Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kJK3SUVLSw

Yeah, you guessed it.

It's a sea lion.

It's a sea lion.

It's a sea lion.

Darius, the king of the Medes and Persians, needed 120 princes (satraps, or leaders) to help him govern the people. The king was looking for very smart men.

And Daniel, who was a Jew, because of his great wisdom, was a favorite of the king. Daniel was given the place of authority over all the other princes. Now, Daniel was living away from Jerusalem, the city that he loved. The Jewish people were like slaves to King Darius, but since Daniel was wise and good, he became important to King Darius.

Because of Daniel’s position, the other princes resented him. They were jealous. They thought, "Why didn't the king pick me to be the head boss man? Why does Daniel get to be the king's favorite? Why is he so special? Oooh, that Daniel makes me mad." Jealously made them bitter and the other princes made secret plans to get rid of Daniel.

They thought to themselves, "If we got rid of Daniel, maybe I'll be the king's favorite. Or maybe me? Nope. Definitely me. I'm the next favorite of the king, besides that snotty Daniel."

So the princes started to spy on Daniel. They watched every move that Daniel made. They were hoping that he would do something wrong so they could run and tell King Darius.

But Daniel was a good man. Day after day Daniel lived righteously, and the princes could not find anything wrong with Daniel's behavior. He even prayed three times a day every day in front of his window, probably looking back toward Jerusalem and his home that he had not seen since he was 15 years old. It made the wicked princes so mad!

Spying on Daniel was turning out to be a waste of time. The princes had to come up with a different plan. They needed a plan that would trick Daniel into disobeying the king! And it wasn’t long before the evil men came up with a devious idea.

The wicked princes said, "King Darius, live forever! We want to make a new law to honor you as our ruler! No one throughout the entire kingdom will be allowed to ask anyone – God or man – for anything for 30 days, unless it be asked of the king. And if makes a request from anyone else, that person will be thrown in the den of lions. This will show everyone how powerful you are!"

The king was happy with this law, and signed it. The princes were so happy! They said, "We got him now! Daniel prays three times every day! Next time Daniel prays, we'll throw him to the lions!"

When Daniel heard about the law, he knew that this was a trap that had been set for him. Daniel knew the next time he got on his knees
before his open window to ask God for divine guidance and continued blessing, the men who had plotted this thing would report him to the king.

What do you think Daniel should do now?

Should he try to run away? Maybe he could be safe if he was away from the jealous princes.

Daniel could have closed his window and prayed to God in secret. He could have. There was nothing in God's law that says that you have to pray in front of a window. Nothing. But Daniel was not ashamed of his God, and he was not going to let wicked people make him ashamed of his God. There are a lot of people out there who are proud of things that they should be ashamed of. We should always be proud to be people who serve God.

And there was another reason that Daniel might have decided not to change his daily routine of prayer. Daniel was probably between 81 and 83 years old when this happened. He had made HOLY HABITS a long time ago. And I've noticed something about old people. They don't change their habits much. So, if you make HOLY HABITS when you are young, you'll probably do the right thing when you are old and crusty, just because it's your habit.

So Daniel continued to pray in front of his open window just as he had done before.

And this was the moment the princes were waiting for. "We got him! We got him!" they said. "Daniel is breaking the law! He's making requests to God instead of the king! We got him!" According to the signed decree, Daniel would be thrown to the lions!

Now, if somebody followed you around all day, would they catch you praying? Could they prove that you are a kid who loves God?

When the princes went to the king and demanded that Daniel be thrown to the lions, King Darius realised the cruel purpose of their law. This was no law to honour the king. It was an evil plot to get rid of Daniel. The king had been tricked!

Have you ever been tricked before? It's not fun, is it?

King Darius was very fond of Daniel. He considered Daniel a trustworthy friend and he greatly relied on the judgment of this wise man. But the king was trapped.

According to the law, Daniel must die.

