Excel: Daniel 6
At the end of Daniel 5, things looked pretty bleak for Daniel. The last rulers of Babylon, King Nabonidus and his son Belshazzar, had essentially written him out of history, deliberately ignoring how he had advised Nebuchadnezzar for more than four decades and mocking his God. Perhaps worse, when Daniel was finally called back to the palace, it was to interpret a message from God that the kingdom was at an end. The Persians and Medes were coming, and the last words of the chapter record how the mighty Babylonian Empire crumpled and fell with barely a whimper. Would the new king in town, Darius, look upon Daniel and his fellow Jews as favorably as ol’ Nebby did? Would he dismiss them as young Belly had? Would he be even worse? These were the questions on everyone’s mind as the Persian Empire took control of Babylon in the opening verses of Daniel 6. Fortunately, they did not have to wait long for answers.
Darius decided[a] to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, stationed throughout the realm, 2 and over them three administrators, including Daniel. These satraps would be accountable to them so that the king would not be defrauded. 3 Daniel[b] distinguished himself above the administrators and satraps because he had an extraordinary spirit, so the king planned to set him over the whole realm. 4 The administrators and satraps, therefore, kept trying to find a charge against Daniel regarding the kingdom. But they could find no charge or corruption, for he was trustworthy, and no negligence or corruption was found in him. 5 Then these men said, “We will never find any charge against this Daniel unless we find something against him concerning the law of his God.”
6 So the administrators and satraps went together to the king and said to him, “May King Darius live forever. 7 All the administrators of the kingdom—the prefects, satraps, advisers, and governors—have agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an edict that, for thirty days, anyone who petitions any god or man except you, the king, will be thrown into the lions’ den. 8 Therefore, Your Majesty, establish the edict and sign the document so that, as a law of the Medes and Persians, it is irrevocable and cannot be changed.” 9 So King Darius signed the written edict.
Daniel 6:1-9 CSB
The world will plot.
With Babylon defeated, Darius inherited a massive empire. Geographically speaking, Babylonian territory spanned from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea and included all of modern Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, and Kuwait, as well as portions of Iran, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia. Culturally speaking, the region encompassed dozens of people groups. In fact, historians estimate that, when combined with the existing territories that Darius already controlled, the Persian Empire suddenly ruled nearly half of all the people in the world.
Recognizing that most residents of Babylon and its territories had no love for their former overlords, Darius resolved to take a radically different approach. While the Babylonians had systematically uprooted and relocated the people they conquered to break their will to resist, Darius endeavored to win their favor with a relatively gentle hand so that they would not want to rebel. There were three keys to this strategy. First, he aimed to maintain stability by minimizing the upheaval caused by the change of regimes. Second, he designed to uphold and even improve security by protecting the people from marauders and invaders. Finally, in a sharp departure from the rampant corruption of Belshazzar and Babylonian rule, Darius promoted justice and fairness for all.
To realize these strategic priorities, Darius structured the new government largely the same as the old one. He even included many familiar faces in the same positions they had previously held. The difference was that Darius placed over all of these three administrators whose entire job was to prevent fraud and ensure accountability. One of these administrators was Daniel.
Appointing Daniel may seem somewhat counterintuitive. After all, he was the most senior official under Nebuchadnezzar, the greatest king of the conquered Babylonians. Yet, that was exactly what appealed to Darius. At more than 80 years of age, Daniel had amassed 60 years of distinguished service to the Babylonian kings even though he was, as Belshazzar pointedly reminded, a Judean exile. He was highly respected by all the people, as testified by the queen in chapter 5. Indeed, even those who did not like him agreed that Daniel’s character was impeccable. In fact, in these opening verses of Daniel 6, it was this impeccable character distinguished him from all of his colleagues, whose records were not nearly as spotless, so that Darius resolved to promote Daniel to the even higher position of prime minister.
As news of Daniel’s pending promotion spread, his colleagues were not happy. The text suggests several reasons for their displeasure. They were jealous of his success and could not stand the idea of taking orders from a Judean exile. Most importantly, these other leaders had a nice little racket going. By adding a little “service fee” to the top of everyone’s taxes, they were making a mint, but if impeccable Daniel was looking over their shoulders, their little hustle would come to an end.
