Dan 6:1-3
1 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom a hundred and twenty satraps, who should be throughout the whole kingdom; 2 and over them three presidents, of whom Daniel was one; that these satraps might give account unto them, and that the king should have no damage. 3 Then this Daniel was distinguished above the presidents and the satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.
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New king - Darius of Medes and Persians
Structure of hierarchy/pyramid
Darius
king
protected at top
3 Presidents
oversee satraps
may have run day to day operations and shielded King
possible each president oversaw 40 satraps??
Daniel was one
Daniel stands out and is considered the "chief" among the presidents
120 satraps
defined as governor or prince
answers to presidents
over entire kingdom
King Darius considers putting Daniel over the entire kingdom.
What age might Daniel be?
-early-mid 80s?
Why might he be considered?
-maybe heard the tales of Daniel?
-Maybe cause he isn't Babylonian?
-might Darius be mistrustful of his own high level staff?
Possible reactions of Darius's existing high level staff when Daniel is elevated AND being considered by the king to rule the entire kingdom?
angry
mistrustful
Dan 6:4-7
4 Then the presidents and the satraps sought to find occasion against Daniel as touching the kingdom; but they could find no 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 satraps assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever. 7 All the presidents of the kingdom, the deputies and the satraps, the counsellors and the governors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a strong interdict, 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.
-These are serious scumbags here.
-Notice how they present this to King Darius. They say:
"All the presidents of the kingdom, the deputies and the satraps, the counsellors and the governors, have consulted together".
Did Daniel know about this?
Dan 6:8-11
8 Now, O king, establish the interdict, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. 9 Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the interdict. 10 And when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house (now his windows were open in his chamber toward Jerusalem); and 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 together, and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God.
After Daniel knew the king signed the decree, did Daniel take steps to hide his devotion to God?
How do we know?
-he left the windows in his chambers open and kneeled and prayed 3x's per day
-in fairness, a 'chamber' is considered a roof room or second story room
-but he could of locked his door just to be safe, but didn't. Guess he wasn't afraid?
Comment: if it were me, I would have said, "can't hurt to lock the door. Don't want inadvertently find myself in the lion's den".
Why towards Jerusalem?
Psa 5:7
But as for me, in the abundance of thy lovingkindness will I come into thy house: In thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.
-they watch and discover him praying
Another 'Ten Day' period for Daniel?
Rev 2:10
Fear not the things which thou art about to suffer: behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life.
Dan 6:12-15
12 Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king's interdict: Hast thou not signed an interdict, that every man that shall make petition unto any god or man within thirty days, save unto 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, who is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the interdict that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day. 14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him; and he labored till the going down of the sun to rescue him. 15 Then these men assembled together unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians, that no interdict nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed.
Summary
Vs 12 The king is trapped. He signed decree and remember, "the law of the Medes and Persians altereth not"
Vs 13 Daniel hasn't "submitted" to your decree and does not "regard" you. Three times per day he prayers to someone other than you.
V14 The king is sore displeased.
Greatly upset with himself?
Greatly upset because he recognizes something fishy?
Displeased
- root word means:
1. to have a bad smell, stink, smell bad
2. emit a stinking odour
The king recognizes the treachery of his own high officials, plotting and scheming and using the king AND his own decree to remove someone they considered their enemy, despite how the king saw him.
Darius works till sundown to try and extricate Daniel from this predicament that he had unwittingly gotten him into.
v15 In the evening, 'those men' reassemble and again remind the king that he has to honor his own law. It is not changeable.
Dan 6:16-18
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 nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. 18 Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting; neither were instruments of music brought before him: and his sleep fled from him.
vs16 - the king is forced to throw Daniel into the lions den.
-Why might the king have told him that "the God you serve continually will save you"?
-the king may have known he exhausted all known avenues of escape. There was no other hope, in his eyes.
Vs 17 -A stone was put over the opening of the den. Why?
-keep Daniel from escaping and/or keep the lions from escaping?
What is the significance of the king sealing it (the stone?) and and his lords sealing it with their signet?
-prob to prevent the king from rescuing Daniel at the last minute?
