Earlier this year, I read Carl Trueman’s The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self. It’s a devastating survey of the history that’s led to the expressive individualism and sexual revolution of our current cultural moment.
Trueman uncovers the tensions and contradictions present in commonly held cultural assumptions. But he’s also frank about the mammoth task Christians face in holding to biblical ethics, morals, and values. It’s unlikely to become easier to be faithful to Scripture in the coming days.
A book like Trueman’s raises questions: How can Christianity survive such a hostile onslaught? Do we have a survival strategy?
The familiar narrative of Daniel 6 answers these questions with the foundational truth that God rules over all—even in the most hostile environments. Daniel’s confidence in God’s absolute authority encourages us to adopt three postures in the face of hostility.
Obedience in the Face of Danger
As the curtain rises on Daniel 6, there’s a new king in town: Darius. As the sovereign of a substantial kingdom, he gathered around him 120 officials. This is quite a group to manage alone, so Darius looked to one man for help: Daniel. He was distinguished and excellent (Dan. 6:3), and Darius appointed him second in command. This elevation put a target on Daniel’s back.
Daniel was so excellent, however, that the jealous officials could find nothing to complain about to the king. Deception was necessary. As commonly happens, deception began with flattery. The officials eloquently complimented the king’s brilliance, telling him he should pass a law that for an entire month people could pray only to him (vv. 6–8). The punishment for breaking this law was banishment to the lion’s den (v. 7).
Daniel’s confidence in God’s absolute authority encourages us to adopt three postures in the face of hostility.
As we know from our children’s Bibles, this law proved problematic for Daniel because he prayed to God three times a day. How did Daniel respond? He continued undeterred: “When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open towards Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and give thanks before his God, as he had done previously” (v. 10).
Daniel knew about the law, but he prayed anyway. He knew he could be thrown to the lions, but he remained obedient. He knew God rules over all. Even when in immediate danger, he permitted Scripture to dictate his actions rather than bowing to the iron fist of man-sanctioned demands.
In imminent danger, will we stand steadfast on Scripture or subtly slip into serving another master? Daniel made his choice many years prior, which meant there wasn’t a choice to be made in the dangerous moment. We must do the same.
Resurrection Hope in the Face of Death
As Daniel prayed, the officials spied on him. They knew his integrity would ensnare him. When Daniel was caught praying to his God, the officials scuttled off to tell the king. Of course, they failed to tell the king who they’d found until he confirmed the punishment (v. 12). Once the penalty was settled, they revealed it was Daniel (v. 13). Darius was devastated (v. 14).
The law is the law, however, and so Darius had to throw Daniel to the lions. Before doing so, he prayed, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” (v. 16). But Darius didn’t yet know that Daniel’s God rules over all. He therefore returned to his palace to pace the halls—he couldn’t sleep, he couldn’t eat, he was incapable of anything but worry (v. 18). That’s because, despite appearances, Darius didn’t rule over all.
Daniel made his choice many years prior, which meant there wasn’t a choice to be made in the dangerous moment. We must do the same.
In the morning, the king rushed to the lion’s den. Was Daniel still alive? Yes! Daniel spoke from the darkness: “My God sent his angel and shut the lion’s mouths” (v. 22). Daniel’s God rules over all, even the fearsome mouths of hungry lions. Out of the presumed grave walked Daniel, while the officials by the king’s command went the other way (v. 24). They were torn apart, showing how hungry and fearsome these lions were.
Obedience to God is infinitely more profitable because it brings resurrection in the face of death. This is no prosperity gospel. As a result of obedience to Scripture, we might lose our livelihoods, face persecution, or, in some places on the planet, be murdered. Daniel 6 offers no promises this won’t happen. There was no guarantee Daniel would survive the den. However, God’s people can have confidence that the dark pits we face are never the end. Whether in this life or the next, we’ll stride triumphantly out of the lion’s den because our God rules over all.
Worship Before the Face of God
After this fiasco, the king makes a new law: everyone should worship Daniel’s God because he’s the one true God.
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. (v. 26–27)
Darius declares that Daniel’s God both delivers and rescues. But he does abundantly more than deliver and rescue from lions; God delivers and rescues from sin. After sending the angels to stop the lions’ mouths, God sends his Son Jesus to stop sin. God rules over all, even our sin.
Daniel teaches us to adopt the postures of obedience, hope, and worship. These dispositions equip us to stand fast in a hostile world because no matter what deep, dark pit we’re in, we remain certain our God rules over all.
The Gospel Coalition