Daniel 6
Alexander Maclaren · Citado em PreceptAustin
Daniel 6
Maclaren writes that… The world is a very poor critic of my Christianity, but it is a very sufficient one of my conduct. It may not know much about the inward emotions of the Christian life, and the experiences in which the Christian heart expatiates and loves to dwell, but it knows what short lengths, and light weights, and bad tempers, and dishonesty, and selfishness are. And it is by our conduct, in the things that they and we do together, that worldly men judge what we are in the solitary depths where we dwell in communion with God. It is useless for Christians to be talking, as so many of them are fond of doing, about their spiritual experiences and their religious joy, and all the other sweet and sacred things which belong to the silent life of the spirit in God, unless, side by side with these, there is the doing of the common deeds which the world is actually able to appraise in such a fashion as to extort, even from them, the confession, ‘We find no occasion against this man.’… If we call ourselves Christians, we are bound, by the very name, to live in such a fashion as that men shall have no doubt of the reality of our profession and of the depth of our fellowship with Christ. It is by our common conduct that they judge us. And the ‘Christian Endeavourer’ needs to remember, whether he or she be old or young, that the best sign of the reality of the endeavour is the doing of common things with absolute rightness, because they are done wholly for Christ’s sake. It is a sharp test, and I wonder how many of us would like to go out into the world, and say to all the irreligious people who know us, ‘Now come and tell me what the faults are that you have seen in me.’ There would be a considerable response to the invitation, and perhaps some of us would learn to know ourselves rather better than we have been able to do. ‘We shall not find any occasion in this Daniel’—I wonder if they would find it in that Daniel—‘except we find it concerning the law of his God.’ There is a record for a man! (Daniel 6:5 A Tribute from Enemies) Some questions to stimulate study and discussion… What stands out about Daniel (Da 6:3)? His extraordinary spirit. His exceptional excellence! How does the world respond to a "Daniel-like" spirit? Some like Darius may choose to reward such spirit with worldly success. Others as shown in Da 6:4ff become jealous and seek ways to destroy a person of integrity. When we stand for Jesus, all that hates Him will stand against us (cp Jn 16:33) What word summarizes Daniel? Faithful (trustworthy) = A man of Integrity, incorruptible, not negligent A HYPOCRITE IS A PERSON WHO IS NOT HIMSELF ON SUNDAY. Works That Witness - Daniel's life revealed the reality of his faith. He conducted himself so honorably in his high office that Darius "gave thought to setting him over the whole realm" (Da 6:3). The other presidents and princes, however, were jealous and began to devise means of getting rid of Daniel. But hard as they tried, they could find nothing in his life to use against him. The Bible says that "he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him" (Da 6:4). What a record! What a testimony! He was loyal and conscientious on the job--all the while giving God first place. Daniel's life was so far above reproach that his enemies had to create a situation in which his commitment to God would come into conflict with his government position. Would we stand up under close examination like this? Are we so faithful in our work that our fellow employees could "find no charge or fault" in us? It's commendable to witness for Christ. But consider the influence of a godly life and a job so faithfully performed that others could find no fault. That would silence the critics and glorify God. The task Your wisdom has assigned, Lord, let me cheerfully fulfill; In all my works Your presence find, And prove Your good and perfect will. --Anon. When you do your work faithfully, your faith will be seen at work. Daniel 6:5 Then these men said, "We will not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the law of his God." 1Sa 24:17 Es 3:8 Jn 19:6,7 Acts 24:13,14,15,16,20,21 Daniel 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Not find any ground of accusation - Daniel had kept himself unstained by the pagan, idolatrous, immoral world (kosmos - see word study) in which he lived (cp Jas 1:27-note) Besides being jealous, these men may well have sought his demise because of his integrity and incorruptibility which restricted their opportunities to siphon funds from the king's revenue that came in from the provinces.