Thus, Daniel’s colleagues began to plot. It should be noted that not everyone was involved with this plot against Daniel. It is clear in the text that neither Darius nor the common people knew anything about it. From Daniel’s perspective, however, it surely felt as though the whole world was out to get him. Worse, the few who were involved were so blinded by their own interests that they were not about to allow trivial things such as truth, justice, or conscience stand in their way. So they lied. They said, “All the administrators of the kingdom… have agreed” (vs 7). Given that we know that Daniel did not agree, one must wonder, who else did not agree? They flattered. They said, We’ve all “agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce and edict that… anyone who petitions any god or man except you, the king, will be thrown into the lions’ den.” Talk about stoking a guy’s ego! And they manipulated. Even though we have evidence that the Persians were generally not afraid to reverse bad laws, these guys insisted that this law was so good and important that it should be “irrevocable and cannot be changed.” Is it any wonder Darius signed this edict into law?
Here is the bottom line. Most people in the world today are just trying to get through, but there are a few who will plot to make the believer’s life difficult. Indeed, the world will plot. They are, after all, enslaved to sin and sin’s master, and he is bound and determined to seize control of this world from its rightful master, the Lord Most High. We should not, therefore, be surprised when a few people in this world plot against us. They plot out of jealousy, prejudice, and corruption, and their methods include deceit, flattery, and manipulation. The world will plot.
We must excel.
Given this certainty, the question is, how shall we respond? Fortunately, as we have seen in previous chapters, Daniel once again provides a fantastic example:
When Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house. The windows in its upstairs room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before. 11 Then these men went as a group and found Daniel petitioning and imploring his God. 12 So they approached the king and asked about his edict: “Didn’t you sign an edict that for thirty days any person who petitions any god or man except you, the king, will be thrown into the lions’ den?”
The king answered, “As a law of the Medes and Persians, the order stands[c] and is irrevocable.”
13 Then they replied to the king, “Daniel, one of the Judean exiles, has ignored you, the king, and the edict you signed, for he prays three times a day.” 14 As soon as the king heard this, he was very displeased; he set his mind on rescuing Daniel and made every effort until sundown to deliver him.
15 Then these men went together to the king and said to him, “You know, Your Majesty, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no edict or ordinance the king establishes can be changed.”
16 So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you continually serve, rescue you!” 17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing in regard to Daniel could be changed. 18 Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting. No diversions[d] were brought to him, and he could not sleep.
Daniel 6:10-18 CSB
Let us begin with what Daniel did not do. First, he did not become paranoid. That is, he did not go around suspecting – much less assuming – that everyone was out to get him. Second, he did not become vengeful. He did not go after the men who were out to get him. In fact, he did not even become defensive. Daniel did not brace himself for a fight, much less lash out against anyone. And perhaps most impressive of all, he did not become bitter. In fact, we do not see him grumble or complain even once!
Instead, we discover that Daniel excelled in several areas. For instance, he excelled in character. Backing up to verse 4, we see that, no matter how hard his enemies tried to find something against Daniel, they kept coming back to the fact that he was trustworthy and no corruption could be found in him. That is, there was not even a hint of dishonesty or wrongdoing! He was righteous in all his actions and just in all his dealings with others. Indeed, Darius response in verse 14 affirms this. When he realized the trap his other officials had laid, “he was very displeased,” but not with Daniel. No, “he set his mind on rescuing Daniel,” and you do not do that for someone whose character is less than stellar.
So also, Daniel excelled in performance. Peeking again at verse 4, we note that “no negligence… was found in him.” That is, he did not neglect his responsibilities, but he was always diligent in his work. While others would come in late or sneak out early, leave things undone, pawn it off on someone else, or rush through so it was full of mistakes, no one – including those who were out to get him – could recall even a single instance when Daniel did any of these things. And again, Darius’ response affirms this. Not only was he going to promote Daniel, but he made every effort to rescue him from this plot. You do not do that for someone who is not doing their job.
To be certain, these things were crucial, but the thing that really defined Daniel’s response to this plot is in verse 10. There, we see that, upon learning that the king signed this edict prohibiting prayer to anyone but himself, Daniel went home and prayed. To his God. In an upstairs room, in front of open windows, where everyone could see him. Moreover, he did not do this just once or twice or haphazardly. Rather, he did it three times per day like clockwork. In fact, Daniel’s prayer regimen was so regular that his enemies had no problem setting up to catch him. Indeed, their whole plan hung on the assumption that, if Daniel had to choose between his loyalty to the king and his loyalty to God, he would choose God every single time.
