Angels versus Lions

Certainly one of the best-known and most-loved stories of the Bible is that of Daniel in the lion’s den, a story of angelic intervention in the life of one of God’s most faithful servants.

Because of Daniel’s faithfulness to the Lord and his honesty and integrity, he was second in command of the kingdom. The other government officials were very jealous of Daniel and set a trap for him. They knew that Daniel went into his room three times a day to pray, so they persuaded King Darius to enact a law forbidding worship of anyone but the king. The king was then legally required to punish Daniel for continuing to pray to his God. So he reluctantly threw Daniel into the lion’s den.

The king didn’t sleep well at all that night, and early the next morning, he went to see if Daniel had survived. When the king came to the den of the lions, he found the secret to Daniel’s deliverance: God had sent an angel to save Daniel’s life.

The king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me. . . .” (Daniel 6:20–22)

God saw the dilemma of His servant and dispatched an angel to deliver him. We may not face a den full of lions, but we can know that angels sent by our living, loving God are watching out for us.