Daniel 6:14 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Daniel 6:14

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Too late the king wakes up to what he has done, and the incredible malice of these men. He is angry with himself. He is incensed at himself, because he realises he has been manoeuvred into this, and in his vanity ha has swallowed the bait. He has taken this decree, espoused it, accepted it, and signed it. He realises that, far from serving his vanity and making him the big king, it has made him the slave of his subordinates. They have caught him out. Their will is now going to be done, and he is in their hands. He has been outmanoeuvred and he cannot do anything about it. Great cunning is always employed in the war against the saints, in the battle waged by the seed of the serpent against the seed of the woman, true believers in God and in Christ, and you see all that cunning here. Who but the ones who was supposed to be honoured by this decree, was better placed to forgive a supposed transgression of it? This was supposed to be a decree to honour the king, but really it was a move to bind his hands, and prevent him from protecting his favoured civil servant, Daniel.How concerned Darius was! He is deeply apprehensive. The decree was probably not so unalterable, but he realised his administration would collapse if he did not cooperate. We read, though we don't know in what form this took place, that Darius laboured until the going down of the sun to deliver Daniel. This does not seem to be a matter of arguing with the subordinates, because of the way verse 15 begins: ‘Then these men assembled unto the king’, which takes place after whatever efforts the king had made. So what is he doing to try to get things changed? Perhaps he is consulting with his immediate helpers to see if, by any trick of drafting, any loophole can be found, any way out can be considered. Perhaps it is a legal discussion behind the scenes and they cannot get the king off the hook. Then the subordinates assemble unto the king. ‘Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed’, and they grind home their argument. They remind the king that he is committed to this thing. They know they are forcing him to go against his will, but they will get rid of Daniel, and then they will face the consequences later. The king knows he cannot get out of this, and however grudgingly, he gives the order: ‘The king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions.’ The king actually encourages Daniel: ‘Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.’ He is Daniel’s God note; Darius is still a pagan; he still cleaves to his own gods; he is not giving up his own system. But he is a superstitious man and he regards Daniel as something of a magician as well as a prophet. Daniel has a remarkable history. Has he not been nominally described as the head of the Chaldeans and the magi? Has he not been described as a magician? Of course he isn't, but this Darius, polytheist as he is, has a tremendous awe and even affection for the man. He holds Daniel in respect but he also thinks he has an ability to conjure up and to bring down wonderful things upon himself. So the words mustn’t be taken to suggest to us that Darius is a pious believer.A stone is brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den. The king seals it with his own signet. Perhaps that was the custom, and with the signet of his lords, the main accusers, which is a way of all parties affirming what is to be done, Yes, the law stands; it cannot and will not be interfered with. We may see it as a picture of Christ’s tomb sealed.The king cannot continue as usual with such a crisis as this: ‘Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him.’ He is unable to sleep. He is furious with himself for what he has done, furious with the accusers of Daniel, and very concerned for Daniel also – his best subordinate and counsellor. ‘What a fool I have been to play into the hands of these men!’ This is probably not a religious fast; he simply couldn’t eat. He felt terrible because of his respect for Daniel, and his fear of Daniel’s God.

Application

We must always be wary of flattery. It often has a hidden barb within it. It is one of Satan’s favourite tricks to trap us into doing what we would not otherwise want to do. It is such a deceitful instrument, for it requires the perpetrator to feign the greatest of friendship towards us, when all the time they intend the greatest of harm. Satan used this weapon on Eve at the start of history, and it was very successful. Now that man is fallen and pride is already resident in his heart, it is almost certain to succeed. The believer must be vigilant against it, and consider carefully where every suggestion leads. We must be wise as serpents.

For Daniel, the path of obedience is clear. He has already made up his mind not to compromise, not to cease to pray. He counted the cost of maintaining his testimony right at the start of this matter. He knew that his position in the kingdom had been used for the protection of his people, and now that seemed to be put in doubt – ‘What would happen if I am killed? Don’t the promises depend on me?’ By faith, he says, ‘I must take courage; the Lord will keep his promises.’ When our enemies surround us and block us in, we advance by knowing that God has seen all that they have done, and will never allow them to permanently prevail against us. He has unlimited power and wisdom to deliver us. Although we may not be able to see it, he has a way of escape and he will bring greater good out of our obedience, than anything that might come from our compromising with evil.

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Daniel 6:14 Commentary and Bible Study