King Darius spent the day searching through the laws, hoping to find a way he could save his friend. He looked and he looked to try to find a way that Daniel could be free and saved from the lion's den, but he could not find any way out of it. Once the king had signed the law, not even the king himself could undo what he had done.

With the setting of the sun, the king was forced to command that Daniel
be seized and taken to the place where the lions were kept.

The lions were very hungry, and Daniel was supposed to be lunch!

So Daniel's punishment for praying to God was that he would be thrown to the lions. Now is that fair? Well, a cool thing about Daniel is his name. Daniel's name means "God is my judge!" Who was judging Daniel right then? The wicked princes! The wicked princes were judging Daniel, but if God was judging Daniel, would God say about Daniel? Would God say Daniel is worthy to die for praying? The wicked princes may judge Daniel, and be able to throw him to the lions, but Daniel's real judge is the God of the lions!

Now, I've seen people walk around in immodest outfits that say, "Only God can judge me." Do you think those people pray three times a day? Probably not. What they mean when they say "Only God can judge me" is that they are going to do whatever sin pops into their head and they will pitch a hissy fit if anyone tells them to behave. Was that Daniel's attitude? No. God is your judge whether or not you wear a tee shirt that says, "Only God can judge me," and if any of you guys wear a tee shirt like that, I'm going to ask you if you are praying three times a day, like Daniel.

I'd be very afraid to wear something that says "Only God can judge me," because I would be afraid that He might go ahead and judge me! And I'm not perfect! I mess up all the time, and I need His mercy every single day. That's why the Bible says that we are saved by grace! I repented, and I am baptized, and I've received the Holy Spirit, but every single day, I need His grace. I am saved by grace, and I need it every single minute! I try to do the best I can, but my best try falls far short of His glory, so I am saved every day by grace while I do my best to live for Him.

So, Daniel is thrown into the lion pit! Eeeerrrrwwwpthhhh. Ouch.

Then a large stone was placed over the mouth of the lion's pit.

... and the seal of the king was placed on the
covering so that no one would dare to remove it.

The king returned to the palace with a very heavy
heart. He had tried everything he could to save Daniel, but now his friend was in the lion's den. The king couldn't eat. The king couldn't sleep. There was no TV or Netflix or YouTube back then, but the king could have people entertain him - maybe storytellers, or dancers, or singers. He didn't want any of that. He sent them all away. King Darius was miserable all night long.

In the morning, the king hurriedly dressed himself...

... and he ran to the place where the lions
were kept and ordered the stone be taken away.

Do you think King Darius had any hope at all? Have you ever seen a dog eat its kibble? That stupid dog tries to eat that food before the bowl even hits the ground. That's how these lions were. If you threw anything in there - a rabbit - a deer - a person - the meal would be gone before it hit the floor! So the king yelled to Daniel, probably just to hear his own voice . . . probably never expecting to hear Daniel's voice again.

The stone was removed and the king cried out, ‘Daniel, servant of the living God, is your God able to deliver you from the lions?’

And Daniel said, "Yep!"

Actually, he was more polite. He said, "‘O king, live forever," (because that's the polite thing to say to the king.) "My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me because God found me innocent before Him and also before you, O king.”

GAAAAASP! At this point, King Darius' eyes probably bugged right out of his head; he was so surprised.

Remember, Daniel's name means what? "God is my judge." The wicked princes has given Daniel the sentence of being thrown to the lions. But God was more powerful, and He shut the lion's mouths all night. Maybe God even made a miracle, and Daniel could curl up in between a couple of lions to keep warm that night, I don't know.

Would you like to sleep with a warm lion pillow? It might work if you're not allergic to cats.

The king was happy to hear the voice of Daniel
and he commanded that his friend be taken out of the lions’ den at once.

Then the king made a further command that the wicked princes – the men who had plotted against Daniel – be thrown to the lions in Daniel’s place. Uh, oh!

Then King Darius wrote to all the nations and peoples of every language in all the earth:

“May you prosper greatly! I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.

“For he is the living God
and he endures forever;
his kingdom will not be destroyed,
his dominion will never end.

He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.