When Darius the Mede or General Agbaru presides over the Babylonian territory, it is this Darius that would be deceived by his counselors to having Daniel placed in the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, known in their Hebrew tongue as Azariah, Hananiah, and Meshach. That is certainly one of the most picturesque moments in the entire narrative. The second is Darius the Mede, once he takes over Babylon and takes custody of the protocol and the jealousy that had been abated with the three Hebrew boys now resurrects itself. And it appears again, and those who are jockeying for position and power are looking for a way to bring Daniel down. They do not want Daniel to continue to have the influence and the power that he had under the Babylonian administration. Remember, this is a new administration. This is a Persian administration. And so there are many in the kingdom who see this as an opportunity to advance themselves. You know, when one president goes out, he brings in a new president comes in, he brings in a whole new administration. So it's somewhat similar here, that there were those who saw this as an opportunity for their votes to rise in the harbor. But to do so, they needed to deflate the value of Daniel. They go to Darius the Mede and they point out that Daniel prays several times a day to his God back in Jerusalem. And even though Darius had made a new law that everyone had to worship him, they revealed or they told on Daniel that Daniel was continuing to pray to the God of Jerusalem. And of course, when Darius the Mede, now remember, in terms of the three Hebrew boys, that was never Knesset, that was a different king. This is a different king. This is now Darius the Mede, whom we believe was General Agbaro. But that aside, when they go to him and say that this Daniel, who is so well-loved and beloved and so highly regarded, he is not following your law, that everyone worships you. And as a result of that, Daniel is placed in the lion's den. Like the three Hebrew boys, he is preserved from that danger. And the next day, when Darius the Mede comes to review the lot and the life of Daniel, after having spent a night in a den filled, watch this, with hungry lions. Daniel has survived. Somehow God has taken away from the lions their very appetite and Daniel is undisturbed. And like Nebuchadnezzar was convinced that the God of these three Hebrew boys was authentic and real, so does Darius. The me is now convinced that Daniel has the protection, watch this beloved, and the presence of God. He is released from the lion's den, watch this, and the men who had told on Daniel, along with their wives and their children, were placed in the very lion's den that Daniel spent the night in. But this time, the appetite of the lions had returned and those men who devised the conspiracy against Daniel were all devoured along with their wives and their families. That brings us pretty much to the close of this lesson
and the time that we have spent together. Daniel never sees Jerusalem.
He never gets to return to where he left from 70 years earlier. He lives long enough to see Darius the Mede move off the scene and be replaced by the Persian king Cyrus the Great. Cyrus the Great recognizing the spiritual value of Daniel and the authenticity of God, turns and creates a new law. And in this new law, the Jewish community, they are able to return to Jerusalem, rebuild their temple, and remake their covenant with God. That's where the story of Daniel closes. The story of Daniel closes with the opening because the return of those people after 70 years back to Jerusalem is now the story of Nehemiah and Ezra. That's another whole chapter. But the story of Nehemiah and Ezra picks up where the story of Daniel ends. up where the story of Daniel ends. It is a story of God being faithful and loyal to his people.
Transcribed with Cockatoo