Daniel in the Lions Den

In Daniel 6 we read one of the most famous stories in the Bible, Daniel in the Lions den. This is a story of jealousy and faith. Some men were jealous of Daniel's position of authority and through trickery and manipulation caused Daniel to be sentenced to death, but through his faith in God he was saved.

6 ^[a]It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom,² with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. ³ Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.⁴ At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. ⁵ Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”

In the first part of this chapter we see that Daniel was a truly honest and hardworking man. He was doing such a good job that he was going to be promoted to be in charge of the entire kingdom. The other men that were ruling the kingdom were jealous of Daniel and tried to find ways to discredit him, but they could not find anything that Daniel had done that was dishonest. They decided that the only way to get to Daniel was through the laws of the God that Daniel worshipped. 

⁶ So these administrators and satraps went as a group to the king and said: “May King Darius live forever! ⁷ The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den. ⁸ Now, Your Majesty, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.”⁹ So King Darius put the decree in writing.


The jealous men went in to King Darius and appealed to his ego. They told Darius that they wanted him to pass a decree that for the next 30 days, no one was to worship anyone other than Darius. So Darius agreed and passed a decree. Many ancient societies would worship their rulers as beings that had been appointed by their gods. According to the laws of the Medes and Persians the Kings decree was unbreakable, even by the King himself. 


¹⁰ Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. ¹¹ Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. ¹² So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: “Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human being except to you, Your Majesty, would be thrown into the lions’ den?”
The king answered, “The decree stands—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.”
¹³ Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, Your Majesty, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.” ¹⁴ When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed;he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.
¹⁵ Then the men went as a group to King Darius and said to him, “Remember, Your Majesty, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed.”
¹⁶ So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”


When Daniel heard about the decree, he did not try to hide his worship of God. He prayed according to his daily custom three times a day before an open window that was oriented towards Jerusalem. Now the jealous men were pleased that their trap worked. They immediately went to the King and reported that Daniel was breaking the King's own law. Darius was upset that he had been tricked into making that decree and tried to find a way to save Daniel. The jealous rulers reminded the King that the decree could not be changed according to the laws of the Medes and Persians. Darius knew he had been tricked and there was nothing he could do about it, so he gave the order for Daniel to be thrown into the lions' den. The King tells Daniel that he hopes that Daniel's God will rescue him.


¹⁷ A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed. ¹⁸ Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.
¹⁹ At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den.²⁰ When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?”
²¹ Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! ²² My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”
²³ The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.
²⁴ At the king’s command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.
²⁵ Then King Darius wrote to all the nations and peoples of every language in all the earth:

“May you prosper greatly!

²⁶ “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. 
²⁷ 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.”

²⁸ So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus^[b] the Persian.

A stone was placed over the lions' den so Daniel could not escape. Darius was distraught and did not eat and could not sleep. At the first light of dawn he hurried to the lions' den and called to Daniel asking him if his God had saved him. Daniel answered the king that his God had sent an angel to shut the mouths of the lions because Daniel had faith in Him and was found innocent. Darius was overjoyed and had Daniel removed from the lions' den and had the jealous men who had accused Daniel thrown to the lions along with their wives and children. You may think it is harsh to kill the families who did nothing, but in ancient times families were killed so no one would be able to rise up and take revenge against the King for the killing of their fathers. 

Then Darius issued another decree that all people in his kingdom must revere the God of Daniel who had rescued Daniel from the lions. Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and Cyrus. He trusted in God and was rewarded.

The Writing on the Wall

Daniel 5 takes place after the death of Nebuchadnezzar. Belshazzar became king after Nebuchadnezzar's death.. Nebuchadnezzar was not the direct father of Belshazzar. Either he was his grandfather through his mother’s side, or he was his father in the sense of having previously occupied the throne Belshazzar now sat on. Either usage of the term father was accepted in ancient times. Belshazzar was co-regent with his father Nabonidus and he ruled Babylon from 553 B.C. to 539  B.C. when Darius the Mede conquers Babylon. 

5 King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. ² While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father^[a] had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. ³ So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. ⁴ As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.

⁵ Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. ⁶ His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his legs became weakand his knees were knocking.
⁷ The king summoned the enchanters, astrologers^[b] and diviners. Then he said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck,and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”
⁸ Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant. ⁹ So King Belshazzar became even more terrified and his face grew more pale. His nobles were baffled.
¹⁰ The queen,^[c] hearing the voices of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall. “May the king live forever!” she said. “Don’t be alarmed! Don’t look so pale! ¹¹ There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners. ¹² He did this because Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar, was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means. ”

King Belshazzar was having a banquet for his nobles, he orders the gold and silver goblets that were taken from the temple in Jerusalem to be brought in for all to drink from. He praised his gods of wood and stone and mocked the true God. This sacrilege would not go unnoticed or unpunished by God. As they continued on with their revelry, a hand appears and writes on the wall. The King is stunned and frightened. He summons the astrologers and wise men to interpret the meaning of the writing. No one could read and interpret it. The Queen enters the banquet hall and informs that king that there is a man in the kingdom that Nebuchadnezzar had appointed the chief of all the wise men, he was able to interpret dreams and explain riddles. Daniel would be able to explain the writing.




¹³ So Daniel was brought before the king, and the king said to him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah? ¹⁴ I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you and that you have insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom. ¹⁵ The wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this writing and tell me what it means, but they could not explain it. ¹⁶ Now I have heard that you are able to give interpretations and to solve difficult problems. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”
¹⁷ Then Daniel answered the king, “You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means.
¹⁸ “Your Majesty, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor. ¹⁹ Because of the high position he gave him, all the nations and peoples of every language dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death; those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled. ²⁰ But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. ²¹ He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like the ox; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and sets over them anyone he wishes.
²² “But you, Belshazzar, his son,^[d] have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this. ²³ Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wivesand your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand.But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways.²⁴ Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription.
²⁵ “This is the inscription that was written:

mene, mene, tekel, parsin

²⁶ “Here is what these words mean:

Mene^[e]: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.

²⁷ Tekel^[f]: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.

²⁸ Peres^[g]: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

²⁹ Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.

³⁰ That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians,^[h] was slain, ³¹ and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.<sup>[i]


Daniel is summoned to Belshazzar. Belshazzar asks Daniel if he can interpret the writing on the wall, and if he could he would be clothed in purple with a gold chain around his neck and be the third highest ruler in the kingdom.  Daniel told Belshazzar that he did not want his gifts, but he would interpret the writing for him.  First he tells Belshazzar that Nebuchadnezzar had incredible power and sovereignty in the land, but when he became arrogant he was stripped of his power until he acknowledged God was sovereign.  Then he turns to Belshazzar and tells him that even though he knew all this, he had not humbled himself before God. Instead he had blasphemed against God by using the goblets from the temple and praising false gods. The hand had written MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN. Then Daniel interpreted the meaning of the words. Mene means that God had numbered the days of his reign and has brought it to an end. Tekel means that he had been weighed on a scale and found wanting. Peres means that the kingdom will be divided between the Medes and Persians.  Belshazzar fulfilled his promise to Daniel and robed him in purple with gold chains and made him third highest ruler in Babylon.  That night the promise was fulfilled, Belshazzar was slain and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom.</sup>