BIBLE STUDY LESSON 19

SERIES P --- YHVH’S PROPHETS

DANIEL IN THE LIONS’ DEN

From Daniel 6

Darius the Mede appointed one hundred and twenty governors, one for each province of his kingdom. Over them he appointed three presidents, one of whom was Daniel. Daniel soon was recognized as the most capable of the three, for he had shown great leadership. The king was impressed and made plans to appoint Daniel as the supreme officer over all the kingdom. The other presidents and governors grew jealous and tried to find some way they could bring a charge against Daniel, but he was so faithful and faultless that they could find nothing. [We will never find fault with him unless we can bring a complaint against his religion,] they said. Then they conspired against Daniel and went to the king with a proposal. [King Darius, live forever,] they greeted him. [All of us who are presidents, governors, counsellors, and rulers have agreed that you should make a law and enforce it strictly. That law would forbid any man to petition any person or god other than you for thirty days. Anyone disobeying that law must be thrown into a den of lions. We have the law prepared, O king, so that you may sign it. When it is signed, it shall become so binding that no man may revoke it.] The king was so pleased with the proposal that he signed the document, and it became law. Daniel was aware of this law, but when he reached home, he went to his rooftop chamber, knelt before the open window that faced Jerusalem, and prayed. It was Daniel’s practice to do this three times each day, giving YHVH thanks. The men who had accused Daniel gathered around his house to watch. As soon as they saw him praying, they hurried to the king. [O king, did you not sign a law that no man should make a special request of any person, man or god, except you for thirty days?] they demanded. [And does this law not say that anyone who makes such a request shall be thrown into a den of lions?] [The law must be obeyed, for it is a law of the Medes and Persians,] the king replied, [and such a law cannot be revoked.] [That fellow Daniel who is an exile from Judah is not obeying your law,] the men said. [He continues to pray to his YHVH three times each day.] When the king heard what the men said, he was very upset, for he realized that he had been tricked. He began to think about how he might save Daniel, and he struggled with this problem till sundown. That evening the men came back to the king and reminded him again that the law had been made and that it could neither be altered nor revoked. [This is a law of the Medes and the Persians,] they said. [You know that it cannot be changed.] There was nothing else for the king to do, so he commanded that Daniel should be arrested and thrown into a den of lions. But before Daniel was put into the lions’ den, the king spoke to him. [May your YHVH, Whom you serve faithfully, rescue you,] said the king. Daniel was put into the den of lions and a great stone was rolled over its entrance. The king sealed it with his signet ring and with the signet of his nobles, so that no one could remove the stone. The king went to his palace and spent the night meditating and fasting, refusing to watch any of his usual entertainment. He could not sleep all that night, for he was deeply concerned about Daniel. Early the next morning the king rushed to the lions’ den and called out in an anguished voice, [Daniel, servant of the living YHVH, has your YHVH whom you serve constantly been able to deliver you from the lions?] Then Daniel called back. [O king, live forever!] he said as a greeting. [My YHVH has sent His Angel to shut the mouths of the lions, so they could not hurt me. He has thus shown that I am innocent before Him and before you.] At this the king was extremely happy and immediately gave orders for Daniel to be taken from the lions’ den. When that was done, it was found that he was not hurt in any way, for he had trusted in YHVH to rescue him. The king gave another command, to throw the men who had accused Daniel into the den of lions, as well as their wives and children. Before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions tore them apart. Then King Darius sent this decree to all people of his empire scattered throughout the earth. [Peace be to you,] he began in greeting. [I decree that all of my people must tremble in fear before the YHVH of Daniel, for He is a living YHVH who never dies. His kingdom shall never end, and His reign shall continue forever. He spares His people and keeps them from harm, working great miracles in heaven and on earth, for he has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.] Daniel prospered throughout the reigns of King Darius and King Cyrus the Persian.

COMMENTARY

LIONS -- ROYAL AND RAVENOUS

In Bible times, lions freely roamed the country sides of Palestine, Syria, Greece and Mesopotamia. But after centuries of growing population and many wars, forests declined in the area and lions slowly disappeared. By the early 1900’s, they were totally gone. The ancients’ love of lions involved much more than an occasional trip to a zoo. Egyptians trained these huge cats to help them in hunting. One pharaoh, Ramses II, had a pet lion who sat by his throne as he held court and accompanied him into battle. Persians captured lions and kept them in large wooded parks, where they were fed and carefully attended. Others expressed their admiration in more savage ways. The story of Daniel tells of hungry lions killing anyone who displeased the king. In Assyria, vivid palace reliefs portray the kings’ favourite sport: lion hunting. Armed with spears and arrows, Assyrian kings killed hundreds of lions from their chariots. The lion also attracted the brushes and chisels of artists. Statues of lions and lion-headed genii guarded Hittite and Mesopotamian gates. Figures of the great cat adorned the walls of Solomon’s palace and the gateway to the palace in Babylon. Others pranced in Egyptian and Mesopotamian paintings, playing instruments and steering boats. In palaces from Egypt to Persia, furniture stood on ornate legs carved to look like lions’ paws. Ancient religions honoured the king of beasts too. Mesopotamian heroes and gods cradled lion cubs in their arms as representations of strength and courage. These same virtues appeared in the lion emblem of the Israelite tribe of Judah. In Egypt, a lion-headed goddess named Sekh met controlled war while, among the Hittites, the YHVH of weather rode in a lion-drawn chariot. The Bible writers describe the lion as a cruel enemy or a mighty warrior. Attitudes like these were familiar to the Israelites and their neighbours.