Introduction to Chapter 6
sixth chapter of Daniel is another target for critics. The main
point of attack is the person mentioned in the very first verse,
Darius the Mede. The fact of Cyrus became king over Babylon is
well documented in the Bible and outside of the Bible. The
person of Darius the Mede, mentioned in Daniel chapters 5, 6,
9 and 11
is not found outside of the Bible. Critics of the Bible and
Daniel in particular have used this lack of secular confirmation
as an opportunity to attack the credibility of the book.
Daniel chapter 6, follows chapter 5 chronologically. In chapter 5 after
the fall of Babylon we are introduced to Darius the Mede. In
understanding the relationship between the Persian and Median
kingdoms, we need to understand Cyrus was half Persian and half
Median. His mother was the daughter of the king of the Medes,
who ruled over the Persians. Cyrus became ruler when he rallied
the Persians in rebellion against his grandfather, the Median
king, Astyages. According to Herodotus, Cyrus’ mother was
Mandane daughter of Astyages who was married to Cambyses, Cyrus’
father, and vassal of Media.
Cyrus became head of Persia and rebelled against his grandfather.
Median generals sided with Cyrus allowing him to overthrow his
grandfather in 550 B.C., eleven years prior to Chapter 6 of
Daniel. The problem with Daniel and recorded history outside
the bible is the lack of historical confirmation about Darius
the Mede. According to the Nabonidus Chronicle, as
itemized by D.J. Wiseman, the following events occurred.
conquered by Ugbaru, the governor of Gutium, who led the army of
Cyrus and entered the city of Babylon on the night of
Belshazzar’s feast. Nabonidus, who was Belshazzar’s father, had
fled Babylon the day before only to be captured and later die in
exile. When Babylon fell to Ugbaru on October 11, 539 B.C.,
Cyrus himself had remained with other troops at Opis, and not
until eighteen day later, October 29, 539 B.C., did he actually
arrive in Babylon. A man by the name of Gubaru was appointed
by Cyrus to rule in Babylon. Eight days after the arrival of
Cyrus, Ugbaru died.
According to Daniel chapter 5, the following occurred at the fall of
Babylon in 539 B.C.
30 That very
night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. 31 And
Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two
There are two
main explanations for this lack of secular confirmation as put
forth by John Walvoord in his book.
One of these explanations…Whitcomb hold that Ugbaru, identified
previously as the governor of Gutium in the Nabonidus
Chronical, led the army of Cyrus into Babylon and died less
than a month later. Gubaru, however, identified by Whitcomb as
Darius the Mede, a king of Babylon under the authority of
Cyrus….The third view, held by the conservative scholar, D.J.
Wiseman, has simplicity in its favor. It claims Darius the Mede
is another name of Cyrus the Persian. This is based on the
translation of Daniel 6;28 which the Aramaic permits to read,
“Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, even the reign of
Cyrus the Persian. The fact that monarchs had more than one
name is common in ancient literature.
was both Persian and Median, making both explanations very
plausible to explain the lack of secular confirmation. Many
people who are from an ethnic background, have both an ethnic
name and a common name. The ethnic name identifies with the
ethnic group, so Cyrus who was both Median and Persian could
have had both a Persian and Median name.
Daniel exalted by Darius
1 It pleased
Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps,
to be over the whole kingdom; 2 and over these, three governors,
of whom Daniel was one, that the satraps might give account to
them, so that the king would suffer no loss. 3 Then this Daniel
distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because
an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to
setting him over the whole realm. Daniel
With Darius, we have a couple of options based to identify
him. First, he could Cyrus with the name Darius, as put forth by
D.J. Wiseman in Daniel 6:28.
The other option, which has greater weight identifies him as a
Median general installed by Cyrus as king of the newly conquered
Babylonian territory. Daniel 9:1 clearly identifies Darius the son of
Ahauerus as being “made king over the realm of the Chaldeans”
the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of
the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans-
One hundred and twenty:
The conquest of
Babylon for the most part was bloodless, few died in order for
the city to be conquered. The administration of the new
province Babylonian province, would administered by capable
Babylonians. Either, the Babylonian province or the entire
Persian/Median kingdom was up into 120 satraps or provinces.
