The Kingdom of God
Daniel's Vision of Change
Daniel 6:1-10The Message (MSG)
Daniel in the Lions’ Den6 1-3 Darius
reorganized his kingdom. He appointed one hundred twenty governors to
administer all the parts of his realm. Over them were three
vice-regents, one of whom was Daniel. The governors reported to the
vice-regents, who made sure that everything was in order for the king.
But Daniel, brimming with spirit and intelligence, so completely
outclassed the other vice-regents and governors that the king decided to
put him in charge of the whole kingdom.
4-5 The vice-regents and governors got together to find some old scandal or skeleton in Daniel’s life that they could use against him, but they couldn’t dig up anything. He was totally exemplary and trustworthy. They could find no evidence of negligence or misconduct. So they finally gave up and said, “We’re never going to find anything against this Daniel unless we can cook up something religious.”
6-7 The vice-regents and governors conspired together and then went to the king and said, “King Darius, live forever! We’ve convened your vice-regents, governors, and all your leading officials, and have agreed that the king should issue the following decree:
9 King Darius signed the decree.
10 When Daniel learned that the decree had been signed and posted, he continued to pray just as he had always done. His house had windows in the upstairs that opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he knelt there in prayer, thanking and praising his God.
For Reflection
4-5 The vice-regents and governors got together to find some old scandal or skeleton in Daniel’s life that they could use against him, but they couldn’t dig up anything. He was totally exemplary and trustworthy. They could find no evidence of negligence or misconduct. So they finally gave up and said, “We’re never going to find anything against this Daniel unless we can cook up something religious.”
6-7 The vice-regents and governors conspired together and then went to the king and said, “King Darius, live forever! We’ve convened your vice-regents, governors, and all your leading officials, and have agreed that the king should issue the following decree:
For the next thirty days no one is to pray
to any god or mortal except you, O king. Anyone who disobeys will be
thrown into the lions’ den.
8 “Issue this decree, O king,
and make it unconditional, as if written in stone like all the laws of
the Medes and the Persians.”9 King Darius signed the decree.
10 When Daniel learned that the decree had been signed and posted, he continued to pray just as he had always done. His house had windows in the upstairs that opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he knelt there in prayer, thanking and praising his God.
For Reflection
In
the face of conspiratorial opposition, Daniel defies the decree and
places himself in jeopardy. Daniel's courage is grounded in his faith.
Each of us face some situations which test our courage. Think about
those times when you had to choose whether or not you would be true to
your faith and put yourself in jeopardy.
Pray
that
you will follow the conviction of your faith. Pray for the courage and
the wisdom to trust in God. Give thanks to the God who leads you into
service in His kingdom.
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