Title:
Christ Shut the Lions Mouth
Text:
Daniel 6: 1-28
Date:
June 8, 2014
Place:
SGBC, New Jersey
Everyone
here has probably heard the story of Daniel and the Lion’s Den. Usually you hear sermons about: Daniels’
faithfulness—dare to be a Daniel or about Daniel’s morality—he was innocent in
his dealing with men. But the way that
God grows our inward man in faithfulness is through the gospel of Christ and
him crucified. So I want to show you a
picture of Christ in Daniel.
Now,
understand there is no type in the scriptures which is perfect. Sometimes we have to look at the opposite of
what men do in a text to see the truth of God in it. But there is a good
picture here of Christ in Daniel and we see the necessity of the work of Christ
declared here.
I.
FIRST, GOD’S CHOICE ABOVE ALL IS CHRIST—Daniel
6: 1: It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes,
which should be over the whole kingdom; 2: And over these three presidents; of
whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the
king should have no damage. 3: Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents
and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to
set him over the whole realm.
God
the Father prefers Christ above all. Christ is First before God and Christ is
first above all men.
Matthew 17:5: While he yet spake, behold,
a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which
said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
There is an excellent spirit in Christ
Jesus our Lord—he is the GodMan—full of grace and truth.
Isaiah 42: 1:
Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I
have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
God
thought to set Christ over the whole realm—and has.
Matthew
28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto
them, saying, All power is given unto me in
heaven and in earth.
Ephesians 1:
20:…he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the
heavenly places, 21: Far above all principality, and power, and might, and
dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in
that which is to come: 22: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him
to be the head over all things to the church,
II.
SECONDLY, BUT CHRIST IS DESPISED AND REJECTED OF MEN—Daniel 6: 4: Then the presidents and
princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom;
These men are like all sinners left in
our sin-nature: all men by nature think of themselves too highly.
Luke 19: 14…We
will not have this man to reign over us.
Isaiah 53: 3: He
is despised and rejected of men;…
Sinners are still doing today what men
did in the day Christ walked this earth, the same as they did to Daniel, trying
to find fault with him, trying to find a reason to justify themselves for not
bowing and believing on Christ.
III.
THIRDLY, THERE IS NO REASON WHY YOU SHOULD NOT BELIEVE ON CHRIST. CHRIST IS THE
RIGHTEOUS AND HOLY AND FAITHFUL SON OF GOD!—Daniel 6: 4…but they could find none
occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error
or fault found in him.
Sinner you will find none occasion nor
fault in Christ. Christ was and is faithful. There is no error or fault found
in Christ.
Hebrews
7:26: For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled,
separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
He had to be spotless in order to be the
fit substitute for his people. Christ
Jesus is the spotless Lamb of God typified in all the old testament sacrifices.
IV.
FOURTHLY, GOD IS JUST AND HIS LAW CANNOT BE ALTERED—Daniel 6: 5: Then said
these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find
it against him concerning the law of his God. 6: Then these presidents and
princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius,
live for ever. 7: All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the
princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish
a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition
of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into
the den of lions. 8: 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. 9: Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.
These men did this simply to entangle
Daniel. But be sure to get the spiritual
lesson. The law of God cannot be changed. Like the law of the Medes and
Persians, “it altereth not.”
Unlike Darius’ law, which was a foolish
one, God’s law is holy and just and good (Romans 7:12). It is a revelation of
the holiness and righteousness of our God.
But
God’s law is spiritual and requires more than mere outward obedience. God’s law
requires inward perfection as well as outward perfection.
Romans
7:14: For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
Matthew 5: 21: Ye
have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and
whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22: But I say unto
you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in
danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be
in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in
danger of hell fire. 23: Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and
there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24: Leave there thy
gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and
then come and offer thy gift. 25: Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles
thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to
the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into
prison.
There
are no loopholes; and there can be no compromise.
Galatians 3: 10:
Cursed is everyone that continues not in all things written in the book of the
law to do them!
Yet,
we have broken God’s holy law. The law of King Darius was a wicked law and
should have been disregarded by a true believer; but the law of the Lord is
perfect. God’s commandments are pure. God’s law should be kept by all; all
would profit greatly by keeping it.
But we have not, do not and cannot obey
the law of God. Sin is the transgression of God’s law; and we are all
transgressors, sinners and workers of iniquity.
