Teach Them Jesus with Building Bricks
Daniel and the Lions: Faithfulness
Daniel 6:1-28; Luke 16:10; 2 Timothy 2:13 Old Testament PrincipleFaithfulness
Daniel was an old man who had served God faithfully his whole life. He worked hard for King Darius, and he was so honest that his enemies could not find one thing wrong with him. So they tricked the king into making a law that no one could pray to anyone but the king. Daniel kept praying to God three times a day, just as he always had. He was thrown into a den of lions. But God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths. Faithfulness means staying true to God every day, in little things and big things, because God is always faithful to us.
Faithfulness is staying true to God every day, in small things and big things. God is always faithful to us, so we can be faithful to Him, even when it's hard.
- CreationGod made it
- FallWe broke it
- RedemptionJesus fixes it (this lesson)
- RestorationJesus makes it new
Memory verse
“Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much.”
Luke 16:10 BSB
Christ Connection · God’s character
Daniel was faithful because his God is faithful. "If we are faithless, He remains faithful" (2 Timothy 2:13). Jesus is the most faithful of all. Like Daniel, enemies tried to find something wrong with Him, but Pilate said, "I find no basis for a charge against this man" (Luke 23:4). Daniel was saved from death; Jesus went through death for us and rose again. He is called "Faithful and True" (Revelation 19:11).
2 Timothy 2:13; Luke 23:4; Revelation 19:11
The Big Story · Redemption
God stayed faithful to His people even while they lived far from home in exile, and He protected Daniel in the den. Jesus is the truly faithful One. No charge could be found against Him, yet He went down into death for us and came out alive, so we can belong to the faithful God forever.
Teacher Guide
This version includes:
- Background and context for the passage
- Hidden in Plain Sight: the detail most people miss
- The Christ Connection: how this story points to Jesus
- A 39-minute class plan and prep checklist
- A map of where it happened
- Object lesson: One brick a day
- Bible Kitchen (taste the story): Shut-mouth lions
- A skit to act out the story
- Review game: Lion, lion, shut your mouth
- Pronunciation help, tips for every age, song ideas and a note for parents
Every lesson, every age, from $25 a month. · Log in
Preschool (ages 3–5)
I stay faithful to God!
This version includes:
- An opening hook and a 4-minute Bible story written for this age
- 3 discussion questions
- 2 activities: Roar and shut, Color the gentle lion
- 5 “Dasch Digs Up” facts
- Real-life connections: at home, at church
- Song ideas, Live It, a prayer, and a printable student handout (preview below)
Every lesson, every age, from $25 a month. · Log in
Free preview · Kindergarten – 2nd grade
Daniel was an old man who had served God faithfully his whole life. He worked so well and was so honest that his enemies could not find anything wrong with him. So they got the king to make a law that no one could pray to God. Daniel kept praying three times a day, just as he always had. He was thrown to the lions, but God shut their mouths. Faithfulness means staying true to God every day, because God is always faithful to us.
Start here
Do "One brick a day." Snap bricks together while you count. Say, "Daniel did one faithful thing after another, for years and years. Then one day, he had a big test!"
Bible story 6 min
Daniel had lived in a far-away land since he was a teen. Now he was an old man. All his life, he had loved God and done what was right.
King Darius chose Daniel to help lead his whole kingdom. Daniel did a great job. Some other leaders were jealous. They looked and looked for something wrong with Daniel. But they could not find one thing! He was honest and did his work well.
So they made a plan. They said to the king, "Make a new law. For thirty days, no one can pray to anyone but you. If they do, throw them to the lions!" The king signed the law.
The rest of the story, discussion questions, songs, Live It and prayer are for members.
Try an activity
Build the den 10 min
You’ll need: A tub of building bricks, Baseplates, Minifigures or small brick people
- Pairs build the lions' den from the build guide, with a stone cover on top.
- Build Daniel's window too. Kneel a minifigure Daniel there three times while counting, "One, two, three!"
- Put Daniel in the den with the lions. Lift the stone and say, "God shut the lions' mouths!"
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3rd – 4th grade
Daniel had served God faithfully for about 70 years. He did his job for King Darius so well that his jealous enemies "could find no charge or corruption, because he was trustworthy." The only way to trap him was his faithfulness to God. They tricked the king into a law against prayer, but Daniel kept praying three times a day, "just as he had done before." He was thrown into the lions' den, and God shut the lions' mouths. Faithfulness means staying true to God in small things and big things, because God is faithful to us.
