Daniel: Remembering Who's King in the Chaosনমুনা

Dominion over the Den

God does whatever he wants, whenever he wants, however he wants. The good thing about the reality of God’s sovereignty is that God’s sovereignty and power are often employed on behalf of His people. In Daniel 6, we read that Daniel continued to pray to Yahweh even though it had been prohibited by the new king, Darius. This behavior gets Daniel sentenced to death… Death in a den of hungry lions. Daniel is in a predicament, to say the least. However, God sends an angel to shut the mouths of the lions, and Daniel survives an entire night in the most dangerous of situations because God’s dominion and power extend even to this den of lions. Seeing Yahweh’s power, Darius makes a beautiful proclamation about this amazing God that Daniel serves. He says “He is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end.” That line has served as a sort of refrain throughout the entirety of this biblical book. That line encapsulates the entire message of Daniel. To a people who are exiled and enslaved by wicked king after wicked king, God, through this writing says “I know it’s tough. I know it’s chaotic. But don’t worry. I’m the eternal king who has all the power.” Because he is the one true king, we know that God has power over every predicament.