Christianity Isn’t Cool - Daniel 6

Being a Christian is no longer cool. Christianity, in our culture, is just another avenue of ancient spirituality among many viable options at best, and it’s backwards, unsophisticated, bigotry at worst. To live as a Christian committed to the ancient tenets of our faith, and not a new, innovative made up version, is radically countercultural. There’s nothing mainstream or cool about having a clear authority from whose essence comes boundaries and to whom all of our loyalties lie in a culture that craves autonomy and resents authority and hates commitment.

Some I know respond to this with a desire to move culture back to where it once was in the West so that Christianity is mainstream. Others I know seek to reshape the message of the church to be more suitable to the modern palate. They aren’t trying to make the culture like the Church. They’re trying to make the Church like the culture. But, the question that I don’t here being asked often enough is: What if it’s good for Christianity to not be cool? What if it’s good for it to not be mainstream?

God’s Word

Facing hostility tends to bring out the best of the Church and the greatest works of God. Prosperity is where we normally get into trouble. Virtually any church history scholar will tell you that the church started to weaken once Constantine made it the state religion of Rome. The Apostles seem to view it that way too. Peter says that the church is refined by the fire of sufferings, and Paul even says that the Gentiles heard the gospel because God rescued him from the mouths of lions. So, what we see in our text today is not exceptional. It’s normal. Daniel is an old man, 80 or 90 years old, still facing a hostile culture. It was Babylon, but now it’s Persia. But, it’s still hostile. And, he shows us How to Live in a Hostile Culture: (Headline)

Live “honorably.”

Daniel 6:3–5 “Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.””

They see the “effects,” but not the “cause.”

Persia was known for it’s brilliant system of administrating its empire. They would have a series of provinces led by a plurality of satraps, and above them, were essentially the king’s cabinet who over saw the operations. Daniel is so “distinguished above all” that he has ascended to one of these cabinet positions even as a foreigner. It’s interesting that’s his distinction is noted as being “an excellent spirit” within him. That essentially means they recognized him as one with a unique relationship with the gods so that he had great wisdom. So, this pagan culture didn’t understand the cause of Daniel’s distinction, but they could certainly see it’s effects. They were seeing the effects of his relationship with God, and it was these very effects that enabled him to flourish in such a way that he gained respect and influence in both Babylon and Persia. This is, too often, what’s missing among us.

They see the “weakness,” but not the “strength.”

The other cabinet members become jealous that this foreigner is exceeding them in distinction, and they conspire to eliminate him. They want to undo him with a political scandal. But, when they went looking for the Watergate Tapes, but they couldn’t be found. Daniel was a man without secrets. They wanted to assassinate his character, but his life was above reproach, “because he was faithful.” Daniel’s only political weakness was his spiritual strength. He was too devoted to his God, and the irony was that it was this very perceived weakness that was the source of his strength!

Too often, Christians seem to believe that the best way to influence the culture is to become like it. But, Daniel shows us the better way. To influence our culture we should live in our culture we should in it, but not look like it. We should live in it while looking like Jesus. Tremendous damage has been done the reputation of Christianity because of Christians who lived in the world with no discernable difference. Because of Christians whose lives couldn’t hold up to scrutiny. Would yours? Where are the Watergate Tapes of your life hidden? Someone asked me a while back what the goal of my life was. I told them that my goal was to die without secrets. I want to die and my wife, children, friends, and church not discover any dirt. I want to deal with sins, and not carry any skeletons with me. Do you have any secrets? No person can flourish in life while dragging skeletons everywhere they go. Drag them into the light this morning, and recover your sense of honor.

Live “deliberately.”

Daniel 6:10–11 “When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God.”

Daniel’s jealous colleagues conspire to not only assassinate Daniel’s character, but to actually assassinate Daniel. They appeal to Darius’ pride, and convince him to have a thirty day fast from every god but him. If anyone couldn’t make it 30 days without praying to any other god apart from Darius, they’d be fed to lions. And, they knew that Daniel was so devout in his love for the Lord that he’d never make it.

