Daniel Lesson 6

Introduction

This more we’re going to be looking at Daniel chapter 6. This is lesson number seven in your book. Which was Daniel on the lion stand, as we normally call this lesson. But I was as I was kind of going through and preparing, I thought, you know, that’s what we always call it. But it’s for me, it’s kind of a prayer uh lesson in about Daniel, about his faith and his um, and of course about prayer as well, involved in this. Or we could even say um another example of cause of divine intervention with this with this, but uh that is sort of the top topic we’re only used. In part perhaps because that’s those of us who’ve kind of grown up going to church, that’s one of the lessons we probably.

Probably one of the lessons that uh first Bible stories we probably learned. I mean, that’s one of the earliest ones I can remember. Before we actually get into this, since we are about to be halfway done with the book, um, this is after this chapter we’ll kind of break and start going into a lot of visions and different things that are uh get a little bit more interesting. I want to actually have us kind of go through it, and instead of reviewing the previous lesson like I normally do, um, let’s look at the uh each of the chapters and just kind of remind us where we’re at. Because I like to have when any book I’m going through, I try to kind of get an idea of what’s in each chapter because it kind of helps me go back, and that’s the way I kind of learned where to go look for stuff.

Um so what happens in uh Daniel chapter one? He’s taking captive staying captive. Chosen by the king, special group young men to be trained in our culture that they refuse to eat. And what was the result of that?

Yeah, they’re way better. And uh, and we said Daniel, who else was who else was with it that we specifically mentioned? Shadrach, Mishach, Ben Negal. Yeah, what are their uh what are their Jewish names?

And Hananiah, Azarai, Michelle and Hannah. Which, you know, and it it is kind of interesting that we remember one one way, one or the other, but and obviously that’s because in part because of the text, but I always try to um remember both of them. Okay, what about chap uh chapter two?

And what was the uh what was the dream of what was the vision he saw? Yeah, four part. Yeah, what were the uh um what was maybe not specifically even, but just kinda in general, what was this uh foretelling of kingdoms to kingdoms to come of the kingdoms to come? And I guess the important thing is that God was gonna set up his people. Right, yes, yes, and after all these things there’d be one that would become the mountain and would withstand forever, unlike all these other ones, it would be a different kind of kingdom. Okay, what about uh Daniel chapter three?

This is the mid but the mid-semester quiz or something, I guess.

They didn’t die. Yeah, and they didn’t die. Matter of fact, it even says were were they were they weren’t seeing it? Yeah, they weren’t even touched by it, didn’t even smell like it, which still is really interesting to me. Um and it and well, and of course, what was the worst thing for us to get out of that?

Well, God rather than men if we can serve and and of course uh what what was their answer by the way whenever ever whenever it was proposed to work. Sure, you don’t want to if you bow down now, go ahead. What was what was kind of their response? Their immediate answer was that they didn’t even have to think about it, they weren’t gonna do it. And it wouldn’t matter if if if they were saved, God could save them. If not, it wouldn’t matter. Okay. What about chapter four? The vision of the dream or the tree. Yeah. And what was that kind of uh symbolizing or the result of that one? Uh or what we kind of call it.

His kingdom was set up and what they ought to do in that was done being brought yellow. Right.

All right, and then what in uh Wednesday, what did we look at in chapter five? Writing on the wall. Writing on the wall. Right. See the hand on the wall. And what was the uh result of that, or what was it showing?

Yeah, which happened pretty quickly, didn’t it?

Yeah. Try to go through this, and like I said, we’re gonna have a break starting with tonight and we’ll get into something before you answer, but today we’re gonna look at as I was saying, Daniel and the line stand, uh as we usually call this chapter, or the topic of this chapter, or what happens in this chapter. Um, let’s add, well, somebody read versus uh one through nine, please.

1. No Charge or Fault Found in Daniel

Did please Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps to be over the whole kingdom. And over these three governors of whom Daniel was one, that the satraps might give account to them so that the king would suffer no loss. Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps because an excellent spirit was in him, and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm. So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom, but they could find no charge or fault because he was faithful, nor was there any error or fault found in him. Then these men said, We shall not find any charge against this Daniel, unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.

