(a) Trace the circumstances that caused Daniel to be cast into the lion's den.
(b) What two lessons can we learn from this episode?
(a) Daniel was one of the three presidents appointed by king Dairus to oversee the work of the120 satraps set up by the king over the whole kingdom of Babylon. Owing to his sterling qualities, Daniel showed his wealth of experience and worth by distinguishing himself among other presidents and Satraps. Therefore, the king made him the leader over others, but this did not go down well with his contemporaries. Consequently, they were looking for a way to implicate him before the king. To achieve this, the men suggested to the king that a decree should be promulgated by the king that, whoever prayed to any god or man other than the king within a specified period of thirty days would be thrown into the lion's den. The king was decieved to sign the decree into law. Once such an edict was passed into law according to the Medes and the Persian, it could not be revoked. Daniel knew that the king had been tricked into signing the law by his enemies, but he went back to his house and facing Jerusalem, he offered his prayers three times daily; giving thanks to God as usual. Daniel was caught in the act of praying and was promptly reported to the king.
The king perceived that the presidents and satraps had ganged up to implicate and eliminate Daniel, but he could not do anything to save him since the law could not be changed. Daniel was, consequently, thrown into the lion's den, but the king prayed for Daniel that the Lord he served should deliver him from the lions. This troubled the king to the extent that he was sleepless in the night. God sealed the lion's mouths so that they could not harm Daniel. In the morning, the king went to see whether the Lord that Daniel served had come to deliver him. He called out to him and Daniel answered that God had shut the mouths of the lions and they could not harm him. Daniel was brought out and those that had plotted evil against him and their families were thrown into the lion's den.
(b) Two lessons which can be learnt from the episode are:
(i) Daniel had faith and courage in God. This made him to be steadfast in his obedience to Him.
(ii) Those who prove to be enemies of God or enemies of those who serve Him will never go unpunished, just as the transgressors fell into the pit they dug for Daniel.
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