August 26, 2025 • 28 mins
What happens when your faith puts you at odds with the most powerful ruler in the world? Daniel chapter 6 unfolds a riveting story of courage, conspiracy, and divine protection that has captivated readers for centuries.
The narrative begins at a pivotal moment in ancient history—the transition from Babylonian to Medo-Persian rule. Daniel, now about 85 years old and a veteran of royal service, quickly distinguishes himself in the new administration. His exceptional wisdom and integrity earn him a position as one of three high officials overseeing 120 provincial governors. When King Darius considers promoting Daniel above all others, jealousy ignites a dangerous plot.
Unable to find any corruption or negligence in Daniel's work, his rivals exploit his unwavering devotion to God. They manipulate the king into signing an irrevocable decree forbidding prayer to anyone except Darius for thirty days—a clever trap designed specifically for Daniel. The stakes become clear: abandon prayer or face execution in the lions' den.
Daniel's response reveals extraordinary spiritual maturity. Rather than hiding his faith or compromising his practice, he continues praying openly toward Jerusalem three times daily. This wasn't reckless defiance but a profound recognition of divine authority—Daniel understood that while kings deserve respect, ultimate allegiance belongs to God alone.
When Daniel is thrown to the lions, the distressed king spends a sleepless night fasting. At daybreak, he rushes to the den and discovers a miracle—Daniel is unharmed, protected by an angel sent from heaven. This powerful demonstration of divine intervention leads Darius to execute the conspirators and issue an empire-wide decree honoring the God of Daniel.
This account offers timeless wisdom about maintaining spiritual integrity in hostile environments, the consequences of jealousy, and God's sovereignty over human affairs. It reminds us that our greatest testimony often emerges not from avoiding hardship but from demonstrating unwavering faith within it.
How might Daniel's example inspire your response to modern challenges to faith? What "lions' dens" are you facing today? Share your thoughts and subscribe to explore more ancient wisdom for contemporary living.
Email: nathan@nathandietsche.com
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Grace and peace to you from God, our Father and our
Lord and Savior, jesus Christ.
Welcome to the Mysteries ofGod's Word.
Today we are in Daniel, chapter6, where we will read about the
very early years of theMedo-Persian Empire through the
eyes of Daniel, beginning inverse 1.
(00:24):
Through the eyes of Daniel,beginning in verse 1, it pleased
Darius to set over the kingdomone hundred and twenty satraps
to be throughout the wholekingdom and over them three high
officials, of whom Daniel wasone, to whom these satraps
should give an account so thatthe king might suffer no loss.
Then this Daniel becamedistinguished above all the
(00:49):
other high officials in satraps,because an excellent spirit was
in him and the king planned toset him over the whole kingdom.
Here, in verses 1 through 3, wesee the initial establishment
of authority in the Medo-PersianEmpire.
We see Darius.
(01:10):
Who is Darius?
Well, this is Darius the Mede.
He was also known as Syaxares,and Darius the Mede was
appointed as the king over theMedo-Persian Empire by Cyrus,
who had done all of theconquering.
Later, in this same year ofDaniel, chapter 6, which is the
(01:31):
year in which Cyrus hadconquered Babylon, cyrus would
marry Darius's only child, hisonly daughter, and as a dowry,
darius the Mede gave Cyrus theentire kingdom of Media, and
after this marriage betweenCyrus and Darius' daughter,
(01:52):
cyrus moved to Babylon with hisnew bride and he gave the
kingdom to Darius, his newfather-in-law, and allowed
Darius to reign as king for twoyears, even though Cyrus himself
had really more power in thiskingdom.
And this is how theMedo-Persian empire began.
(02:15):
And then we see in verse 1 ofchapter 6 that Darius set over
the kingdom 120 satraps.
This continues to show us how,in this first year, darius is
setting up his government.
And this form of government inthe Medo-Persian empire is a
government of satraps or, as wein America would think of them
(02:38):
as governors, governors of astate.
These were 120 governors overlarge regions in the kingdom,
and then, over these satraps,the king appointed three men
that he believed he could trustthe most, men who had great
reputations and whom he believedwould hold the satraps
(03:00):
accountable for any corruptionor any embezzlement.
Daniel was one of those threehigh officials chosen to
overseed these 120 satraps, andover time Daniel was recognized
for his outstanding wisdom andhis excellent spirit, and the
king was planning to set Danielover the whole kingdom, picking
(03:26):
up in verse 4, then the highofficials and the satraps sought
to find a ground for complaintagainst Daniel with regards to
the kingdom, but they could findno ground for complaint or any
(03:52):
fault, because he was faithfuland no error or fault was found
in him.
Here, in verses 4 and 5, we seehow jealousy began to run deep
in the other two high officials,as well as some of the
governors or some of the satraps, because Daniel had been
(04:12):
favored highly by the king forhis great wisdom and discernment
.
