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Daniel and the Lions Den - The Book of Daniel · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. My God hath sent his angel, and
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  Speaker 1: hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me.
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  Speaker 1: For as much as before him innocency was found in me,
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  Speaker 1: and also before thee, O King, I have done no hurt.
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  Speaker 1: Daniel 6.22 Thank you, Lord, for giving me divine favor.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for increasing my favor amongst men and women.
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  Speaker 1: when others plot my downfall because of my divine favor
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  Speaker 1: and blessing, I thank you that you've already prepared a
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  Speaker 1: way for me. In the moments I find myself in
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  Speaker 1: the pit with the lions of fear, doubt, and uncertainty,
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  Speaker 1: like Daniel in today's reading, I will pray and then
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  Speaker 1: watch as you shut their mouths. Because of your goodness,
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  Speaker 1: whoever desired to see my downfall will instead be introduced
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  Speaker 1: to your saving grace and protection toward your children. Because
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  Speaker 1: I'm yours, I will use my redemption and elevation to
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  Speaker 1: bring praise, honor, and glory to your name. You are
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  Speaker 1: the God that protects, and this truth will never change.
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  Speaker 1: In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for praying with us today.
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  Speaker 1: Continue your time with God by listening to today's Bible story.
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  Speaker 1: Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: you waiting for? Start saving today. Enroll at chministries.org. Daniel
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  Speaker 2: and the Lion's Den.
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  Speaker 3: Daniel and the Lion's Den In our last story, we
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  Speaker 3: were introduced to King Belshazzar, the son of King Nebuchadnezzar.
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  Speaker 3: He carried the pride of a prince that did not
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  Speaker 3: earn his throne. He threw lavish parties for the nobles
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  Speaker 3: of Babylon and defiled the vessels taken from the temple
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  Speaker 3: of God. He trifled with the maker of heaven and
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  Speaker 3: earth and was not left unpunished. As Daniel foretold, his
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  Speaker 3: kingdom was stripped from him and the Persians seized Babylon
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  Speaker 3: for themselves. Now we are introduced to King Darius, king
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  Speaker 3: of Persia. He elevates Daniel to a high position. However,
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  Speaker 3: Daniel becomes the object of other leaders' jealousy. Daniel's favor
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  Speaker 3: will be shown before the whole nation as God protects
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  Speaker 3: him from the lion's den, inspired by the book of Daniel.
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  Speaker 4: Thank you for joining us for today's episode of The
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  Speaker 4: Bible in a Year. This is Pastor Jack Graham. In
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  Speaker 4: our last episode, we heard how God sent a message
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  Speaker 4: to King Belshazzar. It was a message of judgment and death.
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  Speaker 4: Because he failed to humble himself before the Lord, Babylon
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  Speaker 4: fell to an outside enemy and Belshazzar's life was ended.
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  Speaker 4: Daniel maintained a position of power. Righteous Daniel's influence, even
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  Speaker 4: in the midst of all of this, would continue as
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  Speaker 4: God would make his own name known to the nations.
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  Speaker 4: Today we'll hear how Daniel served King Darius and earned
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  Speaker 4: his trust. Yet Darius would listen to the counsel of
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  Speaker 4: wicked men seeking to get rid of Daniel. He therefore
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  Speaker 4: foolishly issues a decree that places Daniel in danger of death.
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  Speaker 4: But God's hand of protection will be upon Daniel. It's
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  Speaker 4: a powerful story of God's power before an entire nation.
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  Speaker 4: It's one of the most famous stories in the Bible,
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  Speaker 4: Daniel and the lion's den. Let's listen to that story
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  Speaker 4: in God's Word today.
