Sermon: “Daniel’s Hope”
November 29th, 2020: First Sunday of Advent Rev. Betsy Perkins
Scripture passage: Daniel 6:11-27 First Baptist Church, Delavan WI
Special Music by Lisa Reshkus: “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel”
The story for today is the story of Daniel in the Lion’s Den. It’s a familiar Sunday School story – Daniel gets thrown in with the lions, God shuts their mouths and Daniel survives. It’s a story that has been played out on flannel boards for elementary kids, in skits with stuffed lions with junior highers, and in lessons about standing strong in your faith in the midst of peer pressure in youth groups. So we all know the story, but before I read it, let me remind you of the background behind the story – a background of an Exile and an Edict.
The failures of the nation of Israel and Judah had finally caught up with them, God-given second chances had all run out. They were conquered, by the Assyrians, by the Babylonians and by the Persians. The Temple was destroyed, and those who weren’t killed were marched off to distant lands in what is called the Exile. It’s what the first verse of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” refers to, asking Emmanuel (God-With-Us) to come to ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear. As they wait for God to come ransom His captive people, they were given the message from God to use their time of lonely exile to continue to live in hope, to marry and have children and contribute to the welfare of the communities where they find themselves. Daniel, a Jew taken into exile, did just that, contributing his skill in leadership and administration to the government of King Darius in Persia. He was promoted to one of the top three positions. Daniel’s intelligence, integrity and good management so outclassed all the others, that King Darius put him in charge of the whole kingdom.
As you can imagine, having an immigrant, a refugee, in such a position of power caused a lot of jealousy and anger among those who wanted the power and privilege for themselves. So the other government leaders put their heads together and came up with a plan that they all agreed on – can you imagine every single member of congress, plus all governors, and all cabinet secretaries agreeing on anything? They unanimously agreed to ask King Darius to pass an edict – one targeted at Daniel, but cloaked in deceit and false admiration for the King: For 30 days everyone must pray only to King Darius, not to any other gods or saints, under penalty of death by hungry lion. The King was too weak to defy popular pressure and too flattered to see through their deception. He signed the edict. But Daniel did not allow the threat to keep him from his faithful pattern of prayer, giving thanks and praise to the Lord God Almighty.
Listen now to the story in Daniel 6:11-27:
11-12 The conspirators came and found Daniel praying, asking God for help. They went straight to the king and reminded him of the royal decree that he had signed. “Did you not,” they said, “sign a decree forbidding anyone to pray to any god or man except you for the next thirty days? And anyone caught doing it would be thrown into the lions’ den?”
“Absolutely,” said the king. “Written in stone, like all the laws of the Medes and Persians.”
13 Then they said, “Daniel, one of the Jewish exiles, ignores you, O king, and defies your decree. Three times a day he prays.”
14 At this, the king was very upset and tried his best to get Daniel out of the fix he’d put him in. He worked at it the whole day long.
15 But then the conspirators were back: “Remember, O king, it’s the law of the Medes and Persians that the king’s decree can never be changed.”
16 The king caved in and ordered Daniel brought and thrown into the lions’ den. But he said to Daniel, “Your God, to whom you are so loyal, is going to get you out of this.”
17 A stone slab was placed over the opening of the den. The king sealed the cover with his signet ring and the signet rings of all his nobles, fixing Daniel’s fate.
18 The king then went back to his palace. He refused supper. He couldn’t sleep. He spent the night fasting.
19-20 At daybreak the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. As he approached the den, he called out anxiously, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve so loyally, saved you from the lions?”
21-22 “O king, live forever!” said Daniel. “My God sent his angel, who closed the mouths of the lions so that they would not hurt me. I’ve been found innocent before God and also before you, O king. I’ve done nothing to harm you.”
23 When the king heard these words, he was happy. He ordered Daniel taken up out of the den. When he was hauled up, there wasn’t a scratch on him. He had trusted his God.
24 Then the king commanded that the conspirators who had informed on Daniel be thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. Before they hit the floor, the lions had them in their jaws, tearing them to pieces.
25-27 King Darius published this proclamation to every race, color, and creed on earth:
Peace to you! Abundant peace!
I decree that Daniel’s God shall be worshiped and feared in all parts of my kingdom.
He is the living God, world without end. His kingdom never falls.
