At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lion's den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, saying, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?"

Daniel 6:19-20, NIV (1978)

Has God been able to rescue you?

We are all familiar with this story and have been so from our youth. It is one of the most recognizable and oft repeated stories in all the Bible; yet it is much more than a mere story for kids.

The setting is from the exile, when the Jews who were spared death were carried off to Babylon. Daniel has been there for quite some time and had in fact served under several kings. The latest was King Darius of the Medes and Persians, and Darius was so impressed with Daniel that he was about to put him in charge of the entire nation. As you may well imagine, this didn't sit too well with Daniel's co-workers. So, these officials of Darius tried to figure out a way to do away with Daniel. They first looked to the law but were dismayed to find that Daniel was a law-abiding citizen in every sense of the term. They finally realized that they could get at Daniel legally, so they then decided that they must attack him through his faith.

After that, it was simple. They buttered up the King into signing a law that forbade anyone from praying to any god but him for thirty days. As the King was signing the law, these vile officials reminded him that once a law was signed by the King, it could neither be changed nor revoked. Daniel, realizing that he could not change the law, just went about his business. He was not going to cease worshipping God, nor was he going to make it hard for people to see him doing so. So, he went home where his windows were open and facing Jerusalem, and he continued to pray three times a day. 

The officials went to the King who by then must have realized their plot, but there was nothing he could do about it. However, he would not forget the deception of these wicked officials,,,

So, Daniel gets thrown into the lion's den for a crime that was specifically engineered to bring him down. Yet, we all know the rest of the story. At the end of it, the officials along with their entire families are thrown into the same lion's den and are killed - efficiently, but painfully! Then Darius does something that even the officials could not have foreseen He makes it a law that everyone must fear and respect the God most high! And all of this, because one man refused to buckle under the threats of those who hate God and His followers.

So, what's the lesson for us? The obvious one is to obey God, no matter what the perceived cost might be. But the one that is not so obvious is equally important, and it is just this: As we serve God with the respect and honor that is due Him, we must also be careful to not only obey the rightful laws of the land in which we live, but we must also do so with the respect and honor that is due those in positions of authority, despite the fact that so often neither respect nor honor are due these officials as human beings.

When we learn to be pleasant adherents of the law, respectful to those whose positions are demanding of respect, then it will pay off - sometimes in most unexpected ways. There will be times that the laws of men conflict with the laws of God. In all such cases (no exceptions) we must serve God, even when it breaks those misguided laws of men. However, when the penalty is imposed, we must still remain respectful, even when we don't see the point of doing so. In the past, entire nations have been won over because of such conduct. Just imagine what we could do if we were unwavering in our obedience to God but did so in a way that was kind. 

One last thought: This is not ever easy! But, then again, loving our enemies never is. And sometimes these enemies are actually so won over to God's side that they cease to be our enemies.

There is a lot that we adults can learn from a story that many have assigned to the sole realm of a lesson for children, don't you think?