Chapter 5—Daniel in the Lions’ Den
When Darius took possession of the throne of Babylon, 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” (
Daniel 6:1, 2
). And “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” (
verse
3
). The honors bestowed upon Daniel excited the jealousy of the
leading men of the kingdom. The presidents and princes sought to
find occasion for complaint against him. “But they could find none
occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any
error or fault found in him” (
verse 4
).
What a lesson is here presented for all Christians. The keen eyes
of jealousy were fixed upon Daniel day after day; their watchings were
sharpened by hatred; yet not a word or act of his life could they make
appear wrong. And still he made no claim to sanctification, but he
did that which was infinitely better—he lived a life of faithfulness and
consecration.
[43]
The more blameless the conduct of Daniel, the greater was the
hatred excited against him by his enemies. They were filled with
madness, because they could find nothing in his moral character or
in the discharge of his duties upon which to base a complaint against
him. “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”
(
verse 5
). Three times a day Daniel prayed to the God of heaven. This
was the only accusation that could be brought against him.
A scheme was now devised to accomplish his destruction. His
enemies assembled at the palace and besought the king to pass a decree
that no person in the whole realm should ask anything of either God or
man, except of Darius the king, for the space of thirty days, and that
any violation of this edict should be punished by casting the offender
into the den of lions. The king knew nothing of the hatred of these
men toward Daniel, and did not suspect that the decree would in any
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