These 120 provinces were divided organized under three
administrators or overseers. The provincial governors or
satraps were answerable to these three administrators. This
division of the Persian Empire is confirmed in the book of Ester
1:1, here the number of provinces is stated at 127, though this
is at least 50 years after Daniel 6.
would have come to immediate attention to any new Persian
government. Daniel had just proclaimed the fall of Babylon when
the hand appeared and wrote on the wall. In addition, Daniel
would have been known for his work under Nebuchadnezzar reign.
Therefore it would be logical for any new government to seek out
the assistance of well respected officials to help govern their
new province. This is exactly what Persia did.
behavior distinguished himself above all the other rulers.
Daniel was beyond corruption, with any new government and new
positions, corruption and bribe taking would be in the offing.
Daniel more then likely would not play the game, his uprightness
and righteousness would cause problems bent on reaping huge
profits in a new government.
4 So the
governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel
concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault,
because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found
5 Then these men
said, "We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless
we find it against him concerning the law of his God."
The 2 governors
and 120 rulers looked for a way to take Daniel out of the
picture. Daniel set an example for the faithful, who are
challenged by the world system. The world wants those who trust
in God to fall. When the faithful fall, the world feels
justified in their unjust actions.
about this contrast between the world and those who represent
God in the world.
20 "For everyone
practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light,
lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 "But he who does the truth
comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that
they have been done in God." John
Daniel had no
reason to fear his deeds coming to light because he lived a
righteous life. This became a problem for the rulers of the
world. Later we see how Darius follows Daniel’s example and
fasts for him.
Law of his God:
The last resort was to try to show Daniel disloyal by
contrasting his obedience to the laws of the land verses God’s
command. Daniel answered an important question for the
believer. Are we to obey the law of the land or the law of
God? Daniel models a faithful life, at odds with the laws of
the world. We are to obey the laws of the land, but when they
come into conflict with the laws of God, obedience to God’s law
is primary, even to the point of death. Shadrach, Meshach and
Abed-nego illustrated this in Daniel chapter 3. How important
is following the commands of God in our life?
our obedience God can use us in this world that He may be
A ban on prayer
6 So these
governors and satraps thronged before the king, and said thus to
him: "King Darius, live forever! 7 "All the governors of the
kingdom, the administrators and satraps, the counselors and
advisors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute
and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man
for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den
of lions. 8 "Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the
writing, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of
the Medes and Persians, which does not alter." 9 Therefore King
Darius signed the written decree.
sets the example for all to follow. The question in generations
to come, how are the faithful to act when laws are passed
against them? This ban on prayer, was passed for Daniel’s sake.
Laws are passed today to stop the faithful in worship, should the
believer obey laws that against God law. Daniel says no, he
continued to pray despite the law of the land. Daniel first
call was obedience to God. God used Daniel as example for all
the faithful. Those in and out of persecuted lands.
This law was
established with a specific target in mind Daniel. Daniel was
faithful to the Lord, which made him a target of the world.
Daniel faith was not about religion, but about a relationship he
had with God. At this point Daniel is in his eighties, he had
faithfully demonstrated his life before the world. He
relationship with the Lord became a target, because he was
Law of the Medes and Persians:
was a unified government of Medes and Persians. These laws were
the laws of men, many times laws are enacted by men to challenge
the laws of God. For example how would you react if you were
faced with new laws which declared: No praying in public, No
reading of the Bible, No gatherings to worship God.
10 Now when
Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in
his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt
down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave
thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.
