Daniel 6:20 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, able to deliver thee from the lions? 21 Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever. 22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
This passage of scripture relates for us the sad incident of a righteous man being thrown to wild animals simply because of His faith and practice. The King had been deceived by the politicians of his realm into thinking that he was of such importance that no one could ask any petition of God or man except himself, and thus the mere fact that he acquiesced means that he was suffering from a tremendous ego, one that was willing to put people to death for asking requests of others. But Daniel begged to differ, and because of his steadfast faith and practice, even in the midst of known threats, he was thrown into the den of Lions, albeit with great hesitancy and remorse on the part of the king.
But in the morning a startling discovery was made, for the lions, which were usually kept in a condition of starvation, had not touched Daniel, and instead of roaring at him as he landed at the bottom of the den, they were found to be wagging their tails, for Daniel was in favor with both God and man, and therefore God sent His angel to shut the mouths of the Lions, so that there was found no hurt on His servant. What is also worthy of note is the declaration made by Daniel, when inquired of by the king, for he stated that he was innocent of any wrong done to either God or man, and this was the main reason why the lions were prevented from taking him out for lunch. The results of this experience teaches us two very important truths, of which all of us as Christians should take note.
The first is that we have nothing to fear, once we are found walking in harmony with God's laws and commandments, and practicing what we preach. It is of critical importance when dire situations such as these occur, that we have a clear conscience, void of offense before God and man, for when this is the case, it then opens up the way for God to work marvelously in our behalf, and to deliver us in a marked manner, so that His name would be honored, and we His servants be vindicated. This first point is very, very important for us to observe. Let's read:
Proverbs 16:7 When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
The next point is equally as important, for it states that as Christians we should never have to suffer in the public domain as evil doers, for thereby the ungodly critics of Christianity can point fingers to us, saying that we were found to be living contrary to that which we professed. In all situations, Christians should be found to be operating and living according to godly principles, even in cases where we may suffer loss as a result, for if any audit of our actions were to suddenly take place, then like Daniel, we would be able to rest assuredly in the love and providence of God, knowing that we did all we possibly could to honor Him, and the principles of His kingdom. Let's read:
1st Peter 4:14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. 16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
In our own experiences, let us therefore maintain a clean slate in all of our dealings and interactions with our fellow men. Let all of our bills be paid promptly, and those credit cards that have spun out of control should be reined back in, for the righteousness that God gives extends to every area of life, and should affect everything that we think, do or say. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to live by principle and the word of God in our daily walk with Christ, for so an abundant entrance will be ministered unto us, into the eternal kingdom of glory. Let's read:
2nd Peter 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!