Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of music brought before him: and his sleep fled from him. Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. And when he came near unto the den to Daniel, he cried with a lamentable voice: the king spake and said to Daniel, "O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?"

Then said Daniel unto the king, "O king, live for ever. My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, and they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt."

Then was the king exceeding glad, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he had trusted in his God.

And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and break all their bones in pieces, or ever they came at the bottom of the den.

D. THE PROSPERITY OF DANIEL

Then king Darius wrote unto all the peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; "Peace be multiplied unto you. I make a decree, that in all the dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end: he delivereth and rescueth, and he worked signs and wonders in heaven and in earth; who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions."

So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

THE MEANING OF THE STORY

367. In the last chapter we studied the bitter persecution of the Jews in the time of Antiochus. God sent them a great deliverer in Judas the Hammerer. He also sent them a helper who told them heroic stories of the olden time to encourage them to believe that God would surely deliver them. These stories were of Daniel and his three friends who were taken to Babylon in the captivity. They were under great temptation to be untrue to their religion. We can see how these stories would help the people to be faithful.

368 (§98). In the old times the food and wine for the king's table would first be offered to the heathen gods, so Daniel felt that he would really be an idolator if he took them. What request did he make? How did the master think it would be discovered that he had not fed them on rich food? What test did Daniel propose? How did it turn out? Of course it was really much more healthy for the young men to live simply. It took some courage to stand out against the officer, but it was a matter of conscience with Daniel and his friends.