His rule continues eternally. He is a savior and rescuer.
He performs astonishing miracles in heaven and on earth.
He rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.
Daniel’s hope
On this First Sunday of Advent we focus on Hope. What is hope? Who has hope? Who needs hope?
The story of Daniel in the Lion’s Den is a story about hope. Daniel’s hope that God would help him as he refused to turn his back on God and took the risk of continuing to be faithful. In an online article I read this week, looking for what Christian leaders have written about hope, I found this statement: “Hope is faith in the future tense.” John Piper goes on to describe hope as a reservoir of emotional strength, a reservoir we draw on when we face challenges or difficulties.
First, Daniel drew on his reservoir of hope as he faced the temptation to turn his back on God and go along with the edict in order to save his skin. Hope in God’s good plans for his future provided Daniel the strength to be able to take the risk to continue to do what he knew was right. We can draw on the reservoir of hope when we face temptations to follow the ways of the world rather than God’s ways – to lie, or lust, or cheat, or just to neglect God, to let our prayer time or devotions slip because something else comes up. Hope is that reservoir of strength that allows us to say no, to put aside distractions, and to hold fast to God.
Second, Daniel drew again on hope as a reservoir of strength as he faced the people who had conspired against him and sought to harm him. With hope, he had the power to absorb the wrong without seeking revenge. We, too, can draw on the reservoir of hope to give us strength when someone has done you wrong, deliberately tried to hurt you. Without hope we might sink into anger or self-pity, but with hope we have the power to walk in love, trusting God for justice.
Third, Daniel drew on hope as he faced the disappointment of the King’s weakness and the setback of the King’s unsuccessful attempts to save him. Having hope in God meant that he didn’t place all his hope in being saved by King Darius – when the King failed, his hope was not lost. Each of us have experienced setbacks at times – perhaps things didn’t go as planned in a job, or you got sick at just the wrong time, or the computer crashed and geek squad couldn’t revive it, or weren’t sure where you would be living in the new year. Hope provides the reservoir of strength to keep going and not give up.
As Daniel emerged from the lion’s den unharmed, his hope is proved right, and he declares, “I was found by God to be innocent!” Daniel’s hope, his faith in the future tense, is strengthened, his reservoir filled for even more faith for the future. Daniel has hope!
King Darius’ hope
But it is someone else’s hope in this story that really catches my attention – and that is King Darius’ hope. He actually has no hope of his own – he is ineffectual in overturning his own misguided edict, he is distraught with remorse and guilt, unable to eat or sleep as he grieves what he assumes is Daniel’s tortured demise. He has made a total mess of things! The only hope Darius has comes from watching Daniel – Daniel’s strength, Daniel’s acceptance, Daniel’s perseverance, Daniel’s peace. Daniel’s hope inspires Darius to offer a prayer for Daniel before he enters his ordeal: “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you.” And Daniel’s hope makes him rush back at first light and call out, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve so loyally, been able to save you?”
Watching Daniel’s hope, experiencing God’s faithfulness to Daniel, finally gives Darius some hope of his own. He issues another edict – this time it is a testimony of new faith and a fresh hope. “I, Darius, issue a decree that Daniel’s God will be worshipped in every part of my kingdom and by every person, for He is the living God, His Kingdom will never fall, His rule continues forever. He rescues and saves, he does miraculous things. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”
Just as Lisa sang in the song a few minutes ago: Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel, than why not every man? Darius has understood that if God can deliver Daniel, then God can deliver him, too, and God can deliver anyone, everyone. Is there someone who needs hope today? Is there someone watching you, watching your hope in the midst of a crisis, your strength in the midst of struggle? Could be that that person is given the gift of hope through the experience of watching God be faithful to you? Could be that that person receives a reservoir of hope on hearing the stories of how God has been faithful to you?
I want to encourage you this week to be watching for someone who needs hope. Someone who needs to know that they’re seen, and heard, and prayed for. Someone who is willing to lend their hope in God, their hope in Jesus, the One who will Save the world. In this season of Advent, as we mourn in lonely exile and wait for the Son of God to appear, we wait with hope, with faith in the future tense, and invite others to share in that reservoir of strength as well.
The final part of my message this morning is contained in our closing song. Listen carefully to the words as we sing them:
Closing Song: “My Hope is Built on Nothing Less” / The Solid Rock
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