Daniel was a Jewish man who was exiled to Babylon as a young man. In Babylon, far from the land and customs of his faith, he distinguished himself as a man of God and a skilled leader. Over the course of time, he was appointed to one of three top administrator positions in the kingdom, but the king had him in mind to rule the entire kingdom.

Daniel's fellow leaders became jealous of him and wanted to discredit him to prevent him from rising to this position. Knowing that they could not find any fault in him, they turned to using his faith against him.

The jealous leaders went to the king and asked him to decree that anyone who prayed to any man or god other than the king within a thirty-day span would be thrown into the lion's den. They did this, knowing that Daniel prayed faithfully to God three times a day.

True to his tradition, Daniel continued to pray, despite the king's edict. When he was caught, the king did not want to punish him, but knew that he must. So Daniel was thrown into the den of lions, and a stone sealed the entrance.

The next day, the King checked on Daniel's condition, only to find Daniel was still alive. An angel had shut the mouths of the lions, and Daniel was unharmed.

In response to the power of God and the deceit of the other administrators, the King had the jealous leaders thrown into the lion's den, where they were overpowered and crushed.

You can read this story in more detail in Daniel 6:1-28.