Dr H Reflections

Private sin

The LORD was displeased with what David had done. – 2 Samuel 11:27

Psalms 51:1-12

 1 Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins.

 2 Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin.

 3 For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night.

 4 Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight.

 5 For I was born a sinner – yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.

 7 Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.

 11 Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.

 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and make me willing to obey you.

Coming to terms with private sin is never an easy matter. Even more so when private sin becomes public sin.

In our day, time and time again, dark, secret, personal private wickedness and immorality have hit the front page.

Over the past few years, a number of well-known politicians, familiar public figures, and prominent media personalities have been publicly accused of serious sexual misconduct and abuse of power.

Such charges have been made against Roy Moore, Al Franken, John Conyers, Matt Lauer, Kevin Spacey, Bill O’Reilly, Harvey Weinstein, A.J. Calloway, Brett Kavanaugh, Sylvester Stallone, Jamie Foxx, Morgan Freeman, Thom Brokaw, Charlie Rose, David Copperfield, Michael Douglas, and Jeffrey Epstein.

A headline could read Abuse of Power, Sexual Misconduct and #MeToo. Some of the accused are woefully, horrifically guilty. But the presumption of innocence has been lost in the #MeToo era. To accuse is enough to convict without a trial or hearing.

Regrettably, abuse of power and sexual misconduct is the way of the world. This is nothing new. But the children of the King are expected to be “better.” But sadly, way too often, the King’s kids are no better than the enemy’s kids.

Imagine the headline from the Jerusalem Post, 1000 BC, breaking news – David the King of Israel accused and found guilty of adultery, cover-up, and murder. The greatest king in Israel’s history had sunken to the deepest levels of human lust and self-preservation. Because an “The heart wants what it wants” (Emily Dickinson).

Love is frequently not under conscious, cognitive control. For example, you cannot just decide to stop loving somebody, no matter how hopeless. Similarly, you cannot simply decide to fall in love with somebody, no matter how suitable.

REFLECT & PRAY

The Father sees as well in the dark as He does in the light.

Father how often have You watched and seen my sin, but held back from a harsh blunt confrontation. Thank You for Your gentleness and kindness. I confess and acknowledge that I am a sinful man.

INSIGHT

The Father has a way of confronting His children and bringing them to repentance. For some of us, it might be considered a curse, for others a blessing, but regardless it is a fact.

So it was with David. His secret sin was found out for all to know and see. The Father sent Nathan His prophet to confront David and perform the needed spiritual, heart surgery required. The Father had prepared Nathan for this difficult confrontation. Nathan’s words were wisely chosen. He told the story of a crime that had been committed by another, an empowered rich man. David was furious and passed judgment on the man in question. But in fact, what he had done was pass judgment on himself. With one quick thrust of the sword, Nathan delivered the immortal words that pierced his heart and still echo down through the centuries, “You are the man!”

2 Samuel 12:1-7

 1 So the LORD sent Nathan the prophet to tell David this story: “There were two men in a certain town. One was rich, and one was poor.

 2 The rich man owned a great many sheep and cattle.

 3 The poor man owned nothing but one little lamb he had bought. He raised that little lamb, and it grew up with his children. It ate from the man’s own plate and drank from his cup. He cuddled it in his arms like a baby daughter.

 4 One day a guest arrived at the home of the rich man. But instead of killing an animal from his own flock or herd, he took the poor man’s lamb and killed it and prepared it for his guest.”

 5 David was furious. “As surely as the LORD lives,” he vowed, “any man who would do such a thing deserves to die!

 6 He must repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole and for having no pity.”

 7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!”

Unconfessed and hidden sin has a way of making us callous. It deadens the spirit and distances us from the Father. We find ourselves descending in an ever increasing downward spiral into a prison of our own making. Without confession and repentance, the future is not bright, but dark and dismal. In his own words, David reveals how he had been haunted by his sin (Psalm 51).

