Monday 22 April 2013

Background

Any Bible story with angels in them is meant to signal that Godis intervening in a situation. In this case Daniel, a Jew who hadrisen to become one of the most senior officials (satrap) of theKing of Persia, needed intervention in a very specific way.

The story of Daniel illustrates that persistent faith doesn'tguarantee a smooth ride but God never abandons those who stayfaithful. Daniel had handled himself so well that he both becomespopular with the king and on the wrong end of other officials'jealousy.

His detractors couldn't criticise his integrity so they cookedup a plot that depended on Daniel's faith in God. The riskystrategy involved tricking the king to pass a law forbiddingworship of anyone but himself for 30 days. And then the jealouscourtiers snitched on Daniel, who faithfully prayed to God threetimes a day.

The punishment was to be thrown in a den of lions - undoubtedly,hungry lions who wouldn't turn their noses up at a well-fed youngman.

Cue angels.

Interestingly, the next morning the king's question was not tothe guards but - in a strange sort of faith that never commits tofollowing God himself - he shouted to Daniel to ask if he was allright. The guards must have thought the king had lost it: no onesurvived a night in the lions' den.

It was Daniel's faithfulness that impressed the king; not whatGod had done in delivering the king's favourite. Daniel's responsewas to confirm his loyalty to the king but also to underline thathis survival was God's doing … and to repeat that he wasblameless.

So the angels signify a God who intervenes, but also a God whochanges the situation. Interestingly, Daniel wasn't saved from theexperience of living with lions for a night: he was protected fromthe fate that later did for the corrupt officials who had tried toget rid of him.

To Ponder

• Can you point to a time when God has intervened for you? If so,what happened?

• How important is it to maintain your integrity, no matter whatthe consequences? Why?