Who is Daniel?

There is plenty that can be said about the Prophet Daniel. He is known for being thrown into the den of starving lions, and coming out unscathed. In my book, he was a godly man who lived among heathens, but never forgot who his God was. He was willing to die for what he believed in, and certainly the true God of Abraham never forgot him or let him down.

Daniel lived in the days of the King Darius of Persia. In those days the king’s authority and decree was so forceful that the king, himself, could not change it. One day some of the leaders of the kingdom got so jealous of Daniel that they tricked the king. They told the king that they wanted him to issue a decree where no one in his kingdom would be able to ask anything of men or anything of the gods except from the king, for thirty days. Darius fell for the trick and signed the decree. So they monitored Daniel and saw him kneel toward Jerusalem with the window open and pray to the Almighty. Immediately the jealous conspirators ran to the king to tell him that someone violated the royal decree and must be thrown into the den of lions, so the king ordered the decision. When he found out it was faithful Daniel he tried to change the law, or find a loophole to help Daniel, but was unsuccessful. So Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den and the king sealed the stone covering so no man could touch it, and he said to Daniel “may your God rescue you.” That night the king could not sleep or eat. The Bible says that the king ran to the den to check on Daniel and was pleasantly surprised to find Daniel untouched by the vicious beasts. So the king asked Daniel what happened. He was told that God sent an angel and shut the mouths of the lions. The king was overjoyed and ordered the conspirators to be thrown into the den. On their way down they were all torn apart and eaten by the beasts. Also, the king ordered that his entire kingdom worship the God of Daniel.

When I read this story I am reminded that when God is with me, no one can be against me. We do have a wonderful God who loves and cares for each one of us, and his eyes are always watching out for our interests and safety.

I will explore more of the theology of the book and the person of Daniel, and his prophecies. Thank the Lord for watching over you today. Amen!