As we continue to read thisnarrative and recognize the
inclusion of the satraps here,we will see that it appears that
not all 120 satraps were partof the plot, but there was a
coalition of men, including thetwo other high officials and
(04:36):
some satraps, that are now goingto conspire against Daniel.
Daniel was faithful ineverything that he did, his
duties to the kingdom, hisfaithfulness to the king and his
faithfulness to the Lord God,and this became apparent not
only to those who liked Daniel,but also to his enemies.
(05:00):
Daniel, unlike the otherleaders, could not be bribed or
swayed from his godly principles, and the powerful enemies of
Daniel, whom he was workingright alongside with, realized
because of Daniel's uprightcharacter, they will not be able
(05:20):
to bring a charge against him.
Nothing that's going to stick,and his enemies knew the only
way to bring an accusationagainst him was to attack his
faithfulness and somehow bring aconflict between King Darius
and the god that Danielworshipped, picking up in verse
(05:42):
6,.
Then these high officials andsatraps came by agreement to the
king and said to him Picking upin verses 6 and 7, we see these
two high officials other thanDaniel, along with some of the
satraps, conspire together andcome up with a devious plan.
(06:34):
They would come to King Dariusand tell him that all of the
leaders from every aspect of thegovernment have been contacted
and agree that the king shouldestablish this temporary
ordinance for 30 days and thatduring these 30 days, king
Darius alone should beworshipped.
(06:55):
They, of course, are deceivingKing Darius because not all of
the leaders in all of thegovernment have agreed to this.
First of all, we are very awarethey don't have an agreement of
all the high officials, becauseDaniel is a high official.
They also don't have anagreement from the prefects, who
are the military leaders.
(07:16):
They probably don't have anagreement from the governors,
who are the leaders over thecities and villages.
Nor do they have a council ofthe counselors, who are the
leaders over the cities andvillages.
Nor do they have a council ofthe counselors who are the
lawyers.
This entire plan that ishatched by the two high
officials and satraps is basedon a ruse, believing that the
(07:36):
king is going to trust whatthey're saying and be so proud
of his recent coming to powerthat he will desire to follow
through with it quickly, noteven looking into their claims
before he makes this decree.
Then they say Now, o king,establish the injunction and
sign the document so that itcannot be changed according to
(07:59):
the law of the Medes andPersians, which cannot be
revoked.
Therefore, king Darius signedthe document and injunction.
Verses 8 and 9 give us a littlebit of insight into the
Medo-Persian law and how it washeld and believed in Medo-Persia
(08:20):
that once a law was enacted, itcould not be changed, not even
by the king.
This unique aspect of theMedo-Persian law is confirmed
throughout Scripture In verses12 and 15 of this chapter, and
also in Esther, chapter 1, verse19, and chapter 8, verse 8.
(08:41):
When I researched and lookedinto this, I find it would seem
the best explanation for thiskind of irrevocable law is that
they saw the king as a servantof their supreme good, god,
ahura Mazda.
And because the king was seenas the voice of Ahura Mazda, the
(09:04):
king's word became infallibleOnce he put a law into action.
It was seen by many Medes andPersians as the word of their
highest God in their hierarchyof gods.
Picking up in verse 10.
When Daniel knew that thedocument had been signed, he
(09:25):
went to his house, where he hadwindows in his upper chamber
open towards Jerusalem.
He got down on his knees threetimes a day and prayed and gave
thanks before God, as he haddone previously.
Let's just pause on verse 10.
What Daniel does here is trulya lesson for everyone who
(09:47):
believes in the one true God.
We're told that when Danielknew that the document had been
signed, he went and prayed.
Daniel's response to thisconspiracy, which puts his life
in danger to be thrown in thelion's den, which makes a
challenge between hisfaithfulness to the king and his
(10:09):
faithfulness to the Lord, godAlmighty, daniel's response was
to openly pray with his windowsopen, as he had always done.
Daniel recognizes here what Icall the priority of authority
in his life.
Daniel knows who has given KingDarius his authority and he
(10:33):
knows who sits as king over allof the kings.
Daniel understands that itwould be wrong to submit to any
authority appointed by God whenthey ask to hinder the worship
of the one true king of kings.
Moreover, daniel continues toworship the Lord in public.
(10:54):
He does it with his windowsopen, knowing this is going to
bring a confrontation.
Why would he do that?
Because Daniel is testifying tothe Lord's greatness.
He is testifying not only tothe Lord's greatness but to his
trust that the Lord is going touse this attack on his faith for
(11:18):
the kingdom of God.
This, my friends, this, mybrothers and sisters, should be
our response when our faith isattacked.
Daniel doesn't attack those whoattacked him, but rather he
openly expresses his faith inthe one true God to save him.
(11:40):
May this be the expression ofeveryone who trusts in the one
true God when they are attackedfor their faith.
Picking up in verse 11,.
