- Daniel disregarded the decree of man to stop his worship of the true and living God; but regarded God above man’s decrees and continued to worship Him as before (verse 10).
- “…Forasmuch as before him (God) innocency was found in me” (verse 22c); verse 4b says, “…but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.” Daniel was faithful to his God in earthly matters concerning his daily work; (verse 22d) “…and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.”
- (Verse 23d) “…and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.” Believed what?
- His God was God, the only true and living God;
- God was to be worshipped;
- God was able to deliver him from all trials, either in death or in life. Either way, God would deliver him.
So, Daniel had a firm belief in God; and he knew he was a servant of God first, before he was a servant to the king, and he must honor Him and serve Him before serving man. If man’s decree went against God, then he had to serve God and not man.
I have read this account of Daniel, as well as you have also, many times – and only saw Daniel’s deliverance. But upon my last reading of this miracle, God spoke to my heart and revealed that this story is not preserved for Daniel’s honor; but for the effect it had upon the king, and the testimony that was published throughout the world of the Medes and Persians concerning the God of Daniel. This story is not about the means, but about God; about His Faithfulness to His Word; about His Power. It is about His Kingdom and dominion (verses 25-27).
The story’s primary focus is not on Daniel being spared, but upon the God who spared Daniel, His Faithfulness, His Kingdom, His Dominion and Power; which shall not be destroyed (verses 26-27). Many times one gets involved in the story and not its message.
The God of Daniel (verses 26 and 27): Darius said, “I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is
- The living God, and
- Stedfast for ever, and
- His kingdom … shall not be destroyed, and
- His dominion shall be even unto the end.
- He delivereth and rescueth, and
- He worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth,
- Who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.”
It is not the human character that makes this story. It is the God of that character that makes this story. It is not who the character is; it is why the character is as he is, faithful and true as a servant to God and to the authority over him.
When the king came the next morning to see if Daniel had lived through the night, he said (verse 20b), “…O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? (21) Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever. (22) My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me…”
The story is about the God of Daniel and His ability to deliver; and Who did deliver Daniel from the mouths of the lions. Why did God do this miracle primarily? Not for Daniel; but to reveal Himself, His Faithfulness, His Kingdom, His Dominion and Power forever.
Is your God the God of Daniel? Are you depending upon your works of goodness, or the God from whom all goodness and works of faith flow to have deliverance? It was not Daniel, but the God of Daniel that made the difference.
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