How would you respond? Would you just pray privately in your heart for a month? Well, Daniel shows us that, when you live in a hostile culture, there’s a time to comply, and there’s a time to resist. So, Daniel, as soon as the decree is signed, goes to the second floor where he look out the window toward Jerusalem, and He prays on his knees to the Lord three times a day in clear violation of the rule. You see, our devotion to God cannot be affected by legislation. In fact, like Daniel, legislation against our devotion to God may form the very context through which our devotion to God becomes clearest. And, Daniel shows us. Don’t resent it. Embrace it!

“Typical,” not “political.”

Daniel’s response isn’t political; it’s typical. My favorite phrase is: “as he had done previously.” He isn’t praying just because it’s against the rules, and he has an ax to grind. Daniel is praying because Daniel prays! Daniel defaulting to the way he has always lived. Every day, he aimed his heart at God. That’s the significance of praying “toward Jerusalem.” That’s where the Temple was. That’s where Solomon had said God’s people should aim their prayers. Every day, he bowed his knees and humbled himself before God. Every day, he prayed and petitioned God for help. Every day, he praised God and thanked God for his goodness.

“Proactive,” not “reactive.”

Daniel’s deliberate living created the right defaults for crisis. His instincts had been well-trained for the circumstances he was to endure. Recently, I watched a series that followed a platoon of marines in the Pacific Theater during World War II. The marines would doc on to the beaches, and the carnage and stimulation were overwhelming. Bullets are flying. Bombs are exploding. People are dying. And, the leaders just kept shouting over the gunfire: “Remember your training! Remember your training!” You see, that wasn’t the time to learn. That was the time to default toward trained instincts. And, Daniel shows us that this is the role of the spiritual disciplines. It’s to live deliberately with God during the peace times so that you are prepared to thrive in the midst of war times. It’s being proactive, not reactive.

It reminds me of a conversation I had once with a group of men I was discipling. There was a really ethically difficult situation that came up, and we ended up spending all of our time that day discussing it. At the end, one of the men said: “I wish we’d just do this every week instead of reading the books.” But, I told him: “The books are the training so that you’ll know how to think when these situations arise. It’s by reading the books when there’s not a crisis that you know how to think when there is one.”

God wasn’t for Daniel a new found source of strength. He was, for Daniel, his consistent, daily source of strength. Oh, don’t wait until the bullets are flying to get to know the Lord. Get to know him now, and you’ll be ready for the battle.

Live “freely.”

Daniel 6:12–16 “Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.” Then they answered and said before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.” Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.” Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lion…”

Most people believe that King Darius and King Cyrus were the same person, Cyrus being his Persian name and Darius being Median name. And, he’s the tragic figure in this story, not Daniel. His inner court conspires to eliminate their political threat, Daniel, by manipulating Darius. And, they appeal to his pride. “Darius, don’t you deserve to be honored? Don’t you deserve to have a whole month dedicated to seeing how you are the greatest among men?” People with large egos are often easy to manipulate. They listen to the people who make them feel good and can be led by those people into all kinds of foolishness. With enough flattery, they’ll do almost anything.

But, Darius is devastated when he discovers the plot is meant to take out his most trusted servant. He “was much distressed.” But, the law of the Persians was that once a decree had been sealed by the king not even the king could reverse it. This prevented the king from having to hear all the appeals. So, Darius “set his mind to deliver Daniel” and “he labored till the sun went down,” but it was to no avail. Daniel had to be cast into the lions den. He had to kill his friend and weaken his kingdom in the process.

Realize the “entanglement” of “sin.”

The entanglement of sin is on full display. Darius’ egotistical, self-serving decisions have built a jail cell in which he must live. The most powerful and autonomous person on earth is a prisoner to the bondage of his own sin. And, we see the impotence of the salvation by man’s efforts, don’t we? Darius built the prison, but he only got tired trying to escape it.

