In a day of political intrigue, governmental graft, and credibility gaps, it's refreshing to review the integrity of Daniel, whose only "fault" was a godly life and conscientious business dealings.
The circumstances were certainly extenuating, for Daniel was an old man, long overdue for retirement; he was all alone in a corrupt culture and court. He was hated by his associates and under continued surveillance. How will he react to adversity? Will he "be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand"?
Part 1 (Daniel Chapter 6)
Darius the Mede advanced the aged Daniel to a very prominent and influential position in the Persian government. We aren't informed about what led to Daniel's promotion, but we may surmise his long familiarity with the intricacies of administration would make him a valuable asset to the new regime.
Darius may have heard of Daniel's ministries to Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar. He had doubtlessly come to realize Daniel could be depended upon to manage well the affairs of state.
But the elevation of this Jew to such heights of service and honor won him a hatred of envious politicians who determined to bring an indictment against the prophet and thus remove him from office (vs. 4). By their own admission, Daniel's private and public life was flawless, and so they plotted to impeach him by leveling charges against him concerning his religious devotion.
Appealing to Darius' vanity and implying Darius himself was a god, the conspirators enticed the king to pass a law forbidding prayers to any other god for a period of thirty days. They counted on Daniel's defying the irrevocable Persian decree, and they were not disappointed.
According to his custom, Daniel faced toward Jerusalem and knelt in prayer to his God three times a day (vs. 10). The rogues detected Daniel's infraction of the law ans reported it to the king. Darius realized too late he had been tricked into setting his signature to the diabolical edict. He was bent upon finding some loophole in the law, but the law was binding.
Darius had no alternative except to carry out the demands of the law by casting Daniel into the den of lions. As soon as it was daybreak, Darius hastened to the execution chamber to inspect the result. He was delighted to find Daniel unharmed (vs. 20-23).
Daniel was removed from the den and the men who plotted his destruction were fed to the lions. The king celebrated the occasion by sending a peace proclamation into the whole realm exalting Daniel's living, faithful and eternal God (vs. 25-27).
Part 2
Daniel in the lion's den is nowhere in Scripture called a type, but the details of this chapter are so minutely repeated in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ it is impossible not to see the relationship here.
Daniel was one of the triumvirate whom Darius intended to set over the whole realm. Christ is one of the three persons of the triune Godhead whom the Father intends will govern the whole world in the day of His millennial glory. Daniel's character was spotless; he was motivated by an indwelling spirit (vs. 3).
Christ was innocent and sinless. His whole life from birth to resurrection was under the absolute control of the Holy Spirit, and even Jesus' enemies testified to His sinlessness (see Matt. 27: 4, 19)
Daniel's holy life was such a daily rebuke to the indiscretions and irregularities of the heads of state they trumped up charges against him and got a conviction on the grounds of his relationship to his God.
The rulers of the Jewish people were so filled with envy against Christ they schemed to kill Him by charging Him with blasphemy--claming to be equal with God.
Daniel was condemned by an unchanging law. The unalterable law of God was involved in the death of Christ. The law said "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." Christ was sinless, but He was taking the place of those who had broken the holy law of God. He came to satisfy the broken the just demands of the law in the stead of transgressiors of that law.
Before Daniel's execution day he faced toward the holy city and prayed. Before the day of crucifiction, Jesus set his face towards Jerusalem and agonized in prayer in the garden of Gethsemane. Darius wanted to save Daniel, but he could not set aside the law. Pilate believed in Christ's innocence and attempted to set Him free but could not.
Daniel was cast into the place of death and a stone, sealed with the signet of a Gentile empire, secured the entrance. Christ went to the place of a skull and poured out His life in violent death. He was taken down from the cross and placed ina speulcher sealed with the Gentile insignia and secured by Roman guards.
Very early in the day, a mourning king hurried to the intended sepulcher to inquire of Daniel's condition. As it began to dawn on Sunday, mourning women came to Joseph's tomb to prepare the body of Jesus for permanent burial.
