December 19 Daily Discovery - Read Daniel Chapter 6

This passage below is from the King James Version (ekjv.org).  

Remarks from the Berean Fellowship follow the passage below.

[1] It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom;
[2] And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage.
[3] Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.
[4] Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.
[5] Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.
[6] Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever.
[7] All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellers, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.
[8] Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
[9] Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.
[10] Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
[11] Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.
[12] Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king's decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
[13] Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day.
[14] Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him.
[15] Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed.
[16] Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.
[17] And a stone was brought and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.
[18] Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him.
[19] Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.
[20] And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?
[21] Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.
[22] My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
[23] Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.
[24] And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den.
[25] Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.
[26] I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end.
[27] He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.
[28] So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Your Attitude Determines Your Altitude

Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.

~ Daniel 6:3

Daniel had an excellent spirit.

Daniel is in the land of the Persian empire as a result of God's judgement on Israel resulting in their captivity.  He was taken into the kingdom of Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar as a young man, likely just a teenager.

He is now grown, now probably in his seventies and he has served God faithfully while he was in captivity and also serving in the courts of the kings.

Darius had organized his kingdom into 120 provinces and appointed 120 princes to help him rule, and over them three presidents, of which Daniel was the primary. Darius was thinking about promoting Daniel to a place of his vizier to rule over the entire kingdom.

Your attitude makes a world of difference when it comes to opportunities for growth and advancement.

Daniel's spirit of excellence can be understood as Daniel's positive attitude.

Opposition is Normal

If you are determined to live a life that brings Glory to God, you are going to be opposed by God's adversaries.

Peter tells us to be sober and vigilant because our adversary (the devil) like a roaring lion is walking about, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Pet. 5:8)

Our opposition will come in the way of adversity and deception.

God may open doors of opportunity for us to advance His kingdom, but more often than not, there will be adversaries in the doorway.  (1 Cor. 16:9)

This does not mean you should not go through the door, it simply means you will have some things that you will need to overcome.

Conspiracies are Prevalent

Well, it seems that all of the presidents and many (or all) of the princes had it in for Daniel.  Daniel had not done anything to hurt them, but they were determined to get to Daniel.

Daniel had been such a faithful servant to the kingdoms of Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome, serving these four kings: Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius and Cyrus.

We're not told how many princes were conspiring against Daniel, but the conspiracy against him was significant.

They figured out how they could trap Daniel by coercing Darius to sign a decree that prohibited from anyone praying to any other God than the king for 30 days would be thrown into the den of lions.

The lion's den was a cruel form of tortuous capital punishment that was created as a deterrent for serious crimes.

They knew Daniel had a habit of praying to God towards Jerusalem 3 times a day.

They convinced Darius to sign the decree, playing upon his pride.

Convictions are Not Negotiable

What did Daniel do?  He didn't change anything.  He continued to pray to God habitually, as he always did.  He did not have to.  He knew about the decree.  He knew that this was a trap set for him.  He knew he was going to be fed to the lions.

He knew God could deliver him if He chose to do so.  We are not told that Daniel believed that God would deliver him, but only that he believed in His God.

Daniel did not create a new habit to challenge the law.  He only continued to do what he had done aforetime.  He still honored the king even while he disobeyed the law.  You can be subject to laws that you disagree with, you just don't resist the arrest and punishment when you are caught breaking them.

Maybe Daniel had made a vow to God that he would pray three times a day as long as he lived and had the health to do so?  It certainly is a good model.

Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice. ~ Psa. 55:17

Daniel had already been tested in a similar fashion when Nebuchadnezzar was king. (Daniel 3)  He knew God could deliver and refused to bow to worship the idol that had been set up.  This would have been a direct violation of God's first command.

If you have a conviction, you will not compromise it.  Preferences can be yielded.  Convictions cannot.

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Continue Your Search

Do you see any: Commands to Obey, Warnings to Heed, Promises to Claim, Examples to Follow, Vices to Avoid, Praises to Emulate, Prayers to Use, Principles by which to Live, Questions to Ask or Actions to Take?

See: Berean Fellowship Bible Study Method