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Narrator:
Once there was a young man named Daniel who was very loyal to God.
The kingdom where Daniel lived was ruled by a king, a not completely unkind king, but one who didn't understand Daniel's God.
Neither did the king's many officials. [Enter large group of officials.]
Official #1:
Look here. The king has made a new rule that we have to ask Daniel's permission first everything. It's not fair.
Official #2.
That's right. And it's hard to get anything past him because he's just too, well, decent. He's not exactly, you know, one
of us.
Officials together:
Hey yeah. That's right. He's different...
Official #3:
I think that's his weakness. He's too good. He's too loyal to that God of his -- never eating our food, forever praying to
his own God.
Official #4:
In fact, he's more loyal to his God than to our king. Maybe he's not loyal to our king at all.
Official #5:
Why don't we get the king to make a new rule? How about anybody that prays to anyone except the king within the next, 10,
20, 30 days, should be ... thrown into a den of lions. Yeah, that's it!
Officials:
Right on. Excellent plan. Good one. We hear ya.
Official #9:
Let's go tell the king.
Narrator:
Meanwhile, Daniel went about his business as usual. Oh, he knew about the new rule, all right. But that didn't stop him from
going upstairs in his house, 3 times a day, to the window that faced Jerusalem. And he would kneel and say his prayers. Now
the window was a big open one, so all the king's observant officials had no trouble seeing what he was doing. They told the
king on him.
King [to Daniel];
Dan. My minions and underlings tell me you have been praying to somebody who isn't me. Is that true.
Daniel:
Well, I must confess it is.
King:
Aww rats, Dan. I really like ya. I don't want to throw you to the lions. But geez, I signed an edict and everything. That
means it's official. Stamp it, no rub outs. I really can't help ya, buddy.
Narr:
So at the king's command, Daniel was tossed into a pit with a bunch of hungry lions.
Now the king was sick at heart about this. He really did like Daniel. After the pit throwing episode, the king went to the
palace and wouldn't eat anything, and he had a rotten sleep.
[King goes to bedroom (could be blanket for sleeping bag.) Horde of officials follows him.]
King:
Go away. Get lost, you bunch of goons.
Narr:
At the crack of dawn, the king hurried off to the lions' den.
King:
Dan! Buddy! Are you all right? Can you answer me. Was that God of yours able to save you?
Daniel:
Halloo King! Good morning! Aww gee, how nice of you to ask. [King gestures for officials to help Dan out of pit. While he's
climbing out, Dan says...]
Daniel:
You absolutely won't believe it. There was this angel, I'm sure sent by God. And the angel kept me company. And those lions
never made a peep. It was incredible.
King [hugs him]:
Dan. I'm so glad your alive.
[to officials]:
As for you lot, the only thing I trust you to do is feed the lions from now on. So get to it. They're hungry.
[King and Dan walk off. Dan prattles away to King;]
I've never experienced anything like it. There was this prayer that kept running through my head. It was more like a song.
No, maybe more like a psalm...
THE END
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