The king, to his utter amazement, heard the "dead" Daniel speak. Mary, at the garden tomb, heard her beloved Master speak to her. Angels attended Daniel's deliverance, and angels figured prominently in announcing the resurrection of Christ.
Daniel was rescued from the place of certain death without so much as a scratch upon him. Christ came from the tomb in resurrection glory, having defeated death and the grave. Daniel fulfilled every requirement of the law; nevertheless, he lived.
The Persian law demanded only that he be thrown into the den of lions. The law did not specify the lions must eat him, and it didn't say he had to remain in the lion's lair. Christ satisfied completely the offended holiness of God, and fulfilled perfectly the broken law of God by dying the sinner's death; and yet He lives.
The law did not require He remain dead or that the grave hold its prey indefinitely. He met the demands of the law and lived despite the legal infliction of death. Sinners could not die as a penalty for their sins and live, too, but the God-man "was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification."
Daniel's deliverance from the jaws of death was occasioned by the universal promulgation of a message of peace. Christ has made peace for us through the blood of His cross. We are preaching the gospel of peace. The ambassadors of Christ are calling upon all men everywhere to be reconciled to God (be at peace with God).
The content of the proclamation included a message of life--"the living God". One special ingredient of the gospel message is the news about a living Savior--"and that he arose again the third day" (1 Cor. 15:4).
In the historic incident the law was satisfied, God was glorified, and Daniel was magnified, for his name accompanied every report of the miracle. In the anti type, the law was satisfied, God was glorified, Christ was magnified, and sinners were justified on the basis of Christ's redeeming work. The inexorable demands of the law could no longer clam the offending sinner.
Part 3
Every isolated historic event recorded in the Bible has some indispensable connection with God's overall plan and purpose to inaugurate the coming kingdom. Scripture records only history which has some bearing upon the ultimate goal of history.
In some ways Darius was a kind man--although certainly weak and largely controlled by his own officials. But what he did has prophetic significance irrespective of his personal traits, for his conduct conforms exactly to what I think will happen in the tribulation of the future.
Darius arrogated to himself prerogatives which belong only to God. He set himself up as God and forbade his subjects to petition anyone except himself for thirty days. His blasphemy will be repeated by the final oppressor of God's elect people in the tribulation; he will exalt himself above all that is called God.. (see Rev. 20:4)
In the period of the tribulation many saved Jews will refuse to acknowledge the beast's authority; and, like Daniel, this remnant of believing Jews will suffer the consequences of their devotion to God. Many of them will feel the pain of death for this faith in Jesus. But God will spare many, delivering them as He did Daniel.
They will preserved from martyrdom by the intervening hand of God. Just as Daniel was faced by wild beats and was rescued, so the Jewish remnant will face the ferocity of the two beasts of Revelation and get the victory over them.
The same deification of man mentioned in the Babylonian empire appeared also in the Medo-Persian empire. This principle later erupted in the Greek empire under the blasphemous conduct of Antiochus Epiphanes and again in the Roman empire under the Caesars.
It characterizes the times of the Gentiles from beginning to end; and in the coming finale of Gentile dominion, the deification of man will be reintroduced in the person of the beast and in his false prophet. But just as Daniel's foes were cast to their doom in the pit of lions, the enemies of Israel in the tribulation will be cast alive into the lake of fire. (Rev. 19:20)
The events which followed Daniel's deliverance are all reminders of conditions which will prevail during the age to come. Darius sent out a peace proclamation which had a universal scope. In the millennial kingdom the peoples of the earth will live in peace at last. Peace will come to men and they will learn war no more.
In that day men will be reconciled to God and live in harmony and unity with God's laws. During the kingdom reign of Christ, every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess Jesus is Lord and glorify the Father God.
The Gentiles will come to a new knowledge of the Lord, and they will be subservient to Israel. The kingdom of God will come at last to earth, and it will never again be jeopardized by human defiance of divine authority.
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