This is what sin does. In your pride and ego, you think you can make and break the rules, but you end up losing your freedom trying to exercise it. How many addicts only wanted to live a little and have some fun? They thought they could handle a little, but now they live according to its demands. It’s a jail. How many divorces have begun because of a marriage that was founded upon lust? They were marrying to meet their own selfish desires, but today the consequences are hard to see past. How many financial crises began with an impulse purchase here or a little jealousy there? But, it’s a jail cell that it’s hard to see past.

Recognize the “hopelessness” of “self-rescue.”

And, I don’t have to tell you how exhausting it is for you to try to self-rescue, do I? It feels impossible, like a law that can’t be overturned. But, think of Daniel. He lived for his God no matter the penalty. And, even though he’s thrown into a den of lions, he’s there with God, and he’s the freest man in this story. Humble yourself. Commit yourself to the ways of the Lord, and live freely in an age filled with prisons.

Live “victoriously.”

Daniel 6:20–24 “As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.”

God uses “lion dens” more than “beach resorts.”

You know, nobody grows up hoping that one day they’ll be fed to lions. And, nobody grows up hoping that their faith will cost them friends and opportunities. Nobody grows up hoping to endure the loss of a spouse at a young age or developing MS before you can enjoy retirement. But, let me ask you: Would you even know Daniel’s name if he had not been in the lion’s den? God often delivers us differently than we desire. We want God to keep us out of the lion’s den. However, very often, God doesn’t save us from the lions den, but in it. God’s purpose for your life is not make you as comfortable as possible. It’s for you to know him and make him known as best as possible. And, that happens in lion’s dens far more often than beach resorts.

Darius can’t sleep all night. That’s what happens to people who entangle themselves in sin and realize they have no power to change it. And, he runs out a first light to see if Daniel is okay. And, I love Daniel’s response: “O king, live forever!” It’s respectful. It’s joyful. It’s ironic. It’s VICTORIOUS. Daniel experienced the greatest injustice, and Daniel experienced the greatest victory. And, with it, he experienced the deepest joy. Daniel said he saw God’s angel, but I’m convinced that Daniel saw the Lord Jesus himself. You see, Daniel was no more alone in the lion’s den than he was in his prayer closet. In fact, it was Jesus’ presence in the lion’s den that verified his presence in the prayer closet. God had heard his pleas for help, and God had helped him!

Oh, how often does it just feel like you’re talking to the ceiling? Three times a day, Daniel prayed. There must’ve been times in which he wondered if he was heard. But, my goodness, when you witness God answering your prayers in a way that you know could’ve happened no other way, is there any greater sense of victory you can know? Answered prayers prove you are God’s child, and they prove that God is with you. That’s why you need older Christians in your life who can testify to you of the answering of God’s prayers so that you can borrow their faith and walk in victory until you receive your answer.

God uses a “Lion” to kill a “Snake.”

The book of Daniel was written for the purpose of preparing us for the Messianic Kingdom, and life in the Messianic Kingdom will look and feel like an exile until our King comes back for us. And, it’s a reminder that the serpent’s head will be crushed by the seed of the woman, even if it doesn’t look like it. While in exile, it may look like your conspirators win. But, notice the phrase “maliciously accused” that used to describe the men condemned for their hatred of Daniel. It literally means, “eaten to pieces.” They had sought to have Daniel “eaten to pieces,” but the irony is that the lions “broke all their bones in pieces.”

God’s people will triumph, and the Serpent will be crushed. Because there is a greater Daniel coming. The politicians will conspire against him. His character will be inscrutable. The ruler will try to save him, but ultimately wash his hands. He will be nailed to the cross as though devoured by lions. But, at first light, on Sunday morning, He will call out to his disciples in joy as one who has overcome death and been resurrected. And, He’s on your side. You live in a hostile age, but, brothers and sisters, you can live victoriously through Christ.