Daniel in the Lions’ Den

Under Darius the Mede, Daniel outshines all the other administrators and satraps, and the king plans to set him over the whole kingdom. His rivals try to find grounds to accuse him but find no fault, so they go after the law of his God. They get the king to sign an irrevocable decree: for thirty days, anyone who prays to any god or man other than the king will be thrown into the lions’ den. Daniel, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, keeps on praying on his knees three times a day. Reported, he is thrown into the den despite the king’s efforts to save him; a sealed stone closes the opening. Darius spends the night without eating or sleeping. At dawn, he rushes to the den: “Daniel, servant of the living God…” — “My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths.” Daniel comes out without a scratch, and Darius orders his whole kingdom to fear the God of Daniel.