King David was embarrassed, humbled, and grieved by the revelation. But the confrontation gave David the opportunity for repentance, forgiveness, healing, and restoration. He gladly latched onto it. David knew that the Father was righteous in His judgments. But he also knew that He was gracious and forgiving and merciful because of His loyal love.

He appealed to the Father and was forgiven. Some would say, he was not quite the same afterwards. Even though he was forgiven there were still consequences. Bathsheba gave birth to a child. But the Father sent sickness and the child died.

The Father was not confused by David’s flailing attempts to hide his secret sins. The cover-up simply did not work. David’s attempts to hide his abuse of power against Bathsheba and Uriah was exposed in full color. His secret sin has been front page news for 3000 years!

The Father judged and sentenced David for his sins. David paid dearly for his lust and deceit. The spiritual principle of sowing and reaping was executed. David was repaid “in kind” (Deuteronomy 19:21). And more, for the sword did not depart from the king’s household.

Hosea 8:7 For they sow the wind and they reap the whirlwind.

This is an object lesson for us all. We must deal with our own evil and secret sins. If we do not, the Father will reveal them and deal with them for us. Repent and confess but be wise. And by all means do not put it on Twitter or Facebook.

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APT attacks

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. – 1 Peter 5:8

2 Corinthians 11:2-4

 2 For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. . .

 3 But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent.

 4 You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.

In early November 2020, pharmaceutical partners, Pfizer and BioNTech, announced that they had developed a vaccine for COVID-19 which was 90% effective. This is a true modern scientific breakthrough. Regrettably, a week later Microsoft detected three state-sponsored hacking operations (also known as APTs) that have launched cyber-attacks on at least seven prominent companies involved in COVID-19 vaccines research and treatments (ZDNet).

What is an APT?

Cyber APTs are a relatively recent development that puts not only individuals, but companies, state and federal government computer systems at risk

An APT (Advanced Persistent Threat) is a stealthily, shrewdly, intelligently conceived, and developed effort to attack computer networks. It is not a singular effort or battle but rather more a campaign in which an intruder, or team of intruders, establishes an illicit, long-term presence on a network in order to mine highly sensitive data (imperva.com).

The targets of these assaults, which are very carefully chosen and researched, typically include large enterprises or governmental networks. The consequences of such intrusions are vast, and include:

• Intellectual property theft (e.g., trade secrets or patents)
• Compromised sensitive information (e.g., employee and user private data)
• The sabotaging of critical organizational infrastructures (e.g., database deletion)
• Total site takeovers

Executing an APT assault requires more resources than a standard web application attack. The perpetrators are usually teams of experienced cybercriminals having substantial financial backing. They are often a nation state or state-sponsored group which are government-funded. They represent a new level of cyber warfare (imperva.com).

If an exceedingly bright human hackers can figure out how to do this, certainly even more highly intelligent spiritual hackers can do far worse.

Children of the King are also subject to spiritual APT offenses and incursions. Our souls and spirits are relentlessly probed for weaknesses. There is little information for our assailants to obtain, because of their intelligence network, they already know what we know. Rather than extraction, they attempt to implant suggestions, ideas, emotions. They use disinformation and misinformation to attempt to sabotage our walk with the Father.

Revelation 12:9 The serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world . . .

We have a great extremely intelligent and cunning enemy whose purpose is to thwart the Father’s purpose. “As the serpent, Satan deceives (2 Corinthians 11:3); and as the lion, Satan devours. The word ‘Satan’ means ‘adversary,’ and the word ‘devil’ means ‘the accuser, the slanderer’” (Wiersbe).

REFLECT & PRAY

“We must never forget that we are in a spiritual war. Regardless of how well things may seem to be going for us, we live in a perpetual war zone. How many casualties occur because we think we live in a time of peace” (Stanley)?

Father our adversary fully intends to harm us and make us spiritual casualties in our service to You. Father teach us to know and understand our enemy and enable us to take a stand and resist him until he flees.

