Studies in the Book of Daniel
The Mighty Power of Faith.
BABYLON, great Babylon, “the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldean’s pride,” the mighty city that, by her religion and education and influence, had, for fifteen centuries or more, molded the world,—Babylon, that had brought under her wondrous spell civilizations Hamitic and Semitic, friend and foe, conqueror and conquered, had at last fallen. Hamitic civilization had put forth mighty endeavor to rule the world, and had failed. The children of Shem followed, and were dominant for many centuries. Now the children of Japheth, in the nations of Media and Persia, are given the throne. Babylon’s mighty walls, supported only by weak, effeminate, luxury-loving men, were insufficient to protect her from the clearer-thinking, hardier, more frugal Medes and Persians. Over the Medo-Persian forces was Cyrus, the virtual monarch of both peoples; but with rare forethought and wise policy he allayed the suspicions of the conquered Medes by placing one of their own nation upon the throne,—the probable son of Astyages, Cyarxes II. He may have been one of the cousins of Cyrus. At any rate he was a Median, and known to the Jews as Darius the Mede, the term Darius meaning “coercer,” “conservator,”—probably a title rather than name, the same as Pharaoh. The character of Darius the Mede, as shown in Daniel 6, is, like that of most other men, a blending of weakness and strength. His large division of the responsibility of his empire showed wisdom, and his choice of a prime minister revealed sagacity. But he was susceptible of one of the greatest temptations a ruler has to meet,—flattery from those seeking favors,—and he yielded to it, to his own discomfiture and disgrace. One character shines out in this chapter above all the others,—that of Daniel the captive. He was an old man now. He had kept thru all the years his purpose not to be defiled by the corruptions of Babylon, not alone in his eating and drinking, but in all his life. He had stood as prime minister under the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, uncontaminated by court life, untouched by bribery. God was with him. To him had the Revealer of secrets opened the future. His knowledge, drawn from the great storehouse of God, had been demonstrated to be greater than that of magician or Chaldean. His wisdom, drawn from the great Fountain, exceeded that of all the wise men of the greatest empire of earth, enriched (?) by the traditions of centuries. In the business of the kingdom he was without a rival. With such a record, knowledge of which must have extended to every kingdom with which Babylon had had to do, it is not wonderful that Darius chose him as one of the three presidents; not the first, as in the common version, but “one” of the three, as in the Revision, Septuagint, and others, a division of responsibilities. Dan. 6:1, A.R.V. The king would not at first thus exalt him; that was to come later, as Daniel’s wisdom and merit were demonstrated in counsel. Thus the record reads: “Then this Daniel was distinguished above the presidents and the satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.” Verse 3. The Septuagint declares that this was done, and following verses show this to be the fact. Daniel was made prime minister, the chief of the cabinet of three, the representative of the king. The result of the king’s preference was soon manifest. Never was merit exalted but it aroused envy in the hearts of the selfish, envy that is ever pained at the seemingly equal or greater prosperity of another. Here is the record of their envious plotting: “Then the presidents and the satraps sought to find occasion against Daniel as touching the kingdom; but they could find no occasion nor fault, forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. 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. Then these presidents and satraps assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live forever. All the presidents of the kingdom, the deputies and the satraps, the counselors and the governors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a strong interdict, 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. Now, O king, establish the interdict, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. Wherefore King Darius signed the writing and the interdict.” Verses 4-9. 1. Note the remarkable record of Daniel. Was there ever a politician in America against whom some charge of evil-doing or mistake, wrought sometime in his public career, could not be brought? Sometime he had slipped, committed some sin, made some egregious blunder (worse than sin in a politician’s estimation), and so marred his life. But this was not the case with Daniel. The presidents and satraps, one hundred and twenty-two in number, set themselves to find some occasion against Daniel in his public work. They searched the records of state, looked over Daniel’s books, cross-examined his private secretary,—if he had one,—interviewed his enemies; but after all the searching and prying, “they could find none occasion nor fault, forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.” It was a remarkable record. 2. Then they tried another tack. Our only hope, said they, is to find some occasion “against him concerning the law of his God,” his religion. Envy would condemn him for his very virtues. 3. Then the whole number of the presidents and princes came to the king,—“came tumultuously” (verse 6, margin), with great enthusiasm, telling the king that he was divine, and worthy of worship, and that all his officers had agreed that his worship should be firmly established by royal decree. Thirty days were to be given to this, during which time no one was to ask any petition of any God or man save the king. 4. The king, blinded by the “poisoned flattery,” yielded, and signed the decree. Little did he know what it meant. Hannah More well says: “No adulation; ’tis the death of virtue;
Who flatters is of all mankind the lowest,
Save he who courts the flattery.” 5. Daniel knew what they were about, but it did not change his purpose. Character was more precious in his estimation than wealth and honor and position combined; aye, even than life. Duty must be done. He did not even counsel with his brethren. He knew what was right in the premises. He did not appeal to the king to change the law; he knew this would be futile in view of the purpose of those who framed it. They had perverted the God-given authority of the kingdom to destroy him; the faithful servant would leave his case with his beloved Master. To yield to the law of iniquity10meant destruction of character; more than this, it meant dishonor to God, whose representative he was. Better death a thousand times than loss of character or falsity to his trust. The king and all Medo-Persia were but for a time; God and His kingdom were eternal. He would stand for God. Studies in the Book of Daniel.
The worth of a purpose is shown, not in sweet sunshine and pleasant paths, surrounded by friends, but it is revealed when the sky is dark, the path rugged and uninviting, beset by temptations and snares, and there is no one to help save God, and He seen only by the eye of faith. Daniel’s purpose was not for a sunshiny day and on easy paths, but for life, in whatever paths it led; and therefore, when he “knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house (now his windows were open in his chamber toward Jerusalem); and he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.” Verse 10. There was no spirit of braggadocio in Daniel. He did not defy the law. If the law contravened the righteous purpose of his life, his solemn duty to God, that was only incidental; it was not a principle to mold or change his steadfast purpose. He continued to do as he had ever done. Neither did the man of God yield to human fear. He might have argued that discretion is the better part of valor; that it would be more politic to close his windows and pray in secret for the next thirty days. But he did nothing of the kind. His windows were usually open toward his beloved Zion; he would leave them so. He had his regular seasons of devotion, the doubtless the busiest man in the empire; he would not depart from this duty and privilege. And his enemies knew that he would not. They assembled at the stated time, “and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God.” Verse 11. They expected to find him there. He prayed as beforetime, and doubtless for the very men that were plotting his destruction; for did he not serve God? and had not God said, “Seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it”? Jer. 29:7. Daniel also gave thanks to God. He knew that his prayer was heard; that it would be all well whatever came.