Daniel 6:1-13 The
Lions’ Den, Part 1
It pleased
Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps, stationed
throughout the whole kingdom, and over them three presidents, including Daniel;
to these the satraps gave account, so that the king might suffer no loss. Soon
Daniel distinguished himself above all the other presidents and satraps because
an excellent spirit was in him, and the king planned to appoint him over the
whole kingdom. So the presidents and the satraps tried to find grounds for
complaint against Daniel in connection with the kingdom. But they could find no
grounds for complaint or any corruption, because he was faithful, and no
negligence or corruption could be found in him. The 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.’
So the
presidents and satraps conspired and came to the king and said to him,
‘O King Darius, live forever! All the presidents of the kingdom, the
prefects and the satraps, the counsellors and the governors, are agreed that
the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an interdict, that whoever
prays to anyone, divine or human, for thirty days, except to you, O king,
shall be thrown into a den of lions. Now, O king, establish the interdict
and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of
the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.’ Therefore King Darius
signed the document and interdict.
Although
Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he continued to go to his house,
which had windows in its upper room open towards Jerusalem, and to get down on
his knees three times a day to pray to his God and praise him, just as he had
done previously. The conspirators came and found Daniel praying and seeking
mercy before his God. Then they approached the king and said concerning the
interdict, ‘O king! Did you not sign an interdict, that anyone who prays
to anyone, divine or human, within thirty days except to you, O king,
shall be thrown into a den of lions?’ The king answered, ‘The thing stands
fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.’
Then they responded to the king, ‘Daniel, one of the exiles from Judah, pays no
attention to you, O king, or to the interdict you have signed, but he is
saying his prayers three times a day.’
****
Scholars
explain that Daniel means “God, my judge”.
Dan means “judge”, the sound “ee” means “my” and el means “God”, It is
interesting that scholars reverse the order.
Elidan would be the literal order of “God, my judge”. Daniel is literally “Judge my God”. Hmmm.
But back to the verses. This is
one of many instances in the Bible where people put their faith in God before
everything else. Daniel has always
followed God. His enemies try to trap
him, using his obedience to God, but Daniel puts his God first and continues to
pray to him three times a day. Soon
after this we will find that Daniel’s trust in God is rewarded.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, as Daniel is
our example, grant us a steadfast trust in you, Oh God, that we may be as
faithful in our belief and that nothing causes our faith to falter in times of
stress. May we always believe and follow
you in everything we do. Forgive us in our times of doubt. Strengthen us always
and lead us to the life to come. Amen
Don Icken is a member of Trinity
Lutheran Church, Brewster, NY
No comments:
Post a Comment