Reflections on Daniel 6

Daniel 06 (Contemporary English Version)
1. Darius divided his kingdom into a hundred and twenty states and placed a governor in charge of each one.
   
2. In order to make sure that his government was run properly, Darius put three other officials in charge of the governors. One of these officials was Daniel.
   
3. And he did his work so much better than the other governors and officials that the king decided to let him govern the whole kingdom.
   
4. The other men tried to find something wrong with the way Daniel did his work for the king. But they could not accuse him of anything wrong, because he was honest and faithful and did everything he was supposed to do.
   
5. Finally, they said to one another, "We will never be able to bring any charge against Daniel, unless it has to do with his religion."
   
6. They all went to the king and said: Your Majesty, we hope you live forever!
   
7. All of your officials, leaders, advisors, and governors agree that you should make a law forbidding anyone to pray to any god or human except you for the next thirty days. Everyone who disobeys this law must be thrown into a pit of lions.
   
8. Order this to be written and then sign it, so it cannot be changed, just as no written law of the Medes and Persians can be changed."
   
9. So King Darius made the law and had it written down.
   
10. Daniel heard about the law, but when he returned home, he went upstairs and prayed in front of the window that faced Jerusalem. In the same way that he had always done, he knelt down in prayer three times a day, giving thanks to God.
    
11. The men who had spoken to the king watched Daniel and saw him praying to his God for help.
    
12. They went back to the king and said, "Didn't you make a law that forbids anyone to pray to any god or human except you for the next thirty days? And doesn't the law say that everyone who disobeys it will be thrown into a pit of lions?" "Yes, that's the law I made," the king agreed. "And just like all written laws of the Medes and Persians, it cannot be changed."
    
13. The men then told the king, "That Jew named Daniel, who was brought here as a captive, refuses to obey you or the law that you ordered to be written. And he still prays to his god three times a day."
    
14. The king was really upset to hear about this, and for the rest of the day he tried to think how he could save Daniel.
    
15. At sunset the men returned and said, "Your Majesty, remember that no written law of the Medes and Persians can be changed, not even by the king."
    
16. So Darius ordered Daniel to be brought out and thrown into a pit of lions. But he said to Daniel, "You have been faithful to your God, and I pray that he will rescue you."
    
17. A stone was rolled over the pit, and it was sealed. Then Darius and his officials stamped the seal to show that no one should let Daniel out.
    
18. All night long the king could not sleep. He did not eat anything, and he would not let anyone come in to entertain him.
    
19. At daybreak the king got up and ran to the pit.
    
20. He was anxious and shouted, "Daniel, you were faithful and served your God. Was he able to save you from the lions?"
    
21. Daniel answered, "Your Majesty, I hope you live forever!
    
22. My God knew that I was innocent, and he sent an angel to keep the lions from eating me. Your Majesty, I have never done anything to hurt you."
    
23. The king was relieved to hear Daniel's voice, and he gave orders for him to be taken out of the pit. Daniel's faith in his God had kept him from being harmed.
    
24. And the king ordered the men who had brought charges against Daniel to be thrown into the pit, together with their wives and children. But before they even reached the bottom, the lions ripped them to pieces.
    
25. King Darius then sent this message to all people of every nation and race in the world: "Greetings to all of you!
    
26. I command everyone in my kingdom to worship and honor the God of Daniel. He is the living God, the one who lives forever. His power and his kingdom will never end.
    
27. He rescues people and sets them free by working great miracles. Daniel's God has rescued him from the power of the lions."
    
28. All went well for Daniel while Darius was king, and even when Cyrus the Persian ruled.
    
    

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    The events of this chapter motivated a pagan king to praise the true God whom Daniel worshiped. Chapter 5 tells of the capture of Babylon by the Medes and Persians, thus the country was at this time ruled by king Darius, who was a Mede. Following his takeover of the Babylonians, he reorganized his newly conquered kingdom, appointing, as described in verses 1 & 2, 120 satraps over the kingdom, and three administrators over the satraps. One of these three administrators was Daniel, who distinguished himself in his leadership and so the king was planning to "set him over the whole realm." (6:3)
    
    Daniel's leadership role and popularity with the king was troubling to the other administrators and satraps. Jealousy no doubt motivated their concern a great deal, but also, Daniel was not one of them. He was a Judean and an exile. Prejudice may have been the greater motivator. Whatever the motivation, a group of administrators and satraps devised a plan to get rid of Daniel. Knowing they would not find a flaw in his character or integrity, they chose to attack him through his religion. They went to king Darius under the guise of exalting the king. They suggested that all of the satraps and administrators were in agreement that the newly appointed king should make an edict requiring everyone to petition only the king for 30 days. No worship should be given any god or man except the king. Failure to obey this edict would result in being "thrown into the lions' den." (6:7) This gesture by his subordinates no doubt stroked the king's ego, and so, following their suggestion, he signed the edict. Having done so, he was then at the mercy of his own ruling according to the "law of the Medes and Persians."
    
    Daniel was not influenced by this ruling. Motivated by devotion to God and not disrespect to the king, Daniel went to his room to worship God at his usual times of the day. Knowing that he would, those who devised this scheme were on hand to witness his act of worship to One other than the king. With their eye witness account of Daniel's disobedience, they went to the king with a report. Once the king heard their report he was troubled, not wanting to harm Daniel. The bearers of this news, and perpetrators of the scheme, reminded him that his edict could not be reversed. Their scheme was then evident. For the remainder of the day, the king tried to avoid carrying out this sentence on Daniel, but could not escape it. So he gave the order and Daniel was thrown in the lions' den. But the king said to Daniel, "May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!"
    
    After a sleepless night the king returned to the lions' den at "the first light of dawn" to check on Daniel. He was elated to find that Daniel was unharmed. "My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths." (6:22) Then the king turned the schemer's scheme back upon them. He ordered that they and their families be thrown into the lions' den. No god delivered them. Before they even reached the bottom of the den, "the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones." (6:24) Then the king published a decree to "those of every people, nation, and language who live in all the earth." It read: "I issue a decree that in all my royal dominion, people must tremble in fear before the God of Daniel: For He is the living God, and He endures forever; His kingdom will never be destroyed, and His dominion has no end." (6:26) An amazing decree coming from a pagan!