There are several things that are remarkable about Daniel’s prayer. He prayed toward Jerusalem, just as Solomon prayed at the dedication of the temple in 2 Chronicles 6:36-39. Suddenly, this was not just about the direction the windows were facing. Here was Daniel, deported to a foreign country, acknowledging his sin and the sin of his people, seeking forgiveness and petitioning the Lord so that his people would be forgiven and their captors would be compassionate. More than that, in response to Solomon’s prayer, the Lord promised in 2 Chronicles 7:13-14, “If my people, who bear my name, humble themselves, pray and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.” In other words, Daniel was praying for the healing and restoration of Israel.
So also, he prayed on his knees. Some of us feel our bones creek at the very thought of getting on our knees, but Daniel was an octogenarian! More, there are several places in Scripture that suggest the most common posture for prayer was standing. Yet, kneeling was a posture of humility and submission, and when you bowed your head to expose your neck, it was a posture of absolute trust and dependency. By kneeling, then, Daniel was silently reaffirming his prayer of repentance and proclaiming that he and his people were utterly dependent upon the Lord.
Finally, he prayed three times per day. This is curious because, while Jews in New Testament times would kneel three times daily to pray, there is nowhere in the Old Testament that God’s people were commanded to do this. The closest we have is that priests in the temple offered prayer in the evenings and mornings, and in Psalm 55, David spoke of praying morning, noon, and night because his enemies were after him. Neither of these were commands. Yet, Daniel made a point of going home three times daily to pray. Three times per day, he sought the Lord because, for Daniel, it was not about what he was required to do. It was what he wanted to do. It was not about what the law commanded him to do. It was about what love compelled him to do. Simply put, Daniel loved the Lord and his people, and that love drove him, three times daily, to his knees in prayer.
In short, Daniel in verse 10 went above and beyond what was required because he excelled in faithfulness.
In response to the world’s plotting, then, Daniel excelled in character, performance, and faithfulness, and we must do the same. We must excel in character. Let us be people of integrity and goodwill. We must excel in performance. Let us work hard and well. We must excel in faithfulness. Let us humbly seek the Lord and depend upon him utterly. We must excel.
Before we can leave this point, however, we must observe one more thing in verse 10. There, we discover that Daniel did all of this stuff “just as he had done before.” Indeed, in verses 3-4, and again in Darius’ reaction in verses 11-18, we find evidence that none of these things were new for Daniel. In fact, Daniel had been excelling in character, performance, and faithfulness for more than 60 years. His response here when the world plotted against him, then, was no accident. It was no knee-jerk reaction when trouble began. In fact, we can hardly call it a response at all because it was merely a continuation of everything he was already doing.
The importance of this observation can not be overstated. The best way to ensure we respond with excellent character, performance, and faithfulness is to start practicing these things long before things get rough or the world is plotting against us. We must be excelling in these things today. We must excel.
God will vindicate.
Of course, the fact that Daniel excelled did not stop him from landing in the lions’ den. This leads us to one profoundly unfortunate, inescapable truth: even people of excellent character, performance, and faithfulness are not exempt from trouble.
Indeed, Jesus warned us repeatedly of this truth. In John 16:33, he said, “You will have suffering in this world.” In John 15:19, he warned, “Because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you.” In Matthew 5:11, he pronounced, “You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me.”
St. Peter offered some consolation. In 1 Peter 2:19-20, he wrote, “It brings favor if, because of a consciousness of God, someone endures grief from suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if when you do wrong and are beaten, you endure it? But when you do what is good and suffer, if you endure it, this brings favor with God.”
Even so, we are left with the important question of what we should do when we have excelled in every way and yet find ourselves in the lions’ den. Fortunately, Daniel provided an answer in Daniel 6:19-24:
At the first light of dawn the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. 20 When he reached the den, he cried out in anguish to Daniel. “Daniel, servant of the living God,” the king said,[e] “has your God, whom you continually serve, been able to rescue you from the lions?”
21 Then Daniel spoke with the king: “May the king live forever. 22 My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths; and they haven’t harmed me, for I was found innocent before him. And also before you, Your Majesty, I have not done harm.”
23 The king was overjoyed and gave orders to take Daniel out of the den. When Daniel was brought up from the den, he was found to be unharmed, for he trusted in his God. 24 The king then gave the command, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel[f] were brought and thrown into the lions’ den—they, their children, and their wives. They had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.