So these governors and satraps thronged before the king and said thus to him, King Darius, live forever. All the governors of the kingdom, the administrators, the satraps, the counselors, and advisers have consulted together to an establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king established the decree and signed the writing so that it cannot be changed according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter. Therefore, King Darius signed the written decree. So what did Darius do? What was he uh setting up at first?

What’s that? His government. Yeah, he’s basically setting up his government. Okay, this ain’t gonna reach quite that far. Yeah, he was um first couple of verses we see he’s setting up this form of government. Uh why would he need to do that? Or why was he why was he doing this? You think he said so that he would not suffer off and know what’s going on all over the right. He’s setting up in his administration, you’ve got a new government booking, obviously you’re gonna so that and that phrase that you’ve meant that you can lose. Um makes me think of something and something I kind of read, maybe some of the commentary was mentioning too. Um is there ever a problem with uh when you’re bringing in in government?

Do we ever have a problem with uh say corruption or problems with maybe just more of it, right? Yeah, but it goes on. So that phrase it kind of makes me think of that perhaps uh he was trying to avoid corruption in the government or something like this, trying not to have loss by that way. But of course uh I have that phrase in there. Okay. Yeah, in verse three, it says that Daniel distinguished himself because of an ex excellent spirit. And to it was to the extent that what that uh the king gave to setting up over the whole realm. First time that uh that Daniel’s been showing himself above the others?

Yeah. Um what uh kind of potential problem could that have been for the other people if you you’ve got this one governor who’s you know who’s above these others? That you think that might strike somebody a little roughly rears and yeah it doesn’t um going well into the first four the other ones the governors of the satrap are looking for some charge as you mentioned jealousy um perhaps they won their part maybe they were being corrupt I’m kind of just guessing here but um certainly there was this case of you’ve got somebody who’s a uh who’s not even part of the nation you’ve got a few that’s now been placed in a high position and may even be placed in a higher position so certainly certain that possibility that jealous that they were um wanting to uh find some way to bring him down so what was what what did Daniel do wrong what was his what was what was he at fault for they found no fault in them yeah when when even the ones that are seeking to bring you down can’t find fault in you and they were obviously very much looking uh for something to bring it down um this would kind of be you know always risk even mentioning policy but you know they everybody’s always looking for somebody some way some fault in somebody else so what were they going to uh how were they going to find fault in what what was what were they gonna do then if they couldn’t find him being rebellious to the king or something like that.

So it had to be related to his worship. Yeah, what does that say about Daniel when all they could find when they decide when they basically had to set up and look to to this one thing, you know. It was obvious that he was alright. Yeah. So it was apparently pretty obvious. And be able to have to go through that.

So apparently he was obedient to Darius to the king in this respect, otherwise they would have gone to that first. And so they gotta somehow figure out a way that makes what he’s doing with his obedience to God the wrong thing to do. So obviously, you know, is Daniel unique in persecution for righteousness, whether in this book or otherwise.

2. A Decree That Cannot Be Changed

No, and I think that’s one of the reasons why Daniel is such a um example. You know, he like so many uh people we see in the Bible is standing up for what’s right and and in this respect what was kind of perhaps a little bit um different in this respect, and maybe some of the um as we’ll get to later what’s what he uh specifically ends up sort of getting in trouble for. So it’s kind of a little bit different like that. Um I guess that’s maybe a read my mind question. Um there I see something different in here about the way they end up catching him. They actually had to set it up. I mean other cases it’s it’s I mean the rules were already in place when the other people were persecuted, or this one they actually had to make the rule in order to put to arrest Darius.

Uh I mean not Darius to Daniel. Yeah, and that’s kind of what I was thinking of, because you know, like in the New Testament, you know, there there’s being sort of a ruckus being caused or something. Here, Daniel, and probably I guess I’m getting ahead, but it it is kind of interesting to wait that they had to kind of go about this. Like you say, there wasn’t a law or replaced they had to manipulate things to make it work. They they basically fed off the eagle of the king.

Yeah, what I mean, because in um, you know, because in verse six, of course they go to him, you know, King Garris live forever. Um all the admin all the governors of the kingdom, the administration of the satrapies, the counselors and the advisors have come together with this. Let’s all of us we come up, we’ve got this great idea. We’re gonna bring the king, we’re gonna feed off of this. And of course, even though they were, you know, monarchy, they were they had laws as well. So we’re gonna bring forward this law. Um so we’re gonna bring that forward and uh got this idea of something. And what was that idea that they were what was that law they’re gonna bring forward? I just put it on the screen accidentally, but yeah, there’s you go.