Then these men came byagreement and found Daniel
making a petition and a pleabefore his God.
Then they came near and saidbefore the king concerning the
(12:03):
injunction O king, did you notsign an injunction that anyone
who makes petition to any god orman within the thirty days
except you, o king, shall becast into the den of lions.
The king answered and said thething stands fast according to
(12:23):
the law of the Medes and thePersians, which cannot be
revoked.
Then they answered and saidbefore the king Daniel, who is
one of the exiles from Judah,pays no attention to you.
(12:47):
We see those who have conspiredagainst Daniel agree to meet and
go to Daniel's house so theycan cooperatively see him pray,
with his windows open.
And they find Daniel prayingbefore the Lord.
And after confirming this,together with multiple witnesses
(13:08):
now against Daniel, they wentdirectly to King Darius to
accuse Daniel of breaking thelaw.
And even before they make anaccusation against Daniel, they
politically solidify the king'sposition on the injunction that
he had just signed.
They ask him if he didn't justsign a law that requires men not
(13:33):
to petition any god but toworship King Darius alone, with
the punishment being death bybeing cast into the lion's den.
And then Darius, before evenknowing that Daniel was involved
or had publicly disobeyed thelaw, declares that the law
(13:54):
stands fast, obeyed the law,declares that the law stands
fast.
And then, finally, thiscoalition of men accused Daniel
of not paying any attention tothe king or his decrees because
he breaks this new law publiclyand petitions the Lord God,
three times a day, picking up inverse 14, times a day, picking
up in verse 14.
(14:15):
Then the king, when he heardthese words, was much distressed
and he set his mind to deliverDaniel.
And he labored till the sunwent down to rescue him.
Then these men came byagreement to the king and said
to the king Know, o king, thatit is a law of the Medes and
(14:42):
Persians that no injunction orordinance that the king
establishes can be changed.
In verses 14 and 15, after KingDarius heard this collective
accusation against Daniel fromthis coalition of his leaders,
he knew he had been tricked andhe knew that Daniel had been set
(15:02):
up While these men had earliertold the king that all of the
high officials wanted this lawpassed.
Now he knows that they lied tohim and he knows that Daniel was
deliberately excluded.
From the very time that KingDarius heard these words until
the end of that same day, he dideverything he could to find a
(15:26):
way to try and rescue Danielfrom the very law he had just
enacted.
And we see from the king'slabor and his desire to rescue
Daniel how he would have neverdone this if he knew Daniel
opposed it, much less put him indanger.
And after all of the king'sefforts all day long to try and
(15:49):
reverse this decision, thiscoalition of evil men that have
tricked the king once again comein before the king to remind
the king that, according to thelaws of the Medes and Persians,
the king's orders cannot bechanged.
Picking up in verse 16, bechanged.
(16:14):
Picking up in verse 16,.
Then the king commanded andDaniel was brought and cast into
the den of lions.
The king declared to Daniel Mayyour God, whom you serve,
continually deliver you.
And a stone was brought andlaid at the mouth of the den and
the king sealed it with his ownsignet and with the signet of
his lords, that nothing might bechanged concerning Daniel.
(16:38):
Then the king went to hispalace and spent the night
fasting.
No diversions were brought tohim and sleep fled from him.
Verses 16 through 18 describethe night that Daniel was thrown
into the lion's den.
At the end of the day, whenDarius had realized there was no
(17:00):
loophole, there was noreversing this law, with a heavy
heart he had Daniel brought andcast into the lion's den.
The language of the lion's denhere implies that this was an
underground pit it had likelybeen dug into the hill, with a
(17:20):
hole at the top of the hill tothrow food into.
And death by the mauling oflions was one of several brutal
forms of execution that theMedes and Persians employed.
This form of executionoriginally began as a punishment
(17:45):
for treason or the desertion ofmilitary personnel, but, as we
know, later, under the RomanEmpire, this would become a form
of entertainment in a coliseum.
And as King Darius has Danielthrown into the den of lions, he
declares to Daniel his hopethat Daniel's God will deliver
him from it.
We should be reminded here thatDaniel is now about 85 years
(18:08):
old.
We should be reminded here thatDaniel is now about 85 years
old, and just being thrown downinto a pit itself has to be
painful for Daniel.
We can only imagine thepersonal fears that Daniel must
be dealing with.
But yet he doesn't speak a wordand he trusts in God's plan for
his kingdom through all of this.
Then we're told that a stone wasbrought in and laid on the
(18:31):
mouth of the den.
This implies that there wastypically not a stone that
covered this hole, but one wasintentionally brought in.
Additionally, we're shown thatthis stone is sealed with a wax
seal, because it's sealed withthe king's signet, and not only
his, but the signet of all ofthe lords.
(18:53):
This was an additional securitymeasure.
Why were such extraordinarymeasures taken?
Because the political tensionat this time was incredibly high
.
