Darius was the new king. He had taken over from Belshazzar … but it was also a change in dynasty, - the Babylonian empire had fallen under the joint charge of the Medes and Persians.

The new king Darius had ‘to set out his stall’ early in his reign because it would effect those who would follow him onto the throne. He wanted ‘to make his mark’.

Now, this was a vast kingdom he had taken over and there was the great problem of governing such an area.

What he did was this …

	He divided his kingdom into 120 provinces and he set a governor over each region.
	He then charged three ‘presidents’ to oversee the work of the 120 governors, and these presidents would be ultimately responsible to him.

It made sense, and it seems to be a good way to control such a mass of people and land, - bear in mind that the population would have included all types of people, including those who had been defeated by the armies of Babylon and then the armies of the Medes and Persians.

… Isn’t it amazing that in the Sovereign plan of Almighty God He should have His person right in the midst of it all! The presence of Daniel.

Yes, the children of Israel, captured in Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, were among those under the rule of Darius.

There would have been umpteen different nationalities under his dominion … and yet out of them all one of the three most important people, - second only to the king, - was this man of God, Darius.

He had been taken into the court of the King Nebuchadnezzar to be brought up and cultured as a prince of Babylon, but right from the very start he would not compromise his faith in and relationship with God, 1:8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

And as a consequence 1:9 God had brought Daniel into favour

God continued to use Daniel against all the odds. By now, in ch.6, he had become an old man but God was still using him!

Once again, there is no age at which a man or a woman becomes too old in the service of the Lord Jesus Christ.

	A lasting impression was made upon me when I was only a young boy standing at the bedside of an elderly family friend who was dying, - they had taken the tubes from her because they knew she hadn’t long,
	There, as she lay dying, her Bible was open, she was singing the old hymns, … and as she was singing she took a deep breath, - it was her last for her head fell to the one side … and – in an instant - she was absent from the body, present with the Lord.
	… Even in those final moments she had such a testimony, not least to a young boy.

Yes, God continued to use old Daniel and He placed him in such a position of authority,

He was a man of a defeated and imprisoned people but yet God – in His Sovereign will – had lifted him to this place second only to the king.

God did this! God put it in the mind of this Godless ruler to elevate Daniel … and God’s will always comes to pass.

In the plan and will of God … the presence of Daniel and the prominence of Daniel.

You can be sure that when God is working so is the enemy!

It’s good when God can trust you enough to put you into the conflict … for He trusted Daniel; the next thing we see is ...

They couldn’t find anything wrong with him. They couldn’t accuse him of doing anything improper.

Here was a man of great importance throughout the kingdom and all the leaders were against him! He didn’t have one friend among them!

What was he doing there? … He didn’t have the choice to be anywhere else because that is where God had for him to be.

Many others had been taken in shackles to Babylon during Nebuchadnezzar’s time and they had ‘caved in’ to all the demands of compromise … but not Daniel.

As a young boy (ch. 1) he stood for God; now, as an old man, he is still standing for God.

It is good not to be ‘up and down’ – blowing ‘hot and cold’ – for the faith.

Daniel was as fervent and as faithful as ever he had been, - the years had not weakened his resolve in the work of the Lord.

And these rulers of Babylon saw an old man as their threat.

No doubt, there were enemies all round them, … but their greatest enemy was one person, - Daniel in the service of his God. The presence of, prominence of, problem with Daniel

“There’s nothing we can find against this man … so let’s make a new law to catch him out!”

The law as it stood allowed every member of the population to worship their gods,

	There was absolutely no hindrance as to how many gods you worshipped, how often you worshipped them … and it didn’t matter what you called them.
	This was a multi-religious society!

But do you know who they turned against? … Daniel for worshipping his God!

The new law said that for thirty days all prayers that usually had been made to the idols or to God where now to be redirected through Darius.

	You had to pray as if Darius was God/the god.
	He – for those thirty days – was ‘in the place of’ [anti] God/the gods.
	Nebuchadnezzar had done the same thing in 3:4 Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, 5  That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: 6  And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
	Belshazzar had done a similar thing too, 5:3 3  Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.
	And Darius was following their lead!

