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Daniel 6:1-9 — The Plot Against Daniel

Darius was a wise ruler and did not try to do all of the governing himself. He appointed one hundred and twenty satraps and three administrators over them to help him reign over the kingdom of Babylon. The administrators were like overseers and the satraps had to give an account to them.

Daniel had over fifty years of public service behind him, and was known for his integrity. Because of this the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. Society today often does not feel that a person is useful in their old age. Yet when a person is totally committed to God and wants to be of service to Him, God will work through him or her. Daniel was a perfect example of this! Daniel lived a life of faithful commitment to God. This is why God could use him all throughout his life.

The other two administrators and at least some of the satraps under them wanted to find some grounds for charges against Daniel so that the king would have to punish him rather than elevate him over them all. But they could find no corruption in Daniel. He was trustworthy and had not committed any act to discredit himself. His life was above reproach. He was faithful and loyal to his office and to God.

Every believer will be at some time under the same pressures that Daniel faced. If you are a child of God you ought to live so that the charges that will inevitably be leveled against you will be a lie! You cannot keep people from talking about you or trying to blame you for things, but by the power of the Holy Spirit you can live so that they cannot find any fault in you. The Bible instructs us, “In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing, so that no one can speak a word of blame against you. You are to live clean, innocent lives as children of God in a dark world full of crooked and perverse people. Let your lives shine brightly before them” (Philippians 2:14-15 NLT).

These evil men made a plan to get rid of Daniel by taking advantage of Darius’ vanity. They decided on a course of action based on Daniel’s faithfulness to his God. This was really a compliment to Daniel as they were impressed by his religious faithfulness and believed that they could build a plot against him based upon it. They drafted an edict, gave it unanimous approval, and passed it on to the king that he might make it an official decree. The edict gave Darius the position of a god, for prayer could be offered only to him for the next thirty days. Anyone who disobeyed this law would be thrown into the lion’s den. These men lied when they said, “The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed” (Daniel 6:7), for obviously Daniel had not agreed and would never have agreed to such a decree.

King Darius displayed his vanity. He must have felt very flattered by this remarkable honor given to him and he foolishly signed the decree. According to the law of the Medes and Persians, any decree signed by the king could not be changed or repealed. If only he had waited he might have made some inquiry, which could have revealed the plot involved, but he acted impulsively. We, too, are guilty of vanity if we think we can make wise decisions without pausing and consulting the Lord. Proverbs 3:5-7 tells us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”