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“The Only Way To Get Rid Of Daniel”
The Only Way To Get Rid Of Daniel
David Sproule
Daniel was in his mid-80s. He had been taken captive by the Babylonian warrior-king Nebuchadnezzar when he was just a teenager, and he had lived through the entire 70-year captivity (Jer. 29:10). Then, under Darius the Mede, Daniel was again promoted to a high position in the kingdom, as one of the king’s three governors, “and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm” (Dan. 6:1-3).
The other governors and satraps wanted Daniel out of the way, so they first “sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful” (6:4). Well, if there wasn’t “any error or fault found in him” when it came to the kingdom, their only other alternative (and guaranteed option) was to find a “charge against this Daniel…concerning the law of his God” (6:5). What a reputation Daniel had! His enemies knew that Daniel would not violate the will of God!
So they devised a scheme by which they lied to the king (for not “All” of the governors agreed to their plan, as Daniel was one of the governors) and convinced the king to sign a decree that made it a capital crime to pray to the God of heaven, punishable by death in the den of lions (6:6-9). Once it was signed, his enemies knew they had him!
Verse 10 tells us that “Daniel knew that the writing was signed.” He knew that the ruling officials were after him and were trying to bring him down. He knew that it was now illegal for him to practice his faith.
But that did NOT stop Daniel. HE opened his windows (i.e., he was not going to hide his faith and his obedience to his God) and he prayed. Not only that, in the face of everything that was going on, he “gave thanks before his God” (6:10).
Friends, there is a certain segment of our society that is working behind the scenes and in front of our faces to (1) make it difficult for Christians to live out their Christian faith, or (2) at the very least, to make Christians uncomfortable to live out their Christian faith.
Will we yield (Gal. 2:5)? Will we permit shame to enter our hearts (2 Tim. 1:12)? Will we question our God (Psa. 43:1-8)? Will we let doubts arise (Jas. 1:6)? Will we conform to this world (Rom. 12:2)? Will we begin to approve of things that are not right in the eyes of God (Rom. 1:32)? Will we put our trust in our God (Prov. 3:5-6)? Will we be even more diligent to grow in our faith (2 Pet. 1:5-11)? Will we learn to be thankful, even in difficult times (Eph. 5:20)? Will we be determined to obey God rather than man (Acts 5:29)? Will we be like Daniel in all of these ways, more concerned about the law and will of God than of man?