Daniel 6:19-24 CSB
Did you catch what our hero did? A couple of times, the passage mentions that Daniel trusted and served the Lord, but otherwise, the answer to our question is, shockingly, nothing. Daniel did nothing. In fact, he did so much nothing that he did did not even consider what happened in the lions’ den worth recording. As far as Daniel was concerned, Darius’ night was more remarkable! Indeed, Darius was the one that fasted; skipped his usual entertainment; and spent the night tossing, turning, and pacing. Then, the very next thing we see in verse 19 is that, at the first light of dawn, Darius was the one that hastened to the lions’ den. Daniel did nothing.
Yet, when the stone was rolled away and Daniel spoke with the king, the prophet was quick to point out, “I was found innocent before [my God.]” In ancient cultures, this was called trial by ordeal. The idea was that someone suspected of wrongdoing would be placed in a situation where God had to act to save them, and it was predicated on the assumption that God would only act to save the innocent. Thus, when Daniel came out of the lions’ den unscathed, it was clear to everyone that, even though the Persian law condemned him, God had vindicated him.
When we end up in the lions’ den even though we have done everything in our power to excel, then we must trust that God will vindicate. Now, I cannot guarantee that means we will walk out unscathed. Sadly, we have too many examples in history where saints did not escape terrible trials. Indeed, Jesus himself, the only man in all of history to be utterly without sin, did not escape the cross. Thus, it may not be for a century or even this side of glory. Yet, sooner or later, one way or another, God will make it clear that we were innocent. In the meantime, we can take hope in the reality that, as St. Paul observed, “to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
We can also look forward to the fact that, eventually, God will bring justice on the bad guys. Indeed, we do not often see verse 24 highlighted in the cartoon depictions of Daniel and the Lions’ Den, but notice what happened to all of the men who plotted against Daniel. They, together with their wives and kids, were thrown to the lions and immediately overpowered, crushed, and (we assume) devoured. That is, Daniel was proven innocent, and they were shown to be guilty because God will vindicate.
The world will change.
Moreover, consider what happened at the end of Daniel 6:
Then King Darius wrote to those of every people, nation, and language who live on the whole earth: “May your prosperity abound. 26 I issue a decree that in all my royal dominion, people must tremble in fear before the God of Daniel:For he is the living God, and he endures forever; his kingdom will never be destroyed, and his dominion has no end. 27 He rescues and delivers; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth, for he has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”
28 So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and[g] the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
Daniel 6:25-28 CSB
Did you read that? It is great to know that God is going to vindicate us, but that was not the end of Daniel’s night in the lions’ den. In these four verses, we find at least three rather significant things that happened as a result of this incident. First, the most important man on earth gave glory to God. In fact, Darius’ letter is as good as any of the psalms, and even though we do not have sufficient evidence to conclude that he was saved, he at least possessed a new respect for Daniel and his God.
Second, Darius commanded everyone in his kingdom to “tremble in fear before the God of Daniel.” Certainly, this was reminiscent of Nebby’s proclamation at the end of chapter 3, but there were at least two big differences between these two decrees. Nebby’s decree was mere, Anyone “who says anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, will be torn limb from limb.” That is, it prohibited people from saying bad things about God. In contrast, Darius’ decree called on all of his people everywhere to “tremble in fear before the God of Daniel.” That is, while Darius did not say they could not worship other gods, he did insist that they worship Daniel’s God.
Finally, there is verse 28. In the aftermath of the fall of Babylon, the Persian Empire adopted a strategy of respect and tolerance. They would allow everyone that the Babylonians exiled to return to their own homelands, renew their own cultures, and worship their own gods. More, the Jews and their God were mentioned specifically in this plan, and we see in the Bible that King Cyrus not only allowed the Jews to return home but actually paid to rebuild the temple Nebuchadnezzar destroyed. Now, that may not have been exactly what Daniel had in mind when he was praying. Darius was not exactly converted, and the citizens of the Persian Empire were not suddenly Jews. Neither was it without its bumps. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah record some of the challenges Jews faced in rebuilding Jerusalem and the temple, and the book of Esther recounts how a guy named Haman almost succeeded in exterminating the Jews under a later king. Yet, in verse 28, Daniel’s prayer was finally answered. After praying three times daily for more than six decades, God had forgiven Israel’s sins and moved to heal their land.
That is what I call impact. No, it was not exactly what Daniel expected. And yes, it did come in fits and starts. Yet, because Daniel – and let’s not forget his friends – resolved to live faithful lives in the midst of this faithless world, the world ultimately changed. And my friends, that is the thought I want to leave with you today. If we will excel, then God will vindicate, and as a result, the world will change.