Deeper Commentary
Dan 6:1 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps, who should be throughout the whole kingdom- These 120 satraps were symbolized by the 120 lion statues along Babylon's main procession street. The destruction of their representatives by lions is another inversion of Babylonian power and values which is common in Daniel. Herodotus records that "Darius" ['restrainer'] was a title for the king, an appellative like 'Pharaoh', rather than a personal name. This may therefore be a different 'Darius' to that of Dan. 5:31. It could well be that the Darius of Dan. 6 was in fact Cyrus the Persian (see on :28). This would then fit the historical interpretation of Dan. 7:5, which requires a Mede to be in power before the elevation of Cyrus. The book of Esther records 127 satraps at that time, so 120 at this time sounds right. However, the 120 could have been over the newly conquered province of Babylon.
Dan 6:2 And over them three presidents, of whom Daniel was one; so that these satraps might give account to them, and that the king should have no loss- The elevation of Daniel would have been because it was known that he had bravely prophesied the victory of the Medes over Babylon. He was well known for this, hence his elevation; but this means that the Babylonians also would have known Daniel's position about them, and he would have been in a similar position to Jeremiah, who likewise was within the besieged city [of Jerusalem in his case] and prophesied the victory of the enemy. These similarities between human lives all serve to give us encouragement and warning, as well as demonstrating that all is indeed under Divine control and we are not at the mercy of random event.
Dan 6:3 Then Daniel was promoted above the presidents and the satraps,
because an excellently wise spirit was in him- This spirit perceived within him was that
of God (Dan. 4:8,9; 5:11,14). His wisdom of spirit is elsewhere associated
with his interpretation of Divine dreams; perhaps the promotion was
because of this, as it was every other time he was promoted. His
interpretations had of course predicted the Medo Persian victory against
Babylon, and yet they also demanded their fall. Perhaps it was because of
his words against Babylon that he was promoted. But it may equally have
been because of his general wisdom and integrity. He was promoted several
times, and each time he seems to slip out of the limelight, either by his
own will or because he was manipulated out of the position. To be in any
position of power within those empires would've involved him in conflicts
of conscience to his God. We too at times need to allow ourselves to slip
away from the limelight and situation provided by promotion of whatever
kind.
And the king thought to set him over the whole kingdom- This could refer to the province of Babylon. But just as Joseph had the promotion to a similar position over all Egypt, perhaps Daniel's integrity and evident connection with Yahweh made the king desire to give him practical responsibility for the entire empire.
Dan 6:4 Then the presidents and the satraps sought to find occasion against Daniel regarding the things of the kingdom; but they could find no case nor fault, because he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him- The content of the Gospel is "the things [of] the kingdom" (Acts 1:3; 8:12; 19:8). The kingdoms of the world at Daniel's time are set up as fake kingdoms of God, with their leaders as an imitation Christ, an antiChrist. As ever, jealousy motivated all personal criticism of Daniel. It would have been an unpleasant experience for him, living as a foreigner amongst jealous men seeking his downfall, and all the time not wanting the exalted position anyway.
Dan 6:5 Then these men said, We shall not find any occasion against
Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God-
This has remarkable implications about Daniel's absolute integrity, for
which all God's servants should be known in their secular lives.
Dan 6:6 Then these presidents and satraps assembled together to the
king, and said to him, King Darius, live forever- All the monarchs
had the idea that they were immortal and expected this to be recognized-
hence the address "live forever". Nebuchadnezzar had sought to demonstrate
this by making the statue of gold completely, when he was but the head of
gold according to the image of Dan. 2. We note however that Daniel,
despite his sensitive conscience toward his God, still goes along with
this form of address (:21), even though he of all people knew from his own
prophecies that the kings were far from immortal and would all come to
their end.
Dan 6:7 All the presidents of the kingdom- This was untrue,
because Daniel was one of them. The king ought to have perceived that this
was a set up.
The deputies and the satraps, the counsellors and the governors, have consulted together in order to establish a royal statute, and to make an enforced decree, that whoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, except of you, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions- Darius knew full well that Daniel would be praying to his God. For Daniel prayed with his windows open toward Jerusalem in full view of everyone, "as he did previously" (:10). It was therefore known to all that Daniel did this. Darius knew that Daniel had contact with his God and had made prophecies through God's Spirit (see on :3).
Dan 6:8 Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that
it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians,
which doesn’t alter- It was only by tradition that it didn't alter.
The king was all powerful. The only thing required to change it was his
humility, but as we note on :9, his pride was too great. The courtiers
seemed to have guessed that when it came to killing Daniel for praying to
Yahweh, the king was likely to want to change; and so they remind him that
this law cannot be changed. The only reason Darius would have agreed to
this was because of the appeal to his pride- that he was divine, and a
divine being didn't change his principles.
