Daniel 6:19-28 “Lion’s Den”
I think we have all been on the plane coming back to Kauai and have been handed the State Department of Agriculture declarations form. We have to state that we are not in possession of any agricultural product or animal that might be a threat to the natural environment of Kauai. I was thinking that if you were to enter Babylon in the time of Daniel and Darius, that there might have been a similar declaration that you would have to make but about your personal spirituality.
“Are you in possession of any Godly thoughts?” Please check “no.”
“Are you in possession of any Holy Scriptures?” Please check “no.”
“Have you ever expressed any open penchant for Jesus’ ministry”
I think we all get the idea. King Darius is convinced by his satraps to pass an interdict against worshipping God. An interdict (admittedly a word we do not use everyday) is a legal prohibition. Nobody in Babylon is allowed to worship God at all. Can you even imagine such a place? A place where nobody is allowed to worship God?
Well, I can. We call it public school or the public domain. This is graduation Sunday. For those of you who are finishing up your education and those of you who are still in school, you have been through a kind of captivity like the Israelites in Babylon. You have been! You have been in that place where the authority has told you that you may not openly express your faith in God and Jesus Christ. I don’t know if you have been as far as the Lion’s Den, but you have certainly been in captivity in Babylon.
At the Waimea Canyon School, for instance, the first year we did Bible Club over there, we would put out little flyers inviting the students to come to the club. All the flyers would say is “Bible Club, Friday Lunch, Room M 103.” We would put the flyers up. The school administration would come and take the flyers down. So, we would put more up. The flyers would be gone the next day. I used to keep a heaping supply of flyers in my carryall with a roll of tape. It became almost like a game. Finally somebody in the administration told me that I could not post flyers anymore.
Last month there was a day when we had to cancel Bible Club. So, I broke the rule and put up a sign that mentioned Bible Club. The sign said, “Bible Club Cancelled Today.” The next day I noticed that that sign was still up. It had not been immediately taken down as the others had been. Curious.
I was also told that I could not use any of the school’s supplies either for Bible Club. I still carry dry erase markers with me in the event that I need to use a whiteboard at the school. I have to make sure not to use any ink that might violate the separation of church and state!
In spite of this, I am happy that we can still hold Bible Club. I am so enthusiastic about the response we have had from the students. At the Aha Mokupuni last week in Hanapepe, another pastor came up to me to just lift up how much the Bible Club has meant to one student that attends the church.
The fact of the matter is that although it is difficult sometimes to find God on campus, God is there. People who love Jesus and are committed to sharing the Good News will always jump through the hoops and do whatever it takes to make sure that God is still present. We as a church should renew our commitment on this graduation Sunday to continue to keep God in our schools through Bible Clubs and any other means possible.
There is a part of the scripture where Daniel is described as having a “spirit of excellence” in him. Please look at verse three of this chapter. There it said that the King was going to appoint him over the entire kingdom because of this. I want us to consider this seriously this morning. Daniel continues to rise to the top of the heap in Babylon because of this “spirit of excellence” that others just seem to notice he has. He does not have to advertise it. It is in fact a spiritual quality that he has: a true spirit of excellence.
Many of you might have wondered how I was going to connect Daniel in the Lion’s Den with Pentecost, that is the coming of the Holy Spirit over the church in Jerusalem, with graduation Sunday. Look, it is not even a stretch. They really do all fit together!
In Acts 1, verse 8, Jesus says while He is ascending up to heaven, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Jesus promised us the coming of this spirit over our lives. As we continue in Acts 2, we read how it is that indeed the spirit came over the worshippers in Jerusalem. We see that Peter stands up after receiving this spirit and he preaches his first sermon. It is a sermon that is delivered in poetry with amazing references back to the prophets. We are left wondering how it is that Peter, a poor fisherman from the poor district of Galilee, is now able to somehow stand up and deliver a sermon of such great import and perfection. Did he not just receive this spirit of excellence that Christ had promised? Is this not the same spirit of excellence that God gave to Daniel? Is this not the same spirit of excellence that we pray should fall upon our children?
At the Aha Mokupuni last week, some of our brothers and sisters from the Lihue Christian Church unfurled a banner that usually hangs in their sanctuary. On the banner it says “Do your best for God.” I thought that we should have that banner in every church of our association! We should always want to do our best for God. We have all been given this spirit of excellence directly from Jesus, how could we do any less than our best?
This last week I phoned up an acquaintance of mine on the North Shore; I really do not know the man that well. However, I had noticed some work that he had done that was truly outstanding. I was amazed and impressed with it. It was a video production. I truly think that it is first class and worthy of an award. So, I just called him up. He was so amazed that I would take the time and trouble to call him up to just tell him how impressed I was with his work. I know it made his day.
Not too long ago I noticed an especially beautiful drawing that my daughter Kimberly had done. As most of you know, she is really a fine artist. So, I told her that I was quite impressed with the excellence of her artwork. I openly wondered where she had gotten her artistic skill from—not from me. Then, my daughter corrected me. You see, I had just finished fixing a clogged toilet in her bathroom. It meant my removing the toilet, cleaning out roots that had grown into the pipes and then putting the commode back in place. My daughter told me that it was the most excellent toilet repair she had ever seen. Indeed, I had carefully shimmed the base so that it would be level and not rock. I had laid fresh cement under it to even out the sub-floor. I had then carefully and artistically applied a perfect bead of acrylic sealant around the base. Yes, my daughter was right: I do fine toilet art. It does not matter what you do, as long as you do it with excellence!
We forget to tell people sometimes when we see their excellence that we recognize that spirit that God has given them. For the graduates here this morning, I want to affirm that we recognize that spirit of excellence in your lives that has come from God into you. We pray that you will continue in that spirit of excellence!
Let’s get back to the story of Daniel. He is thrown into the Lion’s Den. God sends and angel to close the mouths of the lions. The next morning, King Darius sees that Daniel is well and fine and orders him released because he has served his term of punishment. Darius the King then does something that is a little surprising to us. Indeed it is all but shocking and gruesome. He has all of the ones who accused Daniel thrown into the Lion’s Den. Not only do they get thrown in, but so do their wives and children.
Of course, one needs to stop and consider this brutal action. Why would Darius have the wives and children thrown to the Lions, too? By the way, an angel does not save these people. The lions feast on them. I am sorry if this is shocking. Perhaps this sermon should have come with one of those television ratings: PG-TV14.
Maybe this is a righteous act? Look, if these children’s parents are set to resist and work against the people of God, and have therefore sided openly with the Evil One, what chance do these children have? Darius knows that the fruit is not going to fall far from the tree. He is getting rid of the bad seed itself. Even though it is purely gruesome, I do understand it. I do not recommend it, but I fathom the issue.
The point is this: parents, you are responsible for your children. You are responsible that they receive that spirit of excellence from God! You are responsible to make sure that they do well in school, succeed in life, and grow in the faith! When we see our youth graduating from high school with honors, then we should understand that it was our work as parents that brought that about.
Let us not blame the Department of Education or the schools when the children do not succeed. I feel that the DOE would, if empowered to do so, throw those parents into a den of lions along with their kids. Again, I am not recommending that, but I could certainly fathom the issue!
Have the faith of Daniel, and God will send angels to you. Never forsake your faith no matter what you are threatened with. Worship God from the rooftops so that all can see. Keep a spirit of excellence in your life. This is the Spirit from God given over for the building of His church. And, finally let us take our responsibility for the next generation seriously. Amen.