Then to be sure there was no foul-up, they said, “Now, O King, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.” They had a law that once a law was made it could not be changed. This made them careful about making laws once made it they had to live with it.

Daniel at this time was an old man probably in his nineties, and it was at this stage of his life that he would endure his greatest trial.

So these men managed to catch Daniel in the act, the act of prayer. He had gone to his house, the window being opened, and prayed three times a day looking toward Jerusalem. It is significant that he did not open the window; the window was already open, and three times a day he prayed through the open window. The window of prayer is always open for the people of God. The tragedy is that God may look at your prayer window and many times He sees nobody there.

It is a good prayer program and needs to be used. It is the method used by King David. In Psalms we note, “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice.”

It might be easy to get people to pray three times a day if they could open their windows and look toward Washington as they pray for a handout. Perhaps some would open their windows and pray three times a day if they could look toward Hollywood for the latest fashions, and see what the stars are wearing, or not wearing. Some no doubt might open their windows three times a day and pray toward wherever denominational headquarters might be. It is better to go to the prayer window and look toward the New Jerusalem, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

It is important to leave the window open for the purpose of ventilation. It must be a very stuffy life style to be cooped up all the time and breathe the stale dead air of ball games and movies, and never go to the prayer window, except to open it a tiny crack perhaps at bedtime. No doubt some would say, “I DON’T DO WINDOWS.”

Also the open window gives a better view of life. I like a room with a view. You may not live in a very good neighborhood, but if you have an upper room with a view, you can look out and see the skyline of that city that hath foundations whose builder and maker is God. You can look out and see the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God. You can look out and see the hills of Zion that yield a thousand sacred sweets before we reach that heavenly ground or walk the golden streets. Dare to be a Daniel, Dare to stand-alone. Dare to have a purpose firm, and Dare to make it known.

Now think about that prayer law that was made. It is hard to imagine a nation so depraved as to make such a law against prayer. I don’t know the results of such an edict, but my guess is that it was not long after this that discipline became a major problem in their school system. They probably had a big problem in the matter of violence, and they no doubt repealed the death penalty. Of course, I wasn’t there, but they probably legalized abortion, and made the murder of babies a matter of individual choice, and morality was stifled by pornography on television. It is hard to imagine the turmoil that came about by this Godless, idiotic, stupid law that outlawed prayer. Thank God we live in a Christian land today where something like that could never happen. God Bless America!

When the King’s advisors told him what Daniel had done, he knew he had been had, fooled, duped, and hoodwinked into making that law.

The last thing he wanted to do was cast Daniel into a den of lions, but the king’s hands were tied. The law could not be changed. Surely there was some way out; some precedent in former trials, perhaps he could find evidence by reading in his books of law about a former trial, such as Daniel versus Belshazzar, that could be used to get him out of this awkward situation. He had his team of lawyers work from morning till evening and they came up with nothing.

I heard of an unbelieving lawyer one time that was on his deathbed, and was found reading the Bible. Someone asked if he was under conviction and he said, “No, I am looking for loopholes.”

If the law of the Medes and Persians could not be changed how much more is that true of the law of God. There is no loophole in the plan of salvation given on the Day of Pentecost. Then Peter said unto them, “Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” There is no loophole in that statement, because the Lord told Peter, “What ever you bind on earth, I will bind in Heaven.”

Since there was no way out there was only one thing to do and he did it. Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake, and said unto Daniel, “Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.”

The king then went home to a sleepless night and showed up early at the lions’ den the next morning. And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel,  and the king spake and said to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually been able to deliver thee from the LIONS’?” Daniel told him, “My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me.”

I don’t know if Daniel saw the angel or not, but he knew he was there and shut the mouths of the lions. Angels work in our lives today although we may never see them. We walk by faith and not by sight. They may serve us even as they served Daniel.

Paul says in Hebrews, “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to do service for the sake of them who shall inherit salvation?”

It appears that there is a special angelic service to children, “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father, which is in heaven.”

Certainly they serve the saved at death, “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom.” So Daniel told the king about the little caper of the angel, and how he shut the mouth of the lions.

Daniel was delivered out of the lions’ den and his enemies were thrown in. And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den.

That question of Darius needs to be amplified, “HAST THY GOD BEEN ABLE TO DELIVER THEE?” We have our own Lions’ Den today even as the Apostle Paul said when he told Timothy in his second epistle, “At my first defense no one took my part, but all forsook me: may it not be laid to their account. But the Lord stood by me and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.” We have our Lions’ Dens where the circumstances of life find us. The question also comes to us, “HAST THY GOD BEEN ABLE TO DELIVER THEE?” How about the den of devilishness?

