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Daniel and the Lions Den · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths,
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  Speaker 1: that they have not hurt me. For as much as
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  Speaker 1: before him innocency was found in me, and also before thee,
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  Speaker 1: O king, I have done no hurt. Daniel 6.22 Thank you, Lord,
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  Speaker 1: for giving me divine favor. Thank you for increasing my
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  Speaker 1: favor amongst men and women. when others plot my downfall
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  Speaker 1: because of my divine favor and blessing, I thank you
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  Speaker 1: that you've already prepared a way for me. In the
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  Speaker 1: moments I find myself in the pit with the lions
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  Speaker 1: of fear, doubt, and uncertainty, like Daniel in today's reading,
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  Speaker 1: I will pray and then watch as you shut their mouths.
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  Speaker 1: Because of your goodness, whoever desired to see my downfall
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  Speaker 1: will instead be introduced to your saving grace and protection
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  Speaker 1: toward your children. Because I'm yours, I will use my
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  Speaker 1: redemption and elevation to bring praise, honor, and glory to
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  Speaker 1: your name. You are the God that protects, and this
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  Speaker 1: truth will never change. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you
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  Speaker 1: for praying with us today. Continue your time with God
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  Speaker 1: by listening to today's Bible story. Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Daniel and the Lion's Den In our last story, we
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  Speaker 2: were introduced to King Belshazzar, the son of King Nebuchadnezzar,
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  Speaker 2: He carried the pride of a prince that did not
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  Speaker 2: earn his throne. He threw lavish parties for the nobles
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  Speaker 2: of Babylon and defiled the vessels taken from the temple
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  Speaker 2: of God. He trifled with the maker of heaven and
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  Speaker 2: earth and was not left unpunished. As Daniel foretold, his
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  Speaker 2: kingdom was stripped from him, and the Persians seized Babylon
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  Speaker 2: for themselves. Now we are introduced to King Darius, king
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  Speaker 2: of Persia. He elevates Daniel to a high position. However,
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  Speaker 2: Daniel becomes the object of other leaders' jealousy. Daniel's favor
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  Speaker 2: will be shown before the whole nation as God protects
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  Speaker 2: him from the lion's den, inspired by the book of Daniel.
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  Speaker 3: I'm so glad you joined us on the Bible in
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  Speaker 3: a Year podcast today. But before we get to today's episode,
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  Speaker 3: I want you to know that I would absolutely love
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  Speaker 3: to send you my daily devotional that will give you
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  Speaker 3: fresh encouragement every single morning and day. From the moment
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  Speaker 3: we wake up to the moment our head finally hits
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  Speaker 3: the pillow, there are thousands of things demanding our attention.
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  Speaker 3: But it's in the midst of all this crush and
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  Speaker 3: hustle and bustle that you and I need peace and
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  Speaker 3: truth in God's Word. That's why I want to help
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  Speaker 3: you spend time each day growing in God's life-giving, life-changing Word,
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  Speaker 3: by sending you my free daily email devotional, PowerPoint Today.
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  Speaker 3: So visit JackGraham.org to sign up for your PowerPoint Today devotional.
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  Speaker 3: That's JackGraham.org. JackGraham.org. In our last episode, we heard how
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  Speaker 3: God sent a message to King Belshazzar. It was a
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  Speaker 3: message of judgment and death. Because he failed to humble
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  Speaker 3: himself before the Lord, Babylon fell to an outside enemy
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  Speaker 3: and Belshazzar's life was ended. Daniel maintained a position of power.
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  Speaker 3: Righteous Daniel's influence, even in the midst of all of this,
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  Speaker 3: would continue as God would make his own name known
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  Speaker 3: to the nations. Today we'll hear how Daniel served King
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  Speaker 3: Darius and earned his trust. Yet Darius would listen to
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  Speaker 3: the counsel of wicked men seeking to get rid of Daniel.