The fact that the king had beensearching all day for a way to
rescue Daniel and he had beentricked by this coalition of
(19:15):
political leaders created anincredible tension.
And now they all are sealingthis stone over Daniel.
In fact, the very next versetells us that this was done so
that nothing might be changedconcerning Daniel.
After the king and these lordsseal Daniel in the den of lions,
(19:38):
the king went home and fasted,and he was so distraught over
what he had just been forced todo by these political leaders he
was unable to sleep.
To do by these politicalleaders, he was unable to sleep.
He went to his palace and hefasted all night long, insisting
that no one interrupt himPicking up in verse 19.
Then, at the break of day, theking arose and went in haste to
(20:03):
the den of lions.
As soon as he came near to theden where Daniel was, he cried
out in a tone of anguish.
The king declared to Daniel ODaniel, servant of the living
God, has your God, whom youserve, continually been able to
deliver you from the lions?
Then Daniel said to the king Oking, live forever.
(20:28):
My God sent his angel and shutthe lion's mouths, and they have
not harmed me, because I wasfound blameless before him and
also before you, o king.
I have done no harm.
Here in verses 19 through 22, wesee what happens at the break
(20:51):
of a new day, the very momentthat it was legally possible to
check on Daniel.
The next day, the king goes tothe den of lions and before he
even gets to the den, he iscrying out to Daniel, asking
Daniel, are you alive?
He is crying out to Daniel,asking Daniel, are you alive?
(21:12):
And what is most interestingabout the king's cry to Daniel
is that he calls Daniel theservant of the living God.
It shows us how the God ofheaven has already used this
event, even before he knowsDaniel's alive, to teach King
Darius that Daniel's God is aliving and true God.
(21:33):
And then Daniel replies.
Daniel tells King Darius thatGod has sent his angel to shut
the mouth of the lions.
When Daniel tells the king thathe was found blameless before
God and also before him,daniel's not implying that he's
(21:54):
without sin, but rather that hehas been innocent of any
wrongdoing in the matter he wasaccused of.
Daniel acted as a man ofintegrity, a man of honesty,
both before God and before theking.
Additionally, this statement ofDaniel declares to the king the
(22:16):
evil intent of this coalitionwho has brought all of this
about and how the current law isunjust, even as Daniel sits
amongst the lions.
Even as Daniel sits amongst thelions Think about that, my
friends.
Daniel is yet sitting amongstthe lions that could kill him,
(22:36):
and he has the boldness to tellthe king the greatness of his
God and the injustice of thecurrent law.
Verse 23,.
Then the king was exceedinglyglad and commanded that Daniel
be taken up out of the den.
Verse 23,.
The moment King Darius heardthe voice of Daniel, he knew
(23:13):
that God had delivered him, andhe was overjoyed and commanded
that Daniel be taken up out ofthe den of lions.
So the king's servants eitherlowered a ladder or a rope down
to Daniel so he could be takenout of the den.
And once Daniel was out of theden, he was examined.
And when he was examined, itwas found that no harm had come
to him because he had trusted inGod, verse 24,.
(23:35):
And the king commanded andthose men who had maliciously
accused Daniel were brought andcast into the den of lions they,
their children and their wives.
And before they reached thebottom of the den, the lions
overpowered them and broke alltheir bones into pieces.
(23:58):
In verse 24, we see how, afterDaniel was brought out, the king
now gives a new command, acommand that the men who had
spitefully and evilly sought todestroy Daniel now be brought
and cast into the lion's den,and not just them, but their
(24:19):
immediate families as well,their children and their wives.
And when these men and theirfamilies were thrown into the
lion's den, and when these menand their families were thrown
into the lion's den, they werejumped and mutilated by the
lions.
Even before they reached thefloor, it tells us, their flesh
was torn and their bones brokento pieces.
(24:40):
This too is a display of God'spower, showing us how these
lions were fierce and hungrykillers, but just hours earlier
they had been silenced by theangel that God had sent Picking
up in verse 25,.
Then King Darius wrote to allthe peoples, nations and
(25:07):
languages that dwell in theearth Peace be multiplied to you
.
I make a decree that in myroyal dominion, people are to
tremble and fear before the Godof Daniel, for he is the living
God enduring forever.
His kingdom shall not bedestroyed and his dominion shall
be to the end.
He delivers and rescues, heworks signs and wonders in
(25:31):
heaven and on earth, he who hassaved Daniel from the power of
the lions.
In verses 25 through 27, dariusthe Mede makes a decree, a
decree that is to be sentthroughout the entire
Medo-Persian empire, in asimilar fashion to how
(25:53):
Nebuchadnezzar made a publicdecree to the nations that
declared his personal faith inthe God of heaven and earth back
in Daniel, chapter 4, so heredoes Darius the Mede.
It's hard to understate theimportance of these events in
world history, as within oneyear of Darius's public decree,
(26:15):
cyrus will also make a decreethat allows the Jews to return
to their own country and thusmark the end of the 70 years of
captivity.