THE DEN OF DEVILISHNESS

After a person becomes a Christian, the Devil starts in on him good. You will be ambushed and bushwhacked at every time. That is why the Apostle Paul said to walk circumspectly. Survey each step of the ground, move with caution everyday and everywhere. Hast thy God been able to deliver thee?

Remember that Daniel spent one night in the den of lions. The most dangerous time of his life was not in the den of lions, but in the court of pagan kings for over sixty years. The amazing thing is not how he survived the one night in the den of lions, but how did he survive all the temptations of his life in the presence of Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius and then Cyrus.

Sometimes a Christian may wonder how they in a similar position as Daniel could remain true and not cave in. However, the real danger is in the den of devilishness of everyday life. What about the den of most movies? What about the den of videos? What about the den of the schoolroom where evolution is taught and people are convinced that they are animals. The dens of devilishness are without number.

Daniel lived for most of his life in a court of corruption and political intrigue, where the environment was not conducive to living the best kind of life. If this story proves anything, it proves that with the right spiritual help a person can remain faithful wherever he is, anywhere and anytime.

Paul tells us in First Corinthians, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able: but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear.”

God will not let the Devil spring some temptation on you that he has not already used on somebody else. God will not leave Himself without a witness. For every person who says, “You don’t know what pressure I was under; I had to go on drugs”, there will always be someone who will say, “I was under the same pressure, and I did not do it.” For every person who falls before immorality there will always be some one who will say, “I had the same temptations and I did not do it.” God will not leave Himself without a witness; a way of escape will be provided. Paul also says, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imagination and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” HAST THY GOD BEEN ABLE TO DELIVER THEE FROM THE DEN OF DEVILISHNESS? Then, how about the den of division among God’s people?

THE DEN OF DIVISION

The people who follow the Lamb wheresoever He goeth are a divided people, even though Jesus prayed that all who believe in Him through His word might be one. The lion that walketh about seeking who he might devour has fragmented the body of Christ by many denominational names.

The casual reader of the New Testament in Acts eleven will remember that the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. Some try to tell us the name Christian was given by the enemies of Christ. Since the inspired writers accept the name Christian it is hard to believe that the Devil would give the people who follow Christ the name that glorifies Christ; the name Christian. Conversely we can say that it was the Devil who persuaded men to wear the various denominational names.

James referred to some who blaspheme the royal name by which ye are called. The royal name is Christian; there is not anything royal about a denominational name that fragments the body of Christ.

Peter in his first epistle tells us, “If any man suffer reproach as a Christian let him not be ashamed.” I would be ashamed to suffer reproach for any other name, but the name Christian.

As a preacher of the Word of God, it is my hope that many hearing this message will at least begin to say with Agrippa when Paul preached to him in Acts twenty-six, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian”; a Christian only and only a Christian.

So it is a good question to all who are trapped in the den of division, “HAST THY GOD BEEN ABLE TO DELIVER THEE?”

THE DEN OF DEATH

And now one more den is most appropriate and that is the den of death. Remember that Peter likened the Devil to a lion, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” He would devour all in the den of death.

When Daniel was put in the lions’ den they made sure he could not escape. And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords that the purpose concerning Daniel might not be broken. There were two seals placed upon the den to be sure Daniel could not escape. Then think of the den of death when Jesus entered in, “So they went, and made the sepulcher sure sealing the stone, and setting a watch.”

Hast thy God been able to deliver thee? Daniel said, “My God both sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths that they have not hurt me.” And of Jesus, Peter said on the Day of Pentecost, “This Jesus did God raise up, whereof He that given assurance unto all the nations in that He raised Him from the dead.”

Three thousand people were stricken with convictionitis, and asked what to do? Peter gave them the words of deliverance when he said, “Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Hast thy God been able to deliver thee?

‘Tis the grandest theme thro the ages rung;

‘Tis the grandest theme for a mortal tongue;

'Tis the grandest theme that the world e'er sung,

Our God is able to deliver thee.

'Tis the grandest theme in the earth or main;

'Tis the grandest theme for a mortal strain;

'Tis the grandest theme, tell the world again;

Our God is able to deliver thee.

'Tis the grandest theme, let the tidings roll;

To the guilty heart, to the sinful soul;

Look to God in faith, He will make thee whole;

Our God is able to deliver thee.