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  Speaker 3: The Persian Empire stretched its wide arms over the land
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  Speaker 3: of Babylon. Its rule was like the sun, covering the
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  Speaker 3: entire nation with intensity. King Darius, the lesser king of
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  Speaker 3: the Medes, assumed the throne of Babylon. Darius was not
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  Speaker 3: like King Belshazzar. He was wise and open to the
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  Speaker 3: knowledge of Daniel and other Jewish scholars. He leaned on
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  Speaker 3: Daniel's experience with governing the exiles, and elevated him as
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  Speaker 3: one of the 120 satraps to rule over Babylon. Of
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  Speaker 3: these satraps, three were appointed to rule over them. Daniel
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  Speaker 3: quickly gained enough favor to be one of these three.
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  Speaker 3: He was distinguished above them, and the Spirit of God
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  Speaker 3: shone on him. It was not long before King Darius
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  Speaker 3: was willing to set Daniel in charge of the whole kingdom.
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  Speaker 3: As Daniel grew in favor and wisdom, the other high
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  Speaker 3: officials grew in jealous rage. They teemed with anger against Daniel.
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  Speaker 3: They sought to undermine him in front of the king.
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  Speaker 3: They watched him carefully and set men to spy on him.
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  Speaker 3: They looked for any form of corruption in him, but
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  Speaker 3: could find none. Daniel was blameless in all his dealings.
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  Speaker 3: There were no secrets to be exploited or lies to
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  Speaker 3: be exposed. Late at night the leaders conspired against him.
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  Speaker 3: There are no grounds for complaints against him, one yelled.
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  Speaker 3: What if we made up a reason? What if we
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  Speaker 3: created a law that we knew he would break.
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  Speaker 5: The other whispered.
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  Speaker 3: They thought carefully about how to trap Daniel. The only
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  Speaker 3: thing they could think to exploit was his faithfulness to God.
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  Speaker 3: It was dawn, and King Darius was enjoying his morning
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  Speaker 3: in the gardens of the palace. Darius was a better
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  Speaker 3: king than most, but he still lacked in knowledge and
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  Speaker 3: reverence for the Lord. Therefore he was vulnerable to self-worship
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  Speaker 3: and pride. His men knew this and approached him with
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  Speaker 3: a plan to use Darius against Daniel. The two of
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  Speaker 3: them met the king in the garden and bowed before him.
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  Speaker 5: Our king, live forever.
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  Speaker 3: You are truly worthy of our praise and affection. Their
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  Speaker 3: words pleased Darius. All of the high officials have been
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  Speaker 3: speaking of your greatness. We believe it should be admonished
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  Speaker 3: before all the people of Babylon. Let us create a holiday.
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  Speaker 3: For thirty days we are to worship no god except
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  Speaker 3: for you. The king was interested. How would we enforce
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  Speaker 3: such a law, he asked. Simple, they replied. If anyone
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  Speaker 3: is caught praying to or worshiping any god besides you,
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  Speaker 3: then they will be sent into.
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  Speaker 5: The lion's den.
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  Speaker 3: We will order our guards to keep a close.
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  Speaker 5: Watch on the whole nation.
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  Speaker 3: This idea thrilled the king. So he made an official
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  Speaker 3: decree that for the next thirty days no other god
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  Speaker 3: shall be worshipped but him. A few days passed, and
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  Speaker 3: the same leaders came to Darius in his palace. They
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  Speaker 3: wore grim faces and feigned dread. Our king, we have
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  Speaker 3: terrible news, they said, trying to hold back their smiles. Daniel,
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  Speaker 3: the exile from Judah, continues to pray to his god
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  Speaker 3: three times a day. When the king heard these words,
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  Speaker 3: he was greatly troubled. Daniel was his most trusted servant
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  Speaker 3: and the wisest governor under his rule. He purposed in
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  Speaker 3: his heart to find a way to relieve Daniel of
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  Speaker 3: his punishment, but there were no loopholes in his decree. Plus,
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  Speaker 3: he could not look weak in front of the other satraps.
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  Speaker 5: Darius did not sleep that night.
