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The Book of Daniel Chapter 6 Chapter 6 covers a two-year period Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Copyright © 1984-2001 by Dr. Richard W. Fry Published by Promise of Life Ministries. Printed in the United States Of America. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system or database, or translated into any human or computer language, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, photocopying, recording, manual, or otherwise, or disclosed to third parties without the express written consent of the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. Making copies of any part of this publication for any purpose other than your own personal use is a violation of United States copyright laws.
Verse 1 Although this chapter begins with Darius, we do well to mark another name; Cyrus.
120
Princes: These are subordinate rulers who answer to three Presidents. Daniel is the highest ranking President.
Verse 2 While scripture does not give us a clear indication of this chain of command, it seems reasonable that the other two presidents would each bring unsettled affairs from 60 of the princes to Daniel. Daniel would then make a ruling or judgment on those matters. Everything else would, most likely, be handled by the princes first, then by the presidents. Verse 3 Then: Literally: At that time
Daniel: Assuming that Daniel was 15 years old at the time of his capture in 606 BC, then the year of his birth would be 621 BC. The re-organization of the empire under Darius was done in 538 BC. This would make Daniel nearly 83 years old at the time of his new promotion.
Verse 4 The
Presidents: There are only three Presidents, and Daniel is not involved in this escapade. That only leaves two Presidents to be plotting and, of course, the 120 princes.
No
Fault: Notice that they could not dig up any dirt on Daniel.
They turned up absolutely NOTHING on him.
Religion: As is common today, the only way these men could possibly find fault with Daniel would be to use his religious piety against him.
We see this same thing happening today.
Verse 7 All
The Presidents: An obvious lie. Daniel was not consulted.
Governors,
Princes, Counselors & Captains: There is no way that all of these men came together on such short notice. This is another obvious lie.
A
Royal Statute: Common law could be amended, but a ROYAL STATUTE was irrevocable for both king and commoner.
Ask
A Petition: The entire purpose of this decree was for the destruction of one man, Daniel. All laws should be designed for the protection of the people.
Verse 8 There were, no doubt, several million people involved in this kingdom. This law is going to cause a serious bottleneck in the handling of government affairs. All of this leads to one inescapable conclusion: Darius is motivated by EGO & PRIDE.
Verse 10 When
Daniel Knew: He did not know beforehand.
Windows
Were Open: He could have closed his windows and prayed quietly.
Three
Times A Day: Daniel could have rationalized as to why he should pray privately, but his witness was already established. Anything else would be spiritual fraud.
Verse 11 These
Men: Literally: Heroes! God’s mocking term for these leaders.
Assembled: They were sneaking around trying to catch Daniel in the very act of praying to his God.
Verse 12 Hast
Thou Not Signed A Decree: A clever manipulation!
Verse 13 That
Daniel: The mask is now entirely off. The men are showing complete contempt, i.e., “That Daniel.”
Captivity
Of Judah: Here we go with the inferiority thing again, cf., 3:12. Sore
Displeased With Himself: This is a very typical error among men. Darius should not have been displeased with himself for having made this decree.
Before the crisis came, all Darius could see was his own importance. Now, with his eyes off of himself, he sees, all too clearly, that he has been made a fool of. Worse yet, his foolishness has taken the life of his friend.
Verse 15 Know
O King: These men are very persistent. They let Darius work on his fiasco until evening, then they push the king to action by reiterating what was now painfully obvious to Darius, i.e., there is no way out.
Verse 16 Cast: Threw!
He
Will Deliver Thee: God is somehow above the law of the Medes and the Persians. Darius’ use of the term, “Thy God,” is an indication that he was an unbeliever.
Verse 19 Went
In Haste: Now what do you suppose he went in haste to see in the lions den?
He
Cried: He SCREAMED.
Is
Thy God: Darius now reveals his inconsistency and his instability. Just the night before he had assured Daniel that his God, “Will deliver thee,” (v. 16). Now he is questioning God’s ability to rescue.
Verse 21 King,
Live Forever: You should notice Daniel’s posture with the king.
He responds as every bit the man of God he is.
Verse 23 Exceeding Glad: The only reason Darius was now “exceeding glad” is because the circumstances have changed. In both immature believers and unbelievers, a mood of despondency can be overturned by a change of circumstances.
No
Manner Of Hurt: Daniel was 80+ years old and had been thrown into a stone pit 12 to 15 feet deep. Those
Men Which Accused Daniel: It was easy to know who had been involved in this scam; they all set their seal in wax on the stone (v 17).
But from verse 7, the number of men has expanded from the original 122 men (120 princes and 2 presidents). The number now includes presidents, governors, princes, counselors and captains. I estimate their numbers as follows:
This gives us an estimated total of 2172 men involved in this deception. Adding wives and children we now take the total to somewhere between 5000 and 6500 people who were thrown into the lions den. Keep in mind that these were not just common people, but kingdom rulers and Babylonian citizens.
Verse 26 I
Make A Decree: This is the same mistake made by Nebuchadnezzar in 3:29. Worship of God must be voluntary. |
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