It pleased King Darius to set 120 satraps to be over the whole kingdom and over these, 3 governors of whom Daniel was one, that the satraps might give account to them, so no that the king would suffer no loss. Daniel 6:1-2 A satrap is a provincial governor in the ancient Persian empire.
Daniel was distinguished above the governors and satraps because an excellent spirit was in him, and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm. Daniel 6:3
Proverbs 22:1 says, "A good name is more desirable than great riches, to be esteemed is better than silver or gold." When you have an excellent spirit, you obtain favor with God and people.
During his time in Babylon, Daniel was faithful to God and in his service to King Nebuchadnezzar, King Belshazzar, and King Darius. No matter where you go, no matter what you do, no matter what you say, always be excellent. Do your work as though you are doing it for God alone. Colossians 3:23 Most importantly, keep an excellent spirit, personality, and beautiful soul. That will take you farther than your physical and emotional abilities because who you are as a person is what is most impressive and attractive.
Because of what King Darius was thinking, the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom. They couldn't find no charge or fault because he was faithful nor was there any error or fault found in him. Then these men said, "We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God." Daniel 6:4-5
When we have the favor of God and man, this sometimes creates jealousy among our peers. Sometimes, the jealousy is so great that people will look for things wrong with us to discredit who we are and our work.
These men most likely wanted the position Daniel had and they were angry a Jewish man had that honor. They were hoping if they found something bad about Daniel that King Darius would look unfavorably upon him.
So, they got together before the king and said, "King Darius, live forever! All the governors of the kingdom, the administrators and satraps, the counselors, and advisers have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any God or man for 30 days except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. Now O king, establish the decree and sign the writing so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians which does not alter." Therefore, King Darius signed the written decree. Daniel 6:6-9
This was a very cruel trick the governors pulled on the king and Daniel. As in the time of King Xerxes and Queen Esther, Persian laws can't be altered by anyone, not even the king. They also knew that Daniel was a man of faith who would NEVER give up on his prayer life.
But it also shows just how far a jealous person will go to destroy someone...even if it results in death.
However, what these men didn't realize is that God will always defend the innocent. Daniel was kept safe in the lion's den and was pulled out. King Darius out of his anger threw those same people in the lion's den themselves. Daniel 6:24 Therefore, we should NEVER set up traps for others. It always finds its way back to us. Also, the wives and children of those men were thrown in as well.
Often people think their actions will only affect them, but the reality is what we do can actually impact the lives of our families, friends, and even strangers we won't meet until Heaven. Sometimes other people end up paying for what we started.
The seeds we plant in others can grow up to be blessings or burdens. It all starts with us.
