Daniel in the Workers' Den

This is a familiar story.  Even if you didn’t grow up in Sunday school, you may have heard it.  If this is your first time to hear it, try to imagine how encouraging it would have been to those exiles who were trying to live out their faith in a hostile place.

Before we proceed, let me caution you about two potential problems.

First, don’t be tripped up by the lions.  The Bible clearly presents this story as a miracle and some people have problems with miracles.  I can appreciate that.  I would encourage you to pick up a good book on apologetics (something by William Lane Craig or Winfred Corduan, for example) and read what they say on the subject.  In the meantime, if you just cannot accept the story as a miracle, remember in almost any circus you can see a man or a woman go into and come out of a cage filled with lions and tigers.  There are circumstances when the beasts don’t act beastly.

Second, don’t focus on the lions.  Yes, they play an important role in the story but this is not a story about lions.  It is a story about integrity.

Here in the US we are celebrating Labor Day.  I thought this story of one man trying to do his job would be a good one to examine.  You’ll find it in Daniel 6.

¹ It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; ² and over them three presidents, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. ³ Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other presidents and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.

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Let me introduce you to a couple of men, one you know and the other you don’t know as much about.

1.  Darius came to the throne of Babylon after conquering Belshazzar. 

--History records little or nothing about him, which has led some to doubt the historical accuracy of Daniel.  This is not wise since archaeology has repeatedly confirmed Daniel’s account. 

--Darius wanted to rule the kingdom efficiently.  He recognized talent and ability without regard to the ethnic or racial background of the individual.

--He seems to have been susceptible to flattery and praise, leaving him vulnerable to those who out exploit this character flaw.

2.  Daniel, who had been brought to Babylon years before as a captive from Judah, was in his eighties at this time.  He repeated showed himself to be a gifted administrator, one who understood the people he served and the goals of the government.  He hadn’t been in the position long before he had shown he was “so evidently superior” to superior to the other administrators.

Christians in the workplace should notice a couple things about Daniel.  First, he did a good job even though he almost certainly wanted to be somewhere else.  A man who spent half the day complaining wouldn’t have the record for good work Daniel had.  Second, he evidently set a goal of excellence.  He would never be content to get by, to “work to the contract” as some do.

As a result he caught Darius’ attention. 

⁴ Then the presidents and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. ⁵ Then these men said, "We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God."

Jealousy is an ugly emotion whether it is found in the family, the church, or the workplace.  When Daniel’s fellow administrators found out about Darius’ plan they began to plot and scheme to bring Daniel down.  Good people aren’t exempt from the envy and resentment of bad people.  Often, those who won’t exert themselves to excel at work strongly resent those who do.  Rather than be inspired to work harder themselves, they work to topple those receiving the well-deserved accolades for their efforts.

So, they set out to find some way to undermine the king’s confidence in Daniel; they may have even hoped they could convince the king Daniel should be removed from office and punished.  They couldn’t. 

Certain character traits protected Daniel:  1.  He was faithful—that is, he was trustworthy, a man of integrity.  2.  He was scrupulous.  As one translation puts it, “no fault of neglect” was found in his work.  He dotted his “I’s” and crossed his “T’s”.   If he delegated a task, he made sure the one he chose was also a person of talent and character.  As the New Living Translation says, “He was faithful and honest and always responsible.”

Again, that’s a goal for every Christian worker to aim for. 

In the end, Daniel’s enemies couldn’t find fault with his work.  So, they decided to take a different approach.

Their decision says so much about Daniel.  They decided to use his integrity against him.

Daniel’s coworkers knew two things about him.

1.  He was a good worker, who deserved recognition.  If they’d had any doubts about that before, they were even more convinced since making the futile attempt to find grounds for accusing him of incompetence or malfeasance.

2.  He was a devoted follower of his God.  I don’t picture Daniel buttonholing his coworkers to press the claims of Yahweh on them, but his whole demeanor underscored his commitment to God. 

For the past several years there have been debates about just how much of your religion you can bring to the workplace.  For example, is it okay to place a Bible on your desk or can you hang a cross on the wall of your cubicle?  Some of these debates have even ended up in the courtroom. 

If we must have these things to confirm our commitment to Christ, something is wrong.  You can be sure that Daniel didn’t have a home court advantage in Babylon.  While he may not have been the only Jew in the government, I doubt there were enough of them to form a noontime Torah study.  He had only his integrity and his reputation to remind people of his spiritual priorities.

And that, his enemies supposed, would be enough to deal with him.

⁶ Then these presidents and satraps came by agreement to the king and said to him, "O King Darius, live forever! ⁷ All the presidents of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. ⁸ Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked." ⁹ Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction.