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  Speaker 3: He therefore foolishly issues a decree that places Daniel in
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  Speaker 3: danger of death. But God's hand of protection will be
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  Speaker 3: upon Daniel. It's a powerful story of God's power before
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  Speaker 3: an entire nation. It's one of the most famous stories
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  Speaker 3: in the Bible, Daniel and the lion's den. Let's listen
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  Speaker 3: to that story in God's Word today.
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  Speaker 2: The Persian Empire stretched its wide arms over the land
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  Speaker 2: of Babylon. Its rule was like the sun, covering the
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  Speaker 2: entire nation with intensity. King Darius, the lesser king of
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  Speaker 2: the Medes, assumed the throne of Babylon. Darius was not
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  Speaker 2: like King Belshazzar. He was wise and open to the
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  Speaker 2: knowledge of Daniel and other Jewish scholars. He leaned on
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  Speaker 2: Daniel's experience with governing the exiles. and elevated him as
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  Speaker 2: one of the one hundred twenty satraps to rule over Babylon.
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  Speaker 2: Of these satraps, three were appointed to rule over them.
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  Speaker 2: Daniel quickly gained enough favor to be one of these three.
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  Speaker 2: He was distinguished above them, and the Spirit of God
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  Speaker 2: shone on him. It was not long before King Darius
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  Speaker 2: was willing to set Daniel in charge of the whole kingdom.
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  Speaker 2: As Daniel grew in favor and wisdom, the other high
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  Speaker 2: officials grew in jealous rage. They teemed with anger against Daniel.
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  Speaker 2: They sought to undermine him in front of the king.
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  Speaker 2: They watched him carefully and set men to spy on him.
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  Speaker 2: They looked for any form of corruption in him, but
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  Speaker 2: could find none. Daniel was blameless in all his dealings.
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  Speaker 2: There were no secrets to be exploited or lies to
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  Speaker 2: be exposed. Late at night the leaders conspired against him.
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  Speaker 2: There are no grounds for complaints against him, one yelled.
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  Speaker 2: What if we made up a reason? What if we
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  Speaker 2: created a law that we knew he would break? the
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  Speaker 2: other whispered. They thought carefully about how to trap Daniel.
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  Speaker 2: The only thing they could think to exploit was his
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  Speaker 2: faithfulness to God. It was dawn, and King Darius was
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  Speaker 2: enjoying his morning in the gardens of the palace. Darius
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  Speaker 2: was a better king than most, but he still lacked
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  Speaker 2: in knowledge and reverence for the Lord. Therefore, he was
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  Speaker 2: vulnerable to self-worship and pride. His men knew this and
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  Speaker 2: approached him with a plan to use Darius against Daniel.
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  Speaker 2: The two of them met the king in the garden
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  Speaker 2: and bowed before him. Our king, live forever. You are
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  Speaker 2: truly worthy of our praise and affection. Their words pleased Darius.
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  Speaker 2: All of the high officials have been speaking of your greatness.
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  Speaker 2: We believe it should be admonished before all the people
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  Speaker 2: of Babylon. Let us create a holiday. For thirty days
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  Speaker 2: we are to worship no god except for you. The
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  Speaker 2: king was interested. How would we enforce such a law,
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  Speaker 2: he asked. Simple, they replied. If anyone is caught praying
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  Speaker 2: to or worshipping any god besides you, then they will
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  Speaker 2: be sent into the lion's den. We will order our
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  Speaker 2: guards to keep a close watch on the whole nation.
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  Speaker 2: This idea thrilled the king, so he made an official
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  Speaker 2: decree that for the next thirty days no other god
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  Speaker 2: shall be worshipped but him. A few days passed, and
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  Speaker 2: the same leaders came to Darius in his palace. They
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  Speaker 2: wore grim faces and feigned dread. Our king, we have
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  Speaker 2: terrible news, they said, trying to hold back their smiles. Daniel,
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  Speaker 2: the exile from Judah, continues to pray to his god
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  Speaker 2: three times a day. When the king heard these words,
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  Speaker 2: he was greatly troubled. Daniel was his most trusted servant
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  Speaker 2: and the wisest governor under his rule. He purposed in
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  Speaker 2: his heart to find a way to relieve Daniel of
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  Speaker 2: his punishment, but there were no loopholes in his decree. Plus,
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  Speaker 2: he could not look weak in front of the other satraps.
