Daniel 6:16

Daniel 6:16 says, Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.  Darius had no choice.  He had to put Daniel in the lions den.  Still, he expressed faith that Daniel's God would deliver him.  Sometimes, even those who are not followers of Christ recognize God's power.  I believe that this will only occur when we are totally obedient to God through the leadership and power of the Holy Spirit.  Daniel's obedience only rewarded him with the lion's den.  We sometimes hear the thought expressed that God does not want us to be unhappy, so He will give us anything we desire strongly enough.  This has never been God's teaching.  Verse seventeen adds, And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.  The king made sure that Daniel could not sneak out, but I don't think Daniel would have anyway.  He was relying on and being true to God, no matter what.  Daniel defied the law that came between God and him, but being held accountable for the consequences did not change.  We cannot stay true to our faith in God only because we believe that He will always keep us from suffering any consequences for our faith.  Daniel's faith got him sealed in a den of lions.  We need this same faith.  Verse eighteen continues, Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him.  Darius had a sleepless night, but I don't believe that Daniel did.  When we are secure in our relationship with God, we should rest easy at night.  Through our relationship with Christ, we should be at peace in our lives, no matter what.  We are God's children forever through our faith in Christ.  Verse nineteen states, Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.  The king had sealed Daniel in overnight, but that didn't mean that he had to keep him there longer than necessary.  Verse twenty adds, And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?  When the king put Daniel in the lion's den, he said that Daniel's God would deliver him, but he didn't truly believe this.  If he had, he would not have had a sleepless night and have now been questioning if God had delivered Daniel.  The king was more concerned with Daniel than he was with God, which is why it said he spoke in a lamentable voice.  He feared that Daniel was dead.  Acknowledging that God exists is not the same as putting one's faith in His ability to deliver us.  Verse twenty-one continues, Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.  Daniel did not speak angrily to the king.  I believe his greeting was more sincere than that of the other wise men who had failed to to interpret the writing, because they feared the king, and Daniel did not.  Verse twenty-two says, My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.  Daniel said that God had shut the mouths of the lions, because Daniel was innocent before God and the king.  This did not mean that Daniel had never committed a sin, but instead that he remained true to God even when faced with the very real threat of death.  We need to pray that God will find us innocent in our actions in the world through the sacrifice of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.  We must remain faithful to our death, no matter how imminent it may seem if we do so.  God has already delivered us from the power of death.  Verse twenty-three adds, Then was the king exceeding 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 manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.  The king was exceedingly glad that Daniel was unharmed.  Daniel was brought out of the lion's den unharmed because he believed in his God.  We must have that same faith in God, Who was Daniel's God.