Episode 165: What We Learn from Daniel about Faithfulness and Witness | +Quigg Lawrence

Morning, friends. Before we get started, I just want to ask you guys to pray for my boy, Fleet. He and his family moved to Japan, which sounds great except it's a different culture and it's a hard place to live. He could be called at any moment, and actually with no warning, he was called. We got a call last night. He's being deployed. He'll be gone for Christmas. He'll be gone for Easter, and he has a six-year-old girl and a four-year-old girl who are crying, holding their daddy dolls. They actually have dolls made of these military pilots with their pictures, and the girls hold the dolls at night. She said, "I want my real daddy, not a doll." So if you just remember to pray, not only for my son and his family, but also for all those who serve so we have the freedom to worship.

So Father, we give you this time. We pray as we look at the book of Daniel that we would learn something about how do we live in a foreign land? How do we live in the midst of a world that is not the kingdom of God? How do we be faithful like Daniel? We pray that in Jesus's name. Amen.

A Question About Restaurants

Okay, the question is: what's the weirdest thing you've ever seen in a restaurant? I remember when I was in high school, we went into one of those late-night places, kind of like Waffle House. There was one waitress—it was full, by the way—and a bunch of very intoxicated high school and college kids in there. One waitress running back and forth, trying to do the cash register, clean the dishes, do this, do that, and there was one chef. They both got so fed up with it, they quit. Before my meal was served, they quit.

That's not the weirdest thing I've ever seen. Do you remember what is the building right next to 419 Restaurant? Regazzi's, or at least used to be. Does anybody here remember what was there before Regazzi's? I need a hearing aid, so speak up. It was Golden Corral. Can I just tell you, I love Golden Corral? I know it's terrible, but the rolls—I mean, oh—and mashed potatoes and gravy and all that.

Anyway, Annette and I were coming into Golden Corral. I was already intoxicated by the smell of those hot yeast rolls. We're there waiting in line when this young preacher comes in and goes, "Hey, could everybody be quiet for a minute?" I thought that was strange. He said, "I'd like us all to say grace in a public restaurant."

Now, I'm really big on always saying grace. I'm not ashamed of the Lord or the gospel. Before I put the fork to my mouth or the spoon into my mouth, I always think we should give thanks, but maybe not call the whole restaurant. But that's what this guy did, and everybody was so shocked, they just did it.

Daniel's Boldness in Prayer

So in Daniel, we see a similar boldness and boldness in prayer, but he's actually in his room when he does it. And so I'm hoping today as we take a look at Daniel, who was removed from his country and put in a pagan country—Daniel was removed from his country when he was made 13, 14 years old. He was given a new name, a pagan name. For seventy years, he lived with a people of a different tongue, a different culture, and with many gods, but not the true God.

I think as we look at how he lived his life, we're going to have some hint of how we live as we wait for Christ to return. So today's a lot of Bible. If you don't like Bible, you're probably in the wrong church. Sorry.

Daniel 6

So here we go. Daniel 6. If you have your Bible, that's great. The problem with Daniel is it's hard to find. So you can go to your table of contents, or you can go to Psalms and you can turn right about eight books. There you go. Or you can put it on your app, which is very easy.

So here's the story. First of all, we know that Daniel was brought when he was a young man, probably 12, 13, 14 years old. But now, by doing all the math and reading the text, we find out that unlike the little Jesus storybook Bibles that show a 16-year-old Daniel going into the lion's den, he was actually about 82 to 83 years old.

So what I'm looking for right now is somebody, a man who's in their eighties. Do we have any such man that's like in their mid-eighties as a visual? Stan, but you look so young. That's not even fair. Okay, Stan. Imagine if Stan wasn't so healthy. Stand up and let him see what an 80-year-old man looks like. This is a vigorous 80-year-old man. I'm thinking without all those vitamins and the healthy things you do, maybe Daniel wasn't quite as young looking as Stan.

