1 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; 2 and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. 3 Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4 Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. 5 Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.”
6 Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live forever! 7 All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 8 Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 9 Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction.
10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. 11 Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. 12 Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes 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 and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 13 Then they answered and said before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.”
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Darius, having just conquered Babylon, set about establishing Medo-Persian rule by appointing 120 satraps throughout the kingdom. These were lower-level officials who reported to three higher officials of which Daniel was one. In his role, Daniel became distinguished above all the other administrators and satraps because of his excellent spirit. Evidently, Darius recognised God’s hand on Daniel and he sought to promote Daniel over the whole kingdom. By this time Daniel was over eighty years of age. The two other administrators and the satraps (probably not all 120) became jealous and looked for a way to discredit Daniel but they were unable to find any grounds for complaint or any fault because of his faithfulness. They realised that the only way they were going to get to Daniel was through his religion.
These administrators and satraps colluded and went to the king. They presented an exaggerated case that all the royal administrators were in agreement that the king should establish a law that for the next thirty days, no one should petition any god or man except to the king. The penalty for breaking this law was death by being thrown into a den of lions. This law probably wasn’t about elevating Darius to a deity to be prayed to, but more likely that Darius was to be the priestly mediator through which anyone should petition their gods. In this sense, it would have been seen as a good way to bring unity and show loyalty to the newly established government. They encouraged the king to formally establish this injunction and personally sign the document so it could not be revoked. The king was persuaded and he signed it into law.
Knowing about the law, Daniel continued to go to the upper chamber of his home and with the windows open toward Jerusalem, he continued to pray on his knees three times a day as was his habit. Praying towards Jerusalem was probably based on Solomon’s prayer during the dedication of the temple (2 Chron 6:21). Daniel was a man of courage and conviction. He continued to praise God despite the danger. He continued to openly serve God and didn’t change or hide his faith even in the face of death. Daniel deliberately defied the law of the land which goes against the Bible’s instruction to obey civil authority (Rom 13:1-2). This can be reconciled because the Bible also teaches that God’s law is higher than any law of man and “we must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).
The men who were against Daniel came together by agreement and found Daniel praying to God as he was known to do. They approached the king and by way of reminder asked the king if he had not issued the decree forbidding any petitions to any god except through the king. The king agreed that he had signed it into law and that according to the law of the Medes and Persians, it could not be revoked. Then they revealed that Daniel, one of the exiles from Judah, paid no attention to the king or his injunction which he signed, and continued to pray to his God three times a day.
Do you live your life with such godly integrity that the only fault people could find with you would be to go after your faith? If they did go after your faith, would you stand firm in your habits of Bible reading and daily prayer? If you did not confidently answer those two questions, what do you need to change from today?
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Through the Red Sea: Exodus 14