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  Speaker 2: Darius did not sleep that night. He grieved what he
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  Speaker 2: had to do to Daniel, and he deep down knew
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  Speaker 2: that it was his own pride that would kill his friend.
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  Speaker 2: The next day looked as though the sun never rose.
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  Speaker 2: Dark clouds covered the sky, and the king's heart ached
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  Speaker 2: with regret. Daniel, the leaders of Babylon, and the guards
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  Speaker 2: escorted Daniel to the lion's den. Daniel did not struggle,
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  Speaker 2: and he did not protest. He walked with them with
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  Speaker 2: his head held high. A rumbling could be heard from
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  Speaker 2: the lion's den. Their roars shook the earth below him.
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  Speaker 2: The color had left the king's face. He looked more
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  Speaker 2: worried than Daniel did. Before Daniel was sent in, the
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  Speaker 2: king embraced him and said, May your God protect you.
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  Speaker 2: The two men looked at one another. Daniel could see
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  Speaker 2: the pain in Darius's eyes. He smiled and allowed himself
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  Speaker 2: to be thrown deep into the lion's den. The lions
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  Speaker 2: were deep within the den, and Daniel could see the
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  Speaker 2: light reflecting against their eyes. Then, as the stone of
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  Speaker 2: the den was rolled over the entrance, all went black.
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  Speaker 2: Daniel's eyes had not yet adjusted to the darkness. He
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  Speaker 2: bent his knees to gain better footing. He was prepared
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  Speaker 2: to fight, or to submit, or to pray. He did
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  Speaker 2: not know which would be called for first. The low
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  Speaker 2: growls of the lions echoed off the walls of the den.
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  Speaker 2: The sound rumbled the earth. He could feel their roars
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  Speaker 2: in his chest. Daniel began to see shapes against the
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  Speaker 2: walls around him. Finally, his eyes were adjusting to the light.
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  Speaker 2: The shadows moved around him. Daniel shifted to the left
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  Speaker 2: and then to the right. The lions were surrounding him.
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  Speaker 2: Daniel prayed to the Lord in his mind. He knew
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  Speaker 2: that any word could set the lions pouncing. He looked
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  Speaker 2: to his left and saw the largest of the lions
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  Speaker 2: crouching next to him. It was getting ready to pounce.
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  Speaker 2: As its hind legs bent back like a spring, a
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  Speaker 2: bright light... broke through the darkness. It was blinding, and
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  Speaker 2: Daniel could hear the painful roars of the lions scraping
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  Speaker 2: back against the wall. Daniel fell to his knees, barely
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  Speaker 2: able to see what was happening. The darkness was cut
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  Speaker 2: in half with light like a sword through flesh, and
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  Speaker 2: Daniel saw each lion cowering in fear. The lions hissed
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  Speaker 2: and roared at the light, but were soon quieted as
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  Speaker 2: their jaws were forced shut. Then, in an instant, the
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  Speaker 2: light vanished. All returned to darkness, and Daniel sat in
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  Speaker 2: the middle of the den, praying to the Lord. It
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  Speaker 2: was still night, and the sun was a few hours
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  Speaker 2: from rising. King Darius paced his room, worrying over Daniel.
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  Speaker 2: He did not eat or sleep all night. Instead, he
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  Speaker 2: set his mind on the welfare of his friend. He
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  Speaker 2: waited for the light to break so he could roll
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  Speaker 2: away the stone of the den. As soon as the
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  Speaker 2: light touched the bottom of the horizon, Darius put on
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  Speaker 2: his clothes and rushed to the den. He and all
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  Speaker 2: the men raced together and pulled away the stone. All
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  Speaker 2: was silent. Darius approached the entrance to the den. He
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  Speaker 2: looked down and listened for any sound. He could hear nothing.