Anyway, here's the story. It says it pleased King Darius. Darius was the king over Babylon. Where the Jews had been taken out of Jerusalem and for seventy years were held captive. First, it was Nebuchadnezzar, and then it was Belshazzar, then it was Darius, and eventually Cyrus were the kings while the Jews were basically enslaved or taken away against their will. But anyway, this is the third king.

It says, it pleased Darius to set up over the kingdom 120 satraps, whatever those are, throughout the kingdom and they're basically leaders or like governors. Darius set up governors all over the kingdom and over the leaders or the governors, there were three high officials of whom Daniel was one to whom all these leaders or governors must give account so that the king might not suffer loss.

Now, if you're a Babylonian, why might you not like the fact that the king put Daniel over all the leaders? I mean, think about it in our own constitution in the United States. You cannot be made president if you were born in any other country, even Canada or Mexico. If you're not born here, you can't be the president. You may like that rule, you may not like it, it's not the point. The point is, you can understand why they're like, what? You're going to put a Jew? This guy who worships another god, you're going to put him over us? No way.

And it says in verse three, this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials because he had an excellent spirit in him. Basically, what he had is the spirit of the Lord in him. It's not that Daniel was nice. Right? It's not that he opened doors for little old ladies and helped them cross the street. He had the spirit of the living God inside of him, and it was so strong and so real that even non-believers took notice.

Jesus said, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and then give glory to your father who is in heaven.

And that's exactly what Daniel was doing. Again, remember, away from the synagogue, away from corporate worship, away from his culture, away from his language, given a new name, a pagan name, Belteshazzar. But in the midst of that, Daniel had a relationship with the Lord. He was filled with God's spirit, and it says he became distinguished. He had an excellent spirit in him. And it says, and the king planned to set Daniel over the whole kingdom.

The Trap

But then something happens, there's drama. There's always drama. Whenever you have people, there's drama. I say like, church filled with hypocrites and drama and whatever. Great. Let's just make a church of 200 of you, and eventually, y'all would split. Right? Because there's going to be drama and conflict even with 200 of you.

It says, then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom. Basically, they're trying to set a trap for this godly young man who's appointed leader. It says, but they could not find any ground for complaint or any fault because Daniel was faithful. I don't know about you, but I'm thinking if they're going to look at my resume or the things I've done in my life, it wouldn't be that hard to find some complaint. People often will say, Quig, you did this and you did that. I said, Well, I can tell you a lot worse things about me. I can tell you a lot worse things. But in Daniel, he was a godly young man, but now a godly older man. They were looking for some dirt on him, they couldn't find it because he was living for the Lord in the midst of a pagan land.

It says, they couldn't find any ground for complaint or fault because he was faithful. Verse five, it says, and then these men said, we shall not find any ground for complaint against Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.

Verse six, then these high officials came by agreement to the king and said, O King Darius. They're buttering him up. O King Darius, live forever. Now they're really going to appeal to Darius' pride. Look what they did. It says, then these high officials came by agreement to the king, said, oh, king Darius, live forever. All the high officials of the kingdom, and the counselors, the governors, and all the leaders, we all agree that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction that whoever makes a petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into a den of lions.

Now, you see what they're doing here? They're doing what politicians always do. They present something, they're laying a trap, but they actually lied. Daniel was one of those leaders, but Daniel was not in agreement. He never even knew about this. But they're lying and said, we've all gotten together, and we all think, king, you must do this. It was a lie. You know, when you have to lie to get something done, that's when you know you're off course.

And so what happened? So they passed, the king passed the law. Darius signed it, this document saying, if anybody worships anyone other than me, Darius, for thirty days, they're going to be thrown in a den of lions. He did it thinking that his top servant, Daniel, was in full agreement.

Verse 10, when Daniel knew that the document had been signed, which clearly says he didn't know before.

When he knew the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open towards Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day, he prayed, and he gave thanks before God.

