1. No fault in him. What twist of events has government officials wracking their brains to find fault with Daniel? How successful are they? And, by the way, who is Darius?
2. Jealous souls. Have you ever felt the sting of jealousy aimed at you? What was there about Daniel that aroused the sense of jealousy in the officers of the king’s court where Daniel was working? Wait a minute. If Daniel was careful in all that he did, why would any of his fellow workers be jealous of that? What did they want from Daniel? How did they propose to achieve their goal and get rid of Daniel? 
3. The plot against Daniel. How would a new law proposed to defer all petitions to the king for thirty days affect the standing of Darius before the people? What was the real purpose of this new law? How would the den of hungry lions contribute to the elimination of Daniel? What was there about this law that made it especially difficult even to imagine Daniel’s release from the execution?
4. Daniel’s prayer. Daniel’s habit was to pray three times every day standing and facing in the direction of the temple of God. Now he faces a dilemma. The decree forbids prayer or petition to any person except to the one chosen by the government as the king. But Daniel is not about to pay heavenly tribute to a human being. His prayer is one of loyalty and surrender to the God who is above all. His worship is of Divinity.
5. The lions’ den. Those with a burden to eliminate Daniel from the earth haven’t given up. The lions, the lions. We can depend on the lions, they must have said, to give Daniel the punishment he so richly deserves. We can’t allow insubordination like this. But at the site of execution, what do the royal onlookers see? Some might have snarled, “We promised to put them in the lion’s den. We did that. But their God rescued them.”

Amen!(0)

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Read Daniel 6:11-23. What does the king say to Daniel that reveals just how powerful a faithful witness Daniel is to God?

The conspirators soon spot Daniel praying — that is, doing exactly what the decree has forbidden. And as they bring the accusation before the king, they refer to Daniel in a demeaning way: “that Daniel, who is one of the captives from Judah” (Dan. 6:13, NKJV). In their eyes, one of the chief officers of the empire, the king’s favorite, is no more than “a captive”.

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In addition, they pit Daniel against the king by saying that Daniel “does not show due regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed” (NKJV). Now the king realizes he has been entrapped by signing the decree. The text says that “he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him” (Dan. 6:14, NKJV). But there is nothing he can do to save the prophet from the prescribed punishment. The irrevocable law of the Medes and Persians must be applied to the letter. Thus the king, however reluctantly, issues the command to throw Daniel to the lions. But in doing so Darius expresses some glimmering hope, which sounds like a prayer: “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you” (Dan. 6:16, NKJV).

The biblical text does not say what Daniel does among the lions, but one can assume he is praying. And God honors Daniel’s faith by sending His angel to protect him. In the morning, Daniel remains unharmed and ready to resume his activities in the government. Commenting on this episode, Ellen G. White says: “God did not prevent Daniel’s enemies from casting him into the lions’ den; He permitted evil angels and wicked men thus far to accomplish their purpose; but it was that He might make the deliverance of His servant more marked, and the defeat of the enemies of truth and righteousness more complete”. — Prophets and Kings, pages 543, 544.

<–Tuesday Thursday–>

Amen!(0)

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Key Thought: Daniel’s experience with persecution shows how God’s people will be treated at the end of time. God will ultimately vindicate His people.
February 15, 2020

1. Have a volunteer read Daniel 6:1-5.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. Why was Daniel placed first over the presidents and princes in Medio-Persia?
3. Personal Application: Have you ever had to deal with issues of jealousy in your life? How have you dealt with it? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states: “Most Christians are Christians of convenience. As long as they have time or inclination, they follow God and the Bible. But when it becomes unfavorable or inconvenient or costs something like too much time, money, or effort; they won’t give up their job, freedom, or lives for their faith.” How would you respond to your relative?

2. Have a volunteer read Daniel 6:6-9.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
2. What is the thinking and motive behind the decree?
3. Personal Application: What are some ways that people might want to be “like God” in their lives? What are some of the dangers of this self-importance? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your friends states, “Where do we draw the line between loyalty to the state as the Bible tells us to do, and loyalty to God? Are they mutually obeyed in all cases? Are there differences and what would they be?” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read Daniel 6:10-23.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
2. Why doesn’t Daniel simply pray quietly without anyone seeing him?
3. Personal Application: Why must we be sure that when defying human law, we are truly doing God’s will? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your neighbors states, “I know some crazy people who claim to be doing God’s will by killing Jews, burning churches, cursing other faiths, and disrespecting and disobeying the laws of the land. How can we stand for our faith and not be classified with these crazy people?” How would you respond to your neighbor?

