Daniel, Part 6, The Lion’s Den
25Then King Darius sent this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world:
“Peace and prosperity to you! 26“I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God, and he will endure forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his rule will never end. 27He rescues and saves his people; he performs miraculous signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.” (Daniel 6:25-27)
Carrying on with my analysis of the Book of Daniel, we reach the next chapter, where other administrators in King Darius’ court had become very jealous of Daniel’s standing. These administrators trick King Darius to create a new law that states that everyone in the newly established Mede-Persian Empire would worship only the king, and those who do not will be thrown into a den full of lions. Daniel is discovered to still be worshiping only God, and King Darius must make the regretful decision to throw Daniel down with the lions. King Darius tells Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you”. Well, God shuts the mouth of the lions and King Darius finds Daniel safe and sound the next morning. King Darius celebrates Daniel’s miraculous salvation by proclaiming throughout the entire empire the verses above. That the world should “tremble with fear before the God of Daniel”.
Well, the God of Daniel, is still alive and active today. He sent His only Son to bring a new message to the world, a message of love, peace, compassion, and mercy. Perhaps you are familiar with that story, the story of Jesus. Perhaps you are even familiar with this story of Daniel in the lion’s den. If you are familiar with both, you know that the God of Noah, Job, Daniel, and Jesus, is a loving and merciful God, slow to anger, but also a God of justice. If you know the stories of the God of Creation, you know He has a point where the compassion stops, and the judgment comes. It came immediately for those administrators that tried to trick King Darius into getting Daniel killed. What you do not get in the children’s version of Daniel cuddling with the lions, is the rest of the story, where the king immediately throws the administrators, and their entire families, into the lair and the Bible reads “The lions leaped on them and tore them apart before they even hit the floor of the den” (Daniel 6:24).
Judgment is coming America. On Friday, I witnessed the most embarrassing moment in our nation’s recent history as a great and noble war-hero, President Zelensky of Ukraine, was berated and attacked by putin’s puppets. As I wrote in my last post, the writing is on the wall as to who trump supports. trump sought to extort Ukraine for their precious minerals, and when President Zelensky refused the offer, trump and his lap dog, vance, pounced on an unprecedented attack against one of the greatest world leaders of this generation. vance whined that President Zelensky had not thanked trump one time, and why should he? What has trump ever done for Ukraine? NOTHING. President Zelensky has thanked the American people and the former Administration numerous times for their support as they have fought off the much larger, invader of russia. But since returning to the seat of the presidency, trump has held peace talks with russia only, and the only peace plan trump came up with is a horrible deal that only sought to steal the resources of Ukraine and offer nothing in return. Who in their right mind would ever thank someone for any of that?
I spent this morning reading the Book of Hebrews, almost in its entirety. I was refreshed by the author’s reminders of how faithful God had been to Israel, the celebration of the “heroes of the faith”, and how Jesus was sent to offer the final road to salvation. Then I put the Good Book down and walked back into the reality that is our current state of affairs. There is no justification for supporting this current administration. America has lined up behind russia and their country could not be happier. From attempting to end offensive measures against the evil russian empire, to officially starting a trade war with some of our strongest allies, we have officially made “America First”. First to pull the rug out from under you. First to betray the free world. And first to turn from democracy to dictator in just a few short weeks.
As Europe rallies support for Ukraine and America’s current course pushes us to the side of the playground with the rest of the bullies, I cling to the only hope left: that Jesus is coming back soon, within our lifetime, to judge the sheep and the goats. What side are you on? Who are you following? The Good Shepherd, or the wolf in sheep’s clothing? Sing Hallelujah, the Lion of Judah has overcome.
Common Sense Reborn 