Pilate had sealed Jesus sepulchre (tomb/grave)
Mat 27:65-66
65 Pilate said unto them, Ye have a guard: go, make it as sure as ye can. 66 So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, the guard being with them.
-v18 The king went back to the palace. Spent the night fasting.
Musical instruments (Dahavan) were not brought to him. Could also be: diversions, musical instruments?, dancing girls, concubines, music
Darius had trouble sleeping too.
Lions Den by Brent Strawn (from OT studies Prof at Emory University)
"But then there is the matter of the lions themselves. Although the story in Dan 6 gives every indication that the lions are real, it is worth noting that the ancient world also knew of the metaphorical use of the “lions’ den” motif, just as we do. So, for example, in a Neo-Assyrian letter from an ousted court official named Urad-Gula to King Ashurbanipal, Urad-Gula asks for financial assistance and, in the course of this request, describes the royal court metaphorically as a den or pit of lions. As with our contemporary use, then, this ancient letter employs the lions’ den as a metaphor for mean colleagues or wicked competitors."
Another Lions Den mention
Fez and Morocco, p. 77, describes the lions’ dens as they have been found in Morocco. According to his account, they consist of a large square cavern under the earth, having a partition-wall in the middle of it, which is furnished with a door, which the keeper can open and close from above. By throwing in food, they can entice the lions from one chamber into the other, and then, having shut the door, they enter the vacant space for the purpose of cleaning it. The cavern is open above, its mouth being surrounded by a wall of a yard and a half high, over which one can look down into the den. This description agrees perfectly with that which is here given in the text regarding the lions’ den.”309 Keil goes on to explain that there was a door in the wall surrounding the cavern through which both the keepers and the lions could enter except when the stone was in place. This accounts for the fact that Darius was able to converse freely with Daniel before the stone was removed from the door.
Dan 6:19-23
19 Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. 20 And when he came near unto the den to Daniel, he cried with a lamentable voice; 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, and 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, 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 had trusted in his God.
This stood out to me
-vs 21-22 "Oh king live forever"
My first reaction would have been:
"You idiot! How could you sign such a stupid decree??? I did nothing wrong and you almost killed me!! Get me out of here!!"
-vs 22 Do you think there was a real angel? Or was Daniel assigning their mouths remaining closed as being evidence of an angel?
-vs 22 Daniel declare his innocence
"Before God...innocency was found in me"
"I have done no hurt" (committed no trespass)
Vs 23 Great trust in God.
How?
Do you think he was afraid?
If Daniel had been hurt or even killed, would this have spoken of Daniel's lack of faith?
Did God deliver Daniel because of his faith or innocence?
What else?
Dan 6:24-28
24 And the king commanded, and they brought those men that 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, before they came to the bottom of the den. 25 Then king Darius wrote unto all the peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied unto you. 26 I make a decree, that in all the 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 power of the lions. 28 So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
Summary
V24All the president's and satraps AND their wifes and children?
"Here the Septuagint text is slightly different and briefer, "Then those two men who had borne witness against Daniel, they, their wives, and their children, were east to the lions, and the lions slew them, and brake their bones." In this account of the punishment meted out to the accusers of Daniel, the victims are only two, with their wives and children. Hitzig contemptuously remarks that the lions' den must have been large to contain a hundred and twenty-two men along with their families - that number he gets by adding to the governors of the provinces the two presidents,colleagues of Daniel. If, however, we assume the Septuagint text to be correct, then this objection is irrelevant.
Darius writes unto the people's, nations etc:
"The God of Daniel....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."
Nebuchadnezzar stated previously:
-"the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will."
-"his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom from generation to generation"
Belshazzar
God appears as a hand writing on a wall and scares him senseless
God goes to great lengths to show Himself strong to the Kings of Babylon and Medio Persians
OR
Maybe to the ruling spiritual authorities of those nations???
God lays down the gauntlet to the spiritual authorities (the eloheim) of various heathen nations by having their rulers state things such as this:
Vs 26 spoken by Darius of Daniel's God…
"men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living and eternal God, and his kingdom shall not be destroyed, and his dominion is for ever."
A reminder to the eloheim that He is on the throne and His kingdom will never be destroyed and that He will be bringing their spiritual authority to an end at a time of His choosing
What do you see as the larger message of Daniel 6?
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