The Bible Meets Life

The Point God is greater than those who oppose you. The Passage Daniel 6:6-10,13-16,19-22 The Bible Meets Life Habits. We ve all got them. Some habits are bad, many are good, and some are just eccentric. To keep himself focused when he was writing, the Greek orator Demosthenes would shave off half his hair. Making himself look ridiculous kept him from leaving his house until he finished his work.1 Tchaikovsky, a Russian composer, walked every day for exactly two hours not a minute more or less. The German poet and historian Friedrich Schiller would only write if the smell of rotten apples was around him.2 Habits can serve us or hurt us. We tend to excuse our bad habits as just something we do. We also have good habits or routines we know benefit us. But has a particularly good habit ever become harmful for you? Just such a thing happened to Daniel. He had an extremely good habit praying to God but others tried to use his faith against him. His very life was threatened, but Daniel wouldn t let even that change his routine. He knew what would benefit him most. The Setting The Babylonian empire exited with the conclusion of chapter 5 (session 5), and was replaced by the empire of the Medes and Persians in 539 B.C. An exact date for the events of Daniel 6 cannot be determined, but they probably took place within two to three years of the transition, at which time Daniel would have been beyond the age of 80. Government officials, jealous of Daniel, tricked Darius the Mede into decreeing a monthlong moratorium on offering prayer to anyone other than him. Daniel would not comply. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 135

What does the Bible say? Daniel 6:6-10,13-16,19-22 (HCSB) Law of Medes and Persians (v. 8) This was a legal statute that was binding and could not be altered. 6 So the administrators and satraps went together to the king and said to him, May King Darius live forever. 7 All the administrators of the kingdom, the prefects, satraps, advisers, and governors have agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an edict that for 30 days, anyone who petitions any god or man except you, the king, will be thrown into the lions den. 8 Therefore, Your Majesty, establish the edict and sign the document so that, as a law of the Medes and Persians, it is irrevocable and cannot be changed. 9 So King Darius signed the document. 10 When Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house. The windows in its upper room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before. 13 Then they replied to the king, Daniel, one of the Judean exiles, has ignored you, the king, and the edict you signed, for he prays three times a day. 14 As soon as the king heard this, he was very displeased; he set his mind on rescuing Daniel and made every effort until sundown to deliver him. 15 Then these men went to the king and said to him, You as king know it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no edict or ordinance the king establishes can be changed. 16 So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions den. The king said to Daniel, May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you! 19 At the first light of dawn the king got up and hurried to the lions den. 20 When he reached the den, he cried out in anguish to Daniel. Daniel, servant of the living God, the king said, has your God whom you serve continually been able to rescue you from the lions? 21 Then Daniel spoke with the king: May the king live forever. 22 My God sent His angel and shut the lions mouths. They haven t hurt me, for I was found innocent before Him. Also, I have not committed a crime against you my king. 136 S e ss i o n 6

THE POINT God is greater than those who oppose you. GET INTO THE STUDY 10 minutes ACTIVITY (OPTIONAL): To Notes demonstrate the power of habit, change where you usually sit, rearrange your meeting space, or arrange the chairs in a completely new way as a natural lead in to the first discussion question. DISCUSS: Invite your group members to turn their attention to the image on page 107 of the Personal Study Guide TIP: Come into your time of discussion with high expectation of group members ability to understand and put into practice what you are learning. (PSG). Ask: What are some habits or routines you never change? RECAP THE PSG (PAGE 108): Habits. We ve all got them. Some habits are bad, many are good, and some are just eccentric. To keep himself focused when he was writing, the Greek orator Demosthenes would shave off half his hair. Making himself look ridiculous kept him from leaving his house until he finished his work. 1 Tchaikovsky, a Russian composer, walked every day for exactly two hours not a minute more or less. The German poet and historian Friedrich Schiller would only write if the smell of rotten apples was around him.2 SAY: Daniel had an extremely good habit praying to God but others tried to use his faith against him. In fact, his very life was threatened. GUIDE: Invite your group members to share their initial reaction when they read The Point on page 108 of the PSG: God is greater than those who oppose you. PRAY: Transition into the Bible study with prayer. Ask God to prepare your group members to remain faithful to Him in the face of opposition to their faith. 1. Jenny Hansen, 10 Bizarre Work Habits of Famous Authors, Social in DC [online], [cited 2 December 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://socialindc.com/10-bizarre-habits-of-famous-authors-doyou-share-any-of-them/ 2. Inspirion, Weird Habits and Strange Rituals of Famous Historical Figures, GoodMood [online], February 18, 2014 [cited 2 December 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://goodmood-gm.com/ lifestyle/weird-habits-and-strange-rituals-of-famous-historical-figures/. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 137

