Integrity Under the True Test – Daniel in the Lions Den

The story of Daniel in the lions den is truly one of the most pure Christian inspirational stories of all times. His pure love for God truly put his integrity to the ultimate test!

We find the story in chapter six of the book of Daniel. We have all heard the story and there is no need to go over every single detail again. But I do want to stress some points within the story that stand out to me like no others.

Briefly the story took place during the rule of king Darius. King Darius liked Daniel a lot, and had placed him in a very high position within his kingdom.

Of course because of Daniel's status it caused a great deal of jealousy amongst the individuals placed below him. So much so that they plotted against him.

Now these weren't just everyday people. These were the presidents, governors, princes, counselors, and captains. In other words they were high ranking officials.

When they got together they decided that they needed to find out something about his life that they could use against him to destroy him.

Does that sound familiar at all to the way people still act to this day. Instead of trying to work hard and mind your own business, it is a lot faster to the top of the food chain to destroy those around you.

Kids are the perfect example of this! What is the first thing a small child will do to gain favor of their parents over their siblings? Tell on them! It may not even be that true! They are just trying to get to the top on the backs of anyone else in their way.

Do politicians do this today?

Well that is what the people were doing to Daniel. They examined his life with a fine tooth comb and could not find anything wrong.

Wow! Can you imagine! Someone looking into our life and not being able to find something that could destroy us. Wouldn't take someone long in my life to make me squirm a little. Maybe even a lot!

The only thing they could figure out was that Daniel would pray three times a day like clock work in his home. Throughout his life he didn't care who was in charge, what the rules were, he was going to worship the one and true God!

It started from the first time they brought him captive to Babylon. He would not eat the food they presented and with the help of God was given the proper diet. See chapter one of Daniel for that entire story.

At the time, Daniel's praying was no problem. But the people intended to make it a problem because they knew he wouldn't give up his dedicated worship to God. That my friend is a testament in itself of his Integrity! He was known for doing the right thing without compromise. Are you?

So the people went to King Darius and asked him to make a decree for thirty days that no one would bow down and make a request from anyone except the King himself. The KJV states it like this “make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.”

Pretty straight forward. They knew Daniel's Integrity will not allow him to stop doing what he would always do. That was to worship his God. The one and true God.

Well king Darius did agree to this unknowingly that they had plotted against his friend Daniel.
He signed it in such a way that it couldn't be undone. You see the people in that day believed that a king was like a God and could not make a mistake. So if a king signed a decree, it was irreversible!

So what do you suppose Daniel did? Like I said you know the story. Of course he went right on doing what he always did. He didn't try to hide it! He didn't try to delay it for thirty days! He didn't try to fake it by pretending not to! He just kept on keeping on! That's Integrity!

Facing sure death if he were to bow down to his God, the one and true God, he just kept on praying to him. He didn't change one thing about his normal routine.

Are you committed to doing the right thing. When you go into a public restaurant do you still pray before you eat, or are you afraid of the ridicule you might face? When you have a non Christian over for dinner do you pray before eating or do you only do that with your Christian friends? When you are behind closed doors do you worship the one and true God or do you only do that on Sunday at Church? These are only examples of how we might change what we are doing because we have formed our behaviors around society.

Integrity is doing the right thing no matter what the consequences!

Daniel knew that if he prayed as he always did, he was going to be thrown into the lions den. Was he afraid? I don't know! But that showed a form of Integrity that can't be matched anywhere, or anytime.

He decided that he would face death before he caved into societies rules of going against God!

Now we know how the story ended, but Daniel didn't have the luxury of knowing!

I know that I would have probably caved like a house of cards! Each situations God allows us to experience that tests our ability to make the right choice makes us that much stronger in our relationship with him and his Son Jesus Christ.

Each experience makes doing the right thing a little easier! We can only do this with His help. By asking Jesus into your life as the Authority of it, will change you and make Integrity a little more, and little more, real everyday of your life.

Until maybe, just maybe, you will face the lions den as Daniel did and say, God I will follow you over them every time.