Scripture: Daniel 6:22 – “My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, because I was found blameless before him; also before you, O king, I have done no wrong.” (NRSVue)
The story of Daniel in the lion’s den perhaps the most famous story from the Book of Daniel. It tells of how Daniel, now an older man serving in the court of the Persian emperor Darius, has earned the envy of the other administrators. Knowing Daniel is blameless, they get the emperor to sign an interdict that no one should worship anyone but the emperor for thirty days or be thrown into a den of lions. Daniel naturally ignores the unjust law, and the emperor reluctantly sends Daniel to his death while praying for his safety. When Darius goes to the den the next day, he finds that Daniel is unharmed because God had saved him from the lions’ hunger and wrath. There are a lot of morals to take from this story. One is that God saves those who are faithful. Another is that the terrors of the natural world are not as dangerous as jealous and tyrannical people.
Fear of nature is something I was thinking about when so many people celebrated the eclipse on Monday. In ages past, an eclipse was an omen of doom and a sign of divine displeasure. But this week, it was something that for a few hours seemed to bring everyone together in a time of joy. What was once feared was now celebrated. Since God’s providence can be reflected in nature, I felt like this was a way that God was demonstrating authority over the world to remind us that we are all one people under the sun.
The story of Daniel also reminds me of an apocryphal text called “The Acts of Paul and Thecla.” This is a very strange legend about how a woman named Thecla, seemingly frustrated by a promised life as a wife and mother, leaves her home to join Paul and his call to celibacy and purity. Thecla is arrested for disobeying her controlling fiancé and is sent to be executed by wild beasts in an arena. But as Thecla is brought in, she is tied to a lioness. And rather than be fierce, the lioness licks her feet, sensing in her a kindred spirit. In the ensuing chaos, the lioness defends her against a bear and a male lion. After Thecla is miraculously saved from burning bulls and deadly seals (I always think of the ill-tempered sea bass from Austin Powers), she is freed as protected by God, and becomes a preacher and apostle in the community. It’s about as feminist as you can get in the second century. (If you are curious, here is a translation: http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/actspaul.html)
Thecla, who like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is also unharmed by a fire, reflects the stories from Daniel about God saving the faithful from disaster. Daniel and Thecla also prove how even when the forces of nature seem pushed against us, God is always with us when resisting oppression, tyranny, and unjust laws. We are reminded that we owe our allegiance to God and not to systems of dominance that tell us who and how we should worship or what role we must perform in society.
So next time you think about lions, remember that they are wild and dangerous creatures, but that their ferocity is part of God’s plan. Human systems of domination are not, and in that struggle against them, God is always with us.
Prayer: God, through faith in you, I know I will be delivered from all dangers. Amen.
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