:10 – When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. Wow. This is an example of when it is okay to disobey authority. When the authority forbids what God commands, our response should be “we must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). Why does Daniel insist on praying with his window open toward Jerusalem? It is not random. Many years before, King Solomon made a plea to God when he dedicated the temple he built for God. You can read it in 1 Kings 8. King Solomon plead to the Lord that if the Israelites were taken captive to a distant land and they repent and pray to the Lord toward the temple in Jerusalem, that God would hear their prayer and be gracious toward them. Daniel’s prayer life is not an act of personal rebellion towards the king’s authority but faithfulness toward the ultimate king. Daniel is pleading to God for the sake of the exiles. He is asking God to forgive them of their sins and bring them back from exiles three times a day. And he does it while facing Jerusalem because of Solomon’s plea. Even though Daniel prospers in Babylon and Persia, he never loses sight of his true home.

And there is another thing that struck me in verse 10. It says that “He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.” With another word, Daniel’s prayer life is not crisis-oriented. It is what makes Daniel, Daniel. We often think about how amazing it is for Daniel to be in the den of lions. For Daniel to have the courage to disobey the king and face the lions’ roars. But for Daniel, the battle is won long before he enters the lions’ den. The battle is won when Daniel continue to pray and trust God despite the consequences. In fact, let me take it one step further. The battle was won when Daniel get on his knees to pray three times a day for years.

What can we learn from Daniel? Here it is. Your past obedience is no substitute for present obedience. Yesterday’s faithfulness is not a reason for today’s infidelity. You know this. Let me ask the married couple in this place. Husband and wife, what would you do if your spouse promise to be faithful to you, love you, serve you, and take care of you for 364 days a year? Your spouse will be the best spouse ever for 364 days but there is one day a year where they get to do whatever they want, sleep with whomever they want, and you can’t stop them. Anyone will take the deal? No. And yet that is how we often think about our relationship with God. We think it is okay for us to disobey God in the small things of life as long as we stay away from the flagrant sins. My friend, do not underestimate the importance of little battles of faithfulness that you face every day. You do not develop the courage to enter the lion’s den overnight. You win the big battle of faith by trusting God in the little daily battles of faith.

The reversal

King Darius loves Daniel. But even so, there is nothing he can do to save Daniel. When Daniel enemies use the king’s signed document against the king, he is helpless. He has no choice but to cast Daniel into the den of lions. He says to Daniel, “May your God whom you serve continually, deliver you!” Then a stone is placed to close the mouth of the den. Daniel is locked behind the stone and he is as good as dead. Then something interesting happens. King Darius is sleepless and spends that night fasting. And when the morning comes, he quickly runs to the den of lions to check on Daniel. Listen to what he says. Daniel 6:20 – As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” Did you hear that? It is as if, in his small heart, he hopes that the God of Daniel is the true living God. Because only the true living God can save Daniel from the mouth of lions. So now, the attention is not on Daniel but on whether the God of Daniel is the true living God. And I love what happens next.

Daniel 6:21-23 – ²¹ Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! ²² My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” ²³ Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. This is remarkable. This is the only time Daniel speaks in this whole narrative. Pay attention to what he says. First, Daniel says that his God has sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouth. With another word, Daniel’s God is the true living God. He is able to save Daniel from the lions. We find the same rhythm that happened to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego repeated in this story. God did not save Daniel from trials, but he saves Daniel through trials. This is the way the God of the Bible often works, and we need to get used to it. God is not committed to our comfort, but he is committed to his glory and our good. And oftentimes, God will allow us to go through many trials not because he does not love us, but because he is working through trials for his glory and our good. But what Daniel says next is remarkable.

Second, God saves Daniel from the lions’ mouth because Daniel is blameless before God. Wow. What a statement. The name Daniel means “God is my judge.” So, God looks at Daniel’s life and what happened to him, and God as the Supreme Judge declares that Daniel is innocent. Blameless. And Daniel is not only blameless before God, but Daniel also says that he has done no harm to the king. He spent his life serving the king and working for the prosperity of the kingdom. He is saying, “I have done nothing wrong to God and the king. I am blameless before God and men.” and he drops the mic. Daniel is blameless before God and men. And because of it, he escapes the den of lions without a scratch. What a man. King Darius is extremely glad by what he sees, and he commands Daniel’s enemies be thrown into the den of lions instead. There is a reversal that happens. If before, the innocent was punished and the guilty prospered, now the innocent receives salvation, the guilty receives judgement. Daniel receives salvation and his enemy receives judgement. And the glory of God is made known through it.

