The power of God with Daniel in the lions’ den
key words
biblical reference
Daniel 6:1-23
lesson objective
To encourage the children to worship and praise God and his power.
memory verse
“Great is our Lord and mighty in power” (Psalm 147:5a, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
King Nebuchadnezzar’s reign had passed into history, as did King Belshazzar’s. In his place, Darius of Media reigned over the territories of Babylon conquered by the empire of Persia.
King Darius appointed officers to rule in his kingdom. Only three managers held more power than these officers. One of them was Daniel. He was a Jew, whom they had brought as a captive to Babylon when he was young. By this time, it is very probable that Daniel was already an older man. The king noticed his faithful and honest demeanor and decided to reward him for those excellent qualities. So he planned to put Daniel in charge of the whole kingdom.
The other officers conspired to discredit Daniel before the king, but could find no way to accuse him. So, they asked the king to declare a royal edict that could not be changed. For 30 days, people should pray to the king alone. The purpose was a plot against Daniel, which the king did not even imagine.
Daniel faced the threat of death, because he knew he could not dishonor God. So the king had no choice but to throw him into the pit of lions, even if he was not in agreement. Darius went to the pit and said to Daniel, “The God whom you faithfully serve ... he himself shall save you” (v. 16).
The miracle of Daniel’s salvation from the mouths of the lions proved that God is alive and quick to save his children. When Darius discovered this, he was happy and full of joy to know that God had protected Daniel.
God’s fidelity in guarding his children was a reality in the life of Daniel, and it is also true in our times. “He is the same yesterday, today and forever.”
As you prepare the class, give thanks to God because of his power and care in your life.
Throughout this unit, children have learned how God manifests his power and uses it to bless those who love and serve him.
Bring this biblical truth into the daily life of your children. Encourage them to trust that God has the power to help them face their problems and needs. Emphasize that the power of God does not change; it is infinite and absolute. In the same way that he helped and protected those biblical heroes, he can also care for and guard our lives.
Make this lesson a time of praise to God for his unequaled power, and for allowing you to finish this unit.
End this lesson with a prayer, and include prayer requests from your children. You will realize that they have begun to trust the power of God to answer their requests. Perhaps they will want to share some answers to their prayers for God’s help.
introduce the lesson
Lion masks
For this activity, you will need a cardboard plate for each member of your group, a large wooden stick, and strips of brown paper.
Ask for the assistance of another adult to help cut out the center of the plates to make a hole where the children can put their faces.
Then instruct the children to glue the strips of brown paper around the ring, and thus forming the lion’s mane.
At the bottom of the plate, attach the stick so that the children can hold their mask in front of their face. Encourage them to imitate the roar of the lions, and congratulate them for their good work in the making of their masks.
teach the lesson
Prior to this session study Daniel 6:1-23 and be ready to tell the Bible story. Use the following activities to teach the biblical truth to the children.
A lion’s tale!
Gather your children to hear the Bible story. Let them use their masks and roar like fierce lions. Tell them that this lesson has to do with lions, and they must pay close attention during the story.
Daniel in the lions’ den
Daniel was one of King Darius’s most important helpers. Daniel was very wise and loved God. Every day without fail, he prayed from his room three times a day.
The king’s other helpers did not want Daniel. It bothered them that he was one of the King’s special helpers. So these evil men decided to do something to harm him.
They came to the king and said to him, “Make a rule by which no one can pray to anyone but you alone. And if anyone does, let him be thrown into a pit with hungry lions. “
The king liked the idea, and told his helpers, “All right, let it be done.”
Daniel was saddened when he learned of this rule, so he went to his room to pray to ask God to help him. The king’s helpers went to spy on Daniel and saw him pray, and immediately brought the news to the king, accusing him of not fulfilling the new rule.
This caused King Darius to be very sad because Daniel was his friend, and he did not want to throw him into the pit of the lions.
The king’s helpers said to him, “You made the rule, and therefore you cannot break it. You must send Daniel to the lion’s den.”
The king knew that was true. Not even he could break the rule, so he gave the order to take Daniel to the den.
The helpers took Daniel to throw him to the hungry lions. King Darius went with Daniel to the pit, and he saw how they threw him, and said, “I hope your God will rescue you!”
The next morning, the king ran to see what had happened to his friend.
“Daniel, Daniel, are you okay? Did your God save you?” asked the king.
“God saved me!” Daniel answered from the bottom of the pit. “The lions did not harm me.” “Take Daniel out immediately,” said the king. And he was very glad to see him safe and sound.
The lions could not hurt him because God protected him.
God has power over animals and over everything that exists. He is more powerful than anyone.
connect the lesson
Daniel and the lions
Distribute Student Activity Sheet #44-A and #44-B. Then, give your children time to draw a line from the lions to their shadows in Student Activity Sheet #44-A. Notice how Daniel is quiet and safe inside the den. Tell them to trace the Faith Word (Power).
Help the children draw a lion on Student Activity Sheet #44-B, like those in today’s Bible story. Encourage the children to take home the activity sheets to share the lesson with their families and friends.
practice the memory verse
This is the last lesson of the unit, and most children will have learned the memory verse. If possible, talk with your pastor so that the children can recite the text and share the teachings of this unit with the congregation during the worship service.
wrap-up
Pray
Pray for the needs of your children, and lead them in saying: “God, our Heavenly Father, thank you for your intervention in the life of Daniel and answering his prayers. Today we depend on you, and we know you will also answer our prayer needs.”
Encourage
Encourage the children to ask God to them share this story to their family and friends and help them depend on him like Daniel.
Invite
Briefly review what has been learned throughout the four lessons of this unit. Make time for your children to remember Bible stories and teachings. Invite them to the next class, and introduce the next unit. Get in touch with their families to learn how they apply what they learned in the classroom at home.
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™