Daniel Extremity 6

Daniel 6 The Lions' Den

In chapter 6 we begin a new era under a new empire led by Darius the Mede. There was an alliance with Cyrus the Great also in the power change. Cyrus was a Persian. Much like changing leaders in our present world Darius made leadership changes. There was a division of the empire into 120 different provinces.

Darius I, imagined by a Greek painter, 4th century BCE

Dan 6:1-3 KJV

(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.

 

It would appear Daniel by the works of God was in a perfect position to obtain his status within the kingdom. These would be having held both titles of 2nd and 3rd in the kingdom and in addition he was a man of good standing in the public's eye. It may also be an attribute that he was not of native Babylonian origin. Having a position of power with only a king to answer to it's a pretty good bet that not having any sort of connection to the conquered nations would lessen any worry of the king's mind. In other words there would be little chance of rebellion or worse such as murderous plots to overthrow the king.

Dan 6:4 KJV

(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.

The reasons for this action against Daniel were fueled by jealousy, power and most likely corruption. Daniel was an administrator whose loyalty to his God and to his king brought continued favor with the king. The mere fact that these men were conspiring against Daniel expose their willingness and tendencies for corruption. This verse describes once again the extremes of faith encountered throughout this book. Many people may not consider the Psalms to be a source of prophecy but they are loaded with it.

Psa 37:30-40 KJV

(30) The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.

(31) The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.

(32) The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.

(33) The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.

(34) Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.

(35) I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.

(36) Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.

(37) Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.

(38) But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.

(39) But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.

(40) And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.

This is a perfect description of not only Daniel's but many of our personal situations in our lives.

Dan 6:5-9 KJV

(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.

Psa 12:1-8 KJV

(1) To the chief Musician upon Sheminith, A Psalm of David. Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.

(2) They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.

(3) The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things:

(4) Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?

(5) For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.

(6) The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

(7) Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.

(8) The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.

This is another Psalm which describes the surroundings of Daniel by those that would see him harmed for personal benefit. The words of these “leaders” encouraged the king to set himself up as a God. This of course does not excuse the king for he did not have to go along with the idea. This would indicate that flattery will get you every where. It comes as no surprise Daniel would come under spiritual attack. The irony of it all in this bit of history is that Babylonian and Persian culture in general were both somewhat tolerant to individuals' religious views. However in this circumstance the corrupt officials managed to unify the differences into this one concept with the threat of death. In other words the king is god or you die at least for one month's time. In the manner which this was completed Daniel had no chance to talk with the king about the matter.

Deu 11:16-21 KJV

(16) Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;

(17) And then the LORD'S wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you.

(18) Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.

(19) And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

(20) And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates:

(21) That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.

Dan 6:10-13 KJV

(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.

Pro 1:10-19 KJV

(10) My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.

(11) If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:

(12) Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:

(13) We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:

(14) Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:

(15) My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:

(16) For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.

(17) Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.

(18) And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.

(19) So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

It's interesting to think that these very words and others from God passed constantly through Daniel's mind. If not he was certainly well aware of the teachings of them. Again we have faith going into the extremes. We have mentioned before the difference in teaching the OT is a wonderful story book and actually taking our faith seriously. Faith and salvation are as this book continuously teaches deadly serious issues.

Pro 28:8-10 KJV

(8) He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor.

(9) He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.

(10) Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way, he shall fall himself into his own pit: but the upright shall have good things in possession.

Dan 6:14-17 KJV

(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.

Psa 57:1-11 KJV

(1) To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David, when he fled from Saul in the cave. Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.

(2) I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.

(3) He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.

(4) My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.

(5) Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.

(6) They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah.

(7) My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.

(8) Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.

(9) I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations.

(10) For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.(11) Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.

In verse 14 we see that Darius was struggling with heavy heart and now understood the foolishness of his actions. He was probably distressed for falling prey to the wishes of his subjects. In verse 15 the leaders play political blackmail with the king in order to force his hand because they were well aware of his affections and respect for Daniel. The very fact that Darius wrestled and was hesitating with this issue was enough to convince the lynch mob if you please that the king was considering other alternatives.

