A GREAT VICTORY OF FAITH.
THE penalty of the law for the violation of the king's decree was executed upon Daniel in due form. He persisted in praying to the God of heaven in face of the order that no petition should be offered to any one but the king, for the period of thirty days, and was accordingly cast into the den of lions. But that was the extent of the legal penalty—the extent of the power of the law in that respect. The king's decree did not provide that the lions should kill Daniel, and could not have enforced such a penalty. The king having sorely repented of his unwise decree, now expressed faith that Daniel's God would deliver him, and Daniel's trust was in his God, whether he was delivered or not. After Daniel was securely imprisoned with the lions, and the door of the prison was made fast and sealed with the king's signet, the king betook himself to fasting. He denied himself all pleasure that night, and even his sleep went from him because of his deep concern for the safety of Daniel. Then, very early in the morning, he went in haste to the lion's den. On reaching the place, he "cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel," saying, "O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?" We may imagine something of the relief from soul anguish which the king experienced when he heard the response of his prime minister: "O King, live forever. 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." The king lost no time in having Daniel released from his prison, and then it was made manifest that "no manner of hurt was found upon him," and no one doubted that it was "because he believed in his God." But this fact was further demonstrated in a most convincing manner. "The king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and 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." It seems like a cruel decree on the part of King Darius to have the wives and little children of the conspirators executed in this manner. But their fate illustrates a principle—the families of those who worship other gods, and persecute the worshipers of the true God, have no assurance of, or special claim to, the protection of the God whom they ignore or defy. When Daniel came out of the den of lions, the angel of God came out also. When Noah was shut in the ark, the protecting care of the Lord was withdrawn from all outside the ark—men, women, and children. When Lot went out of Sodom, the angels of God went also; every one else, old and young, was destroyed. When Korah and his two hundred and fifty fellow rebels in the camp of Israel were destroyed by the Lord, their wives and children, and all their belongings, were swallowed up with them by the opening earth. The angel of the Lord could not abide in such company, hence there was no protection for them. When Jerusalem was destroyed, only those who heeded the previous warning of Christ (Matt. 24:15-20; Luke 21:20-21) escaped the general doom. The men who take a decided stand against the truth of God imperil also their families. Daniel's unwavering faith on this occasion not only saved his own life, but it convinced the king of the great superiority of the God of Daniel, and drew forth a proclamation to all the world to that effect: "Then King Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied unto you. 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 steadfast forever, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and His dominion shall be even unto the end. 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." Excepting the "National Reform" idea of making men righteous by civil law, this was a remarkable presentation of the truth. Under the customs of kings in those days, and their crude notions respecting worship, we could hardly expect anything from a Medo-Persian king other than in the form of a peremptory law of some kind. But, under the far greater light of the Old and New Testaments, men of to-day ought to know better than to put Gospel preaching in the form of human law. There is another lesson in this incident for Gospel adherents of to-day, and this is that, through the influence of a practical life of faith in God, the expense of a world-wide proclamation of the Gospel was voluntarily met by the king. So it would seem that the most effective means of securing a quick transmission of the Gospel of the kingdom to "all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth," is to serve God faithfully and "continually," regardless of consequences from any source, and leave the result to Him. The Spirit of God can operate upon the minds of influential men in the world and make them instruments in His great work, if His professed disciples will refrain from hindering His purpose by inconsistent example. Daniel's unswerving faith and consistent life worked a powerful influence for good. "So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian."