Commentary on Daniel: Chapter 6

Daniel 6

1 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom a hundred and twenty satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; 2 and over them three presidents, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. 3 Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other presidents and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.

Cyrus was king of the Persians, and Darius was his governor. The “kingdom” over which Darius ruled was thus the old Chaldean kingdom that Cyrus had just conquered. This was the kingdom that Daniel has been concerned with so far, and he continues to refer to it as “the kingdom.”

Darius’ first responsibility was to appoint administrators over his newly won territory. He appoints 120 satraps and 3 commissioners of which Daniel becomes the chairman.

Edwin M. Yamauchi, in his book Persia and the Bible, wrote that “the satrap was in charge of all aspects of provincial rule. He levied the funds necessary for his administration and provided troops for the king.”

Daniel’s character and integrity are such that Darius plans to make him his prime minister.

If Darius answered only to Cyrus, then Daniel would have become third in power, which is what the late Belshazzar had promised him!

Why did Darius think so highly of Daniel?

1. Daniel had a good reputation.

2. He had recently made a very successful prediction concerning Belshazzar.

3. Daniel was not a Chaldean, but he was very familiar with their system.

4. Daniel was experienced. (He was at least 83 years old at this time! Most drawings showing Daniel in the lion’s den picture a much younger man, but he was actually in his 80’s.)

4 Then the presidents and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom; but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him.

As with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, jealousy again rears its ugly head. Those who are jealous and envious of Daniel seek to bring him down.

Nothing they could possibly do could bring Daniel down one inch. They could lie about him and effect the opinion of other men, but they could do nothing to change God’s opinion of Daniel – and that is the only opinion that really matters.

We need to remember this, particularly when faced with false accusations. God knows the truth and he will never be fooled by a false accusation.

These envious men could find no fault with Daniel. They could find nothing bad to say about him. What would they do next?

They decide to lie to the king and get him to pass a law that would trap Daniel.

This is not the only place in scripture where this occurs.

Jesus, also, was delivered up because of envy and he also faced false accusers.

In Proverbs 6:17–19 God lists seven things that he hates.

19 There are six things which the Lord hates, seven which are an abomination to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, 19 a false witness who breathes out lies, and a man who sows discord among brothers.

How many of these actions were these envious men guilty of? All seven!

Not only do we see jealousy and envy at work here, but we see racism as well.

Just like the Chaldeans had earlier, the Medes and the Persians looked down on the Jews as being inferior because of their captivity.

Again, we need to see things the way that God sees them. Not only were the Jews not inferior, but they were the stars of this show!

Note also that although racism played a part in this story, the Jews were much better off under Cyrus. As he did with many other captive people, he let the Jews return to their homeland.

Ezra 1:1-4 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: 2 "Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3 Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel – he is the God who is in Jerusalem; 4 and let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem."

This proclamation may have already been issued at this time. Remember what Isaiah had to say about Cyrus by name – before he was born and 150 years before he began to rule!

Isaiah 45:1-4 Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and ungird the loins of kings, to open doors before him that gates may not be closed: 2 "I will go before you and level the mountains, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut asunder the bars of iron, 3 I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by your name. 4 For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name, I surname you, though you do not know me.

5 Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.”

What a compliment! Do people see us this way? If people wanted something bad to say about us, would they find it? We need to make sure that our accusers are not true accusers!

These accusers knew that to succeed they would have to put Daniel in a position where he would have to choose between obedience to God and obedience to the government.

While this may be true of us, does the world know that it is true? Daniel’s life was such that these men knew he would choose God when forced to make a choice. Are our lives such that the world knows that we too will choose God when forced to make a choice? Do we choose God when we are forced to make a choice between God and the world?

Problem: Persia had no law against monotheism.

Solution: They would come up with a law that would look merely political to Darius, but would pose a religious issue for Daniel.

6 Then these presidents and satraps came by agreement to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live for ever! 7 All the presidents of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an interdict, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 8 Now, O king, establish the interdict and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 9 Therefore King Darius signed the document and interdict.

These envious accusers show up in a group to work their plan.

Notice how this type of person also seems to travel in a pack!

Darius should have noticed that Daniel was not present, but as we will soon see, Darius was completely unsuspecting. He did not know that these men were out to deprive the king of his most trusted advisor.

The Proposed Law: For one month, all petitions and all prayers in the realm may be directed toward Darius only. Those who disobeyed would be cast into a den of lions.

Why did Darius agree with this suggestion?

1. It was a very flattering suggestion.

2. It reinforced the idea that the empire was now under new management. It would help unify the kingdom under Darius and Cyrus.

3. It was a reasonable time limit. What harm could it cause to impose this seemingly modest requirement for only 30 days?

4. Darius was under the impression that Daniel had agreed to this plan. (Verse 7 says all the presidents of the kingdom had agreed to the plan when in fact they had not.)

5. Whereas the sanction was severe, Darius no doubt thought that it would not be needed. Who could possibly fail to follow this simple 30 day requirement?

Why were offenders to be cast into a den of lions instead of into a fiery furnace?

The Persians used fire in their religious ceremonies and thus would not have cast anyone into fire as a form of punishment.

Edwin M. Yamauchi has written the following in this regard: (Persia and the Bible, pp. 401 and 447.)

But it is especially to fire and water that they offer sacrifice. To fire they offer sacrifice by adding dry wood without the bark and by placing fat on top of it; and then they pour oil upon it and light it below, not blowing with their breath, but fanning it; and those who blow the fire with their breath or put anything dead or filthy upon it are put to death. [quote from Strabo]

Fire stands at the center of the Zoroastrian cult; no ceremony can take place without fire being present. [quoting Eckehard Kulke]

If Daniel were written by a second century Jew living in Palestine as some suggest, then how did such an author know about such a subtle difference between the Chaldean and Persian methods of execution? (This is the same author who they say was so badly mistaken about the well known history of the time.)

10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem; and he got down upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.

Note that verse 10 tells us plainly that Daniel at some point learned that the document had been signed. Thus, whatever he does next is not done in ignorance of the decree. He knows the new law and he knows the penalty for breaking it.

Daniel’s prayers had been his lifeline all these years under the corrupting Babylonian influences. What would he do now?

1. He could compromise and simply not pray for one month. (For many of us this would hardly be noticed!) From the world’s standpoint this would be reasonable and prudent.

This plan would have several advantages.

First, it would be the most peaceful plan. Nobody would get upset. But Daniel knew that peace at any price was too costly if the price turned out to be disobedience to God.

Luke 12:51 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.

The truth always creates a division. Some accept it and some do not. Jesus was often accused of creating division – and he never denied the charge.

Second, this plan would allow Daniel to follow the path of least resistance. It would be the easy way out. But Daniel knew that the path of least resistance never intersected the path of righteousness. In fact, for Daniel, the path of righteousness was the path of most resistance!

Daniel could not simply do nothing and hope for the best. He knew like James that:

James 4:17 Whoever knows what is right to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

Daniel had to act. To do nothing would have been a sin.

2. He could have gone underground and prayed silently or at night when no one could see him.

Sadly, many seem to have adopted this plan ourselves. God, however, has never put out a call for secret agents.

We must speak out and let the world know where we stand. If we are on God’s side then we must let the world know.

This plan might appear to be the best of both worlds. Daniel could please both God and man by just praying silently. Wrong! It is not possible to please God if at the same time you are trying equally hard to please men.

Galatians 1:10 Am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still pleasing men, I should not be a servant of Christ.

Sometimes it is easy to just ignore what we might consider the “little” compromises. But the little things are training for the big things!

Jeremiah 12:5 If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses? And if in a safe land you fall down, how will you do in the jungle of the Jordan?

The time to take a stand against the world is early before it gets a foothold because once it gets a foothold it may be too late.

3. He could have rationalized. Just think how much good he could do if he stayed in power. He had just gotten his power back after being without it for so long. God wouldn’t want him to loose it again so quickly, would he?

We too are faced with choices every day.

Remember what Joshua told the people in Joshua 24.

Joshua 24:14-15 "Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River, and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 And if you be unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

I think that we often follow the advice of that great philosopher Yogi Berra who once said “When you come to a fork in the road, take it!” But we cannot do that. We must make a choice.

Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live.

God has given us a choice, and God is begging us to choose life.

We must choose whose side we are on, and once we do that all of our other decisions will be easy.

Should we compromise with the world or should we do what we know is right and stand with God? Listen to Paul’s answer:

Ephesians 5:11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.

Isn’t this exactly what Daniel did? Not only did he did not take part in the wicked plan, but he exposed the wicked plan.

4. He could concern himself with pleasing God instead of pleasing men and not worry about the consequences – and that is exactly what he did.

The decision was easy. In fact, there was no decision to make. Daniel had made the decision to follow God long ago, and whether he was 13 or 83, he would not compromise with the world.

What a wonderful example of faithfulness and loyalty to God!

Why did Daniel pray toward Jerusalem?

1 Kings 8:10–11 tells us that God’s presence resided in the temple.

1 Kings 8:10-11 And when the priests came out of the holy place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, 11 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.

While Ezekiel 11:23 tells us that this presence left prior to the destruction of the city in 587, Ezekiel 43:2 tells us that God promised to return – and in fact Cyrus’ order to rebuild the city had probably already been given.

Ezekiel 11:23 And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city.

Ezekiel 43:2 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the east; and the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with his glory.

What was Daniel praying for?

In Daniel 9:1–2 we will discover that since Darius had begun to reign Daniel had been reading Jeremiah with regard to the 70 year period of exile.

Daniel 9:1-2 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by birth a Mede, who became king over the realm of the Chaldeans – 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years which, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.

Thus Daniel knew it was time for his people to return from their exile and indeed many may have already returned.

Thus, the returning captives may have been the primary item on Daniel’s prayer list, and he could hardly stop praying for them now that they needed his prayers the most.

11 Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God. 12 Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the interdict, “O king! Did you not sign an interdict, that any man who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.”

This group waited around for Daniel to pray, and then went and reported to Darius as soon as he did.

Notice in verse 12 the word “you.” Suddenly this law has become the king’s idea!

Darius is reminded of his decree. Darius remembers and also points out that the law of the Medes and Persians cannot be revoked.

This passage provides absolute proof that Daniel did not believe that a separate Median kingdom conquered the Chaldeans prior to the Persian kingdom under Cyrus.

The late-date hypothesis that the second kingdom is Media and the third kingdom is Persia is shown to be ill-founded.

Daniel treats Media and Persia as a unified kingdom – which historians tell us is what they were.

Why couldn’t the law be changed or revoked?

Having a law that stood even above the despot was a very politically sophisticated system of government. Although we take it for granted, it was quite rare at the time.

Although we can only speculate about the reason for this system, this same requirement provided the drama in the book of Esther after the decree went out to kill the Jews. (See Esther 1:19 and 8:8.)

History tells us that it also played a role during the reign of Darius III who ruled from 336 to 331. It is said that he put a man to death who he knew was innocent because “it was not possible to undo what had been done by royal authority.”

We are about to watch God as he changes and revokes a law that cannot be changed or revoked!

13 Then they answered before the king, “That Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no heed to you, O king, or the interdict you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.” 14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed, and set his mind to deliver Daniel; and he labored till the sun went down to rescue him.

The charge made against Daniel is similar to the charge made against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3:12.

Daniel 3:12 There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no heed to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up."

This was a false charge. Daniel did pay heed to the king. He just did not give his ultimate loyalty to the king – that belonged to God.

Darius’ response is not what the conspirators had hoped for!

When the real reason for the decree finally dawned on him, he became greatly distressed.

He had been duped by Daniel’s enemies, and I am sure he now regretted not having discussed the matter with Daniel personally.

He no doubt respected Daniel for his loyalty to his God, and he tried to save his life. But there was nothing he could do.

Providing Daniel with armor, or feeding the lions ahead of time would have undermined the law of the Medes and the Persians.

A miracle was Daniel’s only hope.

How did Darius know so much about God?

He may have learned from Cyrus. Read Ezra 1:2 again.

Ezra 1:2 "Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

Cyrus seems to have known a lot about God! Perhaps he told Darius about God as well. Darius, at least, would have been familiar with the decree found in the book of Ezra.

He may have heard about God from Daniel. We already know that Daniel had become a very trusted advisor. It would seem unlikely that Daniel had never talked to Darius about God.

15 Then these men came by agreement to the king, and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no interdict or ordinance which the king establishes can be changed.” 16 Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” 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 nothing might be changed concerning Daniel.

Darius is again reminded of his decree, and finally he resigns himself to carrying it out.

Still concerned, however, he goes with Daniel to the pit, and Daniel is thrown into the pit. (Recall that Daniel was at least 83 years old at this time.)

Darius calls out to Daniel hoping that God would deliver him. (We often talk about the faith of Daniel, but the faith of Darius is impressive as well!)

The pit is closed and sealed by Darius and the others who are present.

Seals of this sort have been found. They consist of a cylinder that is rolled across a clay tablet.

Why was the pit sealed? Darius may have been concerned that Daniel’s enemies might decide to give the lions a little help.

18 Then the king went to his palace, and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him. 19 Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. 20 When he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish and said to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?”

The king returned to the palace very troubled.