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  Speaker 3: He grieved what he had to do to Daniel, and
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  Speaker 3: he deep down knew that it was his own pride
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  Speaker 3: that would kill his friend. The next day looked as
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  Speaker 3: though the sun never rose. Dark clouds covered the sky
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  Speaker 3: and the king's heart ached with regret. Daniel, the leaders
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  Speaker 3: of Babylon, and the guards escorted Daniel to the lion's den.
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  Speaker 3: Daniel did not struggle and he did not protest. He
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  Speaker 3: walked with them with his head held high. A rumbling
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  Speaker 3: could be heard from the lion's den. Their roars shook
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  Speaker 3: the earth below him. The color had left the king's face.
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  Speaker 3: He looked more worried than Daniel did. Before Daniel was
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  Speaker 3: sent in, the king embraced him and said, May your
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  Speaker 3: God protect you. The two men looked at one another.
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  Speaker 3: Daniel could see the pain in Darius' eyes. He smiled
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  Speaker 3: and allowed himself to be thrown deep into the lion's den.
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  Speaker 3: The lions were deep within the den, and Daniel could
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  Speaker 3: see the light reflecting against their eyes. Then, as the
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  Speaker 3: stone of the den was rolled over the entrance, all
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  Speaker 3: went black. Daniel's eyes had not yet adjusted to the darkness.
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  Speaker 3: He bent his knees to gain better footing. He was
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  Speaker 3: prepared to fight, or to submit, or to pray. He
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  Speaker 3: did not know which would be.
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  Speaker 5: Called for first.
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  Speaker 3: The low growls of the lions echoed off the walls
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  Speaker 3: of the den.
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  Speaker 5: The sound rumbled the earth.
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  Speaker 3: He could feel their roars in his chest. Daniel began
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  Speaker 3: to see shapes against the walls around him. Finally, his
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  Speaker 3: eyes were adjusting to the light. The shadows moved around him.
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  Speaker 3: Daniel shifted to the left and then to the right.
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  Speaker 3: The lions were surrounding him. Daniel prayed to the Lord
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  Speaker 3: in his mind. He knew that any word could set
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  Speaker 3: the lions pouncing. He looked to his left and saw
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  Speaker 3: the largest of the lions crouching next to him. It
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  Speaker 3: was getting ready to pounce. As its hind legs bent
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  Speaker 3: back like a spring, a bright light.
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  Speaker 5: Broke through the darkness.
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  Speaker 3: It was blinding, and Daniel could hear the painful roars
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  Speaker 3: of the lions scraping back against the wall. Daniel fell
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  Speaker 3: to his knees, barely able to see what was happening.
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  Speaker 3: The darkness was cut in half with light like a
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  Speaker 3: sword through flesh, and Daniel saw each lion cowering in fear.
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  Speaker 3: The lions hissed and roared at the light, but were
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  Speaker 3: soon quieted as their jaws were forced shut. Then, in
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  Speaker 3: an instant, the light vanished. All returned to darkness, and
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  Speaker 3: Daniel sat in the middle of the den, praying to
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  Speaker 3: the Lord. It was still night, and the sun was
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  Speaker 3: a few hours from rising. King Darius paced his room,
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  Speaker 3: worrying over Daniel. He did not eat or sleep all night. Instead,
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  Speaker 3: he set his mind on the welfare of his friend.
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  Speaker 3: He waited for the light to break, so he could
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  Speaker 3: roll away the stone of the den. As soon as
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  Speaker 3: the light touched the bottom of the horizon, Darius put
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  Speaker 3: on his clothes and rushed to the den. He and
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  Speaker 3: all the men raced together and.
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  Speaker 5: Pulled away the stone. All was silent.
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  Speaker 3: Darius approached the entrance to the den. He looked down
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  Speaker 3: and listened for any sound. He could hear nothing. He
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  Speaker 3: became worried and shouted, Daniel, servant of the living God,
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  Speaker 3: has your God delivered you from the lions?
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  Speaker 5: There was a long pause. Darius' heart was beating fast.
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  Speaker 3: Then a small voice echoed up to the entrance.
