What would you do if faithfulness to God became illegal?
There was an old man, who had no army, no political protection, and no way out… and he was facing a law specifically designed to destroy him. But how did he respond to this dire situation? In a truly ordinary but at the same time, quite remarkable, way…
Who was Daniel?
In Hebrew, Daniyel (דָנִיֵּאל) means “God is my judge”, and this man would spend his entire life proving this very sentiment to be true.
Daniel was a Hebrew nobleman from the tribe of Judah, taken captive to Babylon as a teenager. There, he served with excellence under multiple pagan rulers for over sixty years. So, by the time we get to chapter six in his book, Daniel is approximately eighty years old and he had outlasted the entire Babylonian Empire and was now serving under the Persian King Darius.
Throughout the course of his life, Daniel served as a powerful reminder that, as a believer, you can live fully in the world without being consumed by it, but only if you know who you are and whose you are…
Three Moments That Changed Everything
Excellence Without Compromise
In chapter six, we see how Daniel served faithfully for six decades, and as a result, his reputation had become unimpeachable. He was so distinguished in his work that King Darius plans to elevate him above all the administrators and officials of the entire kingdom.
Daniel was not excellent despite his faith, he was excellent because of it. He was fully invested in the politics and inner workings of a pagan kingdom, and yet remained steadfast in his personal faith and morals. This is the tension that many believers know deeply—called to live in the world, but not of it. Echoing Yeshua’s own prayer in John 17:15–16 TLV: “I am not asking that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”
Daniel did not compartmentalize his faith. He brought it with him into every government meeting, every royal decree, every interaction with people who worshipped other gods entirely. His whole life was the witness—a light unto the world.
The Trap
When They Can Only Find Your Faith to Use Against You
Daniel’s excellence in his role bred a lot of envy, as can be imagined. So much so that, one hundred and twenty-two officials launched a full investigation to bring him down. From which, they found absolutely nothing, not a single corrupt act, nor one instance of negligence. Their conclusion of dismay actually became one of the most powerful character references in all of Scripture:
“We’re not going to find any basis for charges against this man Daniel, unless we find something against him regarding the law of his God.”
Daniel 6:6 TLV
So, they decided to build a trap around exactly that — flattering King Darius into signing an irreversible thirty-day decree that should someone pray to anyone but the king, they would be sent to the lions. They built this trap around what they considered Daniel’s weakness—his faithfulness—but it would prove to be something else entirely in the end…
The Response
Windows Open, Knees Down
When Daniel learned about what decree had just been signed, we can imagine that he was concerned about what this meant for him; and yet, his response was to remain—remain steadfast to himself and his faith regardless of what that meant for his fate:
“Now when Daniel learned that a written decree had been issued, he went into his house, where the windows in his upper room opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he knelt down, prayed and gave thanks before his God, just as he did before.”
Daniel 6:11 TLV
Following this horrific decree, Daniel simply went home — not into hiding and not into a panic. He opened his windows toward Jerusalem, orienting himself toward the holy city and the promises of God, and he knelt to pray three times a day, mirroring the ancient rhythms of Shacharit, Mincha, and Ma’ariv. Just as he had done before. Faithful, unchanged, and unhurried.
The Pit
Into the Darkness, Not Alone
Daniel was caught in his prayers, just as his enemies had plotted, and he was brought before the king. Due to Daniel’s excellence in his position and his value to the kingdom, King Darius spent the entire day searching for a way to save him, but his efforts were for naught and Daniel was sentenced to the lions’ den. As he was lowered into the den, Darius spoke an unlikely blessing over him…
“May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!”
daniel 6:16 tlv
The stone was laid, the seal was set, and the king returned to his palace sleepless, fasting, and tormented through the night, fearful of the fate that awaited Daniel.
The Morning
Resurrection from the Pit
At first light, the king ran to the den and called out into the darkness.
“My God sent His angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they haven’t harmed me, because I was found innocent before Him.”
Daniel 6:23 TLV
The king was overjoyed and Daniel was lifted out completely unharmed, “because he had trusted in his God” (Daniel 6:24 TLV). An innocent man, targeted because of his beliefs, condemned by an irrevocable law, sealed in a pit with a stone — and lifted out alive. If that pattern sounds familiar, it should…The pit could not hold him, and the stone could not seal him — and the same was true of the One that Daniel’s story was always pointing toward—Yeshua.
The conspirators faced the fate they had designed for Daniel, and Darius issued a proclamation across the entire Persian Empire:
“For He is the living God, enduring forever! His kingdom will never be destroyed, His dominion will never end.”
Daniel 6:27 TLV
One man, refusing to abandon his faith even in the face of death, caused God’s name to be proclaimed across the world. Daniel could not have planned for such an outcome, he simply remained faithful and trusted that God would do the rest and make this situation into what He had planned.
What Daniel’s Story Teaches Us
If we look at Daniel’s life, his story does not hold a collection of separate, disconnected lessons, instead, we can see that there is one single theme, playing out in different ways across sixty years of faithful service. It is a lesson that speaks directly to us as Messianic believers today.
Your identity is your witness.
The only thing that Daniel’s enemies could find to use against him was his faith in God. His continual faith in the environment of a pagan empire in a very worldly job position was already a testament to who Daniel was as a person. His identity was then further challenged when that decree was signed and he had to make a very difficult decision—to obey his king and abandon his personal beliefs, or to remain steadfast in his faith and confront his certain death head-on knowing he’d stayed true to his God.
Daniel made the right decision and remained faithful, but that doesn’t mean that he was not scared. Yes, he went home, opened his windows, and prayed just like he had always done, but we can imagine that even in this strong moment Daniel felt fear over what this would mean for him. Ultimately, he knew that regardless of what his fate was, it was more important to continue his prayers and love the Lord and be a true believer. Being a believer in Yeshua is a call that might not be easy at times, there will be moments just like this one in Daniel’s life that our faith might lead us down an un-easy path.
“Do not be anxious about anything—but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the shalom of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Messiah Yeshua.”
Philippians 4:6-7 TLV
Paul reminds us here of how the peace that surpasses all understanding is not found by avoiding hard things, but is found by bringing them before God in prayer, again and again, just as Daniel did.
One Central Message
Daniel’s story ultimately teaches us that faithfulness is not about following God in the absence of fear—it is about the presence of God in the middle of it. Daniel didn’t have a strategy to escape the lions’ den. He simply had a lifetime of prayer, and trust that God had a plan; and even if that plan was not his deliverance from the lions, then it was meant to be that way.
Living This Truth Today
The same God who shut the lions’ mouths for an eighty-year-old Jewish exile is the God who is present with us today. The same faithfulness that carried Daniel through sixty years of serving pagan kings is what we, as believers in Yeshua, strive for this very day. Daniel’s story asks us, personally and practically, to consider where we are standing right now…
Are you in a season where your faith is the only thing your enemies can find to use against you? That is not a sign that you’ve done something wrong. It may be the clearest sign that you’ve done something right.
Are you struggling to see how one person’s faithfulness could possibly matter in the face of great opposition? Remember how King Darius issued a proclamation across the entire Persian Empire proclaiming God’s name all because one man refused to close his windows.
Conclusion
An old man. Windows open toward Jerusalem. Knees on the floor. Unchanged by the decree, unshaken by the threat, and unbroken by his enemies.
Daniel was simply doing what he had always done, and God used this act of faithfulness to bring an extraordinary kingdom proclamation heard across an entire empire. His story is recorded in Scripture, referenced by Yeshua Himself, studied across thousands of years, and it continues to remind us that God does not need our power. He needs our faithfulness.
Are you ready to open the windows even if it means an unassured future?
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