Den Of Lions (part 2)

Before going any further, it needs to be said that the value in constructs such as the one we are making is that Jesus, as He diligently searched the Scriptures, pondering the ultimate validity of the method that He would employ to bring in the kingdom of God---that being suffering to vindication (exile to exodus), would have been highly instructive for Jesus. Stories such as Daniel would have provided Him with guidance, strength, and sustenance for the path that lay ahead of Him. He could trust that the God that had been the God of deliverance for a faithful Israelite such as Daniel would be the God of deliverance for Him as well.

Continuing to explore this story of Daniel, we find that “these supervisors and satraps came by collusion to the king and said to him, ‘O King Darius, live forever!’” (6:6). After this bit of customary flattery, they continued on and said, “To all the supervisors of the kingdom, the prefects, satraps, counselors, and governors it seemed like a good idea for a royal edict to be issued and an interdict to be enforced. For the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human other than you, O king, should be thrown into a den of lions” (6:7). Finally, to this was added, “Now let the king issue a written interdict so that it cannot be altered, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed” (6:8). Quite understandably, “King Darius issued the written interdict” (6:9), unwittingly putting in jeopardy the life of the very one that he had intended to appoint over the entire kingdom.

Before we move forward, let’s put some flesh and blood on this story. Daniel was basically the second most powerful man in the kingdom. He knew his position, as did Jesus in all likelihood (based on the events of his life, from the prophecy of His birth, to His experience at the age of twelve in Jerusalem, to His baptism, to the miracles that attended His ministry) knew that He was God’s Messiah for Israel. Daniel would have been well aware that Darius desired to make him the ruler of the kingdom; and likewise, if Jesus knew that He was the Messiah, then He knew that He was the one that was to be appointed as King of the coming kingdom of God. Indeed, Jesus seems to be in constant awareness of what awaits Him at the end of His journey, making regular references to the betrayal and suffering and death and resurrection to which He is headed.

The picture of Jesus that is presented in the Gospels is one in which He has a complete mastery over all that eventually happens to Him at the hands of His adversaries, especially as He lays down His life willingly. So it was with Daniel. He exudes an aura of measured control. In addition, he was by no means a political novice, having dealt quite well with the great King Nebuchadnezzar, gaining power and prestige in Babylon. Both Daniel and Jesus were astute observers, well engaged with the machinations of the political machines of their days. There is very little chance that Daniel was unaware of what was happening, just as Jesus knew what was going on behind the scenes, in the corridors of power, owing to His miracles and His proclamation of the kingdom of God, with its inclusion of all and sundry.
Daniel, in his position, could easily have stepped in and protested the decree that had been proposed, and probably kept it from being made, just as Jesus, when He is arrested in the garden, speaks of being able to call upon more than twelve legions of angels to protect Him if that was His desire. It is easy to imagine that, with his influence and his power, that Daniel could have commanded the loyalty and affection of some of the leaders of the king’s army, attempted a coup, started a revolution, and done any number of things, in his flesh, in an attempt to save himself from the repercussions of a decree that was obviously directed at him. Neither Daniel nor Jesus chose such a route. Instead, Daniel, just as he had determined to do from the time he reached Babylon, was going to put God on display, and more importantly, put the covenant faithfulness of God to rescue His people, on display for all to see. This too was Jesus’ goal, as He knew that God was going to fulfill His covenant for the world (made with Abraham), through Him and through His death and Resurrection.