Romans 3:10: As
it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11: There is none that
understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12: They are all gone out
of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth
good, no, not one. 13: Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues
they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: 14: Whose mouth
is full of cursing and bitterness: 15: Their feet are swift to shed blood: 16: Destruction
and misery are in their ways: 17: And the way of peace have they not known: 18:
There is no fear of God before their eyes. 19: Now we know that what things
soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth
may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
How then can a man be just with
God? How can God remain just and yet
justify a sinner who has broken God’s holy law? That became Darius’ dilemma.
V.
THE ONLY WAY IS THROUGH THE FAITHFULNESS OF CHRIST JESUS WHO TOOK THE PLACE OF
HIS PEOPLE AND PUT AWAY OUR SINS—Daniel
6: 10: Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his
house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled
upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God,
as he did aforetime. 11: Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and
making supplication before his God. 12
Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king’s
decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a
petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be
cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is
true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
13 Then answered they and said before
the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah,
regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh
his petition three times a day. 14 Then
the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself,
and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the
going down of the sun to deliver him. 15: Then these men assembled unto the
king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and
Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may
be changed. 16: 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. 17: 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 might not be
changed concerning Daniel. 18: Then the king went to his palace, and passed the
night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his
sleep went from him. 19 Then the
king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. 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.
Darius’ dilemma was how could he save
the one he loved and yet remain just. How could he show mercy without it being
at the expense of his justice? You
and I could labor all our lives, like as Darius labored all night, nevertheless
we cannot establish a righteousness, we cannot appease a holy God, and we
cannot escape the just condemnation of the law for our sins. God must carry out
the sentence and judgment of his holy law against the sins of those he
loves.
Ezekiel 18:20: The
soul that sinneth, it shall die.
Exodus 34:7:
Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and
that will by no means clear the guiltywill by no means clear the guilty
But how can God be just and show his
people mercy? The answer is in the
verses we just read. Darius said, “Thy God…will deliver thee.” Darius could not find a way to deliver Daniel
from his law. But our God found a way to honor his law, to satisfy his justice,
without compromising his holiness, a way whereby he could be just and the
justifier of sinners. God sent his only begotten Son—God our Savior delivered
his people by going into “the den of lions” for us. “My God hath sent his
Angel!” (Daniel 6: 22)
In Daniel, we a shadow of Christ, the
spotless one, who willingly became guilty in place of his people in order that
he might remain faithful unto God. Read
this verse carefully. Daniel 6: 10: Now
when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows
being open in his chamber…and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did
aforetime.
Daniel knew he would become guilty, knew
he would be thrown to the lions. But he became guilty in order to remain
faithful to his God. Likewise, Christ knew he would become guilty before God
and knew he would bear the justice of God. But he willingly took the sin of his
people that he might remain faithful to God, to declare God just and justify
his people from our sins.
2
Corinthians 5:21: For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no
sin; that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him.
Because God’s law could not be altered, with
the sin of his people upon him, God delivered Christ to the teeth of justice like
Darius delivered Daniel into the den of the lions and God separated himself
from our Substitute like as Darius left Daniel in the den of lions. But by his
faithfulness to God, by bearing the wrath of God’s justice in the room and
stead of his people, Christ “hath shut the lions’ mouths…forasmuch as before [God]
innocency was found in Christ.” (Daniel 6: 22)
Now God’s justice is satisfied toward
his people and God proved it by raising Christ from the dead. We are reminded of it in this verse—Daniel 6: 23: Then was the king exceeding
glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So
Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him,
because he believed in his God.
Christ came not come to destroy his law
but to fulfill it, not to find a way around justice but to meet it head on. Bearing
our sins in his own body on the tree, he satisfied the law; he magnified the
law and made it honorable. Now, in Christ, the Lord our God calls sinners to
himself as “a just God and a Savior.”
Now robed in Christ’s righteousness, every
elect child of God, born of his Spirit and brought to believe on Christ—can say
with Daniel, “before [God] innocency was found in me.” And like as Daniel was “taken
up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he
believed in his God” so every believer is delivered from the pit of corruption,
raised in Christ, awaiting to be raised forevermore because he believes in his
God, our Savior, Jesus Christ.
But all who reject Christ—who meet God
outside of the Substitute—shall be delivered to justice—Daniel 6: 24: 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.
So why did God deliver his Son to the
den of lions?
Romans 3; 26: To
declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the
justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
This is the true and living God. That is
what Darius wrote in the following verses:
Daniel
6: 25: Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that
dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you. 26: I make a decree, That
in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for
ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall
be even unto the end. 27 He
delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in
earth, who hath delivered Daniel
from the power of the lions. 28: So this
Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
So Christ obtained eternal redemption
for his people and now reigns! Believe on Christ today and you shall be saved!
Amen!