None of the other nations would have been bothered … except God’s people, the children of Israel.

In other words, there was freedom of religion … but not when it came to Daniel and the people of God.

So they went to the lawmaker, - the king, - and the very first thing they said to him was a lie, 7 All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute

7 All the presidents of the kingdom, - no! That’s not true. Daniel was a president and he hadn’t been consulted. He wasn’t there!

In their march against God ‘truth’ became the first ‘casualty’. Truth was not important, - it was negotiable, as far as the enemies of Daniel were concerned.

Truth is always the first casualty when God’s people are in the ‘sights’ of the enemy. … Look at it in our own day:

	The teachings and principles of God’s Word,
	The clear instruction that it presents, …
	Yes, truth is always the first ‘victim’ of a progressive, godless society.

What is the truth that the child of God is concerned with? Jesus said, Thy Word is truth (Jn. 17:17).

And when you set aside truth you have ‘deception’, … and when you set it aside long enough you get that you don’t know what ‘truth’ is anymore … and these presidents and princes set aside the truth in order to deceive.

The world has always been setting aside the truth of God, - that’s what it does by its very sinful nature. What is more alarming, though, is when those who profess to be the people of God set aside or compromise the truth of God.

God’s Word is not there for discussion on what we may or may not find acceptable; God’s Word is there for His people to live by and be an example to.

	In many areas of evangelism nowadays the church is using the world’s tactics to seek the lost for Christ.
	That’s not right! That’s not the Bible’s way, for the Bible says that the preaching of Christ crucified, - the only means to be saved, - is as a stumblingblock and is as foolishness to the unsaved (I Cor. 1:23).

We can’t choose what to accept or what not to accept, we daren’t be selective, - all of it is God’s Word and all of it must be upheld!

Whether it is in the Church or in the world God’s Word is the ultimate authority that cannot be replaced.

And these enemies knew that the only way to ‘catch’ Daniel was to put in motion a new rule/law: one that gave him no room for manoeuvre:

	To obey the king’s law would be to disobey God’s law.
	If he obeyed God’s law he would be disobeying the king’s new law … and he would be removed!

The people against Daniel.

Here is a good thing to notice, - Daniel found out what was going on.

	Remember Samuel, - he found out when the children of Israel were calling for a king;
	Remember Jeremiah, - he recognised that all the priests of Jerusalem were worshipping God in a way that God would not accept.

It’s good to keep your eyes open and know what’s going on.

There are too many Christians don’t know what is going on in the world, - we don’t need to get involved in the world’s pursuits, but as with any enemy it’s needful for the cause of Christ to know what they are doing in order to raise the barricades against the world’s untruth and perversion.

Some Christians are shadow-boxing, they are throwing their punches into the air at an imaginary opponent, - an opponent that has long since disappeared.

… that is time wasting and energy-squandering that could be used better in the real fight.

 The perception of the enemy, - Daniel knew the enemy, he identified them … he had them in his sights.

He hadn’t his ‘head in the sand’; he knew exactly what was going on and how they were accusing him … and this perception he had led him to his knees …

He didn’t waste time going to the king in order to appeal his case, - he went straight to the King of kings.

Surely if Daniel, - a most powerful and influential man, - had gone to Darius he could have had a special audience …?

Yes, probably, but Daniel bypassed the king and went to the King of kings!

He must have heard about it out in the streets for the Bible tells us he went into his house.

He didn’t set out to start a revolution or a protest; he knew the things of God are not to be achieved by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

He went into his room, … before the sovereignty of God, and he looked out through those open windows towards Jerusalem … and he fell down on his knees in prayer.

Here was a man who had other places to which he could have gone, - to Darius, to the children of Israel, - but he went before the throne of God in prayer.

Look at what the Bible says here in v.10

	The Place of Prayer, - he went into his house
	His Position in Prayer, - he kneeled upon his knees
	His Persistence in Prayer, - three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

He was praying for the honour of God’s Name. What do you pray for?

	… souls to be saved? That’s good. … Keep on doing that!
	… the church to be strong in these days? … That’s good. … Keep on doing that too!