10 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE Daniel 6:6-10 Notes 6 So the administrators and satraps went together to the king and said to him, May King Darius live forever. 7 All the administrators of the kingdom, the prefects, satraps, advisers, and governors have agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an edict that for 30 days, anyone who petitions any god or man except you, the king, will be thrown into the lions den. 8 Therefore, Your Majesty, establish the edict and sign the document so that, as a law of the Medes and Persians, it is irrevocable and cannot be changed. 9 So King Darius signed the document. 10 When Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house. The windows in its upper room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before. READ: Ask a group member to read aloud Daniel 6:6-10. SUMMARIZE: Share with your group the backstory to this passage. ALTERNATE QUESTION: What are some parallels between Daniel s situation and our culture today? Daniel was one of the top three administrators, but he had distinguished himself above the administrators and satraps because he had an extraordinary spirit, so the king planned to set him over the whole realm (Daniel 6:3). Envious of the way Daniel had distinguished himself, the other administrators and satraps set their hearts to find a way to keep Daniel from being promoted. The administrators and satraps proposed a new law to King Darius: no one could pray or make a request of any god or man except through the King for 30 days. As the sole intercessor between all the peoples and gods in his empire, Darius would replace priests in their roles as mediators. Anyone who disobeyed the edict would be thrown into the lions den. This was a deliberate plot to harm Daniel, whom the administrators and satraps knew would never obey the edict. It was also a trick; Darius had respect for Daniel and wouldn t intentionally have enacted a law to harm him. Knowing the new edict, Daniel kept right on praying to the one true God. DISCUSS: Question 2 on page 110 of the PSG: How do you measure whether doing the right thing is worth the cost? 138 SeSSion 6 TRANSITION: In the next verses, we learn what it cost Daniel to remain faithful.

THE POINT God is greater than those who oppose you. Daniel 6:6-10 Commentary Nothing should deter us from our faithful worship and walk with God. Following Belshazzar s death, the Medo-Persian Empire conquered Babylonia, and Darius the Mede emerged as the new king of a huge empire (5:30-31). The exact identity of Darius has long been debated. Many evangelical scholars are agreed, however, that Darius the Mede and Cyrus the Persian are one and the same person. To administrate the new empire, Darius appointed 120 satraps (6:1), or protectors of the kingdom, and three administrators, (v. 2) who served directly below Darius and above the satraps. Daniel was one of these administrators. Daniel soon proved that his abilities surpassed those of the other two administrators (v. 3). Realizing the king planned to appoint Daniel over all officials, the other two administrators gathered a group from among the satraps and began to seek some cause for removing Daniel (v. 4). Cleverly, the administrators and satraps realized Daniel s religion provided a way to destroy him (v. 5). Verses 6-7: Those who conspired against Daniel went together to the king. As they entered, they claimed to speak on behalf of all the kingdom s officials. Most of the officials would have been scattered across the empire in their places of responsibility. Most likely, they did not know about the plot against Daniel, much less agree to it. The conspirators lied, hoping to strengthen their request. The conspirators proposed a new law requiring all petitions to any god or man be directed through Darius. The law did not intend to make Darius a god, only to make him the sole intercessor between all the peoples and gods in his empire. For 30 days Darius would replace priests in their roles as mediators. All prayers would have to be offered through Darius, something his accusers knew Daniel would never condone. Anyone who broke the law faced the horrible death of being thrown into the lions den. Verse 8: Daniel s accusers implored Darius to establish the edict and sign the document so that it could not be revoked. A law of the Medes and Persians, once signed by a Persian king, could not be revoked (see Esther 8:8). Daniel s enemies knew Darius, who had great respect for Daniel, would never enact a law designed to destroy Daniel. They hoped to persuade Darius to enact the law before he knew the consequences for Daniel. They succeeded admirably. Verses 9-10: Not knowing the intent of the law, Darius signed the document. Darius may have understood the law as a test of loyalty to him or as a means of promoting unity in the empire. Aware of the penalty for disobeying the law, Daniel chose to obey God instead. Daniel responded to the false accusation and the threatening edict by going home to pray. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 139

