The Faithfulness of the Lion - Mike Chipman
During the persecution of Marcus Aurelius, around 170 AD, there lived a girl named Blandine. Blandine was a 15-year-old girl. She was a Christian slave - and she,along with other Christians, was arrested for their faith. She was tortured so horribly that it was said of her tormentors “they did not know what more they could do to her.” Her fellow believers attempted to shield her from the torture because she was small and frail, but over and over she confessed “I am a Christian” Eventually they tied her to a stake and set wild beasts on her - but according to legend, the wild beasts wouldn’t touch her. Daniel 6 gives us a similar story. We have another believer set before wild beasts - and like the story from church history, the beasts would not touch him. It’s a story we’ve all heard - of Daniel and the lions' den - and how God shut the mouths of the lions. If we aren’t careful with this text, we might find yet another reason to make Daniel the hero. While Daniel is to be commended for his faith and that he was found blameless before God - Daniel is not the hero.
When Daniel was thrown into the lion's den, he was probably around 70-80 years old. He was thrown in with some reluctance, but thrown in nonetheless, to satisfy some nonsense edict. Then God saved him. The Lord sent an angel to shut the lion's mouth. Why? Because Daniel was found blameless before God and King Darius (6:22). We get that again in 6:23 - no harm came to him “because he had trusted in his God.” Only a living God shuts the mouths of lions. Delivers. Rescues. Works signs and wonders. And has the power to save. And hopefully, that is where we stop. Because many keep going, saying, “Has the power to save… if we are faithful to him like Daniel. Or Noah. Or Abraham. Or David.
Blandine was faithful. She endured torture that manyothers had already succumbed to. She was presented to beasts, but they wouldn’t touch her. So, they placed her on a red-hot grate - then wrapped her up in a net and tossed her to a wild bull. After the bull threw her around, her torturers stabbed her for good measure, sending her to finally be with her Lord Jesus, the Lion of Judah. Blandinewas faithful in a way I can’t comprehend…was tortured and died. Just because we read that God saved Daniel because he had trusted in God - we shouldn’t take from it that it’s our faithfulness that saves us. Our faith is a gift to us. By grace through faith, we are saved - but this is a gift so that no one can boast (Eph 2:8-9). It’s exactly what we see in Daniel’s life. It’s what you see as you read in his prophecy. If there is boasting it is in the Lord. Though Daniel lived a blameless life - he still needed a Savior. Jesus was his Savior. And Daniel looked forward to Jesus’ day and was glad.
You do not have to be like Daniel to be saved - or to stay saved. Yet, as people who have been saved, we are called to live a faithful life. A faithful life doesn’t guarantee an easy life. Daniel’s life is a testimony to the fact that while a faithful life doesn’t guarantee freedom from trials, it’s still what we are called to do. Trust in God alone for your salvation - He has saved you. He will continue to do so. And live a life faithful to God and his Word.