CHAPTER 6 DARIUS BEGINS TO ESTABLISH PERSIA RULE; THE LION'S DEN. Darius now set about organising the affairs of Babylon. But his preference for Daniel, and his thought of making him second only to himself, aroused jealousy among his other appointees, who used his relative innocence to set a trap f... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SETTING UP OF THE ADMINISTRATION. ‘It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps, who would be throughout the whole kingdom, and over them three presidents, of whom Daniel was one, that these satraps might give account to them, and that the king should have no damage... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Then this Daniel was distinguished above the presidents and the satraps because an excellent spirit was in him, and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.' Daniel proved exceptionally able. This was due to the Spirit of God at work through him (compare Daniel 5:11). He was so successful... [ Continue Reading ]
THE TRAP. ‘Then the presidents and the satraps sought to find some grounds of accusation against Daniel as touching the kingdom, but they could find no grounds of accusation or fault, because he was faithful, nor was any error or fault found in him. Then these men said, “We will not find any ground... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Then these presidents and satraps came thronging to the king and said to him, “King Darius, live for ever. All the presidents of the kingdom, the deputies and the satraps, the counsellors and the governors, have gathered together to establish a royal decree, and to make a strong interdict that whoe... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For this reason king Darius signed the writing and the interdict.' He yielded to pressure from his advisers and signed the short term decree, prepared by others, probably without reading it too carefully Perhaps this was why his rule did not last very long. He was seen as too pliable, and too easi... [ Continue Reading ]
THE TRAP IS SPRUNG. ‘And when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went to his house. Now his windows were open in his chamber towards Jerusalem. And he knelt on his knees three times a day and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he had done before.' It is possible that neither the k... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Then these men thronged together and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God.' No doubt they first sent spies to check on the facts, (they knew that he continued to pray regularly), and when they were sure, all went together to observe his behaviour.... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Then they came near, and spoke before the king concerning the king's interdict. “Have you not signed an interdict that every man who petitions any god or man within thirty days, except to you, O king, will be thrown into a den of lions?.” ' ‘They came near.' Entering the king's presence involved t... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Then they answered and said before the king, “That Daniel who is of the children of the captivity of Judah, does not regard you, O king, nor the interdict that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.” Then the king, when he heard these words, was extremely displeased, and set his... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Then these men thronged to the king, and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and the Persians, that no interdict or decree that the king establishes may be changed.” ' The men were relentless in their pursuit of Daniel. They knew that they had got their way. They stresse... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Then the king commanded and they brought Daniel and threw him into the den of lions. The king said to Daniel, “Your God Whom you serve continually, he will deliver you.” ' No time is wasted on the details. Daniel would be brought in before the king to answer the charge. He would stand their boldly... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den. And the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed in respect of Daniel.' These formalities would follow a normal, laid down, solemn procedure. The stone would be set against the entra... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Then the king went to his palace and passed the night without food. Nor were diversions brought before him. And his sleep fled from him.' It is to the kings credit that he was genuinely greatly distressed. He could not eat and he waved away the diversions with which his servants sought to distract... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Then the king rose very early in the morning, and went hurriedly to the den of lions, and when he came near to the den, to Daniel, he cried with a griefstricken voice. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, is your God whom you continually serve, able to deliver yo... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Then Daniel said to the king, “O king live for ever. My God has sent his messenger and has shut the lions' mouths, and they have not hurt me, because before him I was found innocent, and also before you, O king, I have done nothing that could hurt you.” ' So well trained was Daniel in court proced... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Then was the king glad beyond measure, 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 on him because he had trusted in his God.' The king virtually ignored Daniel's words because he was so glad. And he commanded... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And the king commanded and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they threw them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives. And the lions had the mastery of them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they ever reached the bottom of the den.' The accusers would... [ Continue Reading ]
THE KING'S SECOND DECREE. ‘Then the king wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages who dwell in the land. “Peace be multiplied to you.” ' This is a deliberate imitation of Daniel 4:1. The same word means both ‘earth' and ‘land'. But the king wrote to a far lesser audience than Nebuchadnezza... [ Continue Reading ]
‘I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God, and steadfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even to the end. He delivers and rescues and he works signs and wonder... [ Continue Reading ]
‘So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, even in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.' Here the writer first refers to the king under whom Daniel prospered, and then to his overlord, Cyrus the Persian. This dating in the name of two contemporary kings is well testified to in inscriptions and re... [ Continue Reading ]