The Medo-Persian Empire at thispoint is larger than the
Babylonian Empire.
It includes Persia, media,everything swallowed up with the
(26:37):
Babylonian Empire and AsiaMinor.
Egypt is not yet part of thisempire, but will become a
province in 13 years.
A province in 13 years, thisdecree will be for most of the
civilized world at this time,and our last verse, verse 28,
(27:01):
says so.
This Daniel prospered during thereign of Darius and the reign
of Cyrus.
The Persian Verse 28 helps usto understand that the reign of
Darius the Mede was simultaneouswith the reign of Cyrus.
As we had mentioned at thebeginning, cyrus had officially
given Darius, his father-in-law,the empire for these first two
years, as Cyrus was setting up apalace in the recently captured
(27:24):
Babylon with his new wife.
Thank you for joining me todayfor the Mysteries of God's Word.
I hope you join us again.
God bless you this week.
Grace and peace to you from God, our Father and our
Lord and Savior, jesus Christ.
Welcome to the Mysteries ofGod's Word.
Today we are in Daniel, chapter6, where we will read about the
very early years of theMedo-Persian Empire through the
eyes of Daniel, beginning inverse 1.
(00:24):
Through the eyes of Daniel,beginning in verse 1, it pleased
Darius to set over the kingdomone hundred and twenty satraps
to be throughout the wholekingdom and over them three high
officials, of whom Daniel wasone, to whom these satraps
should give an account so thatthe king might suffer no loss.
Then this Daniel becamedistinguished above all the
(00:49):
other high officials in satraps,because an excellent spirit was
in him and the king planned toset him over the whole kingdom.
Here, in verses 1 through 3, wesee the initial establishment
of authority in the Medo-PersianEmpire.
We see Darius.
(01:10):
Who is Darius?
Well, this is Darius the Mede.
He was also known as Syaxares,and Darius the Mede was
appointed as the king over theMedo-Persian Empire by Cyrus,
who had done all of theconquering.
Later, in this same year ofDaniel, chapter 6, which is the
(01:31):
year in which Cyrus hadconquered Babylon, cyrus would
marry Darius's only child, hisonly daughter, and as a dowry,
darius the Mede gave Cyrus theentire kingdom of Media, and
after this marriage betweenCyrus and Darius' daughter,
(01:52):
cyrus moved to Babylon with hisnew bride and he gave the
kingdom to Darius, his newfather-in-law, and allowed
Darius to reign as king for twoyears, even though Cyrus himself
had really more power in thiskingdom.
And this is how theMedo-Persian empire began.
(02:15):
And then we see in verse 1 ofchapter 6 that Darius set over
the kingdom 120 satraps.
This continues to show us how,in this first year, darius is
setting up his government.
And this form of government inthe Medo-Persian empire is a
government of satraps or, as wein America would think of them
(02:38):
as governors, governors of astate.
These were 120 governors overlarge regions in the kingdom,
and then, over these satraps,the king appointed three men
that he believed he could trustthe most, men who had great
reputations and whom he believedwould hold the satraps
(03:00):
accountable for any corruptionor any embezzlement.
Daniel was one of those threehigh officials chosen to
overseed these 120 satraps, andover time Daniel was recognized
for his outstanding wisdom andhis excellent spirit, and the
king was planning to set Danielover the whole kingdom, picking
(03:26):
up in verse 4, then the highofficials and the satraps sought
to find a ground for complaintagainst Daniel with regards to
the kingdom, but they could findno ground for complaint or any
(03:52):
fault, because he was faithfuland no error or fault was found
in him.
Here, in verses 4 and 5, we seehow jealousy began to run deep
in the other two high officials,as well as some of the
governors or some of the satraps, because Daniel had been
(04:12):
favored highly by the king forhis great wisdom and discernment
.
As we continue to read thisnarrative and recognize the
inclusion of the satraps here,we will see that it appears that
not all 120 satraps were partof the plot, but there was a
coalition of men, including thetwo other high officials and
(04:36):
some satraps, that are now goingto conspire against Daniel.
Daniel was faithful ineverything that he did, his
duties to the kingdom, hisfaithfulness to the king and his
faithfulness to the Lord God,and this became apparent not
only to those who liked Daniel,but also to his enemies.
(05:00):
Daniel, unlike the otherleaders, could not be bribed or
swayed from his godly principles, and the powerful enemies of
Daniel, whom he was workingright alongside with, realized
because of Daniel's uprightcharacter, they will not be able
(05:20):
to bring a charge against him.
Nothing that's going to stick,and his enemies knew the only
way to bring an accusationagainst him was to attack his
faithfulness and somehow bring aconflict between King Darius
and the god that Danielworshipped, picking up in verse
(05:42):
6,.