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  Speaker 2: He became worried and shouted, Daniel, servant of the living God,
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  Speaker 2: has your God delivered you from the lions? There was
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  Speaker 2: a long pause. Darius's heart was beating fast. Then a
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  Speaker 2: small voice echoed up to the entrance. Oh, king, live forever.
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  Speaker 2: Of course I am safe, for I was blameless. My
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  Speaker 2: lord upheld me and shut the mouths of lions. Darius
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  Speaker 2: let out a sigh of relief and ordered his men
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  Speaker 2: to send a rope to bring him up from the den.
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  Speaker 2: Daniel was brought back into the light. The king embraced
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  Speaker 2: him and then looked back at the men who had
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  Speaker 2: accused Daniel. The king's rage burned against them. Immediately they
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  Speaker 2: were taken. The guards grabbed them and threw them into
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  Speaker 2: the lion's den. It took no time at all for
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  Speaker 2: the lions to pounce and tear the men in from
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  Speaker 2: the den. Their cries burst through the whole of the den.
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  Speaker 2: The sound of ripping flesh and bloody screams filled the
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  Speaker 2: air for a moment, and all was silent again. Darius
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  Speaker 2: praised Daniel and his God. He was another king that
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  Speaker 2: was humbled by the favor of God on a faithful servant.
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  Speaker 3: We begin today's reading with King Darius as ruler in
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  Speaker 3: the land. Unlike Belshazzar, he is thirsty for knowledge and understanding.
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  Speaker 3: And he's willing to lean on others for help in
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  Speaker 3: ruling the people. God's great favor was upon Daniel. And
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  Speaker 3: he is soon elevated to a very prominent position, so
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  Speaker 3: prominent that he was among three of King Darius's closest advisors.
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  Speaker 3: And he was a standout among those. God's spirit, an
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  Speaker 3: excellent spirit, rested upon Daniel. Of course, when God is
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  Speaker 3: at work, the enemy does not rest. It's been said
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  Speaker 3: when God opens the windows of heaven to bless us,
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  Speaker 3: then the devil opens the doors of hell to blast us.
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  Speaker 3: Daniel's success provoked jealousy among other powerful officials. And while
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  Speaker 3: Daniel acted in the interest of the king and ultimately
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  Speaker 3: the king of glory, God's glory, others were interested in
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  Speaker 3: exalting themselves. And that would require taking Daniel out. But
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  Speaker 3: try as they might, he was above reproach. It is
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  Speaker 3: a powerful reminder that when we are doing God's will,
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  Speaker 3: there will be attacks. When we live in integrity, we
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  Speaker 3: must be vigilant not to give the enemy a place.
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  Speaker 3: The Bible says, don't give the devil a foothold. The
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  Speaker 3: only thing the other officials could imagine as a weakness
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  Speaker 3: was Daniel's devotion to God. Can you imagine that? They
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  Speaker 3: thought his weakness is his love and devotion to God.
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  Speaker 3: He was a man of deep faith and conviction. And
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  Speaker 3: they knew he would not bow to any false god,
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  Speaker 3: not even a king. So they concocted a plan. It
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  Speaker 3: was devious as it was clever. They appealed to Darius
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  Speaker 3: on pride and filled his head with flattery. He was
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  Speaker 3: king after all, and kings were to be worshipped like gods.
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  Speaker 3: So they proposed a 30-day celebration of his majesty. And
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  Speaker 3: during that time, no other god was to be worshipped
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  Speaker 3: but Darius. He fell for it. So the decree was
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  Speaker 3: signed that anyone caught worshiping a god other than Darius
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  Speaker 3: for the next 30 days would be thrown into a
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  Speaker 3: den of ravenous lions. It was a death penalty with
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  Speaker 3: no hope of escape. Now Daniel had some choices. He
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  Speaker 3: could have just yielded to the pressure and appeased the
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  Speaker 3: king for a month. Who would know? Who would care?
