There is humanly speaking no chance for Daniel to survive this. A heavy stone is placed on the opening of the lions’ den. This stone is even sealed with the signet ring of the king and those in power. Everything is done to make sure that Daniel cannot escape and get help from outside. Later the Lord uses this seal to show that Daniel’s deliverance is by his power only! In this way the devil and every human power will soon be put on display.
It is important to note that the lions’ den is also sealed with the signet ring of other authorities. It deprives Darius of any chance of trying to save Daniel later. If only it was just Darius’ seal that had been used, then there might have been another possibility. Then he was free to break his own seal. But any human chance of saving Daniel is gone now.
As one meditates on this, one's thoughts also turn to Christ when he was laid in the tomb. When Christ was buried in the tomb, it seemed as if the devil had been victorious. The Lord Jesus died on the cross according to the wicked plan of his opponents. Yet there is still a piece of unrest among Jesus’ opponents when he lay in the tomb. They remembered, even better than Jesus’ own disciples, that the Lord Jesus had said that he would rise from the dead on the third day. They were afraid that Jesus’ disciples would take him out of the tomb and claim that Jesus had risen from the dead. So the Jewish leaders went to Pilate and asked him to seal the stone in front of Jesus’ tomb and put guards at the tomb. The devil’s plan seemed so sound that there was no hope in any way. Satan’s victory appeared to be complete and final.
The Lord allows these things to happen to both Daniel and the Lord Jesus to show even more clearly that he is the Almighty, that he is the only God who truly delivers and rules.
17 And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel.