Out of the Lions’ Den 脱离狮子的口
Dexu Xia
My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. Daniel 6:22
When Taher and his wife, Donya, became believers in Jesus, they knew they risked persecution in their home country. Indeed, one day Taher was blindfolded, handcuffed, imprisoned, and charged with apostasy. Before he appeared at trial, he and Donya agreed that they wouldn’t betray Jesus.
What happened at the sentencing amazed him. The judge said, “I don’t know why, but I want to take you out of the whale’s and lion’s mouths.” Then Taher “knew that God was acting”; he couldn’t otherwise explain the judge referencing two passages in the Bible (see Jonah 2; Daniel 6). Taher was released from prison and the family later found exile elsewhere.
Taher’s surprising release echoes the story of Daniel. A skilled administrator, he was going to be promoted, which made his colleagues jealous (Daniel 6:3–5). Plotting his downfall, they convinced King Darius to pass a law against praying to anyone other than the king—which Daniel ignored. King Darius had no choice but to throw him to the lions (v. 16). But God “rescued Daniel” and saved him from death (v. 27), even as He saved Taher through the judge’s surprising release.
Many believers today suffer for following Jesus, and sometimes they even are killed. When we face persecution, we can deepen our faith when we understand that God has ways we can’t even imagine. Know that He’s with you in whatever battles you face.
By: Amy Boucher Pye
How do you respond to the story of Taher and Donya’s commitment to Christ? How can you trust in the unlimited power of God?
Saving God, help me to trust in You when the obstacles feel insurmountable.
我的上帝差遣使者封住狮子的口。—但以理书6章22节
当塔赫和妻子唐雅成为基督徒时，便知道在自己的国家会遭迫害。一天，塔赫被蒙上双眼、戴上手铐，关入监牢，被控叛教。在出庭受审前，他和唐雅约定不会背叛耶稣。
但在宣判时，却发生了让他万分惊讶的事。法官说：“我不知道为什么，但我想把你从鲸鱼和狮子的嘴里救出来。”那时，塔赫知道这是上帝的作为，否则他无法解释为何法官会提到两处圣经的典故（参阅约拿书2章；但以理书6章）。就这样，塔赫获释出狱，后来与家人流亡他乡。
塔赫的意外获释与但以理的经历互相呼应。但以理是很有才能的监察长，升职在即却遭同事嫉妒（但以理书6章3-5节）。这些人密谋陷害但以理，说服大利乌王制定法令，禁止民众向国王以外的任何神明或人祈祷。但以理没有遵守法令，仍照常向上帝祷告。大利乌王别无选择，只好把他扔进狮子坑里（16节）。但上帝“救了但以理脱离狮子的口”（27节），就像祂透过法官，让塔赫出人意料地获得释放一样。
现今，许多基督徒因跟随耶稣而受苦，有时甚至惨遭杀害。但若我们坚信上帝能以超乎想像的方式施行拯救，那么面临的迫害，就能加深我们的信心，因为我们知道，无论面临任何难关与逼迫，上帝都与我们同在。
作者： 潘艾梅
塔赫和唐雅对信仰的坚持，让你有什么感触？
你要如何坚信上帝有无限的能力？
拯救人的上帝，当我感到有重重障碍难以克服时，请帮助我仍能信靠祢。