I believe that if you see one thread through the book of Daniel, it is not the exaltation of Daniel, it is the majesty of God,

who stands against the nations of the world and upholds his sovereignty.

Welcome to Grace To You with John MacArthur. I'm your host, Phil Johnson.

There's a phrase you've no doubt come across if not in conversation then in something you've read or heard on TV.

When someone has to face a tough crowd, they're often said to be heading into the lion's den.

Well, if you never knew where that phrase being in the lion's den came from, you'll understand as you study along on this edition of Grace To You.

John MacArthur will focus on the commitment that a man named Daniel had to the Lord, and how even in the face of death,

he demonstrated qualities that God wants you and me to have, qualities that bear witness to an uncompromising life.

To the lesson now here is John MacArthur.

We're looking at Daniel chapter 6, the famous chapter in which we find Daniel in and out of the lion's den.

I want some keywords to take us through this text. The first one is promotion.

Promotion. And that deals with verses 1 to 3. God allowed Darius to recognize the capability of Daniel and to put him in a very strategic place, a place of influence.

Second word, the first is promotion, the second is plot, verses 4 to 9. There was a group of them that made a plot.

Not all of them agreed, but just stacking up all of those individuals, just intimidated, and they all consulted, they said, to establish a royal statute and make a firm decree that whose, so ever shall ask, a petition of any God or a man for 30 days except of the O'Kings shall be cast into the den of lions.

Verse 9, he signed the writing and the decree. Now there was a law. You make a petition of any God, but this God, and you go to the lions den.

So we see the promotion in the plot. There's a third word, perseverance, verse 10. Perseverance. Now the word got back to Daniel, and I want you to know what he did. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house.

And his windows being open in his chamber, towards Jerusalem, he kneeled on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he did previously.

I like that.

Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. You know what it said when I see here is perseverance. They made a law and Daniel went back to his room and did what he did every day.

A pattern established originally by David apparently.

In Psalm 55, morning, noon, and night, felonist needs to pray. Now you say, well, couldn't have Daniel been a little discreet, couldn't he just close the window and pray the same way?

Yes. Couldn't have just cooled it for 30 days and talked to the Lord standing up and walking around and it wouldn't have been as visible.

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