ASSASSIN
04-18-2008, 06:10 PM
NEW SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON....
REFUSING TO COMPROMISE -
Daniel 6:4-7, 10, 16, 19, 21, 22, 25, 26
BACKGROUND:
Some 50 years have passed since last week's lesson. The leadership of the country has changed, as the Babylonians had been defeated by the Medes and Persians. A new king (Darius) is on the throne with new rules and new ideas. But there has been one constant: Daniel continues to "shine" in the eyes of pagans. There is another constant: jealousy and envy. It is these kinds of unholy emotions that lie at the root of much evil not only in our churches but in the secular world. It is the basis of one of the Ten Commandments: Thou shalt not covet…
But the major question in today's lesson is not so much whether one would change his or her standards altogether, but rather whether one would temporarily suspend those standards for a short period to avoid problems. It is, in short, a question of compromise. A simple example of this is whether we pause the thank God for our food before eating while at home but "suspend" the act in public restaurants. It is, after all, a simple compromise…or is it?
OFFICIALS TRAP DANIEL (Daniel 6:4-7)
It is important to read the first three verses of Daniel 6. Here we find the king setting up his chain of command. There were at the upper level three presidents, of which Daniel was one. Not only that, but Daniel was being considered by the king to be head even of the presidents. Jealousy set in among the appointed leaders. Their initial effort was to find a legitimate fault in Daniel. It is a ploy used by many in an attempt to "level" the playing field. Of course, there are at least two ways of doing that: bring yourself up or bring the other person down. These leaders chose the latter. But there was a problem - they could find no fault in Daniel. How many of us today could pass such a tough background check and earn the report that Daniel did?
They finally had to make an amazing admission: the only possible "fault" they could find in Daniel was that he worshipped God! Here is an example that would challenge any Christian today. We should all pray that our only "fault" is in praising God. Of course, one could not be surprised if he or she is criticized for praising God under the "wrong circumstances"...
Look at the men's approach to the king: "King Darius, live forever". It is a common practice among men that when they want to get on someone's "good side", they open with a high compliment. This was obviously aimed at getting the king in a listening mood. They came with what appeared to be a gracious move of recognition to the king: for 30 days, all worship and supplication would be made to no God or man other than the king. Such a "petition" probably sounded appealing to the king. Besides, the men didn't mention Daniel. In truth, they lied about "all" when they spoke, as Daniel was not present (cf. v. 10)...
So the king put into effect the sought after petition, knowing that such an edict would be irreversible, even by the king himself. The trap had been set...
DANIEL REMAINS FAITHFUL (Daniel 6:10)
Look at the situation. The petition was of the limited duration of 30 days. All Daniel had to do was to suspend his prayer life for 30 days. He could then go back to praying with no harm done. There was even another possible move that Daniel could have made to "save" his life: he could pray silently, or in secret places for those 30 days...
But what did Daniel do? He continued his usual routine. He not only continued praying three times a day (When in Jerusalem , the Jews always observed the third, sixth and ninth hours of the day as the "hour of prayer"), but he opened his window to face in the direction of Jerusalem when he prayed (again, the Jew who lived in Jerusalem would pray facing the temple). This brings up yet another possibility: Daniel could have simply closed his window. After all, Daniel had to know that this trap was tailored for him. But Daniel was steadfast. After all, the God to whom he prayed was all powerful...
There is one other observation that is here appropriate: Daniel's "normal" prayer life was of such that in cases of emergency, it was unnecessary for him to change his routine...
GOD DELIVERS DANIEL (Daniel 6:16, 19, 21, 22)
Once the king recognizes the object of the plot, he grieves. He tries in every way to get out of the situation, but to no avail. So the king orders Daniel into the lions' den (or pit). This is followed by what may be a glimmer of faith on the part of King Darius, who then seems to declare that Daniel's God will deliver him. Surely, enough faith exhibited on the parts of Christians today may cause even sinners to explore the possibility that God is able to deliver...
In verses not recorded in our text, the king has a sleepless night and eats nothing. Then the king does something strange: he rises early in the morning and personally checks the lions' den, calling for Daniel. Think about it: what would normally be the chances of a single human surviving overnight with vicious lions? The fact that Darius called Daniel's name was evidence that he had at least entertained the possibility that God would deliver Daniel. Daniel answered, and explained that he was in no way hurt, that God had sent an angel to protect him...
Again, verses not recorded in today's text describe what happens next. The king then orders those responsible for this debacle (along with their families) to be thrown into the same pit. They were immediately devoured...
DARIUS HONORS GOD (Daniel 6:25, 26)
The first decree was selfish: it was that men would honor Darius. But this decree is different: men MUST honor God. But in truth, the only way we today can truly direct men to honor God is to first get the spotlight off ourselves. We must personally understand what God can do before being sincere about such a suggestion. The fact that God permitted Daniel to be thrown into the lions' den in the first place set the stage for a testimony on both the parts of Daniel and the king. They were both witnesses that God is able to deliver from impossible situations...
Based on this newly found knowledge (the king had got it firsthand), the king could himself deliver a message. He did. He demanded (in an irreversible decree) that all nations under his rule would worship not Darius, but God....
