God had saved Daniel from the lions and King Darius is relieved. But what of the conspirators whose manipulation had put Daniel in the lion’s pit?
Daniel 6: 24 And the king ordered the men who had brought charges against Daniel to be thrown into the pit, together with their wives and children. But before they even reached the bottom, the lions ripped them to pieces.[1]
Those who falsely accused Daniel are now killed along with their families. They are eaten before they hit the ground which points to how great the miracle that saved Daniel. This is recorded as fact without either approval of the mass killing or disapproval. King Darius seems to vent his anger through this act.
What the men had planned for Daniel, happened to them, and not just them but their families. The killing of what we would consider innocent women and children seems cruel to our 21st century sensibilities. This would have been standard procedure of the day. If we stop and think of tyrants in the last century, they too, killed many innocent people. This is the way of sinful man. While Darius will point to the power of God, he has not been changed nor have his actions been mellowed by faith.
The evil of Daniel’s accusers boomeranged back on them. This isn’t the only example in the Bible. In the book of Esther, the evil Haman planned to kill an innocent Jew named Mordecai on a huge hangman platform. Through a series of events, Haman ends up hanging on the platform not Mordecai. Deut. 32: 34 But the Lord has written a list of their sins and locked it in his vault. 35 Soon our enemies will get what they deserve—suddenly they will slip, and total disaster will quickly follow.[2] As God’s children, we can let our heavenly Father take care of our enemies. In Daniel’s case, they received the death that they had planned for Daniel.
To hear more about the story of Daniel, listen here: https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/series/daniel-a-man-of-character/daniel-in-the-lions-den
[1,2] Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society