INSIGHT

“The devil is always out to see whom he can ruin. Again, Peter must have been remembering how the devil had overcome him and he had denied his Lord” (Barclay).

Luke 22:31-32

 31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat.”

 32 “But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”

1 Peter 5:8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

“Peter portrayed the devil here as a roaring lion seeking to devour its prey. The devil roars like a lion to induce fear in the people of God. In other words, persecution is the roar by which he tries to intimidate believers in the hope that they will capitulate at the prospect of suffering. If believers deny their faith, then the devil has devoured them . . .” (Schreiner).

The extreme distinction between the Father’s goals and methods and those of the enemy the devil is conspicuous and striking. The Father gently and tenderly cares for His children (1 Peter 5:6-7), inviting them to bring their worries to him so that he can sustain them. The Father promises to care for and protect His flock (1 Peter 5:2) in difficult times.

The enemy wants only to terrify the children of the King. His goal is to induce fear that will devour their faith. He does not want to deliver them from fear but to rather destroy them. He is like a wounded, crazed animal lashing out in its final death throes.

What should children of the King do? Should they capitulate and turn the other cheek? Absolutely not. “Those who act like sheep, will be eaten by wolves” (Anonymous). Children of the King are told to be vigilant and resist. They are to stand firm against the devil and his machinations.

James 4:7 Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James commanded us to resist the devil actively and persistently. The Greek word translated resist is antistete. Antistete has the sense of to stand against, resist, set oneself against, oppose, refuse to yield whether in deed or word.

“This promise of the devil’s flight bears upon our understanding of his nature and influence. The devil had been referred to only indirectly up to this point (James 2:19; 3:6). He is the embodiment of all that resists God and is at enmity with God (James 4:4). James . . . [Reveals] absolute evil is never a positive force.”

“Evil cannot coerce the human will but is dependent upon it, much like a parasite. The devil is the active opponent of God and his people, but he resorts to his lying, deceptive capacities. Human creatures who believe these lies contribute their physical and mental strengths to his cause of influencing humanity for their destruction and his glory.”

“The devil is not called the tempter within James, for temptation results from evil desire within the self (James 1:14). But the devil is close by the temptations and conflicts that humans cause. Nevertheless, if he is consciously resisted, in submission to God, the devil cannot fight back and must flee the attack that is our resistance to him.”

“How do believers know that he is present? Wherever envy and selfish ambition are present in the conflicts and quarrels of the body of Christ, the devil is there” (Richardson).

How do we do this?

It is essential for each child of the King to take a stand on the Word of God and refuse to be budge “Unless we stand, we cannot withstand . . . Just as David took his stand against Goliath, and trusted in the name of the Lord, so we take our stand against Satan in the victorious name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Wiersbe).

2 Corinthians 10:4-5

 4 We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.

 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,

“Our faith must be like a solid wall against which the attacks of the devil exhaust themselves in vain. The devil is like any bully, and retreats when he is bravely resisted in the strength of Jesus Christ” (Barclay).

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Death creds

Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. – John 15:13

Hebrews 9:26-28

 26 But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice.

 28 Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.

In the 21st century there are all kinds of creds. Creds is short for credentials. Creds is another way of referring to one’s ‘rep,’ or ‘reputation.’ It refers to an individual’s credibility among their associates, social or professional group. It signifies the quality of being believable or worthy of respect.

Folks with street creds are approved by ordinary young people and considered to be part of their culture. Usually they share a sense of fashion and opinions. A person with prison creds has earned and now commands respect from their fellow prisoners.

In life, what kind of a person has excellent credibility and a good reputation, life creds? I suggest they would possess, but not be limited to, the following characteristics. They would be reliable, dependable, and would do what they say. They do not defer to anyone. They would have no prejudice and would not discriminate based upon arbitrary, passing, temporal values. They would fit in and accommodate themselves to people without compromising their values or personal integrity. They would go out of their way to care and be helpful. They would be easily approachable. They would be self-sacrificial and put the needs of others before their own.