Dan 6:9 Therefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree-
As noted on :7, Darius knew full well that Daniel was in the habit of
openly praying to his God, and I suggested on :7 that the king surely knew
that Daniel was being set up. And yet Darius clearly respected Daniel,
which was why he had promoted him, and on account of which he was so
distressed when he realized that Daniel had to die. Why then did he sign
the decree? A theme of Daniel is the almost unbelievable power of human
pride. The king's better judgment was overridden by his pride, and his
wish to go along with his flatterers in believing the myth of his times-
that he as king was in fact Divine and immortal. This had been the undoing
of Belshazzar, and it had almost been the undoing of Nebuchadnezzar. We
see therefore the power of human pride and what happens if we succumb to
flattery and the human tendency to play God. Our better judgment and
spiritual side is flattened beneath the weight of it. Darius acts in
accordance with how the other monarchs in the book of Daniel are
presented- they could have repented and were given the chance to, they
theoretically accepted the truth of God's prophetic word and personally
respected Daniel; but their pride stopped them from accepting the basic
truth of the image of Dan. 2, that they too would pass, they were not
eternal, were men and not God, and needed to accept the reality of God's
Kingdom and resign their own kingdoms.
In the same way as they could have repented, they could also have restored captive Judah to their land, and thus helped re-establish the Kingdom of God in Israel. Cyrus is presented by name in Isaiah as a Messiah-like figure who could have orchestrated this, by destroying Babylon and empowering Jewry to return. If the Darius in this chapter was indeed Cyrus as suggested on :1 and :28, then we see how far he failed to realize what was potentially possible. He gave the decree to allow Judah to return in the first year of his reign (Ezra 1:1); but now he seems to have faltered and become consumed with pride so that he didn't live up to his potential; and Judah likewise failed to grasp the Divinely presented opportunities, with the majority of them preferring to remain in captivity.
Dan 6:10 When Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he still went
into his house (now his windows in his room were open toward Jerusalem)
and he kneeled on his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks
before his God, as he did previously- He prayed toward Jerusalem with reference to how Solomon had said
that Israel in their sin and captivity would pray toward the temple (1
Kings 8:33,35,38,44,48). Daniel was deeply aware of the sin of Judah and
felt it as being his own sin; his prayer in Dan. 9 is full of such
identification with Israel's sins. He felt that duty towards his weak and
sinful brethren as stronger than his own fear of a miserable death. He saw
this as a Divine command which although not explicitly expressed as a
command, is effectively a commandment because it is so strongly implied as
necessary for us. This incident is surely the basis of Acts 5:29: "We
ought to obey God rather than men". Many
Jews surely consoled themselves that prayer is a private matter, and
wouldn't have advertised their prayers, certainly not by opening their
windows and praying on their knees in full view of religious informers.
But Daniel was willing to die for the sake of how important he felt prayer
to be. And he challenges us all in this, we who so often are guilty of
praying when overtired, or spending ou time on petty things until we have
no time left to pray. Our time budget needs to give prayer serious
priority, at whatever loss- even of life itself, according to Daniel's
example. To pray regularly three times / day, perhaps as David did at
dawn, noon and unset (Ps. 55:17 cp. Acts 10:9) required no small discipline. He had a
demanding job and life situation, just as David did. His requirement for
time to pray regularly was therefore advertised to his contemporaries; it
was no secret. This is such a challenge to those in demanding careers; it
is no more the done thing to take time out to pray than it was for Daniel,
living as he did in an environment where leadership was connected to
religion, and he was clearly out of step with the surrounding religious
views.
Solomon's prayer, to which Daniel is alluding, required prayer to be made specifically toward the temple in Jerusalem. But that temple lay in ruins. Daniel's prayer toward it therefore reflected his understanding that God's presence doesn't dwell in temples made with hands. "That is true" (literally "the thing is true", as AV) is the very term used of the truth of Daniel's prophetic revelations (Dan. 7:16- remember that the visions of Daniel 7 were given before this time, see Dan. 7:1). If this "Darius" is indeed Cyrus, then we note that in his third year, Daniel received another vision, "and the thing was true" (Dan. 10:1). But Darius would not humble himself before the truths of God and change his perceived truth, just as we and many others struggle to.
Dan 6:11 Then these men assembled together, and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God- The petition and supplication (the idea is of "grace") was surely for the revival of Judah's fortunes with the re-establishment of God's Kingdom in Israel, and the fulfilment of the prophecies of the restoration. But Daniel knew that due to Judah's weakness, this would have to be by grace, and thanks to the intercession of a righteous remnant represented by himself. This was for Daniel more important than his personal death. "Before his God" suggests that the presence of God was just as much there in a room in Babylon as it was in Zion.
