Part 6: Daniel - The Servant of God section A (Dn 6:1-23) published 15/11/1999

Daniel's long service in government now extends to a third king. After Nebuchadnezzar, then his grand-son Belshazzar, comes Darius (or Cyrus as he is called in Ezra 1:1). Daniel was courageous and forthright in his condemnation through the word of God of the previous king Belshazzar (Dan 5:25-28), and then honoured for his candour (Dan 5:29). Now he finds favour in the new administration (Dan 5:30-6:1) of Darius.

The situation is not unlike the one which we came across during the experiences of Daniel's friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, in that those who had lost influence by the promotion of Daniel were on the lookout for ways of undermining Daniel's position through jealousy.

The Quality of Daniel's Work
It was very difficult for them to find anything in Daniel's life worthy of accusation. There was no evidence of corruption (Dan 6:4)

Q Do I ever misuse gifts or office to benefit my own agenda? Discuss this in the group.

Daniel was trustworthy (Dan 6:4). The king had put him in a position of responsibility because he had never let anyone down. He had always completed the job satisfactorily.

Q Do I always finish the job which God gives me to do, or do I lose interest and become distracted?

Daniel was never guilty of negligence (Dan 6:4). Nobody ever came to harm as a result of what Daniel said or did that he should not have said or done, and the reverse was also true.

Q Does the church, or does any individual that I try to help ever end up worse off because of the lack of care or attention on my part?

The Consistency of Daniel's Prayer Life
Although unable to find fault in his performance of duties, those who opposed Daniel were able to plot what they thought would be his downfall because of his consistent witness to his faith. He was not prepared to compromise his relationship with God for anyone (Dan 6:10).

His opponents obviously knew where Daniel prayed - he had a place for prayer, his bedroom, where he knelt before God - and when he prayed - he had a regular pattern for prayer, praying at three times each day. Daniel's prayers were also structured - he had priorities in prayer, bringing first praise (Dan 6:10) then petition (Dan 6:11). It was the consistency of his prayer life which had prepared him for the testing situations which he faced.

Q How important is it to have somewhere that you can pray effectively, and how important is it to have specific times for prayer?

Q How do members try to structure their own prayer time, if at all?

The Continuity of Daniel's Trust in God
The king knew that he had been trapped (Dan 6:15) but a mixture of pride and historical precedent stopped him from making a special case of Daniel although he looked for a get-out (Dan 6:14). No doubt Darius knew what had happened in previous years with these Hebrews and sensed that God might intervene on this occasion (Dan 6:16,19-20), but it was a sleepless, uncomfortable night for him (Dan 6:18).

Q Have members of the group ever felt trapped by history, protocol, or their own pronouncements, into taking a wrong course of action? What should we do in such circumstances?

Daniel would not be diverted from his spiritual routine ... and God did rescue him! When brought out of the lions' den he gave God the glory for the way in which he had been protected. Daniel trusted in God.