Dan 6:1 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom;
Dan 6:2 And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel [was] first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage.
Dan 6:3 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.

Daniel in the Lion's den: This has long been a beloved Bible story - and no wonder. There are so many dramatic features in this story; jealousy of political subordinates; the vanity of a king; the integrity of a man; the power and preservation of God; and some wild animals and violence!

How Daniel was condemned to the lion's den. Daniel in the government of Darius. Darius, by that name, is unknown in secular history of this era. There are three possible explanations for the Darius of this chapter: "Darius" is simply another name for Cyrus, who was the ruler of the Medo-Persian empire during this period.  "Darius" was actually Cambyses, son of Cyrus, who served under his father as a ruler of Babylon and later inherited the throne. "Darius" is an ancient official known as Gubaru in ancient documents, whom Cyrus appointed as ruler over Babylon immediately after its capture.

Ancient documents show that the man Gubaru had the power to make such appointments, and the power to assemble and army, the levy taxes, and to possess palaces. Gubaru (Darius) was, in a very real sense, the king over Babylon. The term "Darius" may be an honorific title, meaning "holder of the scepter." An excellent spirit - Daniel had a good attitude in his work and life; this would make him the object of attack!

Dan 6:4 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.
Dan 6:5 Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find [it] against him concerning the law of his God.
Dan 6:6 Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever.
Dan 6:7 All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counselors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.
Dan 6:8 Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
Dan 6:9 Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.

A plot against Daniel is conceived and initiated. Daniel's own enemies testify to his integrity and character; he lives a truly blameless life. This is frustrating to his attackers; their strategy sounds very much like the way politicans campaign against each other today: "Alright, let's see what dirt we can dig up on this guy." But there were no skeletons in Daniel's closet! Daniel's enemies had examined his life and found nothing to attack; so they made up something. This should be expected treatment for Christians; we do not expect justice or fair-play from this world, yet we trust in a God who can defend us in all circumstances.

The writer isn't implying that Daniel was actually sinless; but that he was a man of integrity. His sins were inward; sins of omission, not sins of commission. Daniel was an object of attack because of his prominence; even so, the Devil directs special attack against prominent believers. These men could predict Daniel's behavior, and they had a right to - can the world predict your behavior?  "The world is a very poor critic of my Christianity, but it is a very sufficient one of my conduct." They don't know the intricacies of doctrine, or the intimacies of worship with God; but they can tell a bad temper, selfishness, conceitedness or dishonesty when they see it.

Daniel's enemies appealed to Darius' pride, and his desire for a unified domain. "The suggested mode of compelling every subject in the former Babylonian domain to acknowledge the authority of Persia seemed a statesmanlike measure that would contribute to the unification of the Middle and Near East. The time limit of one month seemed reasonable." They lie when they claim All the governors of the kingdom have agreed to such a decree.  The great sin of Daniel's enemies is envy .

Dan 6:10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
Dan 6:11 Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.
Dan 6:12 Then they came near, and spoke before the king concerning the king's decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask [a petition] of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing [is] true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
Dan 6:13 Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which [is] of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day.
Dan 6:14 Then the king, when he heard [these] words, was sore displeased with himself, and set [his] heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him.
Dan 6:15 Then these men assembled unto the king, and said 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.

Daniel's faithfulness to God causes him to be condemned to the lion's den. Daniel was confronted with a test of loyalties; he wanted to render unto Caesar things which rightfully belonged to Caesar; but he would not give to the government that which belonged to God alone. It might have seemed that Daniel was not playing it safe in his refusal to pray as was his custom; but in fact, the safest thing he could do was radically obey God. It isn't hard to see why people are men-pleasers; it seems as if people have the power to hire or fire us; to break our hearts; to slander us; to make our live generally miserable. The power to obey God and stand for Him comes from a settled understanding that God is really sovereign, and in control of our lives.

Daniel simply prayed as was his custom; it would have been compromise or pride to change in any direction. "This was not the act of a person courting martyrdom but the continuation of a faithful ministry in prayer which had characterized his long life." Daniel kneeled in prayer; so did Jesus (Luke 22:41), Stephen (Acts 7:60), Peter (Acts 9:40), Paul and other leaders in the church (Acts 20:36), and Luke (Acts 21:5). "Kneeling is a begging posture and we must all come to God as beggars." Facing towards Jerusalem was symbolic of his hope that someday the children of Israel would be able to return to this city of God.

Notice that Daniel prayed and gave thanks - our prayers should be offerings of thanksgiving. Is not the greatest sin of our age ingratitude? In verse 13, Daniel's enemies are clearly coloring their report of the matter; Daniel intended no disrespect, only a higher respect for his God. He labored till the going down of the sun - according to eastern custom, the execution was carried out on the evening of the day on which the accusation was made and found valid. The decrees of a Persian king were unchangeable because he was thought to speak for the gods, who could never be wrong and who would never need to change their minds. As with Darius, our foolish decisions often haunt us; many times we can do is pray and ask God to mercifully, miraculously intervene when we make such foolish decisions.

Dan 6:16 Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast [him] into the den of lions. [Now] the king spoke and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.
Dan 6:17 And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.
Dan 6:18 Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of music brought before him: and his sleep went from him.

Daniel is preserved in the lion's den. Daniel's time in the lion's den. Darius had faith - Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you, a faith that was born out of Daniel's faith in the Lord. What a compliment: Your God, whom you serve continually; "most of us serve God is spasms" . The idea Darius is communicating in verse 16 is "I have tried to save you but have failed. Now your God must save you." Undoubtedly, Daniel had a better night's rest than Darius!

Dan 6:19 Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.
Dan 6:20 And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: [and] the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?
Dan 6:21 Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.
Dan 6:22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocence was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
Dan 6:23 Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.

Daniel is found to be alive, preserved miraculously by God. And so, Daniel get his name into the "hall of faith," as one who stopped the mouths of lions (Hebrews 11:33). God can save when human help is useless - both in a lion's den and in our salvation. Some see in this passage a picture of God's preservation of a faithful remnant of Israel, even through the tribulation. Talbot sees a type of Israel's deliverance from the "Beasts" of Revelation 13. The assumed infallibility of the Persian monarch also makes him a type of Antichrist.

Dan 6:24 And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast [them] into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den.

The fate of those who plotted against Daniel. The punishment of the wives and children was in accordance with Persian custom; an ancient writer named Ammianus Marcellinus says, "The laws among them are formidable . . . by which, on account of the guilt of one, all the kindred perish." It is likely Darius would have done this to the other officials even if Daniel had perished; they simply weren't wise enough to see that Darius had the power to simply not be out-tricked. In the aftermath of Daniel's deliverance, we have a cross-in-reverse: the guilty punished in the place of the innocent. We also have an illustration of a principle of spiritual warfare: God will cause our enemy to be impaled on the very snare he had set for us (Psalm 7:14-16).

Dan 6:25 Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.
Dan 6:26 I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he [is] the living God, and steadfast for ever, and his kingdom [that] which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion [shall be even] unto the end.
Dan 6:27 He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.
Dan 6:28 So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Darius decrees that all must honor the God of Daniel. Was Darius saved? Perhaps; but in this decree, God is still "the God of Daniel" Saving faith says, "the God of Darius). Some take verse 28 as saying that Darius is Cyrus the Persian. In this chapter, Daniel prayed, praised, persistently served; he was persecuted, protected, persevered, preferred and prospered.