10 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE Daniel 6:13-16 Notes 13 Then they replied to the king, Daniel, one of the Judean exiles, has ignored you, the king, and the edict you signed, for he prays three times a day. 14 As soon as the king heard this, he was very displeased; he set his mind on rescuing Daniel and made every effort until sundown to deliver him. 15 Then these men went to the king and said to him, You as king know it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no edict or ordinance the king establishes can be changed. 16 So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions den. The king said to Daniel, May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you! READ: Ask a group member to read aloud Daniel 6:13-16. SUMMARIZE: The administrators and satraps were quick to let the king know of Daniel s refusal to obey the edict. At that point, he realized the political ploy was a trap for Daniel. Displeased, King Darius sought a legal loophole to the edict, but there wasn t one. A law of the Medes and Persians couldn t be revoked. He ordered Daniel to be thrown into the lion s den. ALTERNATE QUESTION: What can we learn about persecution from this passage? DISCUSS: Question 3 on page 111 of the PSG: What are some consequences of being faithful to God in today s culture? SAY: King Darius last words to Daniel were, May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you! Whether it was only a wish from a non-believing ruler or something more akin to a prayer, Darius expressed hope that Daniel s God would rescue him. Darius was actually pulling for Daniel. DO: Divide your members into groups of three or four people each. Within each small group, direct members to take turns sharing aloud their responses to the activity on page 112 of the PSG. The Living God: What types of opposition to your faith have you seen or experienced recently? How has God used that experience to deepen your relationship with Him? 140 SeSSion 6

THE POINT God is greater than those who oppose you. Daniel 6:13-16 Commentary Faithfulness to God often results in opposition. Daniel refused to deny God by privatizing his faith. The accusers heard Daniel calling on God and then hurried away to inform the king about Daniel s violation. Daniel knew the consequences he was facing in a lions den, but he acted faithfully anyway. Verse 13: Daniel s opponents shrewdly approached the king with a question for which they already knew the answer (v. 12). They reminded Darius about his decree and the penalty for those who disregarded it. When Darius stated that his Medo-Persian law was irrevocable, they introduced Daniel as the violator. Daniel was described as one of the Judean exiles. The same slur was used by Belshazzar to refer to Daniel. This may indicate that the accusers were a remnant of Babylonian officials who had long nursed a grudge against Daniel (5:13). He was a beacon of moral light in contrast to their darkness and corruption. Furthermore, Daniel s opponents phrased his violation deliberately to arouse the king. They told the king, Daniel has ignored you and the edict you signed. Verse 14: Normally, if an emperor heard that a person had ignored him and his authority, the outrage would lead to a swift execution. Darius, however, immediately realized that he had been duped. He saw the trap for what it was: a malicious attempt to destroy Daniel. Consequently, he set his mind on rescuing Daniel. Darius s reaction spoke loudly about his character as well as Daniel s integrity. The king wanted to find a way around the legalism that bound him. Apparently, he knew Daniel to be a man of honor but he also knew that the law obligated him to fulfill his oath against Daniel. Verses 15-16: After exhausting all legal efforts to help Daniel, King Darius gave the order for Daniel to be thrown into the lion s den. As Daniel was led into the enclosure that held the lions, Darius spoke sympathetically to him and exclaimed, May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you! Does it seem odd to you that a pagan emperor would utter a prayerful statement of hope? Daniel had probably testified to Darius about the mercy and majesty of the Most High God. Once Daniel was in the den with the hungry lions, a stone was placed over the entrance (v. 17). To insure that no one tampered with the stone opening, the king and his officials made their personal marks by pressing their rings into the soft clay chains attached to the stone. Once the clay hardened, the chains could not be removed without breaking the seals. If someone were to enter or exit the pit it would be evident by the broken seals. This official act could not be legally undone by anyone. The king himself became a prisoner of conscience. He went to his palace and spent the night fasting. No diversions were brought to him, and he could not sleep (v. 18). BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 141

