Daniel 6: Faith in the Lion’s Den
Where We Are in the Story
Before we jump into chapter 6, we need to know where we are in the timeline. The world has shifted under Daniel's feet.
Do you remember what happened in chapter 5? Babylon has fallen. The writing was literally on the wall—the fingers of a hand wrote Babylon's death sentence while King Belshazzar was throwing a party. That same night, the Medo-Persian army took the city.
So now we're under Medo-Persian rule. A new empire. New rulers. New power structures. But the same faithful Daniel.
And here's something worth noting: Daniel is likely in his eighties by this point in the story. He was probably a teenager when he was taken captive in 605 B.C. We're now around 539 B.C. or shortly after. This man has been faithfully serving foreign kings for more than six decades. Think about that. Sixty years of staying faithful in a pagan empire.
One more technical note: The language of chapters 2 through 7 is still Aramaic, not Hebrew. And that's intentional. These chapters are aimed at the imperial world—at the nations. God is showing the kingdoms of earth that He rules over them all. So keep that in mind as we read. This story isn't just for Israel. It's for the whole watching world.
If you had a timeline in front of you, you'd see Babylon giving way to Medo-Persia, exactly as God said it would back in chapter 2 with Nebuchadnezzar's dream. God's timetable is unfolding exactly as planned.
All right. Let's open up chapter 6 and watch what happens when an old man refuses to stop praying.
The Plot and the Prayer (6:1–15)
1) The Promotion & the Plot (6:1–9)
Let me read verses 1 through 5:
"It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. Then the high officials 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. 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.'"
So here's the setup. Darius organizes his empire. He appoints 120 satraps—regional governors—and over them, three high officials. Daniel is one of the three.
But Daniel doesn't just blend into the bureaucracy. Verse 3 tells us he distinguished himself. Why? Because of an excellent spirit. That phrase in Aramaic carries the idea of extraordinary competence, wisdom, and character. Daniel isn't coasting. He's not phoning it in. He's serving with excellence.
And the king notices. Darius plans to set Daniel over the entire kingdom. This is a massive promotion. An elderly Jewish exile is about to become the prime minister of the Persian Empire.
And that's when jealousy kicks in.
Verse 4: The other officials start digging. They're looking for anything—some financial corruption, some abuse of power, some negligence in his duties. And what do they find?
Nothing.
No corruption. No negligence. No error. No fault.
Now, let me pause here, because this is remarkable. Daniel has been in government for decades. And they can't find a single thing to use against him. His work is clean. His finances are clean. His character is clean.
And that brings them to verse 5: "We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God."
Here's what they're saying: "We can't fault his work, so we have to target his worship."
They realize that Daniel's faithfulness to God is unshakeable. And if they're going to take him down, they have to use that faithfulness as the weapon.
So they hatch a plan.
Let me read verses 6 through 9:
"Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement to the king and said to him, 'O King Darius, live forever! All the high officials 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. Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.' Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction."
Now, there's a lot happening in those verses. Let me break it down.
First, notice the flattery. "O King Darius, live forever!" They're buttering him up.
Second, notice the lie. "All the high officials... are agreed." That's not true. Daniel is one of the high officials, and he clearly wasn't consulted. But they're creating the illusion of unanimity.
Third, notice the proposal: For thirty days, no one can make a petition to any god or man except the king himself. If anyone breaks this rule, they go into the lions' den.
Now, on the surface, this might sound like a loyalty test or some kind of royal unity campaign. But it's not about theology. It's about politics. They've engineered a law that Daniel cannot keep without betraying God.
And here's the kicker: They frame this as the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked. In Aramaic, the word for "law" here is dāt—a formal, binding decree. And they emphasize over and over that this law cannot be changed.
Now, why does the text keep repeating that? Because it's setting up the irony. The king's "unchangeable" law is about to collide with God's higher rule. And we're about to see which one wins.
So Darius signs it. And the trap is set.
Let me give you two cross-references before we move on:
Proverbs 29:25 says, "The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe."
And in Acts 5:29, when the apostles are told to stop preaching, Peter says, "We must obey God rather than men."
That's the principle Daniel is about to live out.
2) Daniel's Pattern, Not a Performance (6:10–11)
Now we come to verse 10, and this is the heart of the whole chapter. Let me read it slowly:
"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."
This is one of the most important verses in the entire chapter. Let me show you why.