There was no Persian equivalent to the First Amendment.  The king could place a religious obligation on his subjects without fear.  Still, a truly wise king would have questioned the proposal Daniel’s enemies were making.

Unfortunately, Darius, as good a ruler as he might have been, was susceptible to flattery.  Daniel’s enemies must have known this as they approached him.

The idea sounded so good that Darius didn’t even ask, “Are you sure ‘all’ the administrators ‘are agreed’ this is a good idea?”  Apparently, he didn’t even think to ask, “Where’s Daniel, by the way?”

In any case, Darius agreed to this incredible plan for everyone in the kingdom to pray to him.   He doesn’t even seem to have wondered if this action could have caused unrest in the kingdom.

You may work for a supervisor who can be manipulated by those who flatter him or her.  As a Christian, you may be unwilling to play that game so you’ve been watched as foolish decisions or costly mistakes were made.  At such times, it’s hard to remember that maintaining your integrity is more important in the long run than a temporary gain.

I once heard of how Gregory Peck was going into a restaurant with a friend.  They had no reservations so Peck’s friend said, “You’re an important person, go tell them who you are.”  Peck replied, “If you have to tell them you’re important, you’re not.”  Darius could have used an ounce or two of that humility.

If you’re a supervisor, make sure you have a bottle of humble pills in your desk.

Now, what do you suppose Daniel did when he heard about the king’s decree?

¹⁰ When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.

When Daniel heard he wasn’t allowed to pray, he prayed.  A Christian in the workplace has a certain obligation to his or her employer.  Paul’s instruction for the slaves at Ephesus makes that clear; but he also makes clear that their obligation to God comes first.  That seems to be how Daniel saw things.

As we look at that prayer, we can learn something about facing difficulty at work.

--It’s easier to pray during the tough times if we’ve been praying during the good times.  Evidently, this kind of praying was a habit with Daniel.  He didn’t have to find a place to pray, he had a place to pray.

--When it’s getting tough at work, hold on to hope.  Daniel faced Jerusalem.  The great city of David called to mind how God had called Abraham, promising to make a nation of his descendants, how God had rescued that nation from slavery in Egypt, how that redeemed nation would give the world a great Redeemer.  But the city had been destroyed during Daniel’s lifetime.  He hadn’t seen it but no doubt he had heard of how the once beautiful city lay in ruins.  But those who had been listening to God’s prophets knew that one day God would restore the city and the nation.  Sinclair Ferguson draws some insights from Daniel’s habit.

Whenever Daniel prayed, he instinctively knelt in the direction of Jerusalem.  His mind, his emotions, and his will were focused on the power and the promises of God that were symbolized by that city….  It was an attempt on Daniel’s part to focus his attention on God’s covenant word, which is the foundation of all true prayer.  It reminded hi that he was a strange and an exile in Babylon.  His citizenship and loyalties lay elsewhere.  Jerusalem was a reminder of that covenant word.  Whatever likewise reminds us of God’s promises may legitimately be used to stir us to prayer

--When we pray, we should bring our every need to God.  We don’t know what Daniel prayed at this time.  But it’s easy to imagine him praying for wisdom to do his job, courage to live for God in a hostile environment, and grace to face whatever came his way.

--When we pray, we should remember to praise God.  The word translated as “thanks” carries the notion of praising God.   Daniel had lived in Babylon some sixty-five years.  He was brought there as a teenager, a slave.  Maybe Daniel recalled how God had blessed him through the years, bringing him to an influential place in the kingdom, a place where he could help his people.  These things inspired him to praise God. 

As he thought of those long years of God’s benevolence, Daniel may have thought, “Even if I end up a lion’s dinner, I can have no complaints.  God has been good.”

It may seem hard to praise God when there are those who want you to be a lion’s snack, but it can be done—somewhere in your experience you can find a reason to praise God.

So Daniel prayed, all the while breaking the law.

Someone might wonder why Daniel didn’t compromise just a little.  After all, he would only have to adjust his prayer habits thirty days.  Though it might have seemed a brief time, to pray to Darius would have violated the first of the commandments:   " 'You shall have no other gods before me.”  At the same time, had Daniel given in to that call to compromise, he would have sullied his witness.  Faithfulness matters.

Before we move on, let me point a couple things:  Daniel was one of the good guys.  Sometimes the good guys have to face the lions.

¹¹ Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. ¹² Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, "O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?" The king answered and said, "The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked." ¹³ Then they answered and said before the king, "Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day." ¹⁴ Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. ¹⁵ Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, "Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed."

The trap had been set and Daniel was caught.  Wouldn’t it be great to know your integrity made you so predictable?

Daniel’s enemies were not shocked he took the high road.  They expected.  Their surveillance caught Daniel in the act of praying so they rushed to tell Darius.