10 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE Daniel 6:19-22 Notes 19 At the first light of dawn the king got up and hurried to the lions den. 20 When he reached the den, he cried out in anguish to Daniel. Daniel, servant of the living God, the king said, has your God whom you serve continually been able to rescue you from the lions? 21 Then Daniel spoke with the king: May the king live forever. 22 My God sent His angel and shut the lions mouths. They haven t hurt me, for I was found innocent before Him. Also, I have not committed a crime against you my king. READ: Ask a group member to read aloud Daniel 6:19-22. RECAP THE PSG (PAGE 113): At the first light of dawn the king got up and hurried to the lions den.... Daniel, servant of the living God, the king said, has your God whom you serve continually been able to rescue you from the lions? Unlike his own gods that were no gods at all, Darius referred to the God of Daniel as the living God. Daniel responded respectfully, while at the same time, not missing an opportunity to give glory to God: May the king live forever. My God sent His angel and shut the lions mouths. They haven t hurt me, for I was found innocent before Him. Also, I have not committed a crime against you my king. ALTERNATE QUESTION: What have you learned about impacting your world during these studies from the Book of Daniel? SAY: God had sent an angel to protect Daniel by shutting the lions mouths. DISCUSS: Question 4 on page 112 of the PSG: When has God shown Himself to be greater than those who oppose you? SAY: History has shown us that not every follower of Jesus Christ has been rescued from death like Daniel was. Still, our responsibility is to love and follow Him even in the face of dangers and risks. DISCUSS: Question 5 on page 113 of the PSG: How can God use our faithfulness and integrity to point others to Him? TRANSITION: When we trust and obey God, our lives give a testimony to His great power. 142 SeSSion 6

THE POINT God is greater than those who oppose you. Daniel 6:19-22 Commentary God uses our faithfulness and integrity to point to Him. We have the advantage of knowing how the story ends. Daniel didn t know the ending as he approached the pit of lions. It s important to note that most of Daniel s years were spent in uneventful service to God. Wedged between the highlights of his courage, wisdom, and fidelity were long hours of work that amounted to years of holy dependability. Verses 19-20: King Darius could hardly wait for the first light of dawn. The description of him hurrying to the lion s den is full of intensity. The king made haste because he hoped that there was a possibility Daniel survived. He cried out in anguish to Daniel, addressing him as servant of the living God. He asked, has your God whom you serve continually been able to rescue you from the lions? Darius didn t believe in the living God, but he believed that Daniel did. He longed to know if God had been able to rescue Daniel from the lions. Verses 21-22: Daniel s reply gave the king assurance and it also gave him a testimony about the power of God. Daniel affirmed he was alive and still loyal to Darius. He spoke respectfully to the king ( May the king live forever ) and proclaimed his own innocence. Daniel declared God had sent His angel and shut the lions mouths. As God had sent an angel to protect Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace (3:28), so He sent an angel to protect Daniel in the lions den. Daniel also told Darius why God had saved him. Daniel had committed no crime against God or against the king. God had found Daniel innocent and saved him from unjust punishment. Darius immediately had Daniel pulled from the den (v. 23). We cannot extract from this narrative that acting faithfully always turns out wonderfully. Many titans of faith have remained steadfast to the Lord despite persecution and death. Many of those who were not granted a special deliverance have demonstrated as much faith as those who were delivered. What matters most is not the quantity of faith we have regarding deliverance, but the quality of faith we have in the Deliverer. Our responsibility is to love and follow Him regardless of the dangers and risks. After all, the greatest reward is beyond this world. For further reading, check out the article Persia s Governmental Structure in the Fall 2015 issue of Biblical Illustrator. Previous Biblical Illustrator articles The Medes and the Persians Su 14, Who Was Darius the Mede? Su 06, and Babylonian and Persian Kings Sp 04 relate to this lesson and can be purchased, along with other articles for this quarter, at www.lifeway.com/biblicalillustrator. Look for Bundles: Bible Studies for Life. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 143

5 minutes LIVE IT OUT SAY: How will you live out the truth of this passage? Notes GUIDE: Lead your group members to consider the responses to the Bible study listed on page 114 of the PSG. Make prayer a habit. Spend time in prayer each morning and ask God to help you be faithful to Him in your work, in your interaction with other people, and in the challenges you face this week. Identify your opposition. Make a list of three to five ways in which you feel opposition to your faith in Christ. Take some time to think about where you feel the pressure. Ask God to reveal the right choice you should make in these circumstances. Be bold. If you work or live in an environment that is hostile to Christ, don t back down. Let your faith in Christ be on display, but do so in a way that honors God and respects others. Wrap It Up SAY: Make your faithfulness to Jesus a habit that nothing can change. When you face opposition, you ll be ready to lean on that faith to sustain you and demonstrate trust in God no matter the circumstance. 14 4 S e ss i o n 6