Notice: Daniel knew the document was signed. He's not ignorant. He's not caught off guard. He knows exactly what this law means for him. He knows that if he prays, he's going into the lions' den.
And what does he do?
He goes home. He goes to his upper room. And he prays as he had done previously.
Now, there are three anchors in this one verse that I want you to see. Three details that show us Daniel's pattern of prayer.
First: Direction—toward Jerusalem.
Daniel prays with his windows open toward Jerusalem. Now, this isn't magic. Facing Jerusalem doesn't make your prayers more effective. But it does something else: it reminds Daniel of God's covenant promises. It orients his heart toward the place where God put His name, toward the temple, toward the hope of restoration.
This goes back to 1 Kings 8, when Solomon dedicated the temple. In verses 48 through 50, Solomon prays that if God's people are in exile and they pray toward the temple, God would hear them. Daniel is living out that prayer. He's reminding himself that God keeps His promises.
Second: Posture—on his knees.
Daniel kneels. This is a posture of humility. It's a posture of dependence. Kneeling says, "God, I need You. I'm not self-sufficient. I'm not in control. I'm bringing myself low before You."
Third: Rhythm—three times a day.
Daniel prays three times a day—morning, midday, and evening. This echoes Psalm 55:17, where David says, "Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice."
Three touchpoints throughout the day. Daniel bookends his day with prayer, and he punctuates the middle of his day with prayer. His life is marked by a steady rhythm of communion with God.
Now here's the phrase I really want you to catch: "As he had done previously."
In Aramaic, that phrase emphasizes a long-standing habit. This isn't new. This isn't Daniel ramping up his spiritual intensity because there's a crisis. This is just Daniel being Daniel.
He's been doing this for decades. Day after day, year after year, through multiple regimes, through promotions and demotions, through good times and hard times—Daniel has maintained this rhythm.
And that's the point.
Daniel didn't need to decide what to do when the pressure came. He had already decided, day after day, for decades. Faithfulness had become automatic.
Let me say that again, because this is the application: Daniel didn't need to decide what to do under pressure because he had already decided, day after day, for decades.
Let me ask you a question: If a decree landed on your desk tomorrow—some new law, some new policy at work, some new cultural expectation—which habit of obedience would it immediately test?
Would it test your honesty? Your sexual ethics? Your use of money? Your commitment to corporate worship? Your willingness to speak truth?
And if that pressure came tomorrow, what would "continuing as usual" look like for you?
Daniel's answer was clear. His habit was clear. And when the test came, he just kept walking.
Verse 11 tells us what happened next: The officials were watching. They knew Daniel's pattern. And they caught him praying.
3) The Charge & the King's Dilemma (6:12–15)
Now let me read verses 12 through 15:
"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.' 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.' 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. 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.'"
So they come to the king. And notice how they do it. First, they remind him of the law. "You signed this, right? Thirty days. Anyone who prays to anyone except you goes into the lions' den. Right?"
And Darius confirms it. "Yes, that's the law. It can't be changed."
And then—only then—do they spring the trap. "Well, Daniel—you know, that Jewish exile, the one you were about to promote?—he's not paying attention to you, O king. He's praying three times a day."
And Darius realizes he's been played.
Verse 14 says he was "much distressed." The Aramaic here suggests deep displeasure—with himself, with the situation, maybe even with the officials. He sees what they've done, and he knows Daniel is innocent.
So he spends the entire day trying to find a loophole. He's working until sundown, trying to rescue Daniel.
But he can't.
The officials come back and remind him: "O king, the law of the Medes and Persians cannot be changed."
And here's the irony: The king is trapped by his own signature. He's stuck in his own system.
Human rulers get tangled up in their own laws, their own egos, their own bureaucracies. But God never does.
Let me give you two cross-references:
Psalm 146:3-4 says, "Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish."
And Proverbs 21:30 says, "No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the LORD."
Darius might be emperor of the known world, but he's powerless to save Daniel. Only God can do that.
And that's exactly what we're about to see.
The Den and the Deliverance (6:16–28)
1) Into the Den (6:16–18)
Let me read verse 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!'"
So the moment comes. Daniel is brought to the den. And as they're about to throw him in, the king speaks.
And listen to what he says: "May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you."
Even the pagan king has noticed Daniel's pattern. He knows Daniel serves God continually—not occasionally, not when it's convenient, but steadily, faithfully, day after day.