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  Speaker 5: O king, live forever! Of course I am safe, for
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  Speaker 5: I was blameless.
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  Speaker 3: My lord upheld me and shut the mouths of lions.
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  Speaker 5: Darius let out a sigh of.
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  Speaker 3: Relief and ordered his men to send a rope to
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  Speaker 3: bring him up from the den.
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  Speaker 5: Daniel was brought back into the light.
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  Speaker 3: The king embraced him and then looked back at the
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  Speaker 3: men who had accused Daniel. The king's rage burned against them.
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  Speaker 3: Immediately they were taken. The guards grabbed them and threw
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  Speaker 3: them into the lion's den. It took no time at
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  Speaker 3: all for the lions to pounce and tear the men
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  Speaker 3: in from there. Their cries burst through the whole of
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  Speaker 3: the den. The sound of ripping flesh and bloody screams
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  Speaker 3: filled the air for a moment, and all was silent again.
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  Speaker 3: Darius praised Daniel and his guard. He was another king
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  Speaker 3: that was humbled by the favor of God, on a
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  Speaker 3: faithful servant.
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  Speaker 4: We begin today's reading with King Darius as ruler in
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  Speaker 4: the land. Unlike Belshazzar, he is thirsty for knowledge and understanding,
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  Speaker 4: and he's willing to lean on others for help in
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  Speaker 4: ruling the people. God's great favor was upon Daniel, and
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  Speaker 4: he is soon elevated to a very prominent position, so
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  Speaker 4: prominent that he was among three of King Darius's closest advisors.
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  Speaker 4: And he was a standout among those. God's spirit, an
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  Speaker 4: excellent spirit, rested upon Daniel. Of course, when God is
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  Speaker 4: at work, the enemy does not rest. It's been said,
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  Speaker 4: when God opens the windows of heaven to bless us,
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  Speaker 4: then the devil opens the doors of hell to blast us.
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  Speaker 4: Daniel's success provoked jealousy among other powerful officials. And while
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  Speaker 4: Daniel acted in the interest of the king and ultimately
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  Speaker 4: the king of glory, God's glory, Others were interested in
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  Speaker 4: exalting themselves, and that would require taking Daniel out. But
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  Speaker 4: try as they might, he was above reproach. It is
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  Speaker 4: a powerful reminder that when we are doing God's will,
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  Speaker 4: there will be attacks. When we live in integrity, we
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  Speaker 4: must be vigilant not to give the enemy a place.
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  Speaker 4: The Bible says, don't give the devil a foothold. The
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  Speaker 4: only thing the other officials could imagine as a weakness
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  Speaker 4: was Daniel's devotion to God. Can you imagine that? They
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  Speaker 4: thought his weakness is his love and devotion to God.
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  Speaker 4: He was a man of deep faith and conviction, and
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  Speaker 4: they knew he would not bow to any false god,
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  Speaker 4: not even a king. So they concocted a plan. It
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  Speaker 4: was devious as it was clever. They appealed to Darius
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  Speaker 4: on pride and filled his head with flattery. He was king,
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  Speaker 4: after all, and kings were to be worshipped like gods.
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  Speaker 4: So they proposed a 30-day celebration of his majesty. And
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  Speaker 4: during that time, no other god was to be worshipped
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  Speaker 4: but Darius. He fell for it. So the decree was
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  Speaker 4: signed that anyone caught worshipping a god other than Darius
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  Speaker 4: for the next 30 days would be thrown into a
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  Speaker 4: den of ravenous lions. It was a death penalty with
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  Speaker 4: no hope of escape. Now, Daniel had some choices. He
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  Speaker 4: could have just yielded to the pressure and appeased the
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  Speaker 4: king for a month. Who would know? Who would care?
