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Daniel in the Lions’ Den
This chapter is based on Daniel 6.
Darius the Mede at once proceeded to reorganize the government.
He “set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps, ... 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.”
The honors that the king bestowed on Daniel stirred up the
jealousy of the kingdom’s leading men. But they could find no
basis for complaint against him, because “he was faithful; nor was
there any error or fault found in him.”
“We shall not find any charge against this Daniel,” they acknowl-
edged, “unless we find it against him concerning the law of his
God.”
So the officials and princes asked the king to sign a decree
forbidding any person to ask anything of any god or any person,
except of Darius the king, for thirty days. Violation of this decree
would be punished by casting the offender into a den of lions.
Appealing to Darius’s vanity, they persuaded him that carrying
out this edict would add greatly to his authority. Ignorant of the
subtle motive of the princes, the king signed it.
Satanic agencies had stirred the princes to envy. They had in-
spired the plan for Daniel’s destruction; and the princes, yielding
themselves as instruments of evil, carried it into effect.
The prophet’s enemies counted on Daniel’s firm adherence to
principle for the success of their plan. He quickly read their evil
purpose but did not change his course. Why should he stop praying
now, when he most needed to pray? He performed his duties as chief
of the princes and at the hour of prayer went to his chamber to offer
his petition to the God of heaven. He did not try to conceal his act.
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