But what about death creds? Some good people with lots of life creds might indeed go out of their way for the benefit of others. Rarely they might even die in another’s place. But such apparent altruism is not offered to just anybody. Rather, such self-sacrifice is somewhat exclusive. Their benevolence is offered only for somebody particularly close and important to them: good friends, parents for children, or children for parents. But such kindness is certainly not made available to strangers, what some might deem deplorables, and above all, certainly not enemies.

Romans 5:7-8

 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good.

 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners

In the history of planet Earth, only one person ever “earned” absolute and total death creds. He died for all people. He died for particularly bad, sinful people. In so doing He demonstrated His impartial, all-encompassing love for the world.

REFLECT & PRAY

Since the time of the garden of Eden and the fall of Adam and Eve, sin and death have had power and control over mankind.

Father thank you that the power of sin and even death itself has been broken for all time and eternity because of the death of Your beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

INSIGHT

The Lord Jesus Christ has the ultimate life creds and death creds. He not only died for us and provided us eternal life. He defeated death itself and removed any uncertainty or fear regarding it. Death has been defanged and its bite has been removed forever for every child of the King. Not even the slightest hint of concern remains.

1 Corinthians 15:54-57

 54 Death is swallowed up in victory.

 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?

 56 For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power.

 57 Thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

But there’s more. The Lord Jesus Christ could never have been captured, bound, mocked, beaten, or cruelly killed if He had not allowed Himself to be.

Reflect upon that. Utter self-sacrifice for each individual child of the King.

John 10:17-18

 17 “The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again.

 18 No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.”

“These words would be utterly out of place were the Lord Jesus a mere man. He spoke of laying down His life and taking it up again by His own power. He could only do this because He is God. The Father loved the Lord Jesus because of His willingness to die and rise again, in order that lost sheep might be saved” (McDonald).

His sacrifice for us was totally voluntary, His own choice. He chose to lay down His life so that the world might be saved through Him. The Father’s plan for redemption was accomplished when His Son died for the sins of the world. The Son chose to take up His life again.

John 10:11 I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God . . .

The Lord Jesus Christ has the ultimate in death creds. He alone is worthy!

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Limitless

He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter). – John 1:42

Mark 1:16-18

 16 As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen.

 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

 18 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.

Can you achieve and move beyond what you see? Sadly, many people are myopic, shortsighted. They set limitations for themselves. They are self-made or received from significant but non-affirming, disparaging folks in their lives. Myopic people severely limit themselves because they lack vision and allow others to impose artificial limitations upon them.

“If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread

into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them” (Bruce Lee).

“Keep away from people who belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great” (Mark Twain).

Last names as used today were not in existence in Biblical times. Instead, a person was known by who his or her father was (e.g., Simon, son of John) and/or by place of origin (e.g., Jesus of Nazareth; Simon of Cyrene) (Köstenberger). In addition, a name was thought to reflect an individual’s personality traits.

The Father sees beyond the obvious. He sees into the inner recesses of our hearts and minds. He sees beyond today into the future of what will be. In light of what He sees, the Father frequently gave names to people in the Bible. On other occasions, He changed people’s names to indicate their new character, purpose, or responsibility.

Simon apparently was a good listener. Simon is the English version of the Hebrew name Shimon. Shimon comes from the Hebrew word sh’ma which means to listen, hear, or pay attention. But for the Lord Jesus Simon would no longer be just a good listener. That was far too limiting. The Father had something far different in mind for him.

When the Lord Jesus first met Simon, He discerned what he would become. The Greek word translated look is emblepo from en, in or on, and blepo, to look. It meant to look in the face, fix the eyes upon, look at or upon. It meant more than a mere glance, but rather to contemplate, consider, thus see clearly, discern.

