The Lion's Den
Now Think On This
by Steve Martin
“Then
the king arose at dawn, at the break of day, and went in haste to the lions'
den. When he had come near the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled
voice. The king spoke and said to Daniel, "Daniel, servant of the living
God, has your God, whom you constantly serve, been able to deliver you from the
lions?"
Then
Daniel spoke to the king, "O king, live forever! "My God sent His
angel and shut the lions' mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was
found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no
crime."
Then the
king was very pleased and gave orders for Daniel to be taken up out of the den.
So Daniel was taken up out of the den and no injury whatever was found on him,
because he had trusted in his God.” (Daniel 6:19-24 NASU)
We are all quite familiar with the story of the Jewish young
man Daniel, who was with those taken captive from Jerusalem by the Babylonians
during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar. Born in 623 BC, he was raised in Jerusalem before the
captivity. During his teen years there in that foreign land, in what is now
Iran and Iraq, he was educated in Chaldean thought. However, he never converted
to Neo-Babylonian ways, but held to the true convictions in his godly heart.
A time came when the king ordered all of his subjects to
obey his commandments of whom to worship. Daniel refused. He knew the Living
God of his fathers, and was not going to bow down to any false gods. As a
result, he was thrown into the lion’s den. We are told in Scripture that the
Lord delivered him from the lions, uninjured, because he had trusted in his
God.
Lions are ferocious
beasts, who can consume a human body in a very short time, if given the
opportunity, and it is time to eat.
Our enemy is portrayed as
one who goes about as a lion, seeking to destroy whom he can. “Be of sober
spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a
roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8-9 NASU) Notice that he
prowls like a lion, but he isn’t one. Only the Lion of Judah is the true One,
with all power and authority.
You and I might not get
to experience the lion’s den adventure, or be at the consumed end of the
African lioness who has found her daily meal. But I know that you and I have
experienced the prowling of the one who seeks to destroy and kill mankind.
All
around us, on the national and local news, we see and hear of those who have
been devoured by the wanna-be lion. Drugs, alcohol, murder, sexual attacks,
mistreatments of all imaginations. No doubt, we have experienced that false
lion’s efforts in trying to destroy us in our faith and commitment to the Lion
of Judah Himself.
Even in some job
situations, there can be that boss continually riding us, beating down our
spirit through accusations, ridicule, or lies spread about our beliefs. That
can be just as painful and hurtful as having a leg bitten off by a real animal
of prey. The spiritual ones can have lasting effects on our mind, will and
emotions.
How do we guard against
such actions? How do we keep from bowing down to the false gods, fearful of
losing our life, possibly in the natural as well? The God of Daniel has shown
us the way.
When confronted with the
choice of choosing the present escape or the eternal reward, Daniel chose the
One who would grant him life everlasting. He had prepared himself on a daily
basis, so that when the lions gathered around him, ready to tear him apart, his
eyes and heart were kept fixed on his Lord, Who would deliver him.
My encouragement today is
that we too stand in the midst of our attackers, both in the natural and the
spiritual, who seek to devour us. We can stand strong in our convictions, the
truth we know, the way and the life, by being with the Lord daily. If you know
Him in your daily walk, you will have that trust, hope and faith that He will
bring you through all that the enemy of our soul, spirit and body throws at us.
Trials and tribulations
come. Sometimes we wonder if we are going to make it through this one, this time.
Knowing that our Deliverer Himself made it through the trial, the whipping, and
the crucifixion, we can base our eternal hope on His promises, that He will be
with us during ours too.
We are going to be in the
lion’s den at some point, if not already. We will stand strong during the time
if we have spent time with Him prior to that time.
My prayer is that you do.
Know Him who is the One who delivers.
Steve Martin
Founder
Love For His People. Inc.
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Now Think On This #129 “Lion’s Den”
by Steve
Martin
Date: In the year of our Lord 2014 (03.15.14)
Saturday at 5:30 am in Charlotte, NC).
All previous editions of Now Think On This
can be found on this Blog, and on our newest website: Now
Think On This