11 Then these
men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication
before his God. Daniel 6:10-11
Daniel did not change a thing about his personal life despite
the law passed by authority. Daniel did not challenge the law to
challenge the law; he continued to do what he had done in the
past despite the law. Daniel was so faithful and consistent in
his prayer life, even his enemies knew where to find him at what
hour of the day.
writing was signed:
Daniel knew full well what was at stake, he was prepared to die
the violent death of this new law. Daniel’s vision was toward
eternity not his earthly position. He was going to put his
relationship with the Lord first. He did not try to find away
around the Law, he merely put the situation in the hands of
God. He had an attitude every believer should have, he moved
forward in the face of opposition, not know what the outcome
Daniel had the
same attitude of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego had in
Daniel 3. These men knew God could deliver,
they also knew God may choose not to deliver them.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king,
"O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
17 "If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to
deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver
us from your hand, O king. 18 "But if not, let it be known to
you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship
the gold image which you have set up."
God choose not to deliver them it was not the end, but only the
beginning of their eternity. The purpose of these events in
chapters 3 and 6 are to establish a template for the
believer. How are we to respond at work, home and country when
our faith is opposed by those in power?
Was his custom:
established a pattern in his life, he prayed three-times a day,
along the line of Psalm 55, evening, morning and noon.
As for me, I will call upon God, And the Lord shall save me. 17
Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And
He shall hear my voice. 18 He has redeemed my soul in peace from
the battle that was against me, For there were many against me.
The rulers knew
where they could find Daniel at a specific time of the day, he
had a custom. Do we have a custom in our life? Do we set aside
specific times of the day to come before the Lord, to pray and
read His Word? Daniel did not live a haphazard spiritual
existence, he had established order to his life.
The key to Daniel’s success in his walk is built on his early
ears, going back to Jerusalem as a youth; he was prepared for
the trials of Babylon. In Jerusalem he could have very well
have been a disciple of Jeremiah or Ezekiel before hew as taken
to Babylon. We know his prayer life was established at an early
age, he had a personal plan of daily living. We are well served
to use Daniel as an example of instilling spiritual patterns in
12 And they
went before the king, and spoke concerning the king's decree:
"Have you not signed a decree that every man who petitions any
god or man within thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast
into the den of lions?" The king answered and said, "The thing
is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which
does not alter."
13 So they
answered and said before the king, "That Daniel, who is one of
the captives from Judah, does not show due regard for you, O
king, or for the decree that you have signed, but makes his
petition three times a day." 14 And the king, when he heard
these words, was greatly displeased with himself, and set his
heart on Daniel to deliver him; and he labored till the going
down of the sun to deliver him. 15 Then these men approached the
king, and said to the king, "Know, O king, that it is the law of
the Medes and Persians that no decree or statute which the king
establishes may be changed."
The decree of
Darius pitted the law of man verses the law of God. Daniel was
God’s champion, and our example. In an end-time
application, Daniel models for Israel how to respond to the laws
of the world’s final kingdom, the Beast of Daniel 7, will oppose Israel in the last days.
Using Daniel as a model, Israel will choose God, and like Daniel go
through a tribulation period, unlike any before. They will be
delivered out of the pit as the world stands in awe.
Before the king:
The king here is a type of Antichrist in the end times who
will replace God, in the world. Those who do not know God will
obey the law of the Beast in Daniel
7, who will exalt himself above all.
Daniel is given the option, to turn away from God and toward the king and
live, or turn to God and die a terrible death? This will be the
same option faced by those in the last days, but in Daniel and
Revelation, we are told of coming persecution on those who trust
in the Lord.
6 Then he opened
his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His
tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. 7 It was granted to
him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And
authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. 8
All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have
not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world. Revelation 13:6-8
into the lions’ den
16 So the king
gave the command, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the
den of lions. But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, "Your God,
whom you serve continually, He will deliver you." 17 Then a
stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king
sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signets of his
lords, that the purpose concerning Daniel might not be changed.
Like Daniel, in
the end times Israel will be cast in den of lions, the lions
prefigure the nations who will surround Israel. The nations
will rage against Israel, and believers in the last-days before
the return of Christ.
Lets put ourselves in the place of Daniel, by all logical circumstances
Daniel was going to a violent death, how would we have fared?
Again we can learn from Daniel’s example, how we can be faithful
even in the prospect of certain doom.