Yeah, exactly what I got there. That’s right. Um yeah, no one’s gonna bow down to any god or man except Darius. It’s interesting to me that this was they actually uh sort of put a limitations on this. Um that it was 30 days. Which I suppose, knowing what they knew about Daniel, they knew it probably wouldn’t take 30 days, would it? Um especially if they were setting this up ahead of time, knew exactly where he lived and what his things were if he had they had planned this ahead and apparently they did. So it’s interesting though to me that they put that in there.

Only but just hold off for only 30 days also is because they didn’t want some because you know when they see signed the agreeing law it was not repealable. Right, only but just hold off for only for 30 days and they could do just they didn’t want to have to miss out between their own gods. Well very true and also perhaps um what if they had messed up you know the law didn’t sit there while then who knows you know they kind of mess up and start found out of their God forgot that that law is still in effect or something you know um who wants to you know take that risk you know um obviously it’s all conjecture but it is interesting though to me that the fact it’s in there.

Um and everyone was worth right that’s what they said well yeah they didn’t basically Daniel was because he wasn’t amongst those one of the subject and you can imagine obviously with this many people you know when they were talking about this in Minister it probably didn’t seem that strange you know that not everybody was there because you’ve got a whole lot of people are all these people gonna show up well we’ve got this law everybody’s already talked about it and you’ve got perhaps some of the you know uh what we call them like the senior lawmakers so to speak you know coming to you and saying well we’ve already kind of talked about this and this is so you know he’s the king he can go ahead and put that into place.

Um but there is certainly that little bit of salesmanship on their part anymore um to kind of sell it to him. And of course they had to sell it to him for this to work. Um let’s see why couldn’t the law be undone you know because it’s it you know because they say that that it’s uh make a firm decree but so they cannot be changed in Mercedes. So it’s just a uh it was a real remote version of law, code law.

Yeah, once it was done it was done. Yeah, it was basically illegal for for the king to change it, which is kind of interesting. Um, as I kind of looked into some of the stuff about how the government worked that even a government this far ancient actually had these kinds of rules in place. Even a person who obviously was very had quite um immense power, even had certain rules to hold into. Um as far as sort of the background why that was read a few things about it. One was that uh in their culture that theorists that the king basically could was speaking for the gods in in a way, and so you know, if he was speaking for the gods and they went back, you know, it’s like he’s well the god changed their mind, it might weaken the uh view of that.

Another thing is um that uh one person was talking about was um that if he could constantly go back and forth and change his laws just on a whim, then it might create a certain amount of instability, perhaps lead to rebellion. Somebody just so somebody doesn’t like the law, search revealing, and he’ll change it back. So perhaps it kind of hardens into law a little bit, makes it a little bit harder uh to change laws, so it’s not just automatically withdrawing on a whim.

And so King Darius uh signed the written decree in verse nine.

So we’ve already seen uh somebody’s thrown into a dental line. So we we know what the punishment is. It’s kind of interesting, and obviously that’s a lot agreed. I don’t intend for us to really read this, but near as I could find, no one’s actually found like an example of what the lines didn’t were in Babylon or in uh uh Neo Persian Empire. This was something actually from later, and basically what this person was saying, and I’m gonna take a real risk here and draw all that you can even tell what my box is on the screen. But what he’s kind of saying is that there’s like this pit, and it’s got like a door in it. And this is where that stone would be going.

And that this had a big barrier around it, and it was actually an open pit. I always kind of vision this more as like a cistern or something where it was like a pit, and you just have a small stone that goes from the top. Um I’m not sure. Obviously, this wasn’t even that empire, but and it of course it doesn’t really matter. What we know is there was a den of lions that obviously could be sealed up, as we’ll see later. Um I’ll be more than happy there’s about that somebody has about 10 pages on that on the internet. I think all the commentaries of that. But uh, like I said, I uh okay. But then we get into sort of the next part of this.

