Reflect on the profound lessons from Daniel Chapter 6 as we discuss the powerful themes of faith, integrity, and leadership. Discover how Daniel’s commitment to God amidst political conspiracy exemplifies a model of impeccable character and unshakeable faith. Through personal reflections and historical journaling insights, we explore how the steadfast obedience to God and exemplary spirit of Daniel hold relevance in our present-day quest for righteous leadership and personal character. Join us in this enlightening journey as we delve into the story’s enduring message of divine deliverance and the unending cycle of faith in the face of trials.
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. We join Allen J. Huth as he shares Bible passages and comments from over 30 years of his personal Bible reading journals.
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Today we are in Daniel chapter 6, the halfway point of the book of Daniel. We’ll listen to Faith Comes by Hearing’s recording of Daniel chapter 6.
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Daniel 6 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps to be throughout the whole kingdom, and over them three presidents, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other presidents and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him, and the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. Then the presidents and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom. But they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. Then these 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. Then these presidents and satraps came by agreement to the king and said to him,
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O King Darius, live forever. All the presidents of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.
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Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction. When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he had done previously. Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God.
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Then they came near and said before the king concerning the injunction, O king, did you not sign an injunction that anyone who makes petition to any God or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?
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The king answered and said, The thing stands fast according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.
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Then they answered and said before the king,
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Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.
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Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king,
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Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.
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Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel, May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you. And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting. No diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him. Then at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish.
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The king declared to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?
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Then Daniel said to the king,
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O king, live forever. My God sent his angel and shut the lion’s mouths and they have not harmed me because I was found blameless before him and also before you, O king. I have done no harm.
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Then the king was exceedingly glad and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions. they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces. Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth, Peace be multiplied to you.
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I make a decree. that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God, enduring forever. His kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. He delivers and rescues. He works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth. He who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.
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So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
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In 1998, as I was reading Daniel 6, I wrote in my personal Bible reading journal, God cares about governmental authorities. He placed Daniel as one of three commissioners over the kingdom. He possessed an extraordinary spirit, was faithful, no negligence or corruption was found in him. We pray for leadership like that today. By the way, I was reading that on election day, 1988. In 2005, after reading Daniel chapter 6, I wrote in my personal Bible reading journal, the character of Daniel is exemplary. They could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption inasmuch as he was faithful and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him. And that’s verse 4. lord protect my character keep me faithful and of christ-like character i continued to write political jealousy has always existed power corrupts daniel is set up by his potential adversaries not because of who he was or what he did but because of their jealousy Daniel defies the order with courage and goes to the lion’s den. Even the king rooted for Daniel because of his character in his testimony. God delivered Daniel. The presence of God was consistent all the days of Daniel. In 2012, I wrote in my personal Bible reading journal about Daniel 6, Daniel rose to the top of his field, one of three presidents, and was going to rule over the entire kingdom because an excellent spirit was in him. He was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. What character! Lord, let it be so in me. Daniel knew the law had been signed, but he still prayed and gave thanks to God three times a day. Daniel’s reputation was known by the other presidents, the satraps, and the king. Darius was anxious to see God work in Daniel’s life. Are people anxious to see God work in my life? Am I too to see God work in others? Yes. Am I blameless before God? And I was referring to verse 21 of chapter 6. These stories should build faith. In chapter 6, Daniel is now under a third king. He was under Nebuchadnezzar, then Belshazzar, now it’s King Darius. Once again, Daniel’s reputation precedes him. An excellent spirit was in him. He was faithful, with no error or fault found in him. So he was the envy of the other political leaders, and they tried to trap him. They get the king to sign an order basically directed right at Daniel. Daniel, because he was an insider in the political world, probably knew exactly what they were doing. Verse 10 says, When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house and where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he had done previously. So Daniel as an insider knew exactly what his peers were doing and even so did exactly what he had always done and that’s prayed to the Lord God and gave thanks to his God. He wasn’t hiding anything. He opened the windows to pray toward Jerusalem. he got down on his knees. King Darius probably didn’t realize he’d been set up until it was too late. Verse 14. Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel, and he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. There was no way out, because the law he had signed could not be changed. The king probably loved Daniel or at least respected him greatly. Remember, he was going to put him in charge of his whole kingdom. So in verse 16, he says, Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel, May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you. Everyone around Daniel knew his faith in God. Is that true of you? Do those who you work with, those in your neighborhood, those in your family, know your testimony for Christ? Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace, Daniel faced an impossible situation, being thrown into a den of hungry lions. But God delivered once again in the impossible. Has your God, whom you served continually, been able to deliver you from the lions? Then Daniel said to the king, O king, live forever. My God sent his angel and shut the lion’s mouths, and they have not harmed me because I was found blameless before him and also before you, O king. I have done no harm. So Daniel was taken up out of the den and no kind of harm was found on him because he had trusted in his God. This is one of the most famous stories in all the Bible. But do we read it to be entertained or to be changed? The key in chapter 6 is the character of Daniel. How is your character? Most likely, God delivers his people when they have an excellent spirit, when they’re faithful, when no error or fault is found in them, when we are found blameless before him and also before others. and when we trust in our God. Chapter 6 is not about a lion. It’s about Daniel. Are you a Daniel? If so, give glory to God. If not, let’s pray for the characteristics that Daniel exhibits. Father, we ask you for an excellent spirit. We ask you that you find us faithful. No error or fault found in us. We ask you that we could be found blameless before you and that we could be found trusting in you. Holy Spirit, build these characteristics in me. Build these characteristics in us. And like in Daniel chapter 6, might you receive the glory and the praise. In Jesus’ name, amen. Thanks for listening to AdBible today. Maybe you wonder if Old Testament prophecy is true, came true already, or is coming true in the future. First, most prophets had a recurring theme. God loves us. Because he loves us so much, he gave us commandments, rules, statutes to live by. If we live by them, we can be blessed beyond what we can think or imagine. But when we choose to disregard, ignore, and set aside his rules, we are subject to his curses. We live under curses until things get so bad we cry out to God. He’s always there, waiting for our cry. Most often, but not always, He responds with grace, love, mercy, and forgiveness. We get back in line, then the cycle repeats. The Old Testament prophets cover this cycle over and over. Sometimes we wonder how the Israelites could have been so foolish. Yet, in our day, we have the same choice. We know God loves us. We generally know the rules, and we’d know them a lot better if we were more consistent in our time in God’s Word. Yet we decide, like those in the Old Testament, to ignore them and live out our lives. Things don’t often go well, so we finally cry out to God. As we see in the Old Testament, prophecy comes true as God restores rebellious, disobedient people like us back into right relationship with Him. But it is not always the case. Sometimes he has enough and does not deliver them. So yes, Old Testament prophecies are true, they came true, and they will come true in the future as we cycle through the same life choices the Israelites made. Thus, the value of reading all the Old Testament prophets. Maybe we will learn what they tried to teach. God loves us. Keep his rules, love him back, and enjoy his blessings.
Reflect on the profound lessons from Daniel Chapter 6 as we discuss the powerful themes of faith, integrity, and leadership. Discover how Daniel’s commitment to God amidst political conspiracy exemplifies a model of impeccable character and unshakeable faith. Through personal reflections and historical journaling insights, we explore how the steadfast obedience to God and exemplary spirit of Daniel hold relevance in our present-day quest for righteous leadership and personal character. Join us in this enlightening journey as we delve into the story’s enduring message of divine deliverance and the unending cycle of faith in the face of trials.
