*Back ground music playing Daniel was brought
to Babylon from Israel as a young boy by king Nebuchadnezzer. When the king
took over Israel he took with him the
most intelligent and handsome
young men from Israel to help
him at his palace Among these were Daniel and his
three friends. Daniel was very
handsome, honest, and intelligent. After a training
period of 3 years, the king chose Daniel
and his three friends from all the other
young men to help him in his palace. Over time, Daniel earned the king’s
trust and affection as he helped the king
solve many problems and worked very
hard for the king. He was known for being
wise beyond his years, and he was completely
dedicated to his work. After the time of
Nebuchadnezzer…. another king ruled
Babylon….. and then another. All the kings who ruled
Babylon trusted Daniel and
depended on him for carrying out many tasks. Over the years….. Daniel had earned
a very good name among the people of
Babylon. He was praised for
his intelligence, kindness, and hard working nature. He understood the
problems faced by the people and made wise
suggestions that would help them
to find a solution. He was a very devout believer of God and
prayed three times a day
without fail. When King Darius
came into power, he was so happy with
Daniel’s services that he gave Daniel him
all the responsibilities for running the country. The other senior counselors and ministers of the king grew jealous of Him, as they had to follow
Daniel’s orders. They met with each other and talked about this often. Babon and Samiel were two of the most
senior men in Darius’ court. They did not like the idea of the king’s growing
affection towards Daniel. They feared that
the king would favour Daniel
over them. The king was placing
more and more responsibilities on Daniel
now, and he consulted only
Daniel for solving the issues
in the kingdom. The king felt that Daniel had the best
possible solution for any problem. The other senior
members of the court were becoming afraid that they would no longer
be needed by the king, and that they would
be thrown out. The most senior members
of the court were Babon and Samiel and they shared the
same worry – How to get rid of Daniel? One day, Babon and Samiel met at a wayside inn to discuss this problem This Daniel is becoming even
more powerful with every passing day. The king only listens
to him now! We have been serving
the kingdom for so many years, and yet the king does not even ask
for our opinion on anything! If this is the case, I am certain the
king will remove us from service of the
court. We will have to go
back to the streets, selling pots to
make a living! Quite true my friend, we have to do
something about this. It is a matter of
our survival. We must find a way to remove this Daniel
from the king’s court immediately. It is not easy Babon. He has a great
reputation. The king will not
simply remove him because we say so. We have to be
very careful. We must break destroy
his reputation. I have observed
him very closely for some time now, and it is next to
impossible to find any fault with him. He is an extremely
devout man and prays to his God
three times a day. He is very popular among
the people as well. Wait, you said he prays three times a day to
his God, right? Yes, everybody knows
about this. Why? I think I have something we
can use against him. If my plan works out, we will have to never worry about
Daniel any more. What is it?? Tell me!! And so, Babon and Samiel devised a plot that day. They returned to their homes agreeing to meet in court the following day. *Back ground music playing* The next day, Babon and Samiel
arrive at the palace to meet with the king. They talked about various
issues of the state and how happy the
people of Babylon are with the king and his rule. They praise the king
on his bravery, his sense of justice, and how kind and
merciful he was. The king is was very
pleased with what Babon and
Samiel hade to say. Then Samiel made a suggestion for a law to be passed. My lord, the people of
Babylon are indebted to you. The kingdom is thriving and its fame has reached
the far ends of the earth. This has all has happened only because you are the king. No other king has achieved so much for their
kingdom as you have. I think that we need to
celebrate this occasion, and give the people an opportunity to show
their gratitude to you. Your words please me Samiel. You are truly a loyal
subject of Babylon. What do you
suggest we do? Ah; My lord, I will explain. We have a suggestion that for the next 30 days, all the subjects of Babylon will praise and pray to no other God or man, other than the king of Babylon You! King Darius! Yes, it is a great way to
find out who are truly loyal to
