“Liken the Scriptures” introduces a new series starring Devin, a six-year-old boy who is learning about the scriptures in this DVD entitled “Daniel and the Lions.” Devin and his sisters have been left in the care of their grandfather while their parents go on a week-long cruise, and he misses his parents too much to want to say his prayers. This concerns his grandfather, who tells him that prayer is the perfect way to stop feeling sad. He then tells Devin the story of Daniel, and Devin of course imagines everything he sees.
Renowned singer George Dyer stars as King Darius in this film, a heckled and henpecked king who is exhausted from year after year of listening to complaints. Daniel suggests that they set up a committee of 120 princes to listen to the people, and then the king would only have to deal with the concerns of the 120 princes. This sounds good, until the king realizes that 120 is still quite a lot. So Daniel suggests that three presidents be put in charge of the 120 princes, and the king appoints Daniel to be at the head. This makes the other presidents angry, and they decide to follow Daniel around and try to find anything they can to discredit him. They even try to be discreet about a musical number held in the village square so he won’t know they’re following him. But to their disgust, he’s always good, no matter what.
The only thing they can discover is that he prays three times a day. That will have to do. The leader of this evil band, a slimy fellow named Asad, uses flattery, trickery, and a Beach Boys-esque musical number to convince the king that a new decree should be made that no one should petition God or man for anything for thirty days. The king is worn out and agrees.
Daniel doesn’t stop praying. In fact, he continues, knowing full well what the penalty will be: a night in the lions’ den. He’s not looking forward to that, but the lions are. They even sing a song about it – “Meat’s on the Menu Tonight,” a jazz number which is quite possibly the best song I’ve heard yet from the composer from this series.
We are treated to a beautiful duet between George Dyer and Casey Elliot, the young man who plays Daniel, and then the miracle occurs: the angel of the Lord appears and turns the lions into vegetarians. We learn that prayer will bring comfort and courage no matter what we are called on to face, and Devin learns that he can ask for strength not to miss his parents so much.
Related Blogs:
Liken the Scriptures: Nephi and Laban
Liken the Scriptures: Ammon and Lamoni
Liken the Scriptures: David and Goliath
Liken the Scriptures: Alma in King Noah’s Court
Liken the Scriptures: The First Christmas
Liken the Scriptures: Esther and the King