Daniel 6:1-28
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,a 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.b
9 Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.
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.
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 instrumentsc 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.
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 powerd of the lions.
28 So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
Daniel 6:2. Three presidents, of whom Daniel was the first. His former celebrity had spread through the east. Ezekiel 14. It being now sixty five years since Daniel was first promoted by Nebuchadnezzar, he is supposed at this time to be about ninety years of age, and at the same time the most able state minister in the empire. The king therefore made no secret of his design to make him premier of all the satraps, and place him in power next to the king at the foot of the throne.
Daniel 6:8. Now, oh king, establish the decree according to the law (lex custorum) of the Medes and Persians, that it be not changed. Oriental monarchs were regarded as invisible divinities, who could not err in council, nor fail in decree. So the Pope who assumed the title, vice Deo, is just as infallible as Darius.
Daniel 6:10. When Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he opened his window that looked towards Jerusalem, and prayed as usual three times a day. With him, the path of duty was the path of safety. The Lord having put his great name in Jerusalem, the jews usually turned their faces toward the holy temple, when in distant lands, or in the city. So king Hezekiah turned his face towards the wall of the temple, and the Lord heard him out of his holy habitation. Daniel prayed in the morning. He also prayed, like Elijah, at the time of the evening sacrifice, or as it is called, “the hour of prayer.” Acts 3:1. Daniel prayed also at night, before he retired from the duties of the day.
Daniel 6:12. The den of lions. A spacious subterranean range, connected with a lake of water, as the word legob is sometimes taken. In ancient monarchies, lions were kept for the diversion of the people; and criminals were given them for fights and for food. This it would seem was the case in Persia, and in Babylon. A hundred lions were once exhibited at a show in Rome.
Daniel 6:22. My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths. This phrase, as in Psalms 2., designates the person of Christ, where it is said, that the kings of the earth took counsel against the Lord, and against his Anointed; that is, against his Messiah.
Daniel 6:24. The king commanded and they cast those men into the den and their children, and their wives. The law of Moses says, The fathers shall not be put to death for their children, neither the children for their fathers. Deuteronomy 24:16. Yet the gentile nations destroy the families of those who commit high treason. Yea, the christian Spaniards have done it in the darker ages of the church. Though Darius acted now to the extent of his law, yet he was a weak prince. Xenophon says that Cyrus once reproved him for drunkenness, by observing that he, his courtiers and his cup-bearers were all kings together, when lying on the floor, vanquished with wine.
REFLECTIONS.
After the death of Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel's sun was eclipsed for a course of years; but now, under the Persian kings, it emerged with brighter beams, and so as to excite the envy of the nobles of Persia. They could not brook to see a jewish prince wear laurels to which they thought themselves entitled. Oh envy, thou foul offspring of the serpent! Why conspire against a holy man, who wore virgin laurels, the fair rewards of superior wisdom and virtue. Oh envy, thou fiend, clothed with the garb of loyalty, as an angel of light. Those are the foulest deeds which wear the mask of virtuous actions, to hate with politeness, and love with dissimulation.
Among Daniel's virtues, integrity of professional character shone with a lustre which commanded applause, even from those who sought his life. We shall not find any thing against Daniel, except it be concerning his religion. Think of this, oh ye professors of the present age. Your enemies are tracing your character; they are studying your habits to deprive you of bread, or even to take away your life. The friendship of this world is enmity with God.
But go on; fear not; relax in no duty; it is only flesh and blood which is against you, while hosts of angels surround your path. God will be with you in the water and in the fire; he will break the head of leviathan, and shut the mouths of lions. And why, oh infidel, dost thou affect to doubt of revelation, because of those special interpositions of his arm? Would it not have been a greater cause of doubt, if heaven had not interfered when religion was come to a crisis? He will not allow the final spark of piety to become extinct. But how instructive is the end, the tragic end of those insidious courtiers. Their scheme was profound; they flattered the royal ear. Their malice against Daniel was not perceived; their aims at wealth and power were not to appear till Daniel's high offices were to be filled up. Oh the depths of the human heart! Yet there was one eye that saw; there was one tribunal which from the crimes of men, would reveal the righteousness of heaven, by sending them, and alas, their families to the dreadful death they had blindly devised for Daniel. And is it thus, that thou, Lord, wilt judge and develope the deep labyrinths of the heart in the day of retribution? Lead us then, from the devices of men, to the simplicity of a little child.