The Lord Jesus took one look at Simon and said you will no longer be called Simon but Cephas. His new name was a declaration of what he would become. Cephas is an Aramaic word meaning “rock.” The Greek translation of Cephas is Peter. Peter is derived from the Greek word Petros which also means rock. Peter and Cephas are not different names; they are the same name in different languages.

Matthew 16:18 Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.

Simon’s brief introduction to the Lord Jesus changed the course of his life. Many years would pass before the weak, erratic, impulsive Simon would be transformed into a rock. But the Father did just that. Tomorrow is always the first day of the rest of your life!

REFLECT & PRAY

“The world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully consecrated to him. By God’s help, I aim to be that man” (Moody).

Father I know from eternity You have seen the beginning, middle, and end of my life. Encourage me to see myself as You do and believe in myself as You do.

INSIGHT

But there’s more, in the Old Testament, when the Father changed a name, it often denoted, that the person entered into a new relationship with Him. It was as if life began all over again. That person now had a new beginning, a calling and purpose.

When the Father looks at us, He is not limited by what we currently are. In fact, He sees not only what we are but what we will become. His vision is not limited to our current achievements. The Father also sees the possibilities.

When the Lord Jesus looked at Peter, He saw more than a Galilean fisherman, rather the Lord Jesus recognized the future leader and spokesman of the early church.

The story is told of Michelangelo chipping away with his chisel at a huge, shapeless piece of rock. Someone approached and asked Michelangelo what he was doing. Michelangelo replied, “I am releasing the angel imprisoned in this marble.”

The Father sees and can release the hidden potential in each of us. He gently whispers to each of us, “Give me your life, and I will make you what you have it in you to be.”

When the Father looks at His children, what does He see? When you look at His children, what do you see? And when you look at yourself . . .

Mark 1:16-18

 16 As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen.

 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

 18 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.

“‘Follow me’ meant ‘come behind me as a disciple.’ It was an invitation, but in view of who Jesus was it had the force of a command” (Constable).

They were to be fishing for fish no longer but rather people. In the same way that fishing for fish is hard work, fishing for people would also involve hard work, self-sacrifice, and know-how. They had much to learn but their response was immediate. They dropped what they were doing, and became disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus Christ asks all children of the King to follow Him, become His disciples, and fish for people.

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Malicious intent

The LORD observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. – Genesis 6:5

Titus 3:3-6

 3 Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other.

 4 But – When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love,

 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.

 6 He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior.

In Independence Day, Roland Emmerich’s 1996 film, are aliens seeking to destroy Earth. Independence Day was a classic of its time. As Captain Steven Hiller, Will Smith is entrusted with leading the charge against these alien beings with malicious and murderous intent.

Will Smith is puzzled as to why the aliens are in the attack mode. He says incredulously, “Look, I really don’t think they flew ninety billion lightyears to come down here and start a fight, get all rowdy.”

What he underestimated was the malicious intent of pure evil.

REFLECT & PRAY

It seems so tragic that everyone under the sun suffers the same fate. That is why people are not more careful to be good. Instead, they choose their own mad course, for they have no hope (Ecclesiastes 9:3).

Father thank You. Against all odds, You have continuously managed to do what is impossible with people. Indeed all things are possible with You. May Your will indeed be done on earth as it is in heaven.

INSIGHT

Malicious intent can often be driven by greed, jealousy, prejudice, the desire for personal gain, or simply to get one’s own way. People who are corrupt and want what they want at any cost. They will use any means necessary to achieve their goals. Indeed for them, “Everything is on the table.” They probe for weaknesses and seek advantages. If they find none, they will cleverly devise a trap to ensnare those that stand in their way. So it was with Daniel.

Daniel had an extraordinary reputation from his service record to the kings of Babylon. He was intelligent, wise, honest, above reproach, and had an uncanny ability to see and interpret things that other people could not. He was known for his integrity and loyalty since he was a youth. Daniel had been careful to keep his personal life pure in every way. Try as they might, his enemies could bring no charge against him.