3. Daniel Prayed and Gave Thanks as His Custom

Um somebody read. Let’s somebody read verses 10 through 14, and we’ll kind of break this up a little bit. Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house. Now in this roof chamber, he had windows open toward Jerusalem, and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his guide. Something up there to read, you don’t mean it.

Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his god. Then they approached and spoke before the king about the king’s injunction. Did you not sign an injunction that any man who makes a petition to any god or a man besides you, O king, for thirty days is to be cast into the lion’s den. The king replied, The statement is true according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be your devotee. Then they answered and spoke before the king. Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, for the injunction which you signed, but keeps making his petition three times a day. Then as soon as the king heard this statement, he was deeply distressed and set his mind on delivering Daniel.

And even until sunset, he kept exerting himself to rescue him.

Um through verse 17. Then these men came by agreement to the king, and he said to the king, Recognize, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians, that no injunction or statute which the king establishes may be changed. Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and cast into the lion’s den. The king spoke and said to Daniel, Your God, whom you constantly serve, will himself deliver you. A stone was brought and laid over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring, and the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing would be changed in regard to Daniel. Yeah.

So I think verse 10, you know, there’s a lot we can get out of this verse. First of all, for out in the very first phrase. Did Daniel know this law? Was he aware of it? Yes. Yes. Oh yes. And of course that’s important to me. Yes, that he did this knowingly. And went home, went into his upper room, with the end windows open towards Jerusalem. Um he prayed toward Jerusalem. What state was Jerusalem in at this time?

So why would he pray towards Jerusalem?

Yeah, I mean it’s where the temple had been. That was still, you know, did they have a temple where they’re at? Did they have like a you know a center of worship? I mean, that was still a place, and so it’s so he was still praying to Jerusalem, praying in that direction.

And he says he knelt down on his knees three times that day and prayed and gave thanks before God. Okay.

When we’re having tough times, how how easy is it to give thanks even just when we’re having, you know, for the ordinary, maybe not ordinary, but you know, the tougher times in our lives. And yet Daniel was about and it says specifically he gave thanks. Prayed and he gave thanks before his God. So that that strikes me too a little bit that he gave thanks. And I think perhaps the um one key little thing there, it was as was his custom since the early days.

Was this does it appear based on that that Daniel had changed his manner, or does this seem like it was something that like he says was custom? Like he had a place prepared that he would go to there three times that in a day.

Yeah, very much was his normal. This is custom. And then I think it’s when Koreans were comrade there, they knew that too. Yeah. Yeah, I think. They probably seen him do it. Certainly if they’ve been looking ahead already, trying to figure out something, they probably had already maybe they’ve been following him on. I don’t know.

Yeah, they probably knew his pattern. Um but it’s it’s interesting to me that this was I think it I think that’s important if he had um changed his pattern. Let’s say if he changed his pattern decided um that he wasn’t gonna pray, or perhaps he wasn’t gonna pray to Jerusalem, or he wasn’t gonna or he was gonna go somewhere else. What would that have said about his faith, about his belief? Well these guys are really set on on getting Daniel. Uh in the very first chapter, he put Daniel purpose in in his heart and to defile himself. And forgo we have seen so far, him and his friends even willing to stand up to the king, be thrown in the furnace. This this is not this shouldn’t surprise us.

Daniel at this time is a very old man. Look when the king was setting up his his administration. There were 120 satrap, three governors. Daniel was one of them. Daniel has been around the block for some time, so he he’s like this this stuff is not gonna shake him. Yeah, this was just another sort of example, another time where he was standing by obviously he’s gone through all this other things, then it’s probably not gonna affect him now. Um how easy it would have been. Let’s say the decree was set. Oh he’s just thirty days.

I mean would we do something like that today? Um could he just shut his window?

What’s that? I guess he wanted to be seen in a social worship.

Well I think the first century Christians certainly had to hide and keep away from being killed. And I think what he but I think the important thing even goes to that because we say, well, he’s not was he making a public distra demonstration or was he not? I I think that’s getting away from from the thing. In fact, this was the way he did it, and so he just went about it. And so that there was not, you know, him making you know, what was he making the scene was he was doing what he did. He it was his custom, it says he w it was his custom since the early days. He knew it it didn’t affect him, he just kept on doing it. And I think that’s the important thing that strikes me.

Go ahead.

