Daniel 6

He performs signs and wonders in the Heavens and on the Earth

12^th April 2007

In his youth, Daniel had been transported to Babylon to serve in Nebuchadnezzar's civil service. At the time of the story told in Daniel Chapter 6, he was now an old man. He'd lived through a lot. He'd served several kings, and had survived the overthrow of the Babylonian empire. A new empire - the empire of the Medes and Persians, had taken control. And the new king - Darius the Mede - retained Daniel as a senior civil servant. Indeed, Daniel was so good at his job, and so honest, that Darius wanted to make him prime minister.

Daniel 6:1-3
It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.

But rivalry among administrators is not unusual. The other senior civil servants were not happy about it. So they plotted his downfall. If they couldn't get him for dishonesty, they'd get him for being godly.

Daniel 6:4-9
At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally these men said, "We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God."
So the administrators and the satraps went as a group to the king and said: "O King Darius, live for ever! The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or man during the next thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into the lions' den. Now, O king, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered - in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed."
So King Darius put the decree in writing.

We don't know for sure why Darius thought it would be a good idea to make it illegal to worship anyone but himself for 30 days. Maybe it was just his ego (rulers tend to have egos) or maybe it was just easier to agree with his ministers than to argue with them, or maybe he thought it would bring the empire together if he could make everyone believe the same things. The arrogance of government can be breathtaking and is sometimes calamitous. Do you see any parallel with the situation in our own country in our days?

Governments often legislate without thinking things through. They forget about what economists and others call the Law of Unintended Consequences: Actions of people - and especially of government - always have effects that are unanticipated or unintended (see, for example, www.econlib.org/library/Enc/UnintendedConsequences.htm). Darius hadn't considered how God's people would respond to the new legislation.

The situation was even more dire than we read about in Chapter 3. Then, God's people were persecuted for refusing to do something immoral (worshipping Nebuchadnezzar's golden idol). Now, they were being persecuted for doing something vitally important - praying to God.

How would Daniel handle this situation?

Daniel 6:10
Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened towards Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.

Daniel could have compromised. He could have continued to pray, but to do so away from the window. Maybe he realised that they would have found another way to accuse him. But I think he decided that he would never hide his allegiance to God. And we need the same attitude. Jesus said:

Mark 8:34-38
... "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

To be able to stand firm in the tough times, we need to receive the word of God - read the Bible, meditate on it, pray it through, take it down deep - so it takes root in our hearts. Jesus said:

Matthew 13:20-21
The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.

Daniel decided to continue to act with integrity, although things had now reached the stage where it could cost him his life. That's the test of integrity - doing the right thing even when it's costly to do so.

Daniel 6:11-15
Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: "Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or man except to you, O king, would be thrown into the lions' den?"
The king answered, "The decree stands - in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed."
Then they said to the king, "Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day."
When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him. Then the men went as a group to the king and said to him, "Remember, O king, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed."

King Darius hadn't seen it coming. He'd acted without thinking through the consequences of his actions. Any government which legislates to make it illegal for God's people to act in a godly way is asking for trouble. We cannot compromise Biblical teaching, even when the law of the land requires us to - God is a higher authority than parliament.

Daniel 6:16-18
So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions' den. The king said to Daniel, "May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!" A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel's situation might not be changed. Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.

The king had a guilty conscience. He'd made himself an idol, he'd passed an anti-Biblical law and now good people were going to suffer for his foolishness. Oh, if only our government would learn this lesson!

But sometimes God intervenes in a miraculous way to save His people:

Daniel 6:19-23
At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions' den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?"
Daniel answered, "O king, live for ever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king."
The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

We have only to read Hebrews Chapter 11 to know that God doesn't always miraculously rescue His people. But, in the Bible and in the modern church, we know of many examples where he does. He acts according to His own counsel, not ours. As Daniel's three friends made clear in Daniel 3:16-18, our responsibility is to obey God whether He rescues us or not.

God had not only vindicated Daniel, He had proved His sovereignty over Darius and all people! Unfortunately, Darius wasn't the forgiving type:

Daniel 6:24
At the king's command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions' den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

But - for all his failings, Darius had learned to respect God:

Daniel 6:25-28
Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language throughout the land: "May you prosper greatly! "I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For he is the living God and he endures for ever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions."
So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

And the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.