What could they do to get rid of him? They deviously plotted. They contrived to create a law that was not intended to be kept, but rather broken. It was much like a speed trap in American culture. A speed trap is designed to extract revenue from drivers instead of improving safety. Speed traps set the speed limit lower than the prevailing safe, flow of traffic. Violators receive a ticket, and forced to pay a fine which grows the coffers of the local government.

As Daniel’s enemies scrutinized his life, they realized that there was nothing to criticize or condemn. They concluded, “Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion” (Daniel 6:5). With malicious intent, they created a civil law which would be at odds with Daniel’s practice of his faith. They are well aware that Daniel would always place his loyalty to the Father above obedience to man-made laws. As they unveiled their plans, they openly lied and deceived king Darius.

They requested that Darius sign into law a decree. It stipulated that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human, except to him, would be thrown into the lion’s den. It appeared to king Darius to be a win-win situation. It required that each person in the Babylonian Kingdom acknowledge the authority of the Persians in all matters. Darius undoubtedly saw it as statesmanship of the highest order and would contribute to the unification of Persian rule. A one month time limit seemed reasonable. Then the people could resume their regular worship. What a plan!

Without further reflection, Darius signs the decree into law.

Now it is only a matter of time until Daniel is trapped and arrested. They surreptitiously spy on him and catch him in the very act of “unlawfully praying” to his God just as they knew he would.

They nailed him. Daniel was soon to be lion’s food. Now for all practical purposes their unrighteous laws will result in his certain cruel death through the lions clawed paws and voracious jaws.

Daniel 6:3-12

 3 Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and high officers. Because of Daniel’s great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire.

 4 Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy.

 5 So they concluded, “Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion.”

 6 So the administrators and high officers went to the king and said, “Long live King Darius!

 7 We are all in agreement – we administrators, officials, high officers, advisers, and governors – that the king should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human – except to you, Your Majesty – will be thrown into the den of lions.

 8 And now, Your Majesty, issue and sign this law so it cannot be changed, an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.”

 9 So King Darius signed the law.

 10 But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.

 11 Then the officials went together to Daniel’s house and found him praying and asking for God’s help.

 12 So they went straight to the king and reminded him about his law. “Did you not sign a law that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human – except to you, Your Majesty – will be thrown into the den of lions?” “Yes,” the king replied, “that decision stands; it is an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.”

Through their collusion, they created a law that was only meant to be broken. They had planned just how it would be broken and Daniel’s certain death.

Well things did not work out quite as they had meticulously planned. Their malicious intent came to naught. Their political ploy had not taken into consideration the reality and the supernatural power of the living God Whom Daniel served.

The roars of the hungry lions filled the air. Despite their captivity, they were still lions, doing what lions do. Their roars demanded food. Hunger was their recurrent companion and they seemed to smell a meal in the air. The commotion at the top of the pit had stirred them up. They could be heard leaping and clawing at the steep den walls, all the while roaring their displeasure (Foretold, Rodgers and Holtzman).

I can imagine Daniel’s prayer went something like this, “O Lord God my Savior, my protector. Save me now as you did with Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. For your glory, O Lord, show your power over these beasts. Please don’t let me die this way, but your will O my God be done, not mine. Strengthen me. Help me in my hour of need. If this is my last hour, let me go serving you in the way you choose” (Foretold, Rodgers and Holtzman).

The Father answered and sent His angel. You know the rest of the story. The Father sent His angel to protect Daniel through the night. Darius was impressed and furious. He saw to it that Daniel’s enemies were fed to the lions in his place. Then Darius issued a decree.

Daniel 6:25-27

 25 Then King Darius sent this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world: “Peace and prosperity to you!”

 26 “I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God, and he will endure forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his rule will never end.”

 27 “He rescues and saves his people; he performs miraculous signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”

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