And almighty God. And like you say, what you’re oh, I’m sorry, go ahead. Well, he’s lived through some very powerful evil kingdoms. Yes, yes. And this is nothing. Yeah. And I mean, like you said, he’s been around a block. But if you if you think of what he has lived during already, and those other things are gone. And they’ve been trying to demean him and take away his authority since he was 17. And now he’s eight.

So A, he’s ready to die. He needs to. But he’s seen God do such incredible things. Yeah, certainly Daniel’s already gone to a point where he’s been through a lot of things up to this point. Going to what kind of walk-up was kind of something he was heading to was, you know, okay. Even even being a faithful person, you know, you think he might could have still made some excuse, perhaps. I mean, 30 days. Maybe I’ll just, you know, hide and hide my police or something, you know. You know, we certainly don’t see that in his character. I guess the immediate lesson, you know, that you know, he, you know, perhaps we would have tried to make the excuses and whatever uh about it. You know, it’s 30 days, you know, I can hide, I can do whatever.

Um, you know, and just but he chose he chose to do his continue on with it. Um however that is as far as public or private or whatever, he just continued on. Um course he had already chosen other things we might bring out for us. He had a place apparently chosen to pray, right? He it was discussed, but he had somewhere that went.

Um you know that any change was a compromise. Um we already talked about some of the attributes of his prayer, um, going looking viewing towards Jerusalem. Uh and so you know, kind of bringing it home a slot a little bit more.

Yeah, do we pray like Daniel? Well I don’t think I have to worry about somebody throwing me into the den alliance or you know, stoning me or anything for it, but as far as you know, having you know, a a custom to pray in a certain way, I mean, I think that’s something we’ve got to think about for ourselves. You know, and it’s a lesson for us to think about is do we um pray in this regard? Obviously, you know, I thought a couple of verses that came by New Testament passages, um, you know, prayed without ceasing three times a day, continued on. Um, I don’t think he was, you know, even though he had ever right, it seems like, you know, was he anxious? Well, he just kept on praying, and of course he made time.

4. The King Labored to Deliver Daniel

Okay. And of course, now let’s kind of continue move on. So we got the story this morning, but um the lesson, but so they assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before God. Big surprise, right?

So they f he was found out. So they go to Darius and they ask him, Have you made you signed a decree that every man who petitions any god or man within 30 days expued into a den alliance? He says, Yes, this thing’s true according to the law of meeting Persians, which does not alter. So there once again he confirms that it cannot change. Well, they say, Daniel, this one that does not show due regard for you. I think that’s interesting. He doesn’t show he doesn’t show due regard for for him. Was Dane did Daniel show proper respect to Darius? Yes.

Well, apparently, otherwise they would have been getting him for that instead of getting him for his belief in God. Um so they twisted. They’re like, oh well, he’s not obeying your law, so he’s not obeying you. And he doesn’t, you know, he’s not showing proper respect for you. Um, and of course, we see in uh WhatsApp plays.

So in verse 14, the king was greatly displeased with himself and set his heart on to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him. So even though he knew that all could change, you know, when I read this, I kind of like it’s almost like maybe dears is reading through their laws, trying to look and see if there was maybe we might say legal precedent or something for for changing this, perhaps. Yeah. Can it kind of make something change? Did I make this in such a way that I can uh have good reason, you know, to work this out differently? Um, at least from a little bit of historical stuff I read, um, typically uh the execution was carried out on the on that same day, but on the evening of that day where it was where it was actually um confirmed, you know, when judgment was was, or when sentence was uh person that actually been tried and committed that he had uh broken the law.

So he tries from that point.

So they uh not to jump ahead, yeah. So verse 16. Darius says, your God, whom you serve continually will deliver you. Do you think Darius truly believed that Daniel would be saved? Well, it looks like it here. Why did he put him in there then? Well, he had to. He had to put him in there. By law, he had to put him in there. The law. Yeah, because the law you had to put him in there. He did the law in fact. Oh we’ll get into this in the next couple of verses, but a little bit more. But um, he tells them that you’re God will save you, whom you serve continually. And they brought it out, king sealed it with a signet ring. What was significant about it being sealed with the king’s signature ring?