Darius and Pilate share some similarities. Both were forced by circumstances against their will to put someone to death who did not deserve it. However, Darius seems to have been much more concerned about his decision than Pilate was. Darius certainly never washed his hands of Daniel’s blood.

The king ate no food, enjoyed no entertainment, and could not sleep.

As soon as it was light, he ran to the pit to check on Daniel.

Do you think the conspirators may have been worried by the king’s behavior? They should have been! I think they were starting to sweat.

Darius refers to Daniel as the servant of the living God.

To Darius, this test would determine whether or not Daniel’s God was living.

21 Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live for ever! 22 My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not hurt me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no wrong.”

Can you imagine the king’s relief when Daniel answered!

Daniel calls out and tells the king that God had sent an angel to shut the mouths of the lions. He also reminds the king that this was proof of his innocence.

But was he innocent? He had violated the law of the land. God, however, declared him innocent. God does not recognize as valid any law that contradicts his own. Every nation and king answers to God. He is the only supreme ruler.

These verses may give us a clue as to who the fourth person was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace.

Recall Daniel 3:25.

Daniel 3:25 He answered, "But I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods."

Here Daniel was delivered by an angel. This seems the most likely explanation for the deliverer in Chapter 3 as well.

Again, we should note that this was a miracle.

As I mentioned before, there are many who deny the miracles in the Bible and try to explain them away.

Their strained attempts to believe the Bible yet remove the miracles it contains would be laughable if they were not so sad.

Listen carefully to what John Crossan had to say about the resurrection of Lazarus in his book Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography.

…while I do not think this event ever did or could happen, I think it is absolutely true. Let me explan.

This quote is then followed by pages of mumbo-jumbo and double speak.

How would he respond to the following questions?

Do you believe that the resurrection of Lazarus is absolutely true? (He would say yes.)

Do you believe that the resurrection of Lazarus ever did or ever could happen? (He would say no.)

Keep this example in mind when you try to pin a liberal down about what he believes!! They are very skilled at using language intended to deceive.

23 Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of hurt was found upon him, because he had trusted in his God.

Darius brings Daniel out and looks him over. Not a scratch is found on him.

“And no hurt was found upon him…”

because Daniel was so powerful? No.

because Daniel was so charismatic? No.

because Daniel was so popular? No.

because Daniel was so wealthy? No.

because Daniel was so smart? No.

because Daniel trusted in God? Yes!

Daniel was delivered because Daniel was faithful to God. Indeed, he takes his place in the roll call of faith we find in Hebrews 11.

Hebrews 11:32-34 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets – 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, received promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.

Daniel is a wonderful example of someone who absolutely refused to compromise with the world and instead remained loyal and true to God despite the earthly consequences.

24 And the king commanded, and those men who had accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives; and before they reached the bottom of the den the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.

Without any trial or hearing, Darius has Daniel’s accusers and their families paraded past Daniel and thrown into the pit. They were killed before they reached the bottom of the pit. (These lions seem to have been in a foul mood for some reason. Perhaps because they had been forced to just stare at their dinner all night…)

And Daniel’s reaction? He did not object. God has said that he will judge – and we should not get in the way when he does!

What was their crime?

They had lied to the king.

They had tried to deprive the king of his most trusted advsior.

While Darius’ actions may seem arbitrary and unjust to us, we must keep in mind that ancient despots did not generally follow the law of Moses!

Deuteronomy 24:16 "The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor shall the children be put to death for the fathers; every man shall be put to death for his own sin.

Indeed, even the Jews did not always follow the law of Moses.

2 Kings 10:11 tells us that Jehu killed everyone in the house of Ahab in Jezreel.

Why were their families killed as well? Probably to minimize the chance of revenge. Darius wanted a secure prime minister.

25 Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. 26 I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring for ever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. 27 He delivers and rescues, he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, he who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.”

Darius makes a public proclamation as Nebuchadnezzar had done in Daniel 3:29 and 4:34.

It was clear to all that God was alive and that he worked in history to bring about justice and the welfare of his people.

Indeed, while this was going on, his people were as promised returning to the Holy Land under Zerubbabel.

28 So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Daniel’s usefulness to the king continued and he prospered as he had during the days of Nebuchadnezzar.

This verse does not imply that Cyrus followed Darius as some suggest that it does. Instead it states (correctly) that Darius and Cyrus ruled simultaneously.

He also continued to pray and study his Bible. The visions in Chapters 10–12 were given to him during the third year of Cyrus.

The book was probably written shortly after these visions were revealed, which perhaps puts its date around 532 (about 7 years after the Persians took over in 539).

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