“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. (24) And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den” (Daniel 6:23-24)

“Transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness” (Proverbs 11:6b); and that is exactly what happened to the accusers of Daniel. Daniel had been exalted by King Darius because of the excellent spirit which was within him (verse 3). And envy was soon to slay the silly ones (Job 5:2).

The princes over the 120 provinces during the reign of King Darius were framing mischief by a law (Psalm 94:20) to overthrow Daniel’s leadership as the first of three presidents who bore rule over the 120 princes. They had “made a pit, and digged it,” and were about to fall into the ditch which they had made. Their mischief would return upon their own heads; their violent dealings with Daniel were soon to fall upon their own pates (Psalms 7:15-16). The Word of God says “the lions had the mastery of them,” or as the NKV puts it, “overpowered them.”

But the writer’s question today is: What happened with Daniel? If the accusers of Daniel were mastered by the lions, then that could only mean that Daniel mastered the lions.

In this passage, I believe the Lord wants us to see that we’ve got the mastery, if we’ll just believe in our God as Daniel did. Doubt is a sin and without faith it is impossible to please God, “…for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). The moment we doubt God is the moment our situation masters us.

Peter walked on the water based solely upon the Word of God manifest in the flesh. The moment he got his eyes off Jesus, his situation mastered him. The children of Israel in Numbers 13 and 14 were mastered in their minds by the evil reports brought back by the ten unfaithful leaders over Israel despite what God had said: “…Unto thy seed will I give this land…” (Genesis 12:7). Because of their unbelief, they forfeited an inheritance that was already theirs. All they could see were men of great stature; they failed to see their Great God. The lions of life got the mastery over them.

I believe we would do ourselves a great favor in life to do as Daniel did in verse 23, and believe in our God. The den of dilemmas you’re facing is nothing in comparison to the God of Israel. Jesus will give you the mastery over your situation whether it be fear, failure, or faults that you just can’t seem to find any victory over. God is Faithful.

Child of Grace, you have a Master inside of you, so don’t let the lions of life have the mastery over you.

In Christ, you’ve got the mastery over them.