Tonight, we get into chapter 6 in the book of Daniel. This is the well-known “Daniel in the lion's den” chapter. From last time we might remember that King Belshazzar was killed by the Persians and Darius the Mede became king.
Read Daniel 6:1-3. Darius appointed Daniel to be one of his top three officials in the new Persian government. Persia seems to have followed a policy of appointing local leaders to rule over their own people. The objective was to help the people of the nations they conquered become settled and accept Persia's government as their own.
If your nation is captured by an opposing nation and that new nation appoints one of your own to be a leading official, the people of the conquered nation would be more acceptable of the new nation maintaining control. So, Darius’ first task was to search for qualified leaders within the former Babylonian government. It seems that Darius already knew that Daniel had been the chief advisor to the great king Nebuchadnezzar. For that reason, Daniel was a logical choice to be one of the top three officials. Throughout the kingdom there were 120 district officials.
It didn't take Daniel long to distinguish himself as a diligent worker and an excellent administrator. He was an honest, superior servant of the government. His exceptional qualities impressed Darius, so much so that the ruler planned to place him over the entire kingdom by making him prime minister.
Read Daniel 6:4-9. When the other officials heard about Darius' plan, they immediately became jealous of Daniel and opposed his promotion over them. They did their best to find charges against Daniel. They searched for some type of corruption in his life or in his handling of government affairs. But they found no corruption or compromise whatsoever. His integrity was impeccable.
He faithfully fulfilled his duties without any fault. This probably irritated the other officials even more so. No doubt, many of them were guilty of using their government offices for personal gain. It also seemed that a spirit of anti-Semitism was involved. You will see in verse 13 that they refer to Daniel as the exile from Judah. The very thought that a Jew would be promoted over them must have really aggravated these government officials.
Since the officials couldn't find a reason to accuse Daniel before the king, they figured that the only way to destroy him was to make his religious practices illegal. They had to place Daniel in a position where he would have to choose between being loyal to the Lord or loyal to the government. So, they hatch their plot against Daniel. The officials approach the king with their proposal. They urged Darius to issue a decree stating that every citizen could pray only to the king for 30 days. Also, any citizen who prayed to any other God or man would be executed by being thrown into the lion's den.
The officials told the king that all the leaders had agreed that the decree should be issued. They suggested that it would help unify the people around the newly formed government. Of course, Darius' major concern in forming the new government was to secure the loyalty of the newly conquered people. So, the proposal had a great appeal to Darius. Besides, the 30-day time limit seemed very reasonable, especially for people who prayed to many gods.
So the officials pressured the king to make the decree a binding law, one that could not be changed or altered. The king saw value in their council and so he immediately signed the written decree and had it published throughout the empire. But he failed to consult the one man he felt was capable of being prime minister and that was Daniel. Apparently, he thought that Daniel had helped draw up the decree, which the officials has suggested when they claimed that all the officials had agreed that the king should issue it. Of course, this was a lie.
The one thing that I see from this passage is the strong testimony that Daniel had. All of the officials knew that Daniel's deep commitment to the Lord was strong and they knew that he would remain faithful to that commitment. What a dynamic example for all believers of all generations. Now the question is do other people see you as a living testimony for our God?
Read Daniel 6:10-11. Daniel was a true prayer warrior and prayed three times a day, probably morning, noon, and evening. Prayer was a big part of his life . He sought the Lord continually - - day by day as well as on special occasions and in times of dire need.
When Daniel learned about the decree, he knew he was facing a serious dilemma. If he failed to show that his loyalty belonged to the new Persian government, he would be executed by being fed to the Lions. On the other hand, if he compromised his commitment to the Lord by ceasing to pray, he would displease the Lord and lose the Lord's protection and guidance. So, his choice was between losing his life on earth or losing the Lord's daily presence. For Daniel the decision was not that difficult, given that the Lord had always taken care of him, looking after and meeting his every need. And so, he made his choice, the choice of courageous faith. He would obey the Lord rather than men.
The law of God is higher than the laws of civil authority. So, when the law of the Persian government opposed the law of God, Daniel made the choice to obey the Lord. He refused to compromise his integrity and commitment to the Lord. He continued his daily prayer time and went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. This was his daily place of prayer because Solomon's Temple had been located in Jerusalem, and the temple symbolized a very presence of the Lord on earth. So, as was his custom, Daniel knelt and gave thanks to the Lord just as he had always done. But, unknown to Daniel at that time, a number of the officials were spying on him.
Read Daniel 6: 12 - 15. As witnesses of Daniel's violation, the officials wasted no time reminding the king of his decree and its penalty. The king confirmed that the law of the Medes and Persians was irrevocable. So, the decree stood. It could not be repealed. When the king confirmed that fact, the officials felt that their plot was successful. They now have Daniel in a bind from which he could not escape. The officials made three charges against Daniel.
--that he was a Jewish loyalist, a man who gave his first loyalty to the Jews and their god.
--that he committed treason, deliberately betraying the king and his law.
--that he continued to pray to his God three times a day.
When the king heard these charges, his reaction wasn't hostile as the officials had hoped. Instead of reacting against Daniel, the king became extremely distressed because he knew that he had been manipulated by the jealous officials. He immediately started looking for a way to save Daniel. Apparently the decree stated that the execution of any violator was to be carried out on the very eve of the arrest, for Darius had only until sundown to rescue him.
Somehow the corrupt officials heard about the king's efforts to save Daniel, and rushed back into his presence. They reminded him that the law of the Medes and Persians was irrevocable. It could not be repealed. Daniel had to be executed.
We are going to stop there for tonight and pick it up next time in verse 16.
But just think what an example Daniel is. Think how steadfast he was in his daily prayer time. He was willing to die before he would miss one single session of prayer. How many of us even have a daily time of prayer? How many of us consider the Lord important enough to set aside a daily time to worship, share, and fellowship with Him? Far too many of us take prayer for granted, turning to the Lord only in times of need and desperation. But not Daniel. He was steadfast in his commitment to seek the Lord.
I hope this inspires each of us even a little bit to be more persistent in getting alone with the Lord and praying.