Daniel's consistency has been a witness. And now, in this desperate moment, Darius places his hope in the God he's seen Daniel serve.
Verse 17 tells us a stone is placed over the mouth of the den and sealed with the king's signet and the signets of the nobles. This isn't just locking the door. This is making sure no one can tamper with it. No rescue. No escape.
And then verse 18: Darius goes back to his palace and spends the night fasting. He refuses entertainment. He can't sleep.
The king who has everything can't enjoy anything, because a righteous man is in a lions' den.
2) Dawn at the Den (6:19–23)
Let me read verses 19 and 20:
"Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. 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?'"
At the first light of dawn, Darius rushes to the den. And he cries out—in anguish, in hope, in desperation—"O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God been able to deliver you?"
Notice that phrase: "the living God." In Aramaic, it's 'Elah ḥayyā'. Not an idol. Not an idea. A living, active, enduring God.
And notice the repetition: "whom you serve continually." The king has seen it. Daniel's life has preached a sermon Darius couldn't ignore.
And then comes one of the greatest moments in the entire book.
Let me read verses 21 and 22:
"Then Daniel said to the king, 'O king, live forever! 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.'"
Daniel is alive.
God sent His angel—the same kind of divine intervention we saw back in chapter 3 with the fiery furnace. God's messenger came into the den and shut the lions' mouths.
Now, let me pause here and give you a couple of original-language notes.
The word for "angel" in Aramaic is malak. It means messenger. This is God's agent, sent to rescue His servant.
And the phrase "living God" shows up again in verse 26. It's a drumbeat through this chapter. God is not passive. He's not distant. He's alive. He acts. He rescues. He intervenes.
Now, look at what Daniel says: "I was found blameless before him."
Daniel's claim isn't that he earned the rescue. It's not that he was so righteous God owed him a miracle. Daniel's claim is that he walked in blameless integrity, and God chose to vindicate that faithfulness.
God's rescue exposes the slander of the officials and vindicates His servant.
Let me give you some cross-references:
Hebrews 11:33 says that by faith, some "stopped the mouths of lions."
Psalm 34:7 says, "The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them."
And Paul, reflecting on his own dangers, writes in 2 Timothy 4:17, "I was rescued from the lion's mouth."
And for us, 1 Peter 5:8-10 reminds us: "Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith... And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace... will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you."
Daniel's deliverance is a picture of God's power to rescue His people from the mouth of the enemy.
Verse 23 tells us Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.
3) Justice & Reversal (6:24)
Now we come to verse 24, and I need to give you a pastoral caution before I read it.
"And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces."
This is a grim scene. The accusers and their families are thrown into the den, and the lions devour them before they even hit the ground.
Now, why does the text include this detail?
Because it proves the miracle. If the lions had been old, sick, or tame, they wouldn't have attacked anyone. But they attack these men instantly and viciously. The danger was real. The rescue was divine.
This scene also reflects the brutal justice of ancient royal courts. Under Persian law, families could be implicated in crimes. It's harsh. It's troubling.
And here's what I want to say: This is descriptive, not prescriptive. The text is recording what happened, not telling us to copy it. This isn't a template for Christian conduct. It's a historical record of Persian justice.
Our job is to notice what it teaches us: God's intervention in verse 22 was miraculous, not natural. The lions were stopped by divine power.
4) A New Decree: God Made Known (6:25–28)
And now we come to the climax of the chapter. Let me read verses 25 through 27:
"Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: 'Peace be multiplied to you. 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. 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.'"
Darius writes to the entire empire. To all peoples, nations, and languages. And he makes a proclamation about God.
Listen to what he says:
He is the living God, enduring forever. Not a dead idol. Not a temporary power. The living, eternal God.
His kingdom shall never be destroyed. This is the language of Daniel 2 and Daniel 7. God's kingdom outlasts all earthly kingdoms.
He delivers and rescues. This is what God does. He saves His people.
He works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth. God's power isn't limited to one realm. He rules over all.
And then Darius points to the evidence: "He who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions."
Here's what just happened: Daniel prayed in a private room. He was faithful in secret. And God turned that private obedience into a public witness to the whole empire.
God's rescue didn't just save Daniel. It published God's name to the nations.
Let me give you some cross-references:
Psalm 96:10 says, "Say among the nations, 'The LORD reigns!'"
Back in Daniel 3:28-29, after the fiery furnace, Nebuchadnezzar made a similar proclamation about God's greatness.
