DAN. 6:4 Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Dan'iel 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.

5 Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Dan'iel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.

6 Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Dari'us, live for ever.

7 All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, 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, 0 king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.

10 Now when Dan'iel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Je-ru'sa-lem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

16 Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Dan'iel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.

19 Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.

21 Then said Dan'iel unto the king, 0 king, live for ever.

25 Then king Da-ri'us wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.

26 I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Dan'iel: 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.

HEART OF THE LESSON Because of his wisdom, his excellent spirit, and God's hand upon him, Daniel had risen to a position of high leadership and authority in Babylon. Regrettably, his success aroused professional jealousy among other leaders in the land.

1. A trap against the righteous (Dan. 6:4-7). These leaders consulted together about how they might bring Daniel down, but they could find no fault of which they could accuse him. Knowing of his faithfulness to God, however, they conspired to create a situation in which Daniel would have to choose between his faith practices and obedience to a law of the land.

These leaders created a decree that outlawed petitioning any god or man other than the king for thirty days. The penalty for disobeying the decree would be for the offender to be thrown into a den of lions. These leaders then persuaded the king to sign the decree. The trap was set.

We, of course, want to be good citizens of our country and norm ally should obey the laws of the governments under which we live. But what about the occasional ordinances that would cause us to compromise our obedience to God's law?

Thankfully, we live in a land where there are various legal processes by which we can challenge unjust laws and rulings. But if those fail to bring about a just change, what is our faithful recourse? In various circumstances over the centuries, believers have had to wrestle with and pray about that question and then act according to the best light that they have received.

2. A public display of faith (Dan. 6:10). In Daniel's case, he chose to respond to this ungodly decree by practicing nonviolent resistance. He continued his practice of praying to God three times a day. But to expose the unjustness of the decree, he made it a point to pray where he could be seen doing so - in front of his open window.

Daniel's prayer practice thus became not only an act of spiritual devotion but also a strategic tactic against the decree.

In the last century, Martin Luther King, Jr., and his fellow civil rights activists used a similar tactic when local law officers attacked them with clubs and dogs. The marchers did not resist but knelt in prayer, accepting the consequences of their peaceful defiance of the unjust Jim Crow laws.

3. Deliverance from injustice (Dan.6:16, 19, 21). The consequence of Daniel's disobedience was imposed - he was thrown to the lions. But God intervened, and Daniel remained unharmed.

We should not take this event as a guarantee that civil disobedience in faithfulness to God will always result in our being saved from the consequences. Daniel certainly had no such guarantee. In fact, it is to Daniel's credit that he was willing to resist the unjust law fully expecting to become lions' food!

Although we may not be able to count on being excused from the earthly consequences of faithfulness to God under threatening circumstances, we can count on eternal rewards

4. Acknowledgment of God (Dan. 6:25-26). This account has a happy ending. The king was so impressed by both Daniel's faithfulness to God and God's deliverance of Daniel that he acknowledged the reality and power of God. He even issued a decree to that effect.

That, of course, is always an important goal of faithful disobedience-to show others the grace and glory of our sovereign Lord .

QUESTIONS

1. What was Daniel's response to the king's decree?

2. How do we know that Darius was uncertain about Daniel's survival?

3. How does Daniel's experience relate to believers today?

(Reprinted by permission of The Incorporated Trustees of the Gospel Worker Society and Union Gospel Press, P.O. Box 6059, Cleveland, Ohio, 44101)