The Book of Daniel

Daniel was taught by Dr. James Modlish

 

Chapter Six
(A day in the life of Daniel - 6:1-28)

 

Introduction:

In recent years we have had a series of books on "A Day in the Life of..." in which the writer takes us through a typical day with a famous person. In this chapter we spend a day in the life of the Prime Minister of the Medo-Persian Empire - Daniel the beloved! Remember now, that Daniel is not a teenager in this chapter; he is a man in his 80's. This just proves that age is no barrier to temptation and testing. Because Daniel started young as a man of faith and prayer, he was faithful to the Lord even in his old age. Let's spend a day in the life of Daniel.

 

I. A Dawn of Devotion

How did the Prime Minister begin each day? He prayed to the Lord! In (6:10) we are told that Daniel prayed three times a day in a special "prayer chamber" atop his house. "Evening, morning, and at noon will I pray," says (Ps. 55:17). So, Daniel started his day with the Lord - and it's a good thing that he did! The enemy was afoot and Daniel was going to face one of the greatest tests of his life. "Watch and pray" was our Lord's warning, and a good one it is. Prayer was not an incidental thing in Daniel's life; it was the most essential thing. He had a special place for prayer and a special time for prayer; and you can be sure that he talked to the Lord all day long. No wonder God called him "greatly be- loved" (9:23; 10:11,19), language that, in the N.T., the Lord reserves for His Own Son. It was Daniel's faithful walk and consistent prayer life that made him one of God's "beloved sons" (read Jn. 14:21-23 carefully). How important... it is to start the day with the Lord. Abraham had this habit (Gen. 19:27; so did David (Ps. 5:3) and our Lord Jesus (Mk. 1: 35).

 

II. A Morning 0f Deception - (6:1-9)

God had honored Daniel for his faithfulness so that he was practically the second ruler in the land. There were actually 124 persons involved in the leadership of the land: Darius the King, the three presidents (with Daniel as #1), and 120 princes. In fact, so impressed was Darius with Daniel that he was planning to make him the official second ruler. The promotions of Daniel in Babylon are proof that a believer does not have to compromise to succeed (Mt. 6:33). Of course, the other 122 leaders were not too happy about Daniel' success. For one thing, he was an alien - and a Jew. Satan has always hated the Jews and done his utmost to persecute them and eliminate them. The wicked always hate the just. Certainly godly Daniel was honest and kept careful watch over the affairs of the state; the other leaders were stealing from the king and covering up their thefts with false accounts. This is why Darius had reorganized the government, so that he "should have no damage" (loss). The wicked lie about God's people; they told Darius that all the presidents agreed on the plan (vs. 7), when Daniel had not been consulted. How foolish Darius was to sign the decree without first consulting with his best president. But history shows that Darius was easily influenced by flattery. So, it seems like the wicked leaders have Daniel in their power. What will he do?

 

III. A Noon of Decision - (6:10-13)

Daniel was one of the first ones to hear of the new decree, and he had to decide what to do. Of course, his godly character and spiritual walk had already decided for him: he would serve the Lord and pray to Jehovah just as he had always done. He could have, made excuses and compromised. For on thing, "everybody was doing it." And he was an old man who had served the Lord faithfully all his life. One little compromise at the end of his life could not do too much damage. (It would have ruined his whole testimony.) Could he not be more useful to the Lord alive than dead? No. Daniel refused to compromise. He would rather be eaten by lions than miss one prayer meeting. His enemies watched as Daniel went to his prayer chamber where the windows -were always open ("Pray without ceasing"); and they could see him kneel and lift up his hands toward Jerusalem. Now they had him. But Daniel had peace in his heart. He was praying, and giving thanks, and making supplication, and this is the formula for peace (Phil. 4:6-7). This was not a "crisis prayer meeting"; Daniel was used to praying and had been since he was a teenager. It is wise to start building spiritual habits when you are young.

 

IV. A Sundown of Disappointment - (6:14-17)

The king realized what a fool he had been, but even his power and wealth could not alter the law of the Medes and Persians. But God did not want Darius to deliver Daniel; that was a privilege* He was reserving for Himself. Daniel was not depending on the-king either (Ps. 146:1-6); he had learned long ago to trust the living God. God did not want to save Daniel from the lion's den; He wanted to deliver him out of it.

 

V. A Night of Deliverance - (6:18-23)

What a contrast between Darius in his palace and Daniel in the lion's den. Darius had no peace, yet Daniel was perfectly at peace with himself, the Lord, and the lions. Daniel was in a place of perfect safety, for God was there; while Darius could have been slain by some enemy right in his bedroom. Darius had labored all the previous day to save Daniel from judgment, yet had no power; while Daniel simply talked to the God of the universe and received all the power he needed. In every way Daniel was reigning as king, while Darius was a slave.

It was Daniel's faith in God that delivered him (6:25; Heb. 11:33). It is amazing that he had any faith at all, after living in the idolatrous heathen land for so many years. His daily fellowship with God was the secret: he had faith, and he was faithful. (See. Ps. 18:17-24.) It is not enough to be faithful to the Lord in our daily lives, although this is the foundation for a successful prayer life; we must also trust Him and believe that He will keep His Word.

Christians today face many temptations to compromise and it often appears that the "safest" course is to go with the crowd. But this is the most dangerous course. Daniel knew that it was wrong to worship the king and pray to him, because Daniel knew God's Word. He would rather die obeying God's Word than live outside of God's will. Satan comes as a roaring lion (1 Pet. 5:8-9), and men try to devour us as well (2 Tim, 4:17), but God can deliver us if it is for His glory. It is not always God's will to deliver His children from danger; many Christians have given their lives in the place of duty. But what a reward they receive. Read (Rev. 2:10 carefully).

Daniel's attitude in the crisis:

[1]. He committed the problem to the Lord (Ps. 55:22).

[2]. He occupied himself with Christ (Ps. 37:4,5).

[3]. Daniel accepted the fact that God had permitted it (Isa. 28:29).

[4]. He thanked God for the crisis and was resigned to God's will (1 Sam. 3:18).

[5]. He remained calm and didn't worry (Mk. 3:5,6).

[6]. He didn't faint in his mind (Heb. 12:2,3; Isa. 26:3,4).

[7]. Daniel was secure in God's omnipotence (Ps. 57:2,3). He kept doing what he had always done (Dan. 6:10).

[8]. Daniel held no malice and did not try to clear himself. God cleared him.

 

VI. A Morning of Destruction - (6:24-28)

Our Christian souls revolt at the thought of whole families, including children, being thrown to hungry lions. But this was the law of the land, the same law that these wicked men had tried to use against Daniel. How tragic, however, that their innocent children had to suffer; but such are the awful penalties of sin. Any children under the age of accountability went to be with the Lord anyway, so they were better off dead than growing up in a heathen land and going to hell in unbelief. God always vindicates His own. "The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead." (Prov. 11:8). If you are going through persecution and you wonder if God cares, read (Ps. 37:1-15) - and trust Him the way Daniel did. Now we see why God permitted Daniel to go through this experience (vss. 25-27); it brought great glory to His name. Peter may have had Daniel in mind when the Spirit led him to write (1 Pet. 3:10-17) (read these verses). When a Christian overcomes temptation, he always glorifies the Lord. May we be like Paul who desired that Christ might "be magnified in his body, whether it be by life or by death" (Phil. 1:20).

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