Pastor Steve Massey- “God’s People in Exile: Character Before Crisis” 3/15/2026

Daniel and the lion's den is one of the Bible's best-known stories. We rightly marvel at Daniel's devotion and God's deliverance; the former challenges us, while the latter assures God's people in exile still today. Yet it's what happened long before the lion's den that Scripture highlights for us in Daniel 6. "Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself among the commissioners and satraps because an extraordinary spirit was in him, and the king planned to set him over the entire kingdom," Daniel 6:3 (LSB). What set Daniel apart from all other leaders was not merely administrative talent, but an inner quality that consistently rose above the often-stormy environment encircling him. Years of private devotion had formed in Daniel an inner life that bore the fruit of excellence. This Lord's Day, we'll consider how God graciously built in Daniel the kind of character that kept him from flinching when loyalty to the Lord was not merely costly, but deadly. Join us as we turn to Daniel 6 and consider "God's People in Exile: Character Before Crisis." Prepare for Sunday: Read Daniel 6, meditating on verses 1-18. How was Daniel distinguished among the other royal court officials? What does the term "extraordinary" or "excellent" reveal about Daniel's character? Use Scripture elsewhere to support your answer. Why would Daniel's integrity provoke hostility rather than admiration? How is Daniel a foreshadowing of Christ?