This version includes:
- An opening hook and a 8-minute Bible story written for this age, with a Hidden in Plain Sight moment
- 5 discussion questions
- 2 activities: Faithful every day, Lion, lion, shut your mouth
- 5 “Dasch Digs Up” facts
- Real-life connections: at home, at school, with friends
- Song ideas, Live It, a prayer, and a printable student handout (preview below)
Every lesson, every age, from $25 a month. · Log in
5th – 6th grade
After about 70 years of serving God in a foreign land, Daniel was so trustworthy that his rivals "could find no charge or corruption" in him. The only way to trap him was "concerning the law of his God." When a law banned prayer to anyone but the king, Daniel prayed three times a day "just as he had done before." God shut the lions' mouths, and King Darius praised "the living God" who "endures forever." Faithfulness is built in ordinary days and flows from God's faithfulness to us. Jesus, the truly faithful One, went through death for us and rose again.
This version includes:
- An opening hook and a 10-minute Bible story written for this age, with a Hidden in Plain Sight moment
- 6 discussion questions
- 2 activities: The faithful servant and the faithful God, Building faithfulness
- 5 “Dasch Digs Up” facts
- Real-life connections: at home, at church, online and on screens
- Song ideas, Live It, a prayer, and a printable student handout (preview below)
Every lesson, every age, from $25 a month. · Log in
More lessons from this story
Same Bible story, a different principle.
Seeing God's WorldLiving It OutDaniel 6; Romans 12:1-2Daniel was an old man in Babylon when jealous leaders tricked the king into banning prayer. Daniel kept praying three times a day, just as he always had, and God shut the lions' mouths. A biblical worldview isn't just how we see. It's how we live, every day, so we're ready when the hard day comes.Old TestamentFaithfulness
Kings and ProphetsDaniel and the LionsDaniel 6:1-28When a law made prayer to God a crime, Daniel kept praying as he always had, and God shut the lions' mouths and kept him safe.Old TestamentPrayerMore lessons on Faithfulness
The same principle in other Bible stories.
The Church BeginsTimothy Learns God’s Word2 Timothy 1:5; 2 Timothy 3:14-17; Acts 16:1-3Timothy's grandmother Lois and mother Eunice taught him God's Word when he was little. He grew up to help Paul tell people about Jesus. In his last letter, Paul told Timothy to keep holding on to the Scriptures, because they come from God and point to Jesus.New TestamentFaithfulness
In the BeginningNoah and the FloodGenesis 6:5-9:17God judged a world full of evil, but He made a way to be saved and kept His promise to Noah.Old TestamentFaithfulness
Crossing the JordanJoshua 3:1–4:24After forty years in the wilderness, God's people came to the Jordan River. It was flooding! When the priests carrying the ark stepped into the water, God stopped the river, and everyone crossed on dry ground. They stacked twelve stones so their children would ask about it. God is faithful, so we remember what He has done.Old TestamentFaithfulness
Joash, the Boy Who Became King2 Kings 11:1-12:16; 2 Kings 8:19; 2 Samuel 7:16; Luke 1:32-33God promised King David that a king from his family would rule forever. When wicked Queen Athaliah tried to destroy the whole royal family, Jehosheba rescued baby Joash and hid him in the house of the LORD for six years. Then Jehoiada the priest brought the seven-year-old out, crowned him, and the people shouted, "Long live the king!" Joash did what was right while Jehoiada taught him, and he repaired God's temple. Faithfulness means staying true to God, and we can trust Him because He always keeps His promises, even when people don't.Old TestamentFaithfulness
With NatureStay Connected: Jesus Is the VineJohn 15:1-17; Isaiah 5:1-7; Psalm 80:8-11Jesus said He is the vine and we are the branches. A branch can't grow fruit by itself; it stays connected to the vine, and the vine's life flows into it. When we stay close to Jesus, He grows love, joy and faithfulness in us.New TestamentFaithfulness
Fruit of the SpiritFruit of the Spirit: Faithfulness2 Kings 2:1-14; 1 Kings 19:19-21; Lamentations 3:22-23; Luke 16:10On the day God was taking Elijah to heaven, Elijah told Elisha three times, "Stay here." Three times Elisha said, "I will not leave you." Other prophets watched from far away, but Elisha stayed close to the end. Faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit. God is always faithful to us, so His Spirit helps us stay loyal to Him and to the people He gives us, day after day.Old TestamentFaithfulness