Then these high officials andsatraps came by agreement to the
king and said to him Picking upin verses 6 and 7, we see these
two high officials other thanDaniel, along with some of the
satraps, conspire together andcome up with a devious plan.
(06:34):
They would come to King Dariusand tell him that all of the
leaders from every aspect of thegovernment have been contacted
and agree that the king shouldestablish this temporary
ordinance for 30 days and thatduring these 30 days, king
Darius alone should beworshipped.
(06:55):
They, of course, are deceivingKing Darius because not all of
the leaders in all of thegovernment have agreed to this.
First of all, we are very awarethey don't have an agreement of
all the high officials, becauseDaniel is a high official.
They also don't have anagreement from the prefects, who
are the military leaders.
(07:16):
They probably don't have anagreement from the governors,
who are the leaders over thecities and villages.
Nor do they have a council ofthe counselors, who are the
leaders over the cities andvillages.
Nor do they have a council ofthe counselors who are the
lawyers.
This entire plan that ishatched by the two high
officials and satraps is basedon a ruse, believing that the
(07:36):
king is going to trust whatthey're saying and be so proud
of his recent coming to powerthat he will desire to follow
through with it quickly, noteven looking into their claims
before he makes this decree.
Then they say Now, o king,establish the injunction and
sign the document so that itcannot be changed according to
(07:59):
the law of the Medes andPersians, which cannot be
revoked.
Therefore, king Darius signedthe document and injunction.
Verses 8 and 9 give us a littlebit of insight into the
Medo-Persian law and how it washeld and believed in Medo-Persia
(08:20):
that once a law was enacted, itcould not be changed, not even
by the king.
This unique aspect of theMedo-Persian law is confirmed
throughout Scripture In verses12 and 15 of this chapter, and
also in Esther, chapter 1, verse19, and chapter 8, verse 8.
(08:41):
When I researched and lookedinto this, I find it would seem
the best explanation for thiskind of irrevocable law is that
they saw the king as a servantof their supreme good, god,
ahura Mazda.
And because the king was seenas the voice of Ahura Mazda, the
(09:04):
king's word became infallibleOnce he put a law into action.
It was seen by many Medes andPersians as the word of their
highest God in their hierarchyof gods.
Picking up in verse 10.
When Daniel knew that thedocument had been signed, he
(09:25):
went to his house, where he hadwindows in his upper chamber
open towards Jerusalem.
He got down on his knees threetimes a day and prayed and gave
thanks before God, as he haddone previously.
Let's just pause on verse 10.
What Daniel does here is trulya lesson for everyone who
(09:47):
believes in the one true God.
We're told that when Danielknew that the document had been
signed, he went and prayed.
Daniel's response to thisconspiracy, which puts his life
in danger to be thrown in thelion's den, which makes a
challenge between hisfaithfulness to the king and his
(10:09):
faithfulness to the Lord, godAlmighty, daniel's response was
to openly pray with his windowsopen, as he had always done.
Daniel recognizes here what Icall the priority of authority
in his life.
Daniel knows who has given KingDarius his authority and he
(10:33):
knows who sits as king over allof the kings.
Daniel understands that itwould be wrong to submit to any
authority appointed by God whenthey ask to hinder the worship
of the one true king of kings.
Moreover, daniel continues toworship the Lord in public.
(10:54):
He does it with his windowsopen, knowing this is going to
bring a confrontation.
Why would he do that?
Because Daniel is testifying tothe Lord's greatness.
He is testifying not only tothe Lord's greatness but to his
trust that the Lord is going touse this attack on his faith for
(11:18):
the kingdom of God.
This, my friends, this, mybrothers and sisters, should be
our response when our faith isattacked.
Daniel doesn't attack those whoattacked him, but rather he
openly expresses his faith inthe one true God to save him.
(11:40):
May this be the expression ofeveryone who trusts in the one
true God when they are attackedfor their faith.
Picking up in verse 11,.
Then these men came byagreement and found Daniel
making a petition and a pleabefore his God.
Then they came near and saidbefore the king concerning the
(12:03):
injunction O king, did you notsign an injunction that anyone
who makes petition to any god orman within the thirty days
except you, o king, shall becast into the den of lions.
The king answered and said thething stands fast according to
(12:23):
the law of the Medes and thePersians, which cannot be
revoked.
Then they answered and saidbefore the king Daniel, who is
one of the exiles from Judah,pays no attention to you.
(12:47):
We see those who have conspiredagainst Daniel agree to meet and
go to Daniel's house so theycan cooperatively see him pray,
with his windows open.
And they find Daniel prayingbefore the Lord.
And after confirming this,together with multiple witnesses
(13:08):
now against Daniel, they wentdirectly to King Darius to
accuse Daniel of breaking thelaw.
And even before they make anaccusation against Daniel, they
politically solidify the king'sposition on the injunction that
he had just signed.