In verse 16 we encounter one of those moments some teach as a wonderful story and nothing more. Historical discoveries have now shown that the practice of feeding lawbreakers to the lions was a practice used in the kingdom. It would seem that the Romans had to get the idea from somewhere much as the punishment of crucifixion was attributed to the Greeks. However we have the early references of punishment in this manner found in the book of Deuteronomy. This is one example of how the wrong people are credited with invention. Satan attempts to drive every aspect of Hebrew society out of history. Sorry for getting off the beaten path for a moment.

Deu 21:22-23 KJV

(22) And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree:

(23) His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

By placing the stone covering and sealing it with the signet there could be no accusation of trickery involved. In other words if Daniel survived which the king felt in his heart God would deliver him it was by His divine providence. In this we also have an early picture of the burial of Jesus.

Dan 6:18-23 KJV

(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.

Verse 18 makes it apparent that the king was in no mood for festivities or entertainment on that particular evening. In fact Darius labors through the night without rest and in fasting. Historical accounts and apocryphal texts mention there were 7 lions contained in the den. Darius describes the Lord as the living God. It's very amazing that this description is applied to God by a Persian king. This is no doubt a phrase borrowed from Daniel but is also a confession of truth brought about by God by an idolater. Daniel in return instead of an angered response toward the king rejoices in the fact of God's deliverance and probably the king's proclamation of the Lord. Some believers including myself could stand to take a breath and consider this in our thoughts from time to time.

Dan 6:24-28 KJV

(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.

In this final passage we see another Persian custom taking effect. That being the entire family of someone found guilty is punished. Some consider this taking things a bit too far. However not in justification of the matter God sometimes required this form of punishment. With the destruction of Jericho God also put this command forth in the book of Joshua.

Jos 6:26 KJV

(26) And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the LORD, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.

This was a prophecy fulfilled 550 years later. This is found in 1ST Kings 16:34. Another example of this type of judgment is found in the passage of Numbers 16 in which certain individuals opted to set themselves in the ranks of Moses with the Lord and they were swallowed up family, tents and all of those who chose to join with them in their disobedience to the Lord. 

In an act which mirrors the action taken by Nebuchadnezzar upon the deliverance of Daniel's friends from the fiery furnace, Darius makes the proclamation of reverence to the God of Daniel. Even with this all taking place however Darius still followed the polytheistic approach to the gods of his subjects' religion. In this manner we see that both kings acknowledged God with praise but refused to make a full conversion to the one true God. However in the response to the miracles of God Daniel as verse 28 states prospers through the reign of Darius and Cyrus as well.

Prophetic Mirrors and Food for Thought

The world of politics and religion is as much a part of this chapter as anything. The lust for power and influence are at the heart of the matter. These are not the only factors but they are 2 of the main driving forces behind Daniel's enemies. However in the midst of all this they also find a way to inject Daniel's faith into the picture. This was of course the biggest mistake these so called leaders could have made in pushing forth their plot. As we have already had several opportunities to mention God lifts up kings and takes down kings as He sees fit.

Do we face challenges and accusations among us as believers today? Of course we do. Here in the United States it's basically restricted to ridicule and legal actions. Unfortunately we have brothers and sisters around the world losing their lives for their faith on a regular basis. Following below is an example of how one individual likes to categorize believers and believe me there are many more like this individual with the same or worse attitude toward faith.

Dan 2:21-22 KJV

(21) And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:

(22) He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.

Luk 6:22 KJV

(22) Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.

Rom 15:3-4 KJV

(3) For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.

(4) For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

Bill Maher American comedian, author, political satirist and host of HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher. On a November 1, 2009 airing of Imus in the Morning when asked by Don Imus about rumors of marriage, Maher: "I said, well, tell them the truth, neither me nor my girl believe in God or marriage, so there is not going to be a big church wedding." When asked whether he thinks Christopher Hitchens is a 7 on Dawkin's scale of 1-7 (1 being absolutely certain there is a God and 7 being absolutely certain there isn't, a scale of which Dawkin's consider him himself 6.9 on), Maher answers with: "He may be, I think we are all just talking semantics at some point, we are all atheists which means we don't believe in the deity, we don't believe in a magic spaceman, and that we think people who do, have a neurological disorder and they need help."

Personal Notes and God please forgive me

Mr. Maher loves to indulge in criticisms of faith. He is some kind of big shot with animal rights group PETA. Nothing wrong with that but if you think an unborn child has less rights than the neighborhood stray maybe he should try out abortion and see how well it works on himself. Mr. Maher is obviously an individual who prides himself on intellect. Is he not lucky he had a mother who did not think he should go out with the neighborhood clinic garbage. Maybe she believed in something like “thou shall not murder”.