Dan 6:12 Then they came near, and spoke before the king concerning the king’s decree: Haven’t you signed a decree, that every man who shall make 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, That is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which doesn’t alter- Now was the moment when the king could say: 'Yes I did, but I was wrong, I am not going to have Daniel killed. Mock me as you will, assume that I cannot actually be divine because I am now changing my position, but change it I will'. And he doesn't do that. His pride was too great, although at one and the same time, as the text often implies, he had a level of faith and spirituality. But human pride is so strong.
Dan 6:13 Then they responded and said to the king, That Daniel, who is
of the captives of Judah, doesn’t respect you, O king, nor the decree that
you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day- "That
Daniel" indicates how they despised him. This is the extreme power of
human jealousy. "Doesn't respect you" was just what the courtiers had
eagerly told Nebuchadnezzar when the three friends refused to bow to his
image in Dan. 3. Darius ought to have learnt from Divine history and
perceived that he was being set up for a major fall. But he refused to
join the dots, just as we do, because his pride made him act illogically
in spiritual terms.
Dan 6:14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was very
displeased, and set his heart on Daniel to save him; and he struggled
until the going down of the sun to save him- This struggle or
'labouring' may perhaps have involved consultations with legal experts,
but more likely it refers to the internal struggle within him against his
own pride. And the fact he didn't command Daniel's release shows that he
lost it; his pride was stronger than his humility and displeasure with
himself ("sore displeased with himself", AV).
Dan 6:15 Then these men assembled together to the king, and said to
the king, Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians, that
no decree nor statute which the king establishes may be changed-
"These men" had the upper hand over the king, but only because they knew
that his pride was such that he could not retract the law. The same
happened when Herod refused to retract his oath and had John the Baptist
murdered. This is the power of human pride; it can bring down the most
powerful person.
Dan 6:16 Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast
him into the den of lions- Being cast to the lions and preserved may
therefore be used in 2 Tim. 4:17 and 1 Pet. 5:8 in a figurative sense,
encouraging us to see ourselves as in Daniel's shoes and likewise
preserved.
Now the king spoke and said to Daniel, Your God whom you serve continually, He will deliver you- Service to God is here paralleled with prayer. Those who lament their apparent inability to do much physical service should remember this. Prayer is no less a service to God. I have suggested that Darius did on one level believe, but his pride squashed his spirituality. We see his more spiritual side expressed here, weak though it was; he believed that God would deliver Daniel. We note too that Darius knew full well that Daniel prayed / served his God "continually". His signing of the decree was therefore done in the full knowledge that it would affect Daniel. I don't think he was simply an elderly man who was fooled and manipulated by his courtiers. Rather was he like us, knowing truth on one level, and yet allowing his pride on the other hand to lead him to decisions of a moment which he would later bitterly regret. This seems to me the more likely and imaginable understanding of why he signed the decree. By admitting that Daniel's God could save Daniel whereas the king could not, Darius was tacitly accepting that he was not God, and his acceptance of prayer solely to himself was therefore wrong. But as with Belshazzar and Nebuchadnezzar initially, his repentance didn't go far enough. His apparently solid faith that God would deliver Daniel contrasts with his query in :20. Again we see repeated a feature of all the monarchs in the book of Daniel- they displayed spirituality, faith and humility for moments, but like us, found it hard to maintain their intensity.
Dan 6:17 A stone was brought, and laid on the mouth of the den; and
the king sealed it with his own signet ring, and with the signet ring of
his lords; so that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel- The
situation has evident similarities with the sealing of the Lord's tomb
(Mt. 27:66), after Pilate like Darius before him allowed his pride to
override his better judgment. It could be that Darius wanted his lords and
himself to take total responsibility, and believed that God would deliver
Daniel (:16) and their collective power and authority would thereby be
declared as null and void. But by doing so we could also understand that
even at the very end, he still lacked the required humility to
disassociate himself from the execution.
As explained on :10, Daniel had risked his life to pray for Judah and confess their sins because he felt so identified with them. Being placed in a grave to die was a response to that; for he was suffering the punishment upon Judah, who were figuratively "cut off in the dungeon" with a stone barring their escape (Lam. 3:53). In this again we see a pointer forward to the Lord Jesus, whose death and burial was likewise an act of identity with His people.
Dan 6:18 Then the king went to his palace, and spent the night fasting; no musical instruments were brought before him: and his sleep fled from him- The Aramaic word for "palace" can also mean 'temple'. We again meet the theme of the Babylonian religious system being trounced and declared powerless. The lack of sleep recalls the parallel situation in Esther 6:1; circumstances repeat in history, because it is the same Divine hand at work. It is our wisdom to perceive this, and to conclude that man is never alone, never in an unprecedented situation. This is the purpose of Biblical history. The king's fasting was presumably in order to beg God to deliver Daniel. If he had humbled himself, then he could simply have released Daniel. We see here how things so often turn out; he had a lower level of spirituality because he wouldn't take the highest level, which was to simply release Daniel as Pilate could have released the Lord. But the point is, he did fast to God, and even through his own weakness, God urged him closer to Himself. We marvel at God's patience and desire to work with all men, even the proud, to bring them to Himself.
