Daniel in this chapter was serving in the Medo-Persian empire under Darius. King Darius appointed 120 satraps to rule the kingdom, and overseeing the satraps were three chief ministers of which Daniel was one of them. Daniel so distinguished himself that the king was planning to set him over the whole kingdom.
Jealousy and envy reared their heads among the satraps and other chief ministers and they sought to find grounds to accuse Daniel in his conduct in government affairs but found none as Daniel was a man of integrity and he was trustworthy without any tinge of corruption. They then plotted to find ground for accusation against him in relation to the law of God in his life.
The familiar story unfolds with the plot to persuade the king to issue an edict that prevented anyone from worshipping any god or human being for thirty days; only the king should be worshipped during this period of time. The accusers were aware that Daniel would continue to pray to his God and they went as a group to discover him doing so. They then had grounds to pinpoint to the king that Daniel disobeyed the decree and should be thrown to the lions’ den. as stipulated by the edict. Although the king subsequently realised the plot and was distressed, yet he could not change the edict, for this was according to the law of the Medes and Persians. We all know the rest of the story and even the children in the Sunday School are familiar with the story of Daniel and the lions; God miraculously delivered Daniel from any harm and the accusers and their families were killed instead by the lions.
As we consider this wonderful historical event, are there lessons and principles for us to receive as God’s people in this generation?
In the book of Daniel, we have learned the wondrous sovereignty of God over kings, kingdoms and individuals, even in the face of adverse circumstances, and when events seemed to indicate that God was no longer in control. Complementary to the sovereignty of God, we notice the faithfulness of His people demonstrated in the lives of Daniel and his three friends. God so worked in their lives such that those in exile and those in Jerusalem, as well as foreign kings and their subjects, recognised the greatness of the God of Israel manifested in the ways He delivered His people and subjected even kings to His authority. In this regard, God’s intervention in delivering Daniel from the lions would cement this truth and reality, and also cause Darius to acknowledge the God of Daniel.
However, it may be in order to look closer and deeper at the valuable principles we can mine from God’s treasure house. The first is to recognise the fact that the adversaries of Daniel could not find any fault in Daniel’s conduct in his work as one of the chief ministers. We have noted that Daniel was highlighted by the angels as one highly esteemed by God; here we see that even the ‘enemies’ of Daniel could not fault him in his work and conduct. And the only way they could find grounds to accuse Daniel was in relation to the law of God in his life. Even here, the accusation was levelled on the ground that Daniel continued to pray to God three times a day despite the edict by the king. It was not a moral failure; it was in fact his faithfulness to continue to pray and to worship God, even if it means that his life would be in danger, and certainly Daniel was wise enough to know that the accusers were seeking to harm him in this respect.
We may be amazed at how God delivered Daniel from the lions but we may miss why He did it, and also the quality of the life of this servant of God. Even king Darius recognised that Daniel continually served his God and a pagan king was so impressed with the life of Daniel that he was truly distressed that he could not save Daniel; he was so disturbed that he did not sleep well and he did not partake his food or welcome any form of entertainment the night before. The king got up very early and rushed to the lions’ den to see whether the God whom Daniel served was able to deliver him.
We must pause and ponder; many would be amazed at the miraculous way God delivered Daniel but we must not forget that there is much to learn from Daniel with regard to a life of godliness and holiness. Daniel was one among many godly individuals who was given the privilege to have a vision of the future with a glimpse of the end times and the resurrection and final judgement .Although he could not fully understand all that was shown to him, he in fact had a glimpse of the role of the Messiah and His final glorification with His people.
Even as a young man, Daniel did not want to defile himself with regard to the food law and here under Darius, Daniel was probably in his nineties, and yet he continued to seek his level best to honour God in his conduct at work and in his communion with, and worship of the living God. Although Daniel had demonstrated that rewards and positions were not what he desired, yet he was responsible to be a good worker and a positive testimony, even in a hostile environment. It is no wonder that God was pleased to use the life of this servant of His to make a positive tremendous impact not just on the kings of Babylon and Medo-Persia, but also on the lives of so many in many generations after. The Lord God honours those who honour Him.
Notice also the ugliness of the sins of jealousy and envy. These caused the adversaries of Daniel their lives as well as the lives of their families. Of course, behind all these was the great adversary, Satan himself, who sought to snuff out the witness of God’s servant and the work of God in the various kingdoms. The Lord Jesus Himself warned us that the world would hate us just as it hated Him; true believers must always enter the kingdom of God ‘through much tribulation’ Acts 14:22). If we are faithful and true servants of Christ, the world will certainly hate us, as it hated our Master. No consistency of conduct, no kindness of character, will exempt a believer from the world’s dislike, so long as he lives. It is foolish to be surprised at this; it is a mere waste of time to murmur at it. The Lord Jesus added, “If you were of the world, the world would love his own: but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hated you” (1John 3:13; John 15:18,19). Like Daniel, we must learn to persevere and not to compromise our worship of God and our loyalty to Him, even at a great cost. We must not underestimate the impact of the testimony of such a life! Human nature is so made by God that its fulfilment, contentment and freedom become realities only as we learn to love, worship and serve our Maker. As the saints of old used to say, “There is no happiness without holiness; only holiness brings full joy” (psalm 16). Daniel’s life was a great testimony of this truth.
But let us guard ourselves that we ourselves will not be guilty of jealousy and envy, and that at the expense of fellow believers. The Pharisees were so concerned that their positions would be endangered when they saw the miracles of Jesus and the adulation of the crowd that they failed to recognise the Messiah and the Son of God. Somehow, jealousy and envy took hold of them and their legalistic formalism took precedence, and they ignored the truth and compromised the motive required for the right words and responses to the Lord Jesus. As believers, we too can succumb to the voice of jealousy and envy; let us be warned that the adversary constantly seek to ‘whisper’ into our ears the negative thoughts and feelings which seek to harm our fellow brethren who seek to do the will of God. There is a need for pure motives to do the right thing and God constantly look at our hearts and our motives to evaluate our lives and ministry.