Chapter 44—In the Lions’ Den
This chapter is based on
Daniel 6
.
When Darius the Median took the throne formerly occupied by the
Babylonian rulers, he at once proceeded to reorganize the government.
He “set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes; ... and over
these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might
give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage. Then
this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an
excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the
whole realm.”
The honors bestowed upon Daniel excited the jealousy of the lead-
ing men of the kingdom, and they sought for occasion of complaint
against him. But they could find none, “forasmuch as he was faithful,
neither was there any error or fault found in him.”
Daniel’s blameless conduct excited still further the jealousy of
his enemies. “We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel,”
they were constrained to acknowledge, “except we find it against him
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concerning the law of his God.”
Thereupon the presidents and princes, counseling together, devised
a scheme whereby they hoped to accomplish the prophet’s destruction.
They determined to ask the king to sign a decree which they should
prepare, forbidding any person in the realm to ask anything of God
or man, except of Darius the king, for the space of thirty days. A
violation of this decree should be punished by casting the offender
into a den of lions.
Accordingly, the princes prepared such a decree, and presented it
to Darius for his signature. Appealing to his vanity, they persuaded
him that the carrying out of this edict would add greatly to his honor
and authority. Ignorant of the subtle purpose of the princes, the king
did not discern their animosity as revealed in the decree, and, yielding
to their flattery, he signed it.
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