You can almost hear the king think, “Oh, no, not Daniel.”  He spent the better part of a day looking for a loophole.  But he couldn’t find one—Daniel’s enemies repeatedly reminded him of that.   We can almost hear them chanting, “The law of the Medes and the Persians cannot be changed.”  I don’t know if Darius considered saying, “Okay, here’s a new law:  Any stupid, ill-advised law can be changed.”  He didn’t.

A stubborn commitment to tradition, tied to an unwillingness to admit a mistake, left the king with no choice but to send Daniel to what was assumed to be certain death.

¹⁶ Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel, "May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!" ¹⁷ And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel.

Once the decision was reluctantly made, Daniel was cast into the lion’s den.  But not before the pagan king offered an unusual wish for God to preserve Daniel. 

The king sealed the den so no one would disturb Daniel.  It almost seems as if Darius was thinking, “Only God can protect Daniel from the lions, but I’ll do what I can to protect him from the schemers who tricked me into condemning him.”

¹⁸ Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him. ¹⁹ Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. ²⁰ As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he 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?" ²¹ Then Daniel said to the king, "O king, live forever! ²² My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm." ²³ Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. 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.

The two men we met at the beginning of this story spent the night in very different circumstances.  One spent a restless night in a palatial palace, unable to sleep, eat, or enjoy the entertainment he could have easily had.  The other spent the night in a dark cave in the company of an angel and some very puzzled lions.  Beyond that, we don’t know how Daniel spent the night.  Maybe he prayed, maybe he slept, maybe he simply waited for the dawn.

When dawn arrived so did the king.  He rushed to the lion’s den, hoping that Daniel had somehow survived.  In a way this is one of the most remarkable aspects of this story.  How did that pagan king come to imagine that Daniel’s God might save him from the lions?  We don’t know.  Perhaps he heard of three other Jew who, years before, had defied another foolish, ill-advised law and were thrown into a fiery furnace as punishment.  If so, he also heard how those three young men had come out of that furnace unhurt.

Whatever, we can only imagine his relief when he cried out for Daniel and Daniel responded.

He was safe.

I think the king knew he had been duped.  Daniel’s jealous enemies had tried to get rid of one of the king’s ablest servants.  Before this story concluded Daniel’s enemies were thrown into that same lion’s den; without going into detail, the lions were far less restrained than they had been with Daniel.

I feel obliged to say something about that, especially as it relates to those who try to cause trouble for us in the workplace:

--it appears to have been Darius’ idea, not Daniel’s, to execute the troublemakers.  When we deal with “enemies” at work, it’s best not to plot to do to them what they hoped to do to you; leave that to someone else.

--for Christians, the principle of forgiving our enemies applies at work just as it does in every other relationship.

Notice Daniel’s response to the king, “O king, live forever….” He had been thrown into a lion’s den because of this arrogant king’s silly law, but he still demonstrates respect and graciousness. 

It’s hard, but even when your boss is a jerk, you should try to be respectful and gracious.  The time may come when that boss sees the wisdom of consulting you before a crucial decision.  But, even if that never happens, you will have kept above pettiness and vindictiveness.

²⁵ Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: "Peace be multiplied to you. ²⁶ I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,
for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. ²⁷ He delivers and rescues; he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, he who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions."
²⁸ So this Daniel prospered ….

Daniel’s escape from the lion’s den so moved Darius that he declared that the entire kingdom was to honor Daniel’s God.  Did Darius become a believer?  Probably not.  Yet, God was glorified in this proclamation.

Because Daniel remained faithful, because he did not surrender his integrity, God was glorified.  In fact, Alistair McGrath even suggests we might see this as an evangelistic outcome.  Some, upon hearing the story, may have been prompted the place their faith in the God of Israel.

The greatest thing we can hope for is that somehow our demeanor at work, even during the tough times, can bring honor to God.  It may be that those who know of our commitment to Christ are curious about how we will respond to those moments on the job when nothing seems right or fair.

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As I prepared this message, I kept wondering what if those lions had behaved like lions?  What if they had made short work of the aging prophet?  Would Daniel have been proven foolish for disobeying the edict? 

As I thought about these questions, I remembered those three young Jews who faced that fiery furnace earlier in Daniel.  To the king’s mocking question, “Is your God able to save you?” they responded, “It may be that he will save us, but if not  (emphasis added) we will still stand for what is right.”  In that moment, with the fire still ahead of them, their lives glorified God.

If those lions had chowed down on Daniel, his fortitude and faith would still have honored and glorified God. 

You don’t know what may happen when you take the Christ way in dealing with a problem at work.  You might end up appearing to the world around you to be a failure.  God will see you as a success.