Daniel in the lion's den

Daniel in the lion’s den

Daniel's most famous scene starts with a job promotion by Persian King Darius, and it ends with Daniel in the lion's den. But it wasn't a den. It was a dry cistern, which is a pit used to store water. Persians turned it into an execution chamber by dropping in some lions first, and people later. They dropped Daniel in when he was perhaps in his 80s, depending on which Darius was king.

Jealous officials plot to kill Daniel

Daniel distinguished himself above other officials in the kingdom. He had a welcoming spirit about him. So the king decided to promote him to top administrator. Daniel would run the entire kingdom as the king’s number one official. But some of the officials and governors didn’t want the king to do that. Perhaps they objected to an exiled Jew holding such a powerful office. So they started looking for something that would disqualify Daniel for the job. They didn’t find anything. No corruption, negligence, or complaints. He was a devoted assistant to the king. They said, “So much for that. We’re not going to have any luck at this unless we can find something in the laws of his God that clashes with our laws.”

Persians set a prayer trap for Daniel

So, the top officials with some governors found what they were looking for and they took it to the king. They said, “May our king, Darius, live forever. Your officials, including top the administrators, province governors, city prefects, and royal advisors all agree you should issue one particular decree. You should order everyone to pray to you, and no one but you, for the next 30 days. Add that people who break the law will be thrown to the lions. Also, you should also make it an irrevocable law, like some of the ones we have among the Medes and Persians.” So, the king signed the order making it an irrevocable law.

Gotcha: Daniel doesn’t pray to the king

Daniel knew about the king’s new law, but it didn’t matter to him. He went upstairs in his home, opened a window facing west to Jerusalem, and got down on his knees to pray. He prayed three times a day, each time facing Jerusalem —as he had always done. The officials reported him and the king reluctantly sent Daniel to the lions, after frantically spending the day trying to find a way to spare him. Soldiers dropped Daniel in the pit that evening. At dawn, the king rushed to the cistern and said, "Daniel, are you there?" (Daniel 6:10). Daniel was there, uninjured. The king sent the offending officials to the lions. They weren't there very long. The king sent their families and servants, too. That would save him from the worry of a vengeful family member trying to kill him. Daniel got the job.

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