Daniel 6:1-9
Daniel 6:1-9
New King James Version (NKJV)
The Plot against Daniel
1 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps, to be over the whole kingdom; 2 and over these, three governors, of whom Daniel was one, that the satraps might give account to them, so that the king would suffer no loss. 3 Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm. 4 So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him. 5 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.”
6 So these governors and satraps thronged before the king, and said thus to him: “King Darius, live forever! 7 All the governors of the kingdom, the administrators and satraps, the counselors and advisors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 8 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.” 9 Therefore King Darius signed the written decree.
My Thoughts:
Here we have one of if not the most well-known Bible story, “Daniel in the Lion’s Den”. Babylon has fallen to the Persians and Darius a Median was placed on the throne in 538 B.C. Two years later after his death Cyrus took over. So we see this event happening somewhere during the two years.
We see that Darius set over 120 provinces and each one having a prince or governor in charge (Easter 1:1). Then there were the three presidents over them. Being a leader in Babylon you would think that Daniel would have been pushed a side at best or even killed and an enemy of the new ruler, but to the credit of Darius he saw Daniel for what he was a man excellent spirit. And the king set him above the whole realm.
Now as we read the story it seems to apply that all 120 of the satraps and the two other presidents wanted Daniel out of the way and conspired against him and as such all where cast in the loins den, along with their families. Well I guess I am jumping to the end of the story but the bible does not state that all 122 of them were directly involved, the conspirators claimed that all were in agreement but that is all it states.
But the decree was signed and as with all things signed by the king it became law.
Ellen White Statements:
“By their wisdom and justice, by the purity and benevolence of their daily life, by their devotion to the interests of the people,—and they, idolaters,—Joseph and Daniel proved themselves true to the principles of their early training, true to Him whose representatives they were. These men, both in Egypt and in Babylon, the whole nation honored; and in them a heathen people, and all the nations with which they were connected, beheld an illustration of the goodness and beneficence of God, an illustration of the love of Christ.
What a lifework was that of these noble Hebrews! As they bade farewell to their childhood home, how little did they dream of their high destiny! Faithful and steadfast, they yielded themselves to the divine guiding, so that through them God could fulfill His purpose.
The same mighty truths that were revealed through these men, God desires to reveal through the youth and the children of today. The history of Joseph and Daniel is an illustration of what He will do for those who yield themselves to Him and with the whole heart seek to accomplish His purpose.
The greatest want of the world is the want of men—men who will not be bought or sold, men who in their inmost souls are true and honest, men who do not fear to call sin by its right name, men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole, men who will stand for the right though the heavens fall.
But such a character is not the result of accident; it is not due to special favors or endowments of Providence. A noble character is the result of self-discipline, of the subjection of the lower to the higher nature—the surrender of self for the service of love to God and man.”
Last thoughts:
I would like to end with the thought that Ellen White was addressing that both “Joseph and Daniel proved themselves to be men of honor and as such these men, both in Egypt and in Babylon, were honored themselves. They truly sought God to be first in their lives and by doing such God rewarded both of them.
We should ask ourselves if we are living the life God would want us too, or are we living the life we want too.
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Daniel must have been extraordinary when it came to living as God would have him live. He really should have been killed when Darius took over but God was with Daniel, as always. So perfect were Daniels wisdom, tact, courtesy, and his genuine goodness of heart were there for all to see. These traits combined with such fidelity to principle, even his enemies had to say they could find no fault in him. This comes from Ellen White. Can it be said of any of us that our enemies could find no fault in us. How wonderful would that be! Still I know who I am and I am not faultless by any means. God loves me though, no matter what, just as He loves each and every one of us.
It should make us think. (Daniel 5:29) says “… Daniel was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.” If I had just come in to the throne room and seen Daniel standing there I would have killed him also. So way was he spared? God was watching over him just as he was in the Den of lions.
Very good points, amd I like the Ellen White comment also.
We all have flaws of character or a fault someone could judge…like we see these men see in Daniel, but as far as honesty and interegrity; Daniel was perfect. As christians we should all strive to be faultless and true. We may always rub someone wrong, or disappoint someone. We can’t be perfect in this world or please everyone; but we could perfect our character and please God. You know my favorite verse fits in here : D ” Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with the Lord.” That yeilds true perfection, and yet we may not ever be good cooks, smooth singers or good at math. Our idea of perfection is not always God’s idea. We need to see ourselves as God does…from the inside out, a work in progress.
Thought it intersting in this story to see a “statue” situation come up again. I wonder if they heard the strory of Daniel’s friends in the fire? You would think they would know Danile is protected and untouchable. I believe we have the same protection today. Ever wonder why soo many bad things don’t happen to you? Satan is limited.
Even though we are flawed we can stand against Satan. We just need to understand that it can only be done through Christ.