Once upon a time there was a man named Daniel who lived far from home in a great kingdom. Daniel loved God very much and prayed to Him every day. He worked for King Darius and did his job so well that the king liked him very much. Daniel was wise and honest, and the king wanted to put him in charge of the whole kingdom.
However, some men at the king’s court were jealous of Daniel. They didn’t want him as their leader, so they looked for a reason to get him into trouble. But they didn’t think anything bad about him – Daniel really was a good person. Eventually, they decided to make a plan against him. They knew that Daniel prayed to God every day.
The men went to King Darius and said, “We think you should make a law. For thirty days no one shall pray to any god or man except to you, O king. Anyone who does not comply with this should be thrown into the lion’s den.” The king thought it was a good idea and agreed. He signed the law, and it could no longer be changed.
When Daniel heard about the new law, he decided to continue praying to God anyway, as he always did. He went home, opened the windows that faced Jerusalem, knelt down and asked God for help.
The wicked men watched Daniel and then ran quickly to the king. “Daniel has broken the law!” they cried. “He prayed to his God!” The king was sad because he liked Daniel very much, but he could not change the law. So Daniel had to be thrown into the lions’ den.
The lion’s den was a horrible place full of wild lions, and everyone thought that Daniel would not survive. But even before the pit was closed, the king said to Daniel: “May your God, whom you serve so continually, save you!”
That night the king could not sleep. He was very worried about Daniel. In the morning, very early, he ran to the lions’ den and cried out in a trembling voice: “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God been able to save you from the lions?”
Suddenly the king heard a voice from the pit! “Yes, O king! My God sent his angel and closed the snapdragons so that they did not harm me. For I am innocent before God, and I have done nothing wrong before you, O king.”
The king was very relieved and happy. He had Daniel taken out of the pit at once. Daniel was uninjured! Then the king ordered that the wicked men be punished for their lies. And he issued a new commandment: Let all in his kingdom honor the God of Daniel, for He is the living God who can save.
Message of history
God is always with us, even when we are in danger. He can protect us if we trust Him faithfully and courageously, as Daniel did.
Bible passage
The story of Daniel in the lions’ den is found in Daniel, chapter 6, verses 16-24:
*”Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king spoke up and said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve without ceasing, deliver you.” And they brought a stone and laid it on the opening of the pit; and the king sealed him with his own seal and with the seal of his rulers, so that nothing should be changed in this matter. Then the king went to his palace and fasted through the night; and he had no food brought to him, and sleep fled from him.
When the king got up at dawn, he hastened to the lions’ den. And when he came to the pit, he called Daniel with a fearful voice; The king began and said to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve without ceasing, been able to deliver you from the lions?” Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouth of the lions, so that they would not harm me, because innocence was found in me before him; and even before you, O king, I have committed no crime.
Then the king was very happy about him and ordered Daniel to be pulled up from the pit. And Daniel was pulled out of the pit, and no injury was found on him, for he had trusted his God.” *
