- There is a strong link between Daniel 3 and Daniel 6. King Nebuchadnezzar tried to force false worship on the people in Daniel 3, but King Darius tried to stop people from practicing true worship in Daniel 6. In this way, they set up and prohibited the free practice of religion.
- Daniel’s prayer life is emphasized in this chapter. He prayed three times every day. King Darius adds this to Daniel's testimony: "Your God, whom you serve all the time, will save you." Dan 6:16,20. This goes along with the way he prays and talks to God. Even Darius believes that Daniel will be saved by this close relationship with God. Prayer is an important part of building your character and fellowship with God. Now is the time to ask God to give you a close relationship with Him, to love Him, follow Him, serve Him, and pray with Him all the time.
- Daniel represents the end time remnant of God which will possess the same character and mission as Daniel. But the end-time remnant will witness to spiritual Babylon in the book of Revelation.
1. The final remnant in the Book of Revelation will have the testimony of Jesus which is the spirit of prophecy like Daniel (Revelation 12:17; 19:10; 22:8, 9).
2. The final remnant will keep the commandments of God (Revelation 12:17; 14:12) and this will awaken the wrath of their enemies.
3. The final remnant will worship the true Creator (Revelation 14:7) and will refuse to worship the beast or his image (Revelation 14:9-11). Once again, the issue will be worship.
4. In the final crisis the remnant will have the faith of Jesus (Revelation 14:12)
Daniel 6 verse 1 to 9
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 counsellors, 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.
🟣“Darius”
The Medes and Persians took over Babylon, which we saw in the last chapter. The first king who only ruled for two years was Darius.
🟣“Daniel was first”
Daniel was honest in his everyday duties (Daniel 6:4), so he showed that he was honest when the big test came. In doing his daily work at the king's court, he hadn't done anything wrong. He could be trusted completely.
🟣“But they could find none occasion nor fault”
There was not a single mistake or unfaithfulness found in his work, not the slightest discrepancy, neither was there any error or fault found in his person. His dealings with the kingdoms affairs were perfect and his conduct was blameless. Could this be said of us?
🟣“All the presidents...have consulted together”
The claim here is that all inclusively have discussed and agreed on the matter that is going to be brought before the king. Now this is a lie as Daniel was at the head of them all, but yet not present nor consulted about the matter. It was to deceive the king into thinking that there was no opposition at hand.
🟣“Cast into the den of lions”
The disobedience of the decree was punishable by death (being eaten alive by lions). They had watched Daniel and had seen the faultless character that he had, and seeing there was no fault to be found; the only option left was to kill him (Psalms 37:32).
🟣“King Darius signed the writing and the decree”
The enemies of Daniel worked in an underhanded way to deceive the civil power into proclaiming a religious decree forbidding true worship. In this, Darius overstepped his legitimate bounds of authority.
- The decree forbidding true worship was given by the civil power in written form (Daniel 6:7-9).
- Thus we have the civil power legislating the affairs of God. It is important to realize that the king was not Daniel’s enemy. The king only became a menace to Daniel when he listened to the advice of his counselors who were enemies of Daniel.
Daniel 6 verse 10 to 15
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.
🟣“Went into his house...windows open...toward Jerusalem”
Daniel was a man of prayer (Daniel 6:10, 11) and he continued to pray after the decree was passed.
❓What would you have done if you were Daniel?
Some people would have reasoned that they religion is a private matter and would have secretly prayed with closed windows. But Daniel did not apply this reasoning.
This was customary for Daniel to pray in this fashion three times a day every day, and they knew this. If he were to change it now, after the decree was made known, it would be showing a lack of faith in his God to be able to uphold him in this situation. It would be denying God’s supreme authority in having no other god’s before Him. (Exodus 20:3-6) If he prayed somewhere where no one could see him, it would lead people to believe that he could be praying to the king, thus being a stumbling block to someone else.
🟣"The king… was sore displeased with himself…he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver Daniel.”
This story reveals that the power of human rulers is limited. When Darius gave this decree, he sought to reveal his ‘almighty power’. But once he signed the decree, he became the slave of his own law, he was bound by his own decree and could not deliver Daniel no matter how much he tried. This made it necessary for One who is truly Almighty to deliver Daniel. The intervention of God shows that He overrules the erroneous decisions of human kings and can do what they never could.
Daniel 6 verse 16 to 28
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 music 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 exceedingly 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.
🟣“Daniel cast into the den of lions”
Daniel had to face a death decree because he chose to worship the true God and to violate the religious decree of the civil power. He went through a severe time of trouble and his faith was sorely tested. Yet Daniel passed the test with flying colors. From the time of his arrival in Babylon, Daniel had made up his mind that he would be faithful to God no matter what happened.
🟣“King spoke and said unto Daniel”
In these words of the king we find a seed of faith germinating in his heart for Daniel’s God to deliver him. Darius admits that Daniel served his [Daniel’s] God continually. This was shown in the way Daniel lived his life, being faithful in serving his God even in the face of death as shown in the current situation. What a witness this was to the idolatrous king. This shows that Daniel lived the truth and not just professed it.
🟣“Those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions”
Daniel’s enemies suffered the very fate that they had determined for him (Daniel 6:24, 25). When the king discovered what his advisors were up to, he was filled with wrath against them. The civil power which was to punish Daniel now turned on the enemies of Daniel.
🟣“Darius makes a decree”
At the end of this story, Darius still did not get the point that the state cannot legislate in matters related to God. His decree that everyone ‘tremble and fear before the God of Daniel’ was well intended but illegitimate. A political ruler can no more legislate the worship of the true God than he can the worship of a false god (see Daniel 6:26).
Darius here acknowledges the superiority of Daniel’s God as we shall see in the following points;
- Living God - All others therefore are dead.
- Steadfast forever - All other gods must therefore be changeable.
- Kingdom not destroyed - All others must come to an end.
- His dominion shall be even unto the end - No human power can prevail against it.
- Delivers those in bondage and is able to rescue those that call upon Him.
- He is the God that worketh signs and wonders.
- He delivered Daniel before our own eyes (Manifestation of God’s power right in front of their faces).