They ask him if he didn't justsign a law that requires men not
(13:33):
to petition any god but toworship King Darius alone, with
the punishment being death bybeing cast into the lion's den.
And then Darius, before evenknowing that Daniel was involved
or had publicly disobeyed thelaw, declares that the law
(13:54):
stands fast, obeyed the law,declares that the law stands
fast.
And then, finally, thiscoalition of men accused Daniel
of not paying any attention tothe king or his decrees because
he breaks this new law publiclyand petitions the Lord God,
three times a day, picking up inverse 14, times a day, picking
up in verse 14.
(14:15):
Then the king, when he heardthese words, was much distressed
and he set his mind to deliverDaniel.
And he labored till the sunwent down to rescue him.
Then these men came byagreement to the king and said
to the king Know, o king, thatit is a law of the Medes and
(14:42):
Persians that no injunction orordinance that the king
establishes can be changed.
In verses 14 and 15, after KingDarius heard this collective
accusation against Daniel fromthis coalition of his leaders,
he knew he had been tricked andhe knew that Daniel had been set
(15:02):
up While these men had earliertold the king that all of the
high officials wanted this lawpassed.
Now he knows that they lied tohim and he knows that Daniel was
deliberately excluded.
From the very time that KingDarius heard these words until
the end of that same day, he dideverything he could to find a
(15:26):
way to try and rescue Danielfrom the very law he had just
enacted.
And we see from the king'slabor and his desire to rescue
Daniel how he would have neverdone this if he knew Daniel
opposed it, much less put him indanger.
And after all of the king'sefforts all day long to try and
(15:49):
reverse this decision, thiscoalition of evil men that have
tricked the king once again comein before the king to remind
the king that, according to thelaws of the Medes and Persians,
the king's orders cannot bechanged.
Picking up in verse 16, bechanged.
(16:14):
Picking up in verse 16,.
Then the king commanded andDaniel was brought and cast into
the den of lions.
The king declared to Daniel Mayyour God, whom you serve,
continually deliver you.
And a stone was brought andlaid at the mouth of the den and
the king sealed it with his ownsignet and with the signet of
his lords, that nothing might bechanged concerning Daniel.
(16:38):
Then the king went to hispalace and spent the night
fasting.
No diversions were brought tohim and sleep fled from him.
Verses 16 through 18 describethe night that Daniel was thrown
into the lion's den.
At the end of the day, whenDarius had realized there was no
(17:00):
loophole, there was noreversing this law, with a heavy
heart he had Daniel brought andcast into the lion's den.
The language of the lion's denhere implies that this was an
underground pit it had likelybeen dug into the hill, with a
(17:20):
hole at the top of the hill tothrow food into.
And death by the mauling oflions was one of several brutal
forms of execution that theMedes and Persians employed.
This form of executionoriginally began as a punishment
(17:45):
for treason or the desertion ofmilitary personnel, but, as we
know, later, under the RomanEmpire, this would become a form
of entertainment in a coliseum.
And as King Darius has Danielthrown into the den of lions, he
declares to Daniel his hopethat Daniel's God will deliver
him from it.
We should be reminded here thatDaniel is now about 85 years
(18:08):
old.
We should be reminded here thatDaniel is now about 85 years
old, and just being thrown downinto a pit itself has to be
painful for Daniel.
We can only imagine thepersonal fears that Daniel must
be dealing with.
But yet he doesn't speak a wordand he trusts in God's plan for
his kingdom through all of this.
Then we're told that a stone wasbrought in and laid on the
(18:31):
mouth of the den.
This implies that there wastypically not a stone that
covered this hole, but one wasintentionally brought in.
Additionally, we're shown thatthis stone is sealed with a wax
seal, because it's sealed withthe king's signet, and not only
his, but the signet of all ofthe lords.
(18:53):
This was an additional securitymeasure.
Why were such extraordinarymeasures taken?
Because the political tensionat this time was incredibly high
.
The fact that the king had beensearching all day for a way to
rescue Daniel and he had beentricked by this coalition of
(19:15):
political leaders created anincredible tension.
And now they all are sealingthis stone over Daniel.
In fact, the very next versetells us that this was done so
that nothing might be changedconcerning Daniel.
After the king and these lordsseal Daniel in the den of lions,
(19:38):
the king went home and fasted,and he was so distraught over
what he had just been forced todo by these political leaders he
was unable to sleep.
To do by these politicalleaders, he was unable to sleep.
He went to his palace and hefasted all night long, insisting
that no one interrupt himPicking up in verse 19.
Then, at the break of day, theking arose and went in haste to
(20:03):
the den of lions.
As soon as he came near to theden where Daniel was, he cried
out in a tone of anguish.
The king declared to Daniel ODaniel, servant of the living
God, has your God, whom youserve, continually been able to
deliver you from the lions?
Then Daniel said to the king Oking, live forever.