Two things I want you to notice here. If I lived in a pagan land and I knew there was something that if anybody prayed to the one true God and not to King Darius, I sure wouldn't do it with my window open so everybody could see. I'd be like the church in China, I'd go underground. But at 83, he's like, hey, I'm going to serve the Lord. I'm not hiding in anything. You may kill the body, you're not going to take my soul. I'm unafraid. I'm going to keep praying to the Lord as I have ever since my youth. How you reckon they're going to like that?

So they set a trap. He got down on his knees three times a day and he prayed and he gave thanks before God. What's the second thing I want you to know? How old was Daniel again? I'm 62. I've had a hip replacement, two knee things, two shoulder surgeries, two heart surgeries, a wrist surgery, hernia. I mean, I won't show you all my scars, but you get the idea. A lot of times I'm like, I can't kneel down anymore. At 62, come on. This man is a couple years from his death, and he loves the Lord enough that he is not making an excuse about his perishable body. He just gets on his knees and he faithfully goes and has his time with the Lord. I think that might be instructive.

So Daniel got on his knees three times a day and he prayed and he gave thanks to God. My question is, what about us? Do we make time and space for God? Because it just doesn't happen. You actually have to purpose to do it. And once you start, eventually it becomes a habit. He got down on his knees. He sought God. He prayed. He talked. He listened, and he gave thanks. Could you give thanks to God in a strange land?

By the rivers of Babylon we sat down and wept, and we remembered Zion. How can we sing the Lord's song in a strange land? — Psalm 137

And yet Daniel was doing it. He was doing it.

The people that Daniel was over, who had set the trap, came to the king and they basically said, "Oh king, did you not sign a law or an injunction that anyone who makes a petition to any other god or man within thirty days except for you should be cast into a den of lions?" And the king answered and said, "Yep, sure did. This thing stands fast. The law of the Medes and the Persians cannot be revoked."

And then they answered. These guys are slick like soap. People ask me, what party you in? I'm like, I don't be in any party. Because I think if you stay around politics long enough, they all become slippery bars of soap. Very few are not slippery bars of soap. They're political animals.

So they said, "Is this Daniel, one of the exiles from Judah? See, he pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but he makes his petition to his God three times a day."

So when the king heard these words, how do you think King Darius was affected by that? He could be outraged, but what does the Bible record that he felt? He was distressed because he loved Daniel. He had seen God work through Daniel. He knew there was a special spirit of God in Daniel. He may not have loved the same God Daniel did, but he could see it. So the king was distressed because they had set a trap for him, and his top servant and advisor was going to be killed.

The king was distressed, and he set his mind to deliver Daniel. I don't know how he thought he was going to get out of this. One commentator said he fed the lions night and day, night and day, night and day. Kind of like, remember Thanksgiving? Do you remember how you felt when you got up from the table? You ate all that stuff. If you saw the picture of my Thanksgiving plate, it was unbelievable. It was a mound of food with multiple pies. You get up from the table, you're in a coma. I think the idea was to get the lions like that, so when this 83-year-old man appeared in the lion's den, he'd be like an old dried-up morsel, and he'd say, we're not hungry.

But as he was trying to figure out some way to save Daniel's life, the friends came and said, "King, it's written. The injunction is there. You cannot save this man. He must go into the den of lions."

And so eventually the king agreed. He goes, "Yep, what I wrote, I wrote, and the law is the law, and it cannot be changed."

And so they rolled rocks in front of the den of lions, and the king put his seal on it. And then the Bible records that something happened.

What happened that night to the king? Well, first of all, the king declared, "Daniel, may your God whom you serve continually deliver you." Can't you see this? This is an unbeliever. He says, Daniel, your God that you've been so faithful to, that you've served all these many decades. May he deliver you, Daniel. The stone was brought, the thing was sealed, and the king went to his palace and he spent the night doing something. What did the king do? King Darius. The Bible records that he fasted. I don't know about you, but I ain't quick to fast. The reason he fasted is he loved Daniel, and he noticed the spirit of God in Daniel. And he also knew a trap had been laid. And so the king went back to his palace. He says, get all the diversions away from me. I don't want wine, women's song, get them all away. He got on his face, he fasted, and he prayed. He was calling out that Daniel's life would be saved.