Daniel 6
Maclaren writes… note the very unfavorable soil in which a character of singular beauty and devout consecration may be rooted and grow. What sort of a place was that court where Daniel was? Half shambles and half pigsty. Luxury, sensuality, lust, self-seeking, idolatry, ruthless cruelty, and the like were the environment of this man. And in the middle of these there grew up that fair flower of a character, pure and stainless, by the acknowledgment of enemies, and in which not even accusers could find a speck or a spot. There are no circumstances in which a man must have his garments spotted by the world. However deep the filth through which he has to wade, if God sent him there, and if he keeps hold of God’s hand, his purity will be more stainless by reason of the impurity round him. You will always find that people who have any goodness in them, and who live in conditions unusually opposed to goodness, have a clearer faith, and a firmer grasp of their Master, and a higher ideal of Christian life, just because of the foulness in which they have to live. It may sound a paradox, but it is a deep truth that unfavourable circumstances are the most favourable for the development of Christian character. For that development comes, not by what we draw from the things around, but by what we draw from the soil in which we are rooted, even God Himself, in whom the roots find both anchorage and nutriment. And the more we are thrown back upon Him, and the less we find food for our best selves in the things about us, the more likely is our religion to be robust and thorough-going, and conscious ever of His presence. Resistance strengthens muscles, and the more there is need for that in our Christian lives, the manlier and the stronger and the better shall we probably be. Let no man or woman say, ‘If only circumstances were more favourable, oh, what a saint I could be; but how can I be one, with all these unfavourable conditions? Ah, brother, if the ideal’s being realised depends on circumstances, it is a poor affair. It depends on you, and he that has vitality enough within him to keep hold of Jesus Christ, has thereby power enough within him to turn enemies into friends, and unfavourable circumstances into helps instead of hindrances. Your ship can sail wonderfully near to the wind if you trim the sails rightly, and keep a good, strong grip on the helm, and the blasts that blow all but in your face, may be made to carry you triumphantly into the haven of your desire. Remember Daniel, in that godless court reeking with lust and cruelty, and learn that purity and holiness and communion with God do not depend on environment, but upon the inmost will of the man (Ed: And the utmost grace of God!). (Daniel 6:5 A Tribute from Enemies) “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” With regard to the law of his God - The only way to "catch" Daniel would be to devise a plot wherein he was forced to chose between obedience to God and obedience to Medo-Persian law. Daniel didn't care if the whole world differed from him, for he knew God's Word and knew the right thing to do and not to do! He knew that he had to act on his convictions (a firmly held belief or opinion; the state of being convinced of error or compelled to admit the truth; the state of being convinced or convicted by conscience) We must be careful to make sure our beliefs are properly grounded. But once we are certain of that, we should be like Daniel, who not only had convictions but the courage to stand for them. When you are tempted to compromise your principles, don't give in. Dare to be a Daniel! The life that counts must toil and fight, Must hate the wrong and love the right, Must stand for truth, by day, by night-- This is the life that counts. --Anon. C H Spurgeon understood this verse based on his personal experience - Blackmailers once sent C. H. Spurgeon a letter to the effect that if he did not place a certain amount of money in a certain place at a certain time, they would publish some things in the newspapers that would defame him and ruin his public ministry. Spurgeon left at that station a letter in reply: “You and your like are requested to publish all you know about me across the heavens.” He knew his life was blameless in the eyes of men and, therefore, they could not touch his character. (Illustrations for Biblical Preaching) As an aside it is interesting that the light of Jehovah shone brightly through Daniel and that everyone knew who he worshipped. And as is always the case, we see that most tried to suppress the light, whereas a few (one, King Darius in this chapter) acknowledged the light (Could we see him in heaven? We'll have to wait to see!). Shifting metaphors from light to fragrances, this response to Daniel is the response of every man to the truth, Paul writing… But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things? (2Co 2:14,15, 16) Daniel 6:6 Then these commissioners and satraps came by agreement to the king and spoke to him as follows: "King Darius, live forever! came by agreement, Da 6:11 Ps 56:6 62:3 64:2-6 Mt 27:23, 24, 25 Lk 23:23, 24, 25 Ac 22:22,23 King: Da 6:21 2:4 3:9 5:10 Neh 2:3 Acts 24:2 Daniel 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Commissioners and satraps - A group of about 122 men which may well have impressed King Darius when they made their appeal. Darius failed to notice that Daniel was not in the group and it cost him dearly! As a believer perhaps in a completely pagan environment, have you have felt like everyone was opposed to you? Remember that you plus God is a majority regardless of the numbers arrayed against you! Came by agreement - This was clearly a "plot" but not an orderly one! The Aramaic verb regash primarily signifies to be in tumult, to be restless, to be turbulent, to assemble in a throng so that the picture it conveys is that of a "mob scene", not an orderly gathering. "Rabble rousers" comes to mind! The Aramaic word for "by agreement" is regash which is closely related to the Hebrew word ragash which means to be in commotion or to rage against used in Psalm 2… Why are the nations in an uproar (ragash), and the peoples devising a vain thing? Comment: Ragash denotes the uproar and plotting of the wicked against the righteous. Think of the picture of a lynch mob gathering together to mete out their brand of justice. Note in Psalm 2 that the wicked are coming against the LORD and His Messiah (Mashiyach)! Daniel 6:7 "All the commissioners of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the high officials and the governors have consulted together that the king should establish a statute and enforce an injunction that anyone who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, shall be cast into the lions' den. All : Da 6:2,3 3:2,27 have consulted : Ps 2:2 59:3 62:4 83:1-3 94:20 Mic 6:5 Mt 12:14 26:4 