Do you know the most important thing to pray for? … that God’s Name would be honoured.

	… that it would be honoured through the life of His people,
	… that it would be honoured through the laws of the country,
	… that it would be honoured so that the Name of God would no longer be seen a swear word but held in the reverence and respect that belongs to Him alone.

Daniel fell down before God on behalf of a people not his own … that they might see His glory.

Here is what Titus said, - and it is so relevant, 2:13 Jesus Christ; 14  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. … All glory to God!

You might think, “Ah, but he was there because of his latest problem”. Yes, that’s true, … but how many times before that had he been there?!

	Many, many, many times he came into that room, looked out through the window towards Jerusalem, fell down on his knees and prayed for the redemption of God’s people out of Babylon.
	Many, many, many times he came into that room, looked out through the window towards Jerusalem, fell down on his knees and prayed that the idolatry of Babylon would be crushed … to the glory of the Name of God.

Consider again the prayers of Daniel:

	The Place of Prayer, - he went into his house
	His Position in Prayer, - he kneeled upon his knees
	His Persistence in Prayer, - three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

What a testimony and a witness! This old man, - with all the earthly power and favour of a human king at his disposal … and yet he goes to the King of kings!

When they came looking for him they knew where to find him and no doubt they knew what he would be doing for he did it every day, 11 Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.

He faced the problems of the future with the God who held the future in His hand.

God’s people in enemy territory.

	Why do some people not like our cars sitting outside this church?
	Why do some people bang the window trying to break it?
	Why will they listen to all the rubbish of the day but if you were to go to their door and speak to them about Jesus they wouldn’t have time to give you five minutes!

Can you understand it? Yes, I can … because when I was chasing after the world I didn’t have time for Jesus, - I had put other things in His place.

I believe most sincerely that we are fast approaching the day of the coming of the Lord and the Bible says such days will be ushered in with a great apostasy and a great unbelief.

We are in enemy territory. We need to know God in these days, - we need to have such a knowledge of Him, - as Daniel had, - so that when the enemy attacks we run to Him and fall on our knees … bringing it to the One Who knows all about it.

And what we need to know about the enemy is this: he is subtle, powerful, clever … but he has been judged … he has been defeated – Calvary saw to that!

And while there is still much fighting to be done … we are surely coming near the end of the battle, - perhaps the worst is yet to come! - … but the battle is the Lord’s!

These are the lessons for now I believe the Bible has to teach us as we consider Daniel in the enemy’s territory.

Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den for one reason and for one reason only, … because he was faithful to the service of God. … servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually (v.20).

	It wasn’t because he was a foreigner … that he was a Jew, - because we don’t read of any others being thrown into the den at this time,
	Neither was it simply because they were jealous of him.
	It was because of the God Whom he served and his total lack of compromise to accept the gods of Babylon.

Remember … at the very beginning of the ministry of the Lord Jesus the devil came along to Him, Mt. 4:9 All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

I’m sure as the Pharisees looked and listened to the twelve-year-old Jesus in the Jerusalem temple, and as they heard him speak and marvelled at the depth of the questions He was asking, I’m sure they thought to themselves, “Here’s a young Boy would be good as one of us!”

But Jesus rejected the beckoning of the devil as the devil took him up onto the mountain; Jesus rejected the self-righteousness and the vain religiousity of the Pharisees.

Daniel wouldn’t conform … and Jesus wouldn’t conform!

The Lord Jesus left the Glory of Heaven, - where He was the central Focus of worship, - and He made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient …

Daniel, - the third ruler in the kingdom, - when they came for him he didn’t argue … didn’t seek to take his point to a judicial enquiry or before his friend the king; … he obeyed the command, he was taken on his own to face the death and to be punished the way the ungodly dictated.

The purpose of his imprisonment was that they could find nothing against him … except that he was the servant of the living God, … whom [he] serve[d] continually.

Isn’t that a good picture of Jesus?! He never argued when He stood before Caiphas, or Herod, or Pilate.

He never uttered a word in His defence, - just like Daniel.