It says sleep fled from him. Do you ever have nights like that where you're just troubled, you're vexed, and sleep is not to be found? You try to go to sleep, but you can't go to sleep. He loved Daniel so much. See, this godly spirit within Daniel had affected him so much that he wanted him to live. He wanted him to remain on his team.

Then at the break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. — Daniel 6:19

I always think this is interesting culturally. When is the break of day? If you were to ask video gamers or college students, when is the break of day, what would they tell you? About twelve noon. But as older people, we got to get up in the middle of the night, and we get up early. We go to bed earlier, and we get up earlier. You can see this guy, he's fasting, he's praying, he's on his face, this king, and he's tossing and turning all night long. But as soon as it begins to break, kind of reminds me of the resurrection and the women going to the tomb. But at the break of day, the king arose and he went in haste to the den of lions.

And as he came near to the den where Daniel was, the king cried out in a tone of anguish.

The king declared to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God whom you serve continually been able to deliver you from the lions?

Now this bypassed me until after the first sermon. I've read this, I've studied this, read the commentaries. What did he call him? What did the king Darius, the pagan, call Daniel? Well, he called him by his Hebrew name. He didn't call him Belteshazzar, his pagan name. He called him by his Hebrew, god-loving name. I missed that, but it shows you that the Lord was working in the heart of this fairly wicked king, Darius. He called his God-given name. He says, "O Daniel, servant of the living God. Has your God, whom you continually serve, been able to deliver you from the lions?"

Then Daniel basically said, "Yes, he has. My God has saved me. My God sent an angel and he shut the mouth of the lions. My God has done this."

And when the king heard this, what was his reaction? It's right there in the text. It says, "The king was exceedingly glad." He had witnessed a move of the spirit, power of God saving a man's life. It's supernatural. And it says he was so glad that Daniel's life had been saved. And he commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. And so Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him because he had trusted in his God.

And the king commanded—this is kind of a hard verse. Children, put plugs in your ears. King commanded those men who had maliciously accused Daniel, and they brought them and they cast them into the den of lions, them, and their whole families. See, these wicked men who had plotted, who had schemed, were now facing judgment.

The King's Proclamation

Let's see what effect this had on king Darius. Did you ever feel like in this life, it's like this world is not my home? I keep trying to make it my home. I keep trying to baptize it and Christianize it, but it's just not the kingdom of God. It's not, and it never will be till Christ returns. And so Daniel, much like us during Advent, waiting, waiting, waiting for the king. He was waiting for the king, but he showed us how to wait for the king. Be a man or woman of prayer. Be devoted. Love God more than anything else. Don't fear men who can kill the body. Fear God who can throw your soul into judgment.

But then Daniel's godliness had an effect.

King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell on the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree in my royal dominion that people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For Daniel's God is the living God. He endures forever. His kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his God's dominion shall be to the end. His God delivers and rescues. He works signs and wonders. This God who saved Daniel from the power of the lions.

In verse 28, we end.

So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Friends, what I want you to understand is this. We live in a time where the kingdom of God is not fully here. You feel it. You see it. You know it. You know in your spirit. These things ought not to be. This is a broken world.

But in the midst of this time, we learn from Daniel that we can't be in despair and just go hide away. We're going to keep serving God, keep being faithful to God, keep having a relationship with God, and that we will, as the spirit of God moves through us, people will see the fruit of the spirit in your life, and they will see your good works, and they will glorify your father who's in heaven.

I want to encourage you today, learn from Daniel. Read the story yourself. Learn from him and say, God, give me the faith of Daniel, that in this time of waiting, I may be faithful even unto death.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.