4. Have a volunteer read Daniel 6:24-28.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
2. How did Daniel’s faithfulness to God end up influencing not only the king but the whole country of Medio-Persia?
3. Personal Application: What may be two or three reasons for the accused and their wives and children to be thrown in the lion’s den? Is this really an act of social injustice? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.

(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.”Ministry of Healing, p. 148).

Amen!(1)

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“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matt. 6:6, NKJV).

Read Daniel 6:10. Why doesn’t Daniel simply pray quietly without anyone seeing him?

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Daniel is an experienced statesman, but, above all, he is God’s servant. As such, he is the only member of the government who can understand what lies behind the king’s decree. For Darius the decree amounts to an opportunity to strengthen the unity of the kingdom, but for the conspirators it is a strategy to get rid of Daniel.

Of course, the real causes and motives behind the plot lie in the cosmic battle between God and the forces of evil. At this time (539 B.C.) Daniel has already received the visions recorded in Daniel chapter 7 (553 B.C.) and 8 (551 B.C.). So he can understand the royal decree, not as a matter of mere human politics but as an instance of this cosmic war. The vision of the Son of Man delivering the kingdom to the people of the Most High and the comforting assistance of the angel interpreter (Daniel chapter 7) may have brought him the courage to face the crisis head on. He may also have reflected on the experience of his companions, who have been brave enough to challenge the decree of Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel chapter 3).

Thus, he does not change his devotional habits but continues his customary practice of praying three times a day towards Jerusalem. In spite of the prohibition to make petition to any man or god but the king, Daniel takes no precaution to hide or disguise his prayer life during those critical thirty days also. He is an absolute minority since he is the only one, among dozens of governors and other officers, on a collision course with the royal decree. Through his open prayer life, though, he demonstrates that the allegiance he owes to God comes before his allegiance to the king and his irrevocable decree.

<–Monday Wednesday–>

Amen!(0)

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Read Daniel 6:6-9. What is the thinking behind this decree? How does it play on the king’s vanity?

Darius may appear silly in promulgating a decree that he soon wishes to repeal. He falls into the trap laid by the officers, who are smart enough to play with the political circumstances of the recently established kingdom.

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Darius has decentralized the government and established one hundred and twenty satraps in order to make the administration more efficient. However, such action entails some risks in the long run. An influential governor can easily foster a rebellion and split the kingdom. Thus, a law forcing everyone to petition only to the king for thirty days seems a good strategy to foster allegiance to the king and, thus, prevent any kind of sedition. But the officers mislead the king by claiming that such a proposal has the support of “all” the governors, administrators, satraps, counselors, and advisors — an obvious inaccuracy, since Daniel is not included. In addition, the prospect of being treated as a god may have been appealing to the king.

There is no evidence that Persian kings ever claimed divine status. Nevertheless, the decree may have been intended to make the king the sole representative of the gods for thirty days; that is, prayers to the gods have to be offered through him. Unfortunately, the king does not investigate the motivations behind the proposal. Thus, he fails to perceive that the law that would allegedly prevent conspiracy was itself a conspiracy to hurt Daniel.

Two aspects of this law deserve attention. First, the penalty for transgression is to be cast into the lions’ den. Since this kind of punishment is not attested elsewhere, it may have been an ad hoc suggestion of Daniel’s enemies. Ancient Near Eastern monarchs placed lions in cages in order to release them on certain occasions for hunting. So there was no shortage of lions to maul whoever dared to violate the king’s decree. Second, the decree cannot be changed. The unchangeable nature of the “law of the Persians and Medes” is also mentioned in Esther 1:19 and Esther 8:8. Diodorus Siculus, an ancient Greek historian, mentions an occasion when Darius III (not to be confused with the Darius mentioned in Daniel) changed his mind but could no longer repeal a death sentence he had passed on an innocent man.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

Amen!(3)

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