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  Speaker 4: But this was no choice at all. He resolved long
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  Speaker 4: ago to have no other gods between himself and the
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  Speaker 4: Lord God. He could just worship God in private, hiding
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  Speaker 4: away for safety. That was another alternative method. But that
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  Speaker 4: was not good either. He was not a coward. He
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  Speaker 4: was courageous and feared no one. So Daniel did exactly
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  Speaker 4: what he always did. Not for show, but for prayer,
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  Speaker 4: he opened his windows upstairs, kneeling facing Jerusalem, worshiping God
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  Speaker 4: for all to see who desired to see. I wonder
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  Speaker 4: how many of us would have had this kind of courage,
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  Speaker 4: that we would dare to be a Daniel, just like
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  Speaker 4: this great man, praising God even if it might cost
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  Speaker 4: us our life. There are countless Christians who who face
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  Speaker 4: persecution in the world today. And some even have to
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  Speaker 4: worship God in secret. But Daniel's calling was different and unique.
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  Speaker 4: He obeyed and remained faithful and fervent in his faith.
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  Speaker 4: These evil officials got just what they wanted and quickly
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  Speaker 4: turned him in to Darius, who realized too late the
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  Speaker 4: big mistake that he had made. He knew very well
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  Speaker 4: that Daniel worshiped only God, but he was blinded by
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  Speaker 4: his own desire for fame and fortune and adoration. A
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  Speaker 4: Persian law forbid even a king from changing his decree.
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  Speaker 4: Perhaps you've heard of the law of the Medes and
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  Speaker 4: the Persians. So there was no escape. Darius gave the
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  Speaker 4: order for Daniel to be thrown into the lion's den.
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  Speaker 4: But we see his heart already hopeful that God would
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  Speaker 4: save this innocent man. He says this to Daniel in
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  Speaker 4: chapter 6, verse 16. May your God whom you serve
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  Speaker 4: continually rescue you. The king knew that only God could
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  Speaker 4: rescue Daniel. So the next morning when he checked on Daniel,
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  Speaker 4: the response came from below. God had sent an angel
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  Speaker 4: to shut the lion's mouth. Just as his friends Shadrach, Meshach,
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  Speaker 4: and Abednego had been saved in the fiery furnace years ago,
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  Speaker 4: God rescued Daniel. What a miracle. So the king glorified
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  Speaker 4: God and sang the praises of Yahweh. The officials who
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  Speaker 4: conspired to kill Daniel were thrown into the den of lions.
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  Speaker 4: Once again, God is not mocked. What a person sows,
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  Speaker 4: that person reaps. These evil men sowed lies, and so
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  Speaker 4: they lived and died by their lie. And God's greatness
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  Speaker 4: was once again shown to his people and everyone in
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  Speaker 4: all of the land. Surely God has the power to
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  Speaker 4: save his own. We live in God's protection always. And
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  Speaker 4: in our next reading, we'll hear how he begins to
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  Speaker 4: restore the exiled Israelites to their land. Dear God, we
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  Speaker 4: thank you that your word says no weapon formed against
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  Speaker 4: us will prosper. We praise you for your goodness and
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  Speaker 4: grace in our lives to keep us alive until our
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  Speaker 4: time comes to be with you. Help us to courageously,
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  Speaker 4: boldly pray and serve you and commit our lives to
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  Speaker 4: do everything in your will, regardless of the cost or
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  Speaker 4: the consequences. May we obey you and leave the consequences there.
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  Speaker 4: Help us to trust you completely. Amen. Once again, thank
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  Speaker 4: you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 4: I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Let me encourage
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  Speaker 4: you to download the Pray.com app and make Bible study
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  Speaker 4: and prayer a real priority in your life. And if
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  Speaker 4: someone you care about, because sharing God's Word has a
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  Speaker 4: powerful impact upon people's lives. And if you want more
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  Speaker 4: resources as to how you can find faith, grow in
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  Speaker 4: your faith, develop as a disciple and follower of Jesus,
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  Speaker 4: be sure to visit me at jackgraham.org. We have plenty
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  Speaker 4: of resources that will encourage you and equip you for life.
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  Speaker 4: God bless you.