Dan 6:19 Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in urgency to the den of lions- Again we see the conscience of the king at work. He was not disinterested. See on :18.
Dan 6:20 When he came near to the den to Daniel, he cried with a
lamentable voice; the king spoke and said to Daniel: Daniel, servant of
the living God, is your God, whom you serve continually, able to deliver
you from the lions?- His apparently solid faith that God would
deliver Daniel in :16 contrasts with this query. Again we see repeated a
feature of all the monarchs in the book of Daniel- they displayed
spirituality, faith and humility for moments, but like us, found it hard
to maintain their intensity. "The living God" is a term used to
differentiate the one true God from the idols (Acts 14:15; 1 Thess. 1:9).
We see here the progress in his thinking. His night of fasting to Daniel's
God led him to believe that the one "living God" was Daniel's God and not
his idols. We would likely have given up in disgust with Darius, after he
sacrificed Daniel's life for the sake of his proud agreement to play God.
But God worked with him, and brought about this undoubted spiritual
progress in the man.
Dan 6:21 Then Daniel said to the king, O king, live forever- The LXX reflects the ambivalence of the terms used: "O King, I am alive!". But I suggested on :6 that despite his sensitive conscience, knowing that all these kings would be deposed, Daniel went along with this form of address. We too have to make decisions as to whether we shall 'go along' with incorrect ideas and behaviour, or make a point, as Mordecai did by not bowing to Haman. Sometimes Daniel did make a point, e.g. regarding eat meat offered to idols; on this point, which didn't directly concern him personally, he didn't. See on :26. It could also be that Daniel used the term "O king, live forever" but understood it in his own way, namely that he wished that the king would repent and thereby live forever in God's eternal kingdom.
Dan 6:22 My God has sent His angel, and has shut the lions’ mouths- The shutting of the mouth of the pit by men is contrasted with the Angel shutting the mouths of the lions. Daniel's faith in this would have been developed by his knowledge of what had happened to the three friends in the furnace. This is how friendship and fellowship in Christ should work in our days- the experiences and deliverances of others become our pattern and inspiration. See on :23. It was Daniel's faith which stopped the mouth of lions (Heb. 11:33); but he says that it was God who shut them. We see here how faith makes us as it were workers together with God; what we believe in, He does, to the point that therefore we, as it were, do it. This is the level of intimacy possible between God and faithful man.
And they have not destroyed me; because before Him innocence was found in me; and also before you, O king, have I done nothing wrong- The Lord's innocence was likewise the basis of His 'resurrection' (Acts 2:24). Perhaps Daniel inspired Paul, who wrote of how he too was delivered from lions (2 Tim. 4:17) and who likewise claimed to be innocent before God and man (Acts 24:16). Daniel was no mere Sunday School or Synagogue story for him, and neither should it be for us; we are to see ourselves in Daniel and be inspired to act in faith likewise.
One part of our message is of the Kingdom of God; we
should be living witnesses to the current rulership of God over our lives,
and thereby we testify with credibility and integrity to the future
establishment of that Kingdom on earth at the Lord's return. If we are
living the eternal life, the Kingdom life, then we are in ourselves
advertisements for the good news of the Kingdom. Daniel is an example of
this. The Aramaic verb
habal occurs several times in Daniel, and between them we build
up a picture of how Daniel was a living witness to the Kingdom. The word
means to hurt / destroy. We find that the Kingdom of Babylon was to be cut
down and destroyed; whereas the Kingdom of God was to never be destroyed
(Dan. 4:23; 2:44). The mouths of the lions were closed so that they did not
"hurt" [s.w. 'destroy'] Daniel (Dan. 6:22); and because of this, Darius
praises God, saying that His Kingdom would never be 'destroyed' (Dan. 6:26).
Daniel was not destroyed; and thus Darius came to believe that God's Kingdom
would not be destroyed. Because Daniel was set up as a living part and
foretaste of that Kingdom. To a far greater extent, "the Kingdom of God" is
a title given to the Lord Jesus- because He in His mortal life was the
essence of that Kingdom, the embodiment of the Kingdom life.
Dan 6:28 So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian- The identity of Darius is problematic; this could be a way of saying "Darius, who was Cyrus the Persian". But Darius is specifically called a Mede, although perhaps this is a way of saying that he now called himself a Persian.
Previous Chapte