Mk 15:1 Jn 12:10 Ac 4:5-7,26-28 he shall : Da 3:6,11 Ps 10:9 Na 2:12 Daniel 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries All… have consulted together - An unholy conspiracy! A flagrant falsehood! This was an outright lie (like their father the devil - Jn 8:44, Ge 3:1,2,3,4,5). Daniel had not been consulted. We know because of his subsequent actions. He would have never approved of this 30 day "law" calling for petitioning of a man. They are "massaging" the King's ego! Pritchard observes that these wicked men tricked Darius into passing "a 30-day law forbidding anyone to pray except to Darius himself. In effect, they said, “O king, how would you like to be God for a month?” Sure, why not? That appealed to his pride. (Ed: cp flattery) Why not be God for a month? It might be fun. So Darius signed the law, knowing that it could not be repealed, not even by himself. He had no idea that Daniel was the intended target. Meanwhile the satraps are chortling together. They knew Daniel would break the law. That is, they knew Daniel would keep on praying just as he had always done. Daniel was a victim of his own integrity. He was predictably faithful to God. If he had been a flaky believer, this evil plot would never have worked. His troubles came not from his weakness, but from his strength. (How to Tame Lions - sermon by Dr. Ray Pritchard - January 2000) Makes a petition - Literally "requests a request” which in context are clearly of a religious nature and thus are not petitions any general (general requests) but specifically petitions in the form of prayer. They thought that they had discovered Daniel's "Achilles heel". They did not understand the depth of this man's integrity (or perhaps they did and knew this would cost him his life for he would rather die than compromise). Makes a petition to any god besides you - Since they are going to Darius with their petitions, he is functioning as an intermediary or a priest if you will. They knew that prayer to anyone other than Jehovah would be a form of idolatry. In short, these pernicious plotters know that Daniel will never agree to this law because he is a man of impeccable integrity. MacArthur takes it a step further suggesting that "Ancient kings were frequently worshiped as gods. Pagans had such inferior views of their gods that such homage was no problem." (Ed: This is possible and if so would amount to flagrant idolatry, of worshiping and serving the creature rather than the Creator Who is blessed forever. Amen - Ro 1:25-note) Any god or man besides you - They flattered Darius with the idea that he could be "god for a month"! They were appealing to Darius' pride, a good place to appeal, for he fell for the flattery. Flattery is the art of telling a person exactly what he thinks of himself which explains why it is so effective! Whitcomb comments that "James A. Montgomery, by no means an orthodox scholar, states that "G. Behrmann's position is an entirely sensible one, that the implication of the story means a petition of religion (not, with A. A. Bevan, any kind of request), and that this one king was to be regarded for the time being as the only representative of Deity."… (Regarding the significance of the lion's den) The official form of execution under Darius the Mede is said to be "the lions' den," whereas in the days of Nebuchadnezzar it had been the "furnace of blazing fire" (Da 3; cf. Jer 29:22). The historical significance of this change is that the state religion of MedoPersia, namely, Zoroastrianism, involved the worship of Atar the fire-god.' Thus, for the Medo-Persians to have used a furnace of fire as a means for destroying criminals would have appeared sacrilegious. Such details, introduced quite incidentally into the narrative, provide further confirmation of the historicity of the sixth chapter of Daniel. (Ibid)
Daniel 6
Maclaren comments that… The plot goes on the calculation that, whatever happens, this man may be trusted to do what his God tells him, no matter who tells him not to do it. And so on that calculation the law, surely as mad a one as any Eastern despot ever hatched, is passed that, for a given space of time, nobody within the dominions of this king, Darius, is to make any petition or request of any man or god, save of the king only. It was one of the long series of laws that have been passed in order to be broken, and being broken, might be an instrument to destroy the men that broke it. It was passed with no intention of getting obedience, but only with the intention of slaying one faithful man, and the plot worked according to calculation. What did it matter to Daniel what was forbidden or commanded? He needed to pray to God, and nothing shall hinder him from doing that. And so, obediently disobedient, he brushes the preposterous law of the poor, shadowy Darius on one side, in order that he may keep the law of his God… If earthly authorities command what is clearly contrary to God’s law, a Christian is absolved from obedience, and cannot be loyal unless he is a rebel. That is how our forefathers read constitutional obligations. That is how the noble men on the other side of the Atlantic, fifty years ago, read their constitutional obligations in reference to that devilish institution of slavery. And in the last resort—God forbid that we should need to act on the principle—Christian men are set free from allegiance when the authority over them commands what is contrary to the will and the law of God. But all that does not touch us. But I will tell you what does touch us. Obedience to God needs always to be sustained—in some cases more markedly, in some cases less so—but always in some measure, by disobedience to the maxims and habits of most men round about us. If they say ‘Do this,’ and Jesus Christ says ‘Don’t,’ then they may talk as much as they like, but we are bound to turn a deaf ear to their exhortations and threats… And for us, in our little lives, the motto, ‘This did not I, because of the fear of the Lord,’ is absolutely essential to all noble Christian conduct. Unless you are prepared to be in the minority, and now and then to be called ‘narrow,’ ‘fanatic,’ and to be laughed at by men because you will not do what they do, but abstain and resist, then there is little chance of your ever making much of your Christian profession. These people calculated upon Daniel, and they had a right to calculate upon him. Could the world calculate upon us, that we would rather go to the lions’ den than conform to what God and our consciences told us to be a sin? If not, we have not yet learned what it means to be a disciple. The commandment comes to us absolutely, as it came to the servants in the first miracle, ‘Whatsoever He saith unto you’—that, and that only—‘whatsoever He saith unto you, do it.’ (Daniel 6:5 A Tribute from Enemies) His roof chamber he had windows open - John