Oh, that got broken. You were on top of that. Yeah, if it got broken, you you it was that they couldn’t rescue Daniel without breaking the seal. And that’s why kind of why going back, why I kind of almost see this more as the sister thing. Obviously, there’s some way that you know it could be known that you know that this was by the will of the king that he’d be sealed up in there. Going to the part about though, about whether Darius believed that God would save Daniel, look at verse 18. What’s uh now the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting, and he meant to be brought before him. Also, his sleep went from him. Then the king went, king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den Alliance.

So Darius didn’t have a restful night’s sleep, did he? No. So then was he a hundred percent confident, do you think that Daniel would be saved, that you’d be in there in the morning? Maybe not, but he was hopeful. Yeah, he was certainly hopeful. I mean, I think I think he perhaps he believed that there was that power he’d be saved, and he would like to say he was very hopeful. But as we go into verse 20.

He wanted him to be saved. And I think what I read in the scripture, I kind of sense that Darius was um he was displeased with himself because he fell for a trap. And but he didn’t see the cleverness of those dudes to get uh Daniel into so that’s why he had a loss of sleep and all this, because he knew his decree he put in place put Daniel in harm’s way. Certainly. And if if the king hadn’t cared about Daniel or you know, cared about his life, you think he would have spent all that time you know trying to figure out way Alamine? If this was something like I don’t care about him, throw him in there, let’s get it over with. I mean, you know, I think there’s some of the other governors, he probably would have put him in that morning.

5. My God Has Sent His Angel

So verse 20. And when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The king with a lamenting voice. I think that’s there too, obviously, he’s the concern there. Yeah, he was troubled. Troubled. Oh, you know, I hope I hope you’re in there, Daniel. Hope you’re still alive. You know. The king spoke, saying to Daniel, Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions. And what does Daniel say?

Oh, King live forever.

Um and then he says, My God has sent his angel and shut the mouth shut the lion’s mouths so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before him. And also, O king, I have done no wrong before you. Now the king was exceedingly glad for him and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he believed in his God. Verse 22, we have another confirmation that he had done no wrong. You know what and actually let me back up for one quick question. Was was Daniel in there for only you know like a couple hours or something? No, yeah, obviously he was in there for the night.

Now, Darius may have arose early, but certainly he had to at least wait long enough to make sure that he didn’t go out there in the middle of the night himself and save it, otherwise that would have created trouble. Um so obviously Daniel wasn’t there long enough for the lions to have uh done what they were going to do to the others. But yeah, as it was confirmed, you know, I’ve no done done no wrong before you, O king. He was found innocent before God, and he was innocent before the king. Of course, we ought to be at God rather than men.

Well, interesting. Didn’t didn’t he didn’t Daniel break the law? Didn’t he really do break the law though? Okay, okay. You know, yes, obey God rather than men. Yeah, but Darius did. Yeah, I mean he broke, he broke it, and obviously there was a bigger something more important there that we’ve got to obey God. Um something, and I actually didn’t find a whole lot on this question myself trying to look it up, but just my thoughts were um okay, they it’s the creed says he’s gonna be thrown in, but did the do we think the law had what did it say about if anybody survived? I think it was probably assumed a foregone collusion. You get dumped into a dead alliance, that’s the end of it, and that’s probably the end of the decree.

So I’ve kind of wondered, well, you know, you know, we did it. Well, you know, did Darius break the law, or how does this work? You know, well, he broke the law, you know, he got thrown in, he got punished, he survived. I don’t think there was an addendum on uh how that nobody probably considered that. I think they were uh obviously they thought this was a pretty sure fire way of getting rid of Daniel. Well, I think they understood that uh if someone survived that, it was by divine decree. And that was that was approved. Yeah, yeah. The same thing was true about throwing them in the fiery furnace. What if they survived? Well, you can’t survive. What if they’re well? It’s obviously by divine intervention.

You know, you can’t argue with that. Right. And it was certainly God intervening in that. As a matter of fact, uh, if what did even Darius say? You know, uh, has your God whom you serve continually been able to deliver you? So obviously, it was recognized that. So I think that was kind of a worthwhile aside to kind to consider. What about the remaining 30 days of that decree? Because obviously this was at the start of 30 days. That’s actually something I didn’t even think about but um the punishment how do I carry out for Daniel he already passed the punishment. Well yeah he had passed the punishment although there’s still like maybe 20 to 25 more days of this department dare to accuse him again.

