Daniel 6:23 –
The king was overjoyed and ordered that Daniel be lifted from the den. Not a scratch was found on him, for he had trusted in his God.
This chapter is the story of Daniel being saved in the lion’s den. We know that God kept the lions tame while he was sealed in their den, but do you know how he was manipulated into that punishment by jealous people.
At the end of King Belshazzar reign the kingdom was being split apart and again with King Darius, Daniel had risen to the top of the administration. Those who were not Jewish became jealous that he was in a position higher than they were, so they plotted to have him removed.
After trying unsuccessfully to find faults in him they deceived the king into signing an order that condemned anyone who prayed to any other than the king to the lion’s den. Once signed they just followed Daniel and once he prayed, had him arrested and brought to the king. The king begrudgingly threw him in with the lions and went home to rest. In the end Daniel was safe and the deceivers were tossed into the den and consumed before they hit the ground.
This is an amazing story of God’s control over every living thing, but I am interested in these jealous men. Today we see this so often that the rules of the game get changed all the time to prevent others from succeeding or put into jail. Rarely this is a fair and just ruling, but more for the benefit of the one with the money given to the right people. If you don’t believe so ask why in this financial crisis only a small handful of people are being prosecuted where thousands went to jail in a much smaller meltdown in the late 80’s! The “game” was rigged once they learned the problems and have since looted this nation of billions without many going to jail.
We can learn from this that people can manipulate the system for their own personal gain. And we should all be aware of that and call for the ouster of those involved. These men were jealous of Daniel’s status and position and manipulated the king into signing an order that they knew would kill Daniel. In this instance God spared Daniel from being the lion’s meal. I wonder if our nation will be spared or if we are just in a “normal” cycle for a nation?