Daniel 6:10-28

6:14-17 | The king was not displeased at Daniel’s devotion to the Lord; he was displeased with himself because his own advisors had tricked him into sending Daniel into the lion’s den.

6:16-17 | Contrary to popular renderings of this scene, the den was not so much a cave as a pit, and these lions were not mild-mannered beasts. Casting someone to the lions was a royally appointed means of torture and certain death, although in this case, the king hoped God would rescue Daniel, proving Daniel’s innocence.

6:24 | The very men who had accused Daniel were thrown into the lions’ den. They were devoured before they hit the floor, proving that Daniel’s rescue was a divine intervention.

6:25-28 | At the beginning of the chapter, a new regime was installed. At the end of the chapter, a new national religion is instituted by royal decree, and for a reason that echoes Nebuchadnezzar’s (4:1-3): God moved the heart of a pagan king. There is no greater power in the universe than the sovereign God.

6:28 | The glory of God was the first purpose of the lions’ den; the prosperity of Daniel was the second.