Daniel vs. the lobbyists

Government authorities are often times used by officials to perform crimes. They lobby the king (legistlative body of our day) to have laws passed, which are designed to ensnare the righteous.

• Daniel 6:1-4 The kingdom passed to Daryavesh the Mede when he was about sixty-two years old. Daryavesh decided to set over the kingdom 120 viceroys to rule throughout the entire kingdom, with three chiefs over them, of whom Dani'el was one, so that these viceroys could be responsible to them and so that the king's interests would be safeguarded. But because an extraordinary spirit was in this Dani'el, he so distinguished himself above the other chiefs and the viceroys that the king considered putting him in charge of the whole kingdom.
• Daniel 6:5-7 The other chiefs and the viceroys tried to find a cause for complaint against Dani'el in regard to how he performed his governing duties, but they could find nothing to complain about, no fault; on the contrary, because he was so faithful, not a single instance of negligence or faulty administration could be found. Then these men said, "We're not going to find any cause for complaint against this Dani'el unless we can find something against him in regard to the law of his god." So these chiefs and viceroys descended on the king and said to him, "King Daryavesh, live forever!
• Daniel 6:8-10 All the chiefs of the kingdom, along with the prefects, viceroys, advisers and governors, have met and agreed that the king should issue a decree putting in force the following law: ‘Whoever makes a request of any god or man during the next thirty days, except of you, your majesty, is to be thrown into the lion pit.' Now, your majesty, issue this decree over your signature, so that it cannot be revoked, as required by the law of the Medes and Persians, which is itself irrevocable." So King Daryavesh signed the document, and the decree became law.
• Daniel 6:11-14 On learning that the document had been signed, Dani'el went home. The windows of his upstairs room were open in the direction of Yerushalayim; and there he kneeled down three times a day and prayed, giving thanks before his God, just as he had been doing before. Then these men descended on Dani'el and found him making requests and pleading before his God. So they went to remind the king of his royal decree: "Didn't you sign a law prohibiting anyone from making requests of any god or man within thirty days, except yourself, your majesty, on pain of being thrown into the lion pit?" The king answered, "Yes, that is true, as required by the law of the Medes and Persians, which is itself irrevocable." They replied to the king, "That Dani'el, one of the exiles from Y'hudah, respects neither you, your majesty, nor the decree you signed; instead, he continues praying three times a day."
• Daniel 6:15-18 When the king heard this report, he was very upset. He determined to save Dani'el and worked until sunset to find a way to rescue him. But these men descended on the king and said to him, "Remember, your majesty, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no decree or edict, once issued by the king, can be revoked." So the king gave the order, and they brought Dani'el and threw him into the lion pit. The king said to Dani'el, "Your God, whom you are always serving, will save you." A stone was brought to block the opening of the pit, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, so that nothing concerning Dani'el could be changed.
• Daniel 6:19-25 Then the king returned to his palace. He spent the night fasting and refusing to be entertained, as sleep eluded him. Early in the morning, the king got up and hurried to the lion pit. On approaching the pit where Dani'el was, the king cried in a pained voice to Dani'el, "Dani'el, servant of the living God! Has your God, whom you are always serving, been able to save you from the lions?" Then Dani'el answered the king, "May the king live forever! My God sent his angel to shut the lions' mouths, so they haven't hurt me. This is because before him I was found innocent; and also I have done no harm to you, your majesty." The king was overjoyed and ordered Dani'el taken up from the pit. So Dani'el was taken up from the pit, and he was found to be completely unharmed, because he had trusted in his God.
• Daniel 6:25 Then the king gave an order, and they brought those men who had accused Dani'el, and they threw them into the lion pit — them, their children and their wives — and before they even reached the bottom of the pit, the lions had them in their control and broke all their bones to pieces.

The law was very simple: "Whoever makes a request of a god or man during the next thirty days, except of you, your majesty, is to be thrown into the lion pit". Had the king been versed in the 13th chapter of Romans, he would have known that this law was bogus. 6:8 proves the the lobbyist were liars. "All the chiefs ...". Daniel was one of the three chiefs (6:3) and was most certainly not for the new law. They presented the plan as though Daniel had aggreed to it.

The lobbyist, naturally, descended upon Daniel, who doing no wrong, was accused of a crime. They made him a stench to the king, since they claimed that Daniel neither respected the king, nor his majesty. For political reasons, the king has to save face and act. What would happen if word got out that Daniel treated the king with disrespect and lived? The kingdom would fall apart. The lobbyist als reminded the king that no law, once issued by the king, may be revoked. This is the reason the law was limited over a time span of 30 days. Once Daniel was gone, there was no need for the law, for it was designed with the sole purpose to kill Daniel.

The king caught on to the plan in 6:15, but was between a rock and a hard place, for as a king, he must respect the law.

And why did the lobbyist want to kill Daniel? A quick scan of verse 6:4 tells us. The king was considering putting Daniel in charge of the entire kingdom (as Joseph was), since an extraordinary spirit was in him. In verses 6:5-6 it is clear the other officials were not keen on the idea, and hatched a scheme to have him liquidated under the gears of government run amok. As they could not uncover any fault or negligence although they sought, they trumped up a bogus law to have him killed.

The king said to Daniel, after throwing him in the pit, "Your God, whom you are always serving, will save you". So king Daryavesh the Mede knew exactly what had happened, but remaind true to the law, and assumed God would iron out the details. The king fasted and could not sleep that night. In the morning the king asks, "Daniel, servant of the living God! Has your God, whom you are always serving been able to save you from the lions?"

As a side note it is interesting that the king equates "serving God" with "giving thanks to God" (verse 11), which is very thing the lobbyist used against Daniel. The evil politicians attempt to make laws against doing good, in order to receive the right to punish the righteous. In order to push through the law, they lie about the "broad support" the law has.

In verse 25, the false accusers met the fate they had programmed for Daniel. Perhaps this could happen today.

Author: Scott Wallace Brians
Date: October 2005
Web Site: www.his-kingdom.net
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Bible Text: Complete Jewish Bible by David Stern