(20:28):
My God sent his angel and shutthe lion's mouths, and they have
not harmed me, because I wasfound blameless before him and
also before you, o king.
I have done no harm.
Here in verses 19 through 22, wesee what happens at the break
(20:51):
of a new day, the very momentthat it was legally possible to
check on Daniel.
The next day, the king goes tothe den of lions and before he
even gets to the den, he iscrying out to Daniel, asking
Daniel, are you alive?
He is crying out to Daniel,asking Daniel, are you alive?
(21:12):
And what is most interestingabout the king's cry to Daniel
is that he calls Daniel theservant of the living God.
It shows us how the God ofheaven has already used this
event, even before he knowsDaniel's alive, to teach King
Darius that Daniel's God is aliving and true God.
(21:33):
And then Daniel replies.
Daniel tells King Darius thatGod has sent his angel to shut
the mouth of the lions.
When Daniel tells the king thathe was found blameless before
God and also before him,daniel's not implying that he's
(21:54):
without sin, but rather that hehas been innocent of any
wrongdoing in the matter he wasaccused of.
Daniel acted as a man ofintegrity, a man of honesty,
both before God and before theking.
Additionally, this statement ofDaniel declares to the king the
(22:16):
evil intent of this coalitionwho has brought all of this
about and how the current law isunjust, even as Daniel sits
amongst the lions.
Even as Daniel sits amongst thelions Think about that, my
friends.
Daniel is yet sitting amongstthe lions that could kill him,
(22:36):
and he has the boldness to tellthe king the greatness of his
God and the injustice of thecurrent law.
Verse 23,.
Then the king was exceedinglyglad and commanded that Daniel
be taken up out of the den.
Verse 23,.
The moment King Darius heardthe voice of Daniel, he knew
(23:13):
that God had delivered him, andhe was overjoyed and commanded
that Daniel be taken up out ofthe den of lions.
So the king's servants eitherlowered a ladder or a rope down
to Daniel so he could be takenout of the den.
And once Daniel was out of theden, he was examined.
And when he was examined, itwas found that no harm had come
to him because he had trusted inGod, verse 24,.
(23:35):
And the king commanded andthose men who had maliciously
accused Daniel were brought andcast into the den of lions they,
their children and their wives.
And before they reached thebottom of the den, the lions
overpowered them and broke alltheir bones into pieces.
(23:58):
In verse 24, we see how, afterDaniel was brought out, the king
now gives a new command, acommand that the men who had
spitefully and evilly sought todestroy Daniel now be brought
and cast into the lion's den,and not just them, but their
(24:19):
immediate families as well,their children and their wives.
And when these men and theirfamilies were thrown into the
lion's den, and when these menand their families were thrown
into the lion's den, they werejumped and mutilated by the
lions.
Even before they reached thefloor, it tells us, their flesh
was torn and their bones brokento pieces.
(24:40):
This too is a display of God'spower, showing us how these
lions were fierce and hungrykillers, but just hours earlier
they had been silenced by theangel that God had sent Picking
up in verse 25,.
Then King Darius wrote to allthe peoples, nations and
(25:07):
languages that dwell in theearth Peace be multiplied to you
.
I make a decree that in myroyal dominion, people are to
tremble and fear before the Godof Daniel, for he is the living
God enduring forever.
His kingdom shall not bedestroyed and his dominion shall
be to the end.
He delivers and rescues, heworks signs and wonders in
(25:31):
heaven and on earth, he who hassaved Daniel from the power of
the lions.
In verses 25 through 27, dariusthe Mede makes a decree, a
decree that is to be sentthroughout the entire
Medo-Persian empire, in asimilar fashion to how
(25:53):
Nebuchadnezzar made a publicdecree to the nations that
declared his personal faith inthe God of heaven and earth back
in Daniel, chapter 4, so heredoes Darius the Mede.
It's hard to understate theimportance of these events in
world history, as within oneyear of Darius's public decree,
(26:15):
cyrus will also make a decreethat allows the Jews to return
to their own country and thusmark the end of the 70 years of
captivity.
The Medo-Persian Empire at thispoint is larger than the
Babylonian Empire.
It includes Persia, media,everything swallowed up with the
(26:37):
Babylonian Empire and AsiaMinor.
Egypt is not yet part of thisempire, but will become a
province in 13 years.
A province in 13 years, thisdecree will be for most of the
civilized world at this time,and our last verse, verse 28,
(27:01):
says so.
This Daniel prospered during thereign of Darius and the reign
of Cyrus.
The Persian Verse 28 helps usto understand that the reign of
Darius the Mede was simultaneouswith the reign of Cyrus.
As we had mentioned at thebeginning, cyrus had officially
given Darius, his father-in-law,the empire for these first two
years, as Cyrus was setting up apalace in the recently captured
(27:24):
Babylon with his new wife.
Thank you for joining me todayfor the Mysteries of God's Word.
I hope you join us again.
God bless you this week.
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