Daniel - God's most Beloved...

Briton Riviere (1840-1920) painted this famous biblical tale at the young age of 37, (1872) of one of God’s favourites, Daniel who, in the entire Old Testament, Daniel is the only man God refers to as the “Greatly beloved”. (Daniel 10:11)

This painting was always and will continue to be my favourite depiction of a scene from the Old Testament.

I remember our huge, golden bible as a child, and the full scales print of this beautiful painting; laying on my bed staring at the picture wondering why the hungry lions would not eat the old man.

He looks upward from the Den in prayer as the morning sun shines upon him as the lions walk around the dungeon, uninterested in his presence. (Observe the lion looking up in the direction Daniel is looking and the lion's expression)

Daniel became the enemy of the Devil because of God’s great Love for him. Daniel also, one of the designated “princes” for the King of Persia, recently known as Babylon, and conquered by the Persians, rises through the political ranks and becomes one of King Darius’s most valued consultants.

"Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was found in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm" (Daniel 6:3).

Satan filled the hearts of the other “princes” with envy, thus they plotted against him, finally finding one act or transgression, he prayed to his own God and not the King – this was law in the new Babylon.

Daniel is thrown into the lion’s Den, and to the shock and dismay of his enemies, the lions ignore the “most beloved”, and over time grow to love him.

Riviere preferred to paint animals more than any other subject matter. In this painting it is evident he has payed special attention and time to the lions: perfect in form with natural expressions.

The original currently resides in the Manchester Museum in the U.K.