Darius

I spoke earlier of the best and brightest young men Judah had to offer: Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: (Daniel 1:6)

At first capture, they were living together. It was through their diet that we read first of their commitment to God. But later on they must have been separated, for Daniel is not found in the story of the fiery furnace, and those three are not found in the story of the lion’s den.

Every child that has set foot in a Sunday School class has an inkling of the lion’s den story. It catches their imagination so very quickly. It is easily illustrated. For the newcomer it has an air of mystery – will Daniel be eaten by the lion? And, the triumphant ending where Daniel is saved.

That’s such a small part of the story. Let’s revisit for a moment.

By this time in his life, Daniel was one of three presidents of his conqueror’s country. Quite an achievement, but it had been done before in Egypt by Joseph. And, as in Egypt, envy and deceit were part of the political scene:

Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. (Daniel 6:3-4)

See, we aren’t the only ones to be bedeviled by those seeking to find occasion against us! Oh, you haven’t felt that way? I’ll admit there was no concept of setting me over the whole realm, but there were times my job appeared to be in jeopardy from other’s actions. Or inaction, in a couple of instances.

Faithful, no error, no fault. How seldom is that found! Yet, Darius fell into that trap that caught Esther and her people – creating a law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be changed. For Daniel, there was no alternative, no court of appeal. Darius looked for it:

Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him. (Daniel 6:14)

And, Darius knew Daniel well enough that he could state firmly:

Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee. (Daniel 6:16)

Are we as certain as the king of the Medes and Persians?