The king spoke: Daniel faith must have made quite an impression on the
king. From the context, it seems Darius and Daniel must have
had many conversations about the nature of God. The king calls
Daniel’s God, “The Living God”, as opposed to the gods who do
not live. Also notice the king said, “Whom you serve
continually”, Daniel’s devotion of the Lord was well known. He
had a reputation of being a faithful follower of the Lord, even
in pagan lands. Through Daniel witness, King Nebuchadnezzar came
to know the Lord. Now Darius ends up proclaiming knowledge of
Daniel’s God from Daniel’s example.
18 Now the king
went to his palace and spent the night fasting; and no musicians
were brought before him. Also his sleep went from him. 19 Then
the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to
the den of lions. 20 And when he came to the den, he cried out
with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The king spoke, saying to
Daniel, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom
you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?" Daniel 6:18-20
When we choose
to serve the Lord and seek to live a righteous life, Even those
who would hate us are made peaceable.
When a man's ways please the Lord, He
makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
God was able to use Daniel because he was a faithful example, he was
useable to God. Darius had just come to power, and he knows
from the beginning about Daniel and his God. The same night
Belshazzar was having his feast and saw the writing on the wall,
could have been the same day Daniel met Darius the Mede. When
the kingdom was established Daniel was on the short list to
administer the Babylonian province of the Persian Kingdom.
Spent the night fasting:
Fasting was not the common practice of these pagan
kings, Daniel life had made quite an impression on Darius. The
was forced to reluctantly obey his own laws.
21 Then Daniel
said to the king, "O king, live forever! 22 "My God sent His
angel and shut the lions' mouths, so that they have not hurt me,
because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I
have done no wrong before you." 23 Then the king was exceedingly
glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out
of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury
whatever was found on him, because he believed in his God.
Through his whom experience of betrayal and attacks Daniel,
never allows his emotions or anger to overwhelm him. After
spending the night in a pit with lions, Daniel is the epitome of
politeness to the King.
This very well could be the angel that communicates with Daniel
his final vision, since the angel informs us in
Daniel 11:1, that he strengthened Darius’
hand in his first year. The same year the Seventy weeks of
Daniel was revealed. Daniel 9:1
We are told the reason Daniel was saved, “Because he believed
his God”. This is the same message for all those who struggle.
24 And the king
gave the command, and they brought those men who had accused
Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions-them, their
children, and their wives; and the lions overpowered them, and
broke all their bones in pieces before they ever came to the
bottom of the den. Daniel 6:24
he had been tricked into this law for the sole purpose of
destroying Daniel. Life was little value in these kingdoms, the
leaders, children and wives of these ringleaders suffered the
fate they had planned for Daniel.
The Decree of
25 Then King
Darius wrote: To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell
in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. 26 I make a decree
that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear
before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God, And
steadfast forever; His kingdom is the one which shall not be
destroyed, And His dominion shall endure to the end. 27 He
delivers and rescues, And He works signs and wonders In heaven
and on earth, Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the
lions. 28 So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in
the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
Like King Nebuchadnezzar, Darius testifies of God through his
world. Darius decree is universal for his whole kingdom. This
decree is an Aramaic, the common language of Persians,
Babylonians and Medes.
God of Daniel:
God identity is linked with His people. For example the God
of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob identifies the God of Israel as
opposed to the gods of Moab, or the god of the Philistines.
People come to know God through our example.
As opposed to the non-living God. Darius saw God in action,
he knew he was a living God from Daniel example and the events
Darius....Cyrus the Persian:
Daniel was fully aware of Cyrus, this verse should silence the
critics who think Daniel made a historical mistake regarding
Darius and Cyrus. The kingdom was a joint kingdom of the
Persians and the Medes. Today the Kurds and the Iranians are
the descendents of these two groups. At one time the Persians
were under Median rule until Cyrus. Therefore there are couple
of solutions to the Cyrus-Darius problem.
could be the Median name for Cyrus.
2. Darius was
“Given” authority to rule, the Babylonian province.
are yet to be made to uncover the link between Cyrus and Darius.