And Jesus, in Matthew 6:6, tells us to pray to our Father in secret, and the Father who sees in secret will reward us openly.
Daniel's secret prayer becomes God's public glory.
Verse 28 wraps it up: "So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian."
Daniel continues to serve faithfully. God continues to sustain him. And the nations continue to see God's power.
Application in Our Lives Today
All right. We've walked through the text. Now I want to slow down and let this sink in. I'm going to give you four discussion prompts. We're not going to hit all four, but I want you to think through them with me. Pick the ones that feel most pressing for your life right now.
1) Habits Before Crisis
Here's the first question: What spiritual habit would you want in place before a crisis hits?
Daniel had a decades-old pattern of prayer. When the crisis came, he didn't have to scramble. He just continued.
Most of us wait until the pressure is on to think about spiritual disciplines. We wait until we're desperate to start praying. We wait until we're in trouble to open the Bible.
But that's backward.
The time to build the habit is now—before the crisis, before the decree, before the pressure. Because if you wait until you need it, you won't have the muscle memory to sustain it.
So let me ask you: If pressure hit you tomorrow, which spiritual habit would you wish you had built over the last six months?
Daily prayer? Scripture memory? Sabbath rest? Confession with a friend? Corporate worship?
Whatever it is—start small this week. Pick one time, one place, and one plan.
Daniel didn't pray for three hours a day. He prayed three times a day. Short, steady rhythms.
What would that look like for you?
2) Obeying God Rather Than People
Here's the second question: How do we discern when civil disobedience is right?
Daniel disobeyed the law. He kept praying when the law said not to. And he did it publicly, knowing the cost.
But not every disagreement with the government requires civil disobedience. Not every unjust law requires us to break it publicly.
So how do we know when to obey God rather than people?
Let me offer a simple grid—five questions to ask:
1. Clarity: Is God's command or prohibition crystal clear? Daniel wasn't guessing. God commanded His people to pray.
2. Witness: Are we acting in a way that bears witness to Christ, not just venting anger or asserting rights? Daniel was respectful even in disobedience.
3. Cost: Are we willing to bear the consequences, or are we just posturing? Daniel went into the lions' den.
4. Prayer: Are we acting out of communion with God, or out of panic or pride? Daniel's disobedience flowed from his prayer life.
5. Love: Do we love our opponents, or are we just fighting? Daniel served the king faithfully even after the king signed the decree.
What would you add to that list? What guardrails do we need?
3) Integrity in Public Life
Here's the third question: What does integrity look like in your workplace or community?
Remember verse 4: Daniel's enemies found no corruption in him. No financial dirt. No abuse of power. No cut corners. No lies.
If someone investigated your work—your emails, your expense reports, your timesheets, your use of company resources—what would they find?
If someone followed you for a week—watched how you talked about your coworkers, how you handled confidential information, how you treated people below and above you—what would they see?
Integrity isn't just avoiding big scandals. It's faithfulness in the small, daily details.
Where is there drift in your life right now?
4) God Delivers… and Sometimes Not Yet
Here's the fourth question: How do we keep praying boldly while trusting God with outcomes?
God shut the lions' mouths for Daniel. But Hebrews 11 includes both miraculous rescue and martyrdom.
Some believers escaped the sword. Others were killed by the sword.
Some were delivered from the lions. Others were fed to the lions.
And all of them are commended for their faith.
So how do we hold this tension?
We pray boldly, expecting God to act. But we don't dictate how or when He acts.
We trust that God's deliverance is sure—either in this life or in the resurrection. Either now or in the age to come.
Daniel walked into the lions' den not knowing which it would be. He just knew God was faithful.
How do we cultivate that same trust?
Prayer
Let me close us in prayer.
Father, You are the living God. You are not an idea. You are not an idol. You are alive, active, enduring forever. Your kingdom shall never be destroyed.
Form in us a steady rhythm of prayer—before pressure comes. Where fear of people has ruled us, replace it with the fear of the LORD. Give us Daniel's consistency, Daniel's integrity, and Daniel's courage with kindness.
Deliver us from the lion's mouth when You will. But even more, keep us faithful either way. Help us to trust You with outcomes while we remain obedient to Your commands.
Publish Your name through our obedience. Use our private faithfulness for public witness. And when the test comes, help us to continue as we have done previously.
In the strong name of Jesus, who faced the lion and crushed his head, we pray. Amen.
