Daniel in the Lion’s Den is probably one of the best known Bible stories in the world. When kids are coloring pictures of this scene in Sunday school, they are usually filling in the lines of a young man cuddling a large lion. This leads us to one big misconception. People assume that Daniel was a teenager when this took place. Not at all. He was an elderly man in his late 80s.
READ: Daniel 6:1-28
At the beginning of this chapter, life is a dream for Daniel. He’s risen up the ranks of the kingdom once again. Now he is a “satrap,” which is basically a mayor with more power. Daniel exuded so much wisdom and promise that the king planned to promote him to oversee the entire nation. Jealousy plagued the rest of the rulers. They scoffed, “How could the king give so much trust to an old man from Judah? His people are captives of the kingdom. Why does our ruler adore him?” The other satraps decided to create a scandal. They wanted Daniel gone, so they dug up a little drama. These leaders knew that Daniel openly prayed three times a day, so they lobbied for a new law to make prayer illegal. Once the law was on the books, they immediately snitched.
Daniel’s day took a sharp left turn as he was arrested, persecuted for praying, and sentenced to execution. The Babylonians were grotesque in their treatment of criminals, especially through capital punishment. They didn’t just kill people. They made a show out of it. It wasn’t just execution. It was entertainment. They were so twisted that they threw an elderly man into a den of lions as the public peered over the ledge of the pit.
Daniel found himself surrounded by blood-thirsty lions with no escape. He wasn’t armed with a sword, shield, or catnip. He had nothing except his wrinkled fists and his faith in God. Maybe you have been in the pit like Daniel, surrounded by lions and with no escape. I am not talking about literal lions here, but metaphorical “lions” can be just as frightening. Perhaps you feel trapped in a pit surrounded by helplessness, doubt, apathy, stress, loneliness, rejection, or abandonment. God shut the mouths of the lions for Daniel, and He can do the same for the lions you’re facing, too.
God was with Daniel in the lion’s den. He’s also with you. You aren’t promised a life free of pain, but you are promised His presence. God will be with you through it all. It’s amazing how Daniel prayed in the pit while surrounded by blood-thirsty beasts. Do the same. Pray. Trust God. Focus on the Lord. He will draw closer to you. He will be with you. He will protect you.