Daniel in the Lions’ Den: Fun with Lions

Daniel was a guy that knew how to have fun with lions. As a child, Daniel in the Lions’ Den was a Bible story that captured my imagination. Just think what it would be like to stand in a cave with a pride of ravenous lions and come out without a scratch! It makes me wonder what the group did that whole time. Scrabble and Skip-Bo come to mind.

Daniel’s courage is something we would all like to have. The book of Daniel is a reminder to me that courage is possible when everything around you says you should just fit in.

Daniel displayed the kind of courage that leads by example. He was thrown into the den of lions because he prayed to God. His enemies convinced King Darius there should be a law that his citizens should pray to no one but him. It was a law Daniel’s enemies specifically designed to eliminate him.

Courage and Peer Pressure

It’s a kind of courage I, as an American, have not needed to show. Sure, peer pressure is always an issue. As I write this in 2020, many adults have felt peer pressure on whether to wear a mask or not to prevent the spread of COVID-19. It’s interesting to go from one store to another and see the change in attitude. A store in a rural area is less likely to have mask wearers as opposed to a city or suburban store.

Nobody wants to be left out. Who wants to be singled out for being the odd duck? Yet Daniel didn’t care about that. He did what he thought was right even if it meant facing death.

Humor and Courage

Sometimes, it takes courage to show some humor and tell a joke or draw a cartoon. I have had a few comments over the years that religion is never an appropriate subject for cartoons. On one hand, some have been from religious people. They’ve said I’m making light of serious, holy subjects. On the other hand, nonreligious readers have said religion is an irrelevant topic for them and I should cover something else.

That is the challenge of humor. Some don’t get the joke. Others are looking for a way to be offended. But it’s nothing like the story of Daniel and the Lions’ Den. If a joke falls flat, that’s okay. I’d rather have that than face a hungry, Leo the Lion. Wouldn’t you?

I originally drew this for the “itty-bitty Bible Activity Book of Trivia and Cartoons” from Warner Press.