Daniel 6:25-27 – ²⁵ Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. ²⁶ I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. ²⁷ He delivers and rescues; he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, he who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.” Do you see what happen? Through Daniel’s trials, King Darius gets to know the true living God and praise the God of Daniel. Get this. Your trials are not just about you. Your trials are about the glory of God. If you live for the glory of God, the way you face your trials would look very different. You no longer ask God to free you from trials, but you ask God to be glorified in your trials.

So, what is the moral of the story? Be like Daniel and God will save you? Dare to be like Daniel? Have courage like Daniel and God will take care of you? It cannot mean that. Do you know why? Two reasons. First, many other characters in the Bible trusted God and died because of it. The Prophet Isaiah trusted God and he got sawn in half. Apostle Paul trusted God and his head got chopped off with an axe. Peter trusted God and he was crucified upside down. Trusting God is not a guarantee that God will always deliver you from trials. Trusting God is a guarantee that God is always working for our good and his glory. Daniel’s first and foremost allegiance is not to the kingdom of Babylon and Persia but the kingdom of God, the everlasting kingdom. And the king of the everlasting kingdom is in control of history and every single moment of life. If your allegiance lies with this king, you will win no matter what. You cannot lose. If God comes through for you, that means he still has a purpose for you. But if he does not come through for you, it would be even better. For you will be in the presence of the true Sovereign King of the everlasting kingdom. The story of Daniel is a story the Sovereign God who is in control of every single moment of life. He does whatever he pleases.

Second, you are not Daniel. You can never be. There is not a single person who can rightly say, “I am blameless before God and men.” None. Except one. And this story is pointing to him. Jesus is the only one who can rightly say, “I am blameless before God and men.” Just like Daniel, Jesus is falsely accused by the religious leaders of his day. Just like Daniel, Jesus is arrested after he prayed. Just like Daniel, Pilate wanted to release Jesus, but he cannot. Just like Daniel, Jesus is given a death sentence. But unlike Daniel, Jesus does not escape without a scratch. God is not with him at the cross. That’s why Jesus cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.” Jesus, the only blameless one is judged guilty at the cross. Why? Because Jesus takes the punishment of sins on our behalf. At the cross, Jesus becomes sin and that is why God declared him guilty. Jesus absorbs the wrath of God upon himself. And just like Daniel, a stone is placed to seal his death sentence. But the good news is that the stone cannot contain Jesus. God, the Supreme Judge is satisfied with the works of Jesus and raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus conquered death once and for all and to him is given the authority over heaven and earth. Jesus is the King of the everlasting kingdom. A day will come where every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is the true King, to the glory of God the Father. The story of Daniel about Jesus. Jesus is the true and better Daniel who goes into the lions’ den of death and emerges victorious over death.

One last thing and I am done. It is only when you see Jesus as the true and better Daniel that you can be like Daniel. How can you have courage like Daniel to remain faithful in the face of death? It is only when you see that God has given his verdict over you. When you see what Jesus has done for you and put your faith in him, the grand reversal happens. You who are guilty are declared “innocent” because the only who is innocent has been declared “guilty.” It is only when you see Jesus enters the lions’ den for you that you can find the courage to face your lion. It is only when you know you are innocent in God’s sight that you can be courageous in the midst of trials. God is our Supreme Judge and his verdict is the only one that counts. You can say, “Daniel, God is my judge and therefore I do not need to fear anything else.”

Discussion questions:

1. In your own words, what does it mean for you to live spiritually bi-cultural (as sojourners and exiles)?
2. What does it mean for you to be a blessing to the city? Give some daily life applications from your own life.
3. Why should Christians expect opposition and hurt? What happens when you avoid it?
4. “Your past obedience is no substitute for present obedience. Yesterday’s faithfulness is not a reason for today’s infidelity.” How are you tempted to look at past obedience and yesterday’s faithfulness?
5. What lesson(s) does the life of Daniel teaches you about facing trials?
6. Explain the “grand reversal” in this story and how it applies to your life.
7. Pray for one another that we might be “Daniel” to our city.