Babylon and its king. We suggest that a
decree be passed that for the next
30 days, nobody will pray
to any other God other than King Darius I think that is a
wonderful idea Samiel. You really have proven that you are worthy of
your position in my court. But I must first discuss
this with Daniel before I go further
with this. Your majesty, I don’t think that
would be necessary. We have discussed
this with all the senior
counselors of the court and they are in agreement . Daniel would without doubt be overjoyed to have
this law passed. Why waste time over
discussing it this again with Daniel. We have prepared the
decree for you to sign on your
majesty. Here is the scroll. The king believed that
Daniel was aware of the law; however, Daniel was not
consulted about this and so, he was not aware of it. Babon had sent
two guards to Daniel’s house at the time that he offered
prayers to his God. As soon as the
soldiers saw Daniel praying to God, they immediately moved
in to arrest him. Daniel, didn’t you hear of
the law passed by the king? What law? What have I done wrong? Why are you arresting me? A new law has been
passed by the king stating that no citizen is to worship any other God, other than King Darius
himself for 30 days. I am not aware of this. Very well, take me to the king. The soldiers arrested Daniel and took him to the
palace to be presented to the
king. The king heard the news
of Daniel’s arrest, and he was very sad. He realized that his
senior counselors had been plotting against
Daniel all along, but he felt helpless as the law had been passed. Nobody could be exempted from the law once it was written, even the king himself. When Daniel was presented
to him by the soldiers, he felt heartbroken. Samiel and Babon were also
present at the court. They were happy that their plan was
working out as they hoped. Daniel, what have you done? I thought you were aware
of this new rule. Do you have anything to say to defend yourself? My Lord, Daniel has defied the
rule of the kingdom. This is as clear as
daylight. Several people have
watched him offering prayers to
the his God. You cannot pardon anybody who breaks the law. It will not be
considered righteous or just. Daniel must face p
unishment. He should be thrown
into the lions’ den! I have nothing to
say your Majesty. I am a servant of the kingdom and am ready to face
any punishment that you give me. I have no choice Daniel, but to command
that you be thrown into the lions’ den. I hope that the God
you pray and worship will save you. *Back ground music playing* As soon as the king
commanded Daniel was taken
away by the soldiers to be thrown into
the lions’ den. The king was
very sad that he had to send
Daniel to his death. That night, he could not sleep. He was saddened by
the fact that his most favorite
servant would be ripped
apart by the lions. The next morning, as soon as the sun rose, he jumped from his bed and hurried to the lions’ den. He approached the den
hesitantly and called out to
Daniel hesitantly. Daniel, can you hear me? Did the God that you serve and worship save you? Answer me Daniel! Are you alive? There was silence for
a couple of moments Yes, your majesty. and then Darius heard a
voice that made him jump with joy. It was the voice of Daniel!! Yes, your majesty. May the king live forever! I am unhurt my lord! The lions did not
even touched me. My God sent an
angel into the den who shut the mouths
of these lions. My God has indeed
saved me for I am innocent. Soldiers! Open the mouth of
this den at once! Remove Daniel from
the den at once! The soldiers removed the huge boulder that
closed the mouth of the cave. Slowly, Daniel stepped out of
the cave. There was not even a single scratch on
his body! It was truly a miracle! Daniel, your God is indeed
true. He came to your rescue you in the most
hopeless hour. I am sorry that you had to endure this. Come…. Let us go to the
palace at once! When news of what had happened to Daniel spread
around the kingdom, the people were amazed and stunned. Babon and Samiel
realized that their evil plan had gone
wrong. When the king arrived
at the palace with Daniel, he ordered the soldiers to throw Babon and Samiel
into the same lion’s den. The lions pounced on
them and killed them
instantly, breaking their every bone before they ate them. The king was
overjoyed that Daniel was
back at the court. He reversed the
old law and made a new one stating that
everybody in Babylon must pray to the
livingDaniel’s God , the God who performes
miracles to help those who
serve him. And so…. Daniel continued
to serve the king and execute his
duties faithfully for a very long time. He continued to pray to the true God until he died! *Back ground music playing*