That perhaps is the other thing you know what what happened to these guys who what did what did happen to the conspirators that was alone pursue the rest of that yeah they got thrown in so um if they were getting thrown in to the point which obviously and by the way obviously these lines are pretty hungry you know they didn’t even make it to the bottom um but yeah so after these guys have gotten thrown in do you think he also is going to try to accuse Daniel of this may have been in place but did it really matter if there was what happened to the his accusers what’s that they they saw what happened to his accusers yeah so why would anybody have you just had some high officials get thrown into a dead alliance for accusing Daniel one of the other governors I don’t think and do you think words probably gonna spread kind of one way or another about this?

Yeah we have families too yeah you know there’s probably a lot of well I know there’s a lot of laws we have that you know don’t get you know um enforced exactly so you know this may have been another one of those cases yeah the law may have been there but who was gonna enforce it? Yeah, nothing happens at the cues and that’s the five. And as I kind of did with the uh fiery furnace let me asked the question, you know, well, you know, Daniel must have those appliance must have been recently fed, right? But well, obviously not because they got a whole bunch more and got attacked before they even got to the bottom. Um to the point, let me actually read the words since we didn’t read it, and the king gave command and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den alliance, them, their children, their wives, and the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces before they ever came to the bottom of the den.

I think that’s pretty uh harsh. Says they their whole families were thrown in.

Is that something in the family wouldn’t be a problem in society? Just like in India when the husband died, the wife was killed too. I don’t know. I I think they don’t want the the revenge aspect coming out through the family. No. That they may have had something to do with it. I know some I do know though that some of the laws that were in place. I guess some of the more um horrific crimes or something did have this punishment to make it go an extra step further. It’s not just bad enough we’re going to that you’re gonna die, your whole family’s gonna die, adding an extra level of the punishment to it. Okay. It tells us, you know, you as individuals when you make certain decisions.

The consequences do not just follow you, or you’ve got a big heal or something.

Some of the stories we read earlier on, the wife is the instigator of the agents like Mordecai.

So maybe that could happen with some of the others. Oh, that’s true. Possible too that there’s other um something else was behind it as well.

6. Tremble and Fear Before the God of Daniel

And of course after this, um the king the king made his decree verse twenty-five. King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, languages that dwell on the all the earth, peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, and steadfast forever. His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall endure to the end. He delivers and rescues, and he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth. Who has delivered Daniel from the who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions? So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Obviously, we see with Daniel in this case.

Conclusion

And I think we get a lot of good lessons out of this. And you know, we see it, you know, as a kid’s story, but obviously for us as adults, there’s quite a bit there for us too. Um, you know, it’s a nice little story, but it’s kind of a faith-building story. Yes, faith-building story. And the story itself is pretty simple, but when we actually look at all these different aspects of this, um, you know, being able to they could have made excuses and you know, and the fact he continued on. I think there’s a lot of great stuff there. Um, I got a minute or two, let me say, I appreciate all the comments. I don’t know if I’ve said it before, but I do appreciate all the comments always.

We’ll be going in the next lesson. We’ll be going into the next chapter, which is where, like I said, we start getting into visions and some things that are quite tough. And I probably, whenever I was preparing before the class started, spent quite a bit of time on some of these visions, and um so it’ll be uh very interesting, so come prepared because it’s hard, it’s hard, it’s easy to get lost anyway, and all the more so if we don’t really uh buckle down and kind of look at some of these things. And so we’ll study that for the next class. Anybody have any other comments they want to make about for this chapter? No, uh Greg’s lesson this morning talking about uh being good stewards when when Daniel would go back up into his window of praise after the decree.

A lot of good comments about what’s his motivation. I kind of feel like uh his motivation was if I do this continually publicly in a way that people can see me. I serve God, and I think that’s his motivation. Because yeah, I I don’t think there was anything wrong if you would pray for you know shut the window for Jesus thing about prayer. He said, Go inside your closet, praying. Don’t don’t pray to be seen in men. And I don’t think Daniel was praying to be seen, but yeah, he was being seen, and I think when he continued to do it, he did it only for one reason. And that’s to further the interests of God.

Very good comment. Thank you.