A
REFUSING TO COMPROMISE -
Daniel 6:4-7, 10, 16, 19, 21, 22, 25, 26
BACKGROUND:
Some 50 years have passed since last week's lesson. The leadership of the country has changed, as the Babylonians had been defeated by the Medes and Persians. A new king (Darius) is on the throne with new rules and new ideas. But there has been one constant: Daniel continues to "shine" in the eyes of pagans. There is another constant: jealousy and envy. It is these kinds of unholy emotions that lie at the root of much evil not only in our churches but in the secular world. It is the basis of one of the Ten Commandments: Thou shalt not covet…
But the major question in today's lesson is not so much whether one would change his or her standards altogether, but rather whether one would temporarily suspend those standards for a short period to avoid problems. It is, in short, a question of compromise. A simple example of this is whether we pause the thank God for our food before eating while at home but "suspend" the act in public restaurants. It is, after all, a simple compromise…or is it?
OFFICIALS TRAP DANIEL (Daniel 6:4-7)
It is important to read the first three verses of Daniel 6. Here we find the king setting up his chain of command. There were at the upper level three presidents, of which Daniel was one. Not only that, but Daniel was being considered by the king to be head even of the presidents. Jealousy set in among the appointed leaders. Their initial effort was to find a legitimate fault in Daniel. It is a ploy used by many in an attempt to "level" the playing field. Of course, there are at least two ways of doing that: bring yourself up or bring the other person down. These leaders chose the latter. But there was a problem - they could find no fault in Daniel. How many of us today could pass such a tough background check and earn the report that Daniel did?
They finally had to make an amazing admission: the only possible "fault" they could find in Daniel was that he worshipped God! Here is an example that would challenge any Christian today. We should all pray that our only "fault" is in praising God. Of course, one could not be surprised if he or she is criticized for praising God under the "wrong circumstances"...
Look at the men's approach to the king: "King Darius, live forever". It is a common practice among men that when they want to get on someone's "good side", they open with a high compliment. This was obviously aimed at getting the king in a listening mood. They came with what appeared to be a gracious move of recognition to the king: for 30 days, all worship and supplication would be made to no God or man other than the king. Such a "petition" probably sounded appealing to the king. Besides, the men didn't mention Daniel. In truth, they lied about "all" when they spoke, as Daniel was not present (cf. v. 10)...
So the king put into effect the sought after petition, knowing that such an edict would be irreversible, even by the king himself. The trap had been set...
DANIEL REMAINS FAITHFUL (Daniel 6:10)
Look at the situation. The petition was of the limited duration of 30 days. All Daniel had to do was to suspend his prayer life for 30 days. He could then go back to praying with no harm done. There was even another possible move that Daniel could have made to "save" his life: he could pray silently, or in secret places for those 30 days...
But what did Daniel do? He continued his usual routine. He not only continued praying three times a day (When in Jerusalem , the Jews always observed the third, sixth and ninth hours of the day as the "hour of prayer"), but he opened his window to face in the direction of Jerusalem when he prayed (again, the Jew who lived in Jerusalem would pray facing the temple). This brings up yet another possibility: Daniel could have simply closed his window. After all, Daniel had to know that this trap was tailored for him. But Daniel was steadfast. After all, the God to whom he prayed was all powerful...
There is one other observation that is here appropriate: Daniel's "normal" prayer life was of such that in cases of emergency, it was unnecessary for him to change his routine...
GOD DELIVERS DANIEL (Daniel 6:16, 19, 21, 22)
Once the king recognizes the object of the plot, he grieves. He tries in every way to get out of the situation, but to no avail. So the king orders Daniel into the lions' den (or pit). This is followed by what may be a glimmer of faith on the part of King Darius, who then seems to declare that Daniel's God will deliver him. Surely, enough faith exhibited on the parts of Christians today may cause even sinners to explore the possibility that God is able to deliver...
In verses not recorded in our text, the king has a sleepless night and eats nothing. Then the king does something strange: he rises early in the morning and personally checks the lions' den, calling for Daniel. Think about it: what would normally be the chances of a single human surviving overnight with vicious lions? The fact that Darius called Daniel's name was evidence that he had at least entertained the possibility that God would deliver Daniel. Daniel answered, and explained that he was in no way hurt, that God had sent an angel to protect him...
Again, verses not recorded in today's text describe what happens next. The king then orders those responsible for this debacle (along with their families) to be thrown into the same pit. They were immediately devoured...
DARIUS HONORS GOD (Daniel 6:25, 26)
The first decree was selfish: it was that men would honor Darius. But this decree is different: men MUST honor God. But in truth, the only way we today can truly direct men to honor God is to first get the spotlight off ourselves. We must personally understand what God can do before being sincere about such a suggestion. The fact that God permitted Daniel to be thrown into the lions' den in the first place set the stage for a testimony on both the parts of Daniel and the king. They were both witnesses that God is able to deliver from impossible situations...
Based on this newly found knowledge (the king had got it firsthand), the king could himself deliver a message. He did. He demanded (in an irreversible decree) that all nations under his rule would worship not Darius, but God....
A