Daniel in the lion's den

The book of Daniel was the last book of the Old Testament (without Apocrypha) to be written. Authorities estimate that it was penned in about 167 BC, centuries after the Babylonian captivity and Persian Empire of which it speaks. Who the author was is not clear, as it can’t be the same Daniel who lived in those days. When the Babylonians attacked and destroyed Judah they took most of the people back as prisoners and slaves. Daniel and other promising young Jewish men were separated for duty in Nebuchadnezzar’s court.

Daniel had distinguished himself by refusing to eat the meat sacrificed to idols and interpreting a dream for the king. On a vegetarian diet he gained weight. As for the interpretation King Nebuchadnezzar had declared that “Your God is the greatest of all gods, the Lord over kings, and the one who reveals mysteries.” (Dan. 2: 47) Daniel was rewarded with many “splendid” gifts and promoted to a position where he was in charge of the province of Babylon and head of all the royal advisers. Daniel later interprets another of the king’s dreams and also translates the “writing on the wall” which predicted the fall of Babylon to Darius the Mede.

Of course, Daniel was above reproach, honorable and trustworthy in all that he did. They couldn’t find any reason to accuse him. They came up with a plan to use his religion to trap him. It was well known throughout the kingdom that Daniel was a devout Jew. Whenever he interpreted a dream he always gave God the glory and credit. Daniel knelt and prayed facing Jerusalem three times a day.

The other leaders in Babylon gathered together and went to see Darius. They praised the king highly and suggested a law that for thirty days, no one in the kingdom is allowed to pray to any god but Darius. Darius agreed and issued an irrevocable royal decree. Violators of this decree were to be tossed into a pit of hungry lions.

Daniel continued to pray: “In an upstairs room of his house there were windows that faced toward Jerusalem. There, just as he had always done, he knelt down at the open windows and prayed to God three times a day.” (Dan. 6: 10) Not willing to compromise his faith, he did not even hide his actions. The other supervisors and governors took note of Daniel’s daily habit of thrice daily prayers and reported the infraction to King Darius.

They reminded the king of his proclamation and royal law. The king replied, “Yes, that is a strict order, a law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed”. (Dan. 6: 12) No sooner were the words out of Darius’ mouth than these other officials accused Daniel of violating the law. The king tried to find a way to rescue Daniel, a valuable and trusted servant of the empire. Daniel’s accusers reminded Darius that the law couldn’t be changed.

King Darius relented and had Daniel arrested and thrown into the pit of lions. The king had a large stone put over the mouth of the pit and put his royal seal on the entrance. No one would be able to rescue Daniel. The king was greatly distressed and spent a sleepless night, refusing all food and entertainment.

Early in the morning, the king ran to the pit and called out, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was the God you serve so loyally able to save you from the lions?” (Dan. 6: 20) Daniel praised his king and replied, “God sent his angel to shut the mouths of the lions so that they would not hurt me. He did this because he knew that I was innocent…” (Dan. 6: 22)

The king was elated and relieved and had Daniel removed from the pit. The accusers were not so fortunate; all of them, with their wives and children, were thrown into the pit. “Before they even reached the bottom of the pit, the lions pounced on them and broke all their bones.” (Dan. 6: 24)

Then, apparently, Darius wrote a letter to all of the “nations, races and languages on earth.” (Dan. 6: 25) He commanded that all people everywhere should revere and respect the God of Daniel. He then wrote a poetic letter praising and glorifying God. “Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian."

If this was written as late as 167 BC, we have to wonder: to what purpose? Is this a reflection on history or something else? Judah had been conquered in 331 BC by Alexander the Great, a Greek, and upon his death came under the rule of the Egyptians and then the Syrians. During the years that this prophetic work was written, Judah was writhing under the rule of Antiochus Epiphanes, a Syrian. After the conquest by Alexander, Greek became the language of official life in the Middle East. Antiochus was determined to spread the Hellenistic culture throughout his realm.

The Jewish people were patriotic and traditionalist. They stubbornly held on to their language, customs and religion. In an effort to force the issue, Antiochus Epiphanes moved his troops on Jerusalem and stationed them in the temple. He outlawed all that was Jewish: circumcision, Sabbath observance and the worship of God. The ultimate insult and intimidation was the transformation of the temple of YHWH into a temple of Zeus and the erection of pagan altars throughout the area. They sacrificed pigs on the altar, “the abomination of desolation”, and forced priests and people to drink swine blood.

In 167 BC Mattathias and his sons, known as the Maccabees, rebelled and were successful in ridding Jerusalem of all foreign troops. It was in this atmosphere that Daniel was written. It must have served a purpose to encourage the Hebrew faithful to remain true to their God. Daniel in the lion’s den, along with the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego surviving the fiery furnace were meant to encourage them that God would indeed reward them for their fidelity, in spite of current conditions.