One more thing about about Mr. Maher and his views that 60% of the American people are idiots because they do not believe in evolution. Would you rather believe that somehow chemicals created by rainfall on rocks for “millions of years” somehow turned into some kind of critter say for instance a crocodile. Then somehow the reptile turns into a bird and eventually over “millions of years” out of all these magical alchemical changes out pops a human.

This is the type of individual who calls God a magic spaceman and ridicules stories such as Noah's ark and other truths of the Bible. You decide for yourself which of these accounts is a fairy tale that idiots believe in. Are your ultimate ancestors Adam and Eve or some kind of sludge that developed into all kinds of other things and eventually reptiles turned into apes and then a human?

One thing Mr. Maher should know is that he actually fulfills Bible prophecies. Yes there is an (s) on the end of that word. Let's consider a couple.

Rom 1:21-23 KJV

(21) Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

(22) Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

(23) And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

Throughout history this tendency to worship animals as our divine ancestry has been around. The people who attacked Daniel concerning his faith probably worshiped the same type of Tom foolery. Mr. Maher fulfills all 3 of the preceding verses. We could write a book on it but individuals in his category would rather read a book written by monkeys.

Now let's turn our thoughts to some Christian warriors who fell under ridicule and even death for their faith.

More Christians died for their faith in the twentieth century than at any other time in history, says Christian Solidarity International. Global reports indicate that over 150,000 Christians were martyred last year, chiefly outside of the United States. However, statistics are changing: persecution of Christians is on the increase in the United States. What's happening to bring about this change?

Tolerance of anti-Christian attitudes in the United States is escalating. Recently, a woman in Houston, Texas was ordered by local police to stop handing out gospel tracts to children who knocked on her door during Halloween. Officers informed her that such activity is illegal (not true), and that she would be arrested if she continued.

In Madison, Wisconsin, the Freedom from Religion Foundation distributes anti-Christian pamphlets to public school children entitled, "We Can Be Good Without God."

In the past several months, we have seen our North of the Border neighbor, Canada, write legislation that has the capability of restricting and prohibiting the preaching, publication or writing of any part of the Holy Bible that could be construed as "hate" literature

In Great Falls, Minnesota, a secular newspaper invoked censorship on the writers of the religion page (local pastors and ministers), prohibiting the inclusion of any scripture in their articles. The editor of that paper has not replied to requests for comment.

More recently, in Balch Springs, Texas, the city moved to prohibit prayer before meals, gospel music, or bible studies by the senior citizens that use the city's Senior Citizen Center. Pat Cook, who goes to the center, filed a complaint with the city about the prayers, music and bible studies. Although she claims to be Christian, Ms. Cook says that such "religious expression" is inappropriate at a center funded by tax dollars. According to her, she is free to go to another room, but chooses to stay and listen, saying only that she doesn't think she should have to listen.

In Plano, Texas, the Plano Independent School District (ISD) told a third grade boy that he could not pass out candy with a religious message at his class Christmas party. Jonathan Morgan, a student at Thomas Elementary School in Plano, had plans to pass out candy with an attached religious message, entitled "The Legend of the Candy Cane." Morgan was set to pass out the gifts at a class party on December 19, 2003, but was informed that no student is allowed to give a gift containing a religious expression.

Why is it so easy for the enemies of Christianity to openly criticize and denounce believers and legally prohibiting actions associated with worship that cause no one any harm? Well for one reason the Bible predicted it would be this way. We will be exploring many more examples of the above attacks on our spirituality. The few listed here are meant to convey what a wide range of warfare we can expect to experience. They range from death, media, municipal activities, school and even in our own home in the case of a woman who was warned about passing out a gospel tract with halloween candy from her own doorway. This list is only a partial one. It does not include sporting, graduation, and singing religious or Christian hymns.

Col 1:4-6 KJV
(4) Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,
(5) For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;
(6) Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:

Col 1:11-17 KJV
(11) Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
(12) Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
(13) Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
(14) In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
(15) Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
(16) For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
(17) And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Mat 24:13-15 KJV
(13) But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
(14) And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
(15) When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

As always Thank You and God Bless