They could find nothing against Him, so they had to make it up, - just as they had to do when they couldn’t find anything against Daniel and they had to make up a false law.

They humiliated Jesus, - as they would have done to Daniel; they taunted Jesus and they called Him mockingly the “King of the Jews”; they humiliated Daniel too, - this powerful man, and yet they had Him thrown into a den of lions.

This was how Jesus was to be treated … and even worse 600 years later.

What was His ‘crime’? He claimed to be the Son of God.

What did this ‘criminal’ Jesus do? He healed the sick, - He made the blind to see, the dumb to speak, the dead to live … and yet they hated Him too.

What was Daniel’s ‘crime’? … His crime was that he prayed to his God, - the same God that interpreted the dreams of the kings of Babylon and of the Medes and Persians.

Daniel is an Old Testament picture of the Lord Jesus and the hatred and the opposition He had to pass through, but then note too …

My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me (v.22)

The king was a good friend (mind you, with friends like that, who needs enemies!) … the king wasn’t able to eat or sleep that night.

He went early to the lions’ den and shouted through the huge stone to Daniel, “Are you still alive? Are you living, Daniel? Has the God you love protected you from the lions?”

… Instead of hearing the roar from the lions he heard praise from the lips of Daniel, My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me.

Here’s this old man who had stood up for God throughout the whole of his life … and he was still standing for God.

	The king’s decree, - signed with the king’s signet ring, - hadn’t silenced him.
	The princes and authorities who had him thrown into the lions in the first place weren’t able to silence him either,
	… and of course, not even the lions could stop his witness to the goodness of God.

While cast alone in among the lions he had no other protection but that which he received from God, My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me.

Then think of Jesus on the cross … as the tree was lowered into the ground, and the pain shot up through His body, He too was entering alone into the ‘lion’s den’ where every demonic enemy of God lashed out at Him with all the ferocity and more of the most wicked hungry scavengers.

“He could have called ten thousand angels to destroy the world and to set Him free … He could have called ten thousand angels, but He died alone for you and me”.

In the grace and mercy of God Daniel didn’t suffer from the lions, … but all the sins of God’s people were heaped upon the shoulders of the Saviour.

You see … the purpose of the Saviour’s death was to bring redemption and justification, - He became the propitiation (the substitute) for sinners.

And even in that most horrible death we still can see the protection that God afforded to His only-begotten Son, for in the will of God it had been pre-determined that after three days He would rise again from the dead … that He would come out of the tomb … and here we see …

When the stone was rolled away at the command of king Darius (v.23) Daniel walked out from the midst of the lions …

When the stone was rolled away at the command of Almighty God the Lord Jesus Christ walked out from the very presence of the greatest enemy, death.

The stone was unable to keep Him imprisoned; the threat of death was powerless to keep Him in the tomb.

At the command of the King of kings the stone was rolled away and the Lord Jesus demonstrated His victory over death, the cross, hell, sin and its originator.

When the stone was rolled away Daniel walked out of the den; then 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. … The enemies of God were defeated when the stone was rolled away!

It was utterly and absolutely impossible for death to defeat the God Who brought life into being.

Jesus on the cross defeated once and for all all the devils in hell; His death can never be repeated … and never needs to be repeated because in His death is the only full and complete atonement for sin.

… And death on the cross was powerless to hold Him, the tomb was helpless to restrain Him … for like Daniel, He was victorious; He walked out into the Garden, - the risen, glorified, conquering Saviour!

The powerlessness of His imprisonment.

This is the Man Who is our Saviour. He is the God of Daniel … the God Who gave His only-begotten Son to die for our sin.

It was the purpose of His imprisonment to be brought low and suffer the taunts and hatred of the crowds,

It was the protection in His imprisonment that even on the cross Jesus would successfully bring to completion the plan drawn up in eternity for the salvation of His very own,

And it was the powerlessness of His imprisonment that neither the cross nor the tomb could defeat that plan for in the mercy and grace of God salvation was won and all glory was brought to the Name of the Sovereign and Almighty God.

Even Darius wrote, 26  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 that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end. 27  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.