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  Speaker 3: But this was no choice at all. He resolved long
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  Speaker 3: ago to have no other gods between himself and the
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  Speaker 3: Lord God. He could just worship God in private, hiding
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  Speaker 3: away for safety. That was another alternative method. But that
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  Speaker 3: was not good either. He was not a coward. He
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  Speaker 3: was courageous and feared no one. So Daniel did exactly
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  Speaker 3: what he always did. Not for show, but for prayer,
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  Speaker 3: he opened his windows upstairs, kneeling facing Jerusalem, worshiping God
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  Speaker 3: for all to see who desired to see. I wonder
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  Speaker 3: how many of us would have had this kind of courage,
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  Speaker 3: that we would dare to be a Daniel, just like
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  Speaker 3: this great man, praising God even if it might cost
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  Speaker 3: us our life. There are countless Christians who face persecution
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  Speaker 3: in the world today. And some even have to worship
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  Speaker 3: God in secret. But Daniel's calling was different and unique.
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  Speaker 3: He obeyed and remained faithful and fervent in his faith.
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  Speaker 3: These evil officials got just what they wanted and quickly
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  Speaker 3: turned him in to Darius, who realized too late the
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  Speaker 3: big mistake that he had made. He knew very well
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  Speaker 3: that Daniel worshipped only God, but he was blinded by
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  Speaker 3: his own desire for fame and fortune and adoration. A
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  Speaker 3: Persian law forbid even a king from changing his decree.
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  Speaker 3: Perhaps you've heard of the law of the Medes and
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  Speaker 3: the Persians. So there was no escape. Darius gave the
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  Speaker 3: order for Daniel to be thrown into the lion's den,
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  Speaker 3: but we see his heart already hopeful that God would
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  Speaker 3: save this innocent man. He says this to Daniel in
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  Speaker 3: chapter 6, verse 16, May your God whom you serve
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  Speaker 3: continually rescue you. The king knew that only God could
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  Speaker 3: rescue Daniel. So the next morning when he checked on Daniel,
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  Speaker 3: the response came from below. God had sent an angel
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  Speaker 3: to shut the lion's mouth. Just as his friends Shadrach, Meshach,
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  Speaker 3: and Abednego had been saved in the fiery furnace years ago,
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  Speaker 3: God rescued Daniel. What a miracle. So the king glorified
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  Speaker 3: God and sang the praises of Yahweh. The officials who
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  Speaker 3: conspired to kill Daniel were thrown into the den of lions.
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  Speaker 3: Once again, God is not mocked. What a person sows,
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  Speaker 3: that person reaps. These evil men sowed lies, and so
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  Speaker 3: they lived and died by their lie. And God's greatness
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  Speaker 3: was once again shown to his people and everyone in
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  Speaker 3: all of the land. Surely God has the power to
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  Speaker 3: save his own. We live in God's protection always. And
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  Speaker 3: in our next reading, we'll hear how he begins to
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  Speaker 3: restore the exiled Israelites to their land. Dear God, we
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  Speaker 3: thank you that your word says no weapon formed against
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  Speaker 3: us will prosper. We praise you for your goodness and
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  Speaker 3: grace in our lives to keep us alive until our
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  Speaker 3: time comes to be with you. Help us to courageously,
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  Speaker 3: boldly pray and serve you and commit our lives to
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  Speaker 3: do everything in your will, regardless of the cost or
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  Speaker 3: the consequences. May we obey you and leave the consequences there.
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  Speaker 3: Help us to trust you completely. Amen. Thank you for
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  Speaker 3: listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Jack
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  Speaker 3: Graham from Dallas, Texas. And before we go, I want
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  Speaker 3: you to know that I would love to send you
• 18:21
  Speaker 3: my daily devotional, to give you fresh encouragement every single day.
• 18:26
  Speaker 3: So visit JackGraham.org to sign up for your PowerPoint Today devotional.
• 18:31
  Speaker 3: That's JackGraham.org.