Daniel 6.11 [6.12]-The Conspirators Find Daniel Praying to His God
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday March 5, 2013
Daniel: Daniel 6:11 (6:12)-The Conspirators Find Daniel Praying to His God
Lesson # 182
Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 6:11.
Daniel 6:1 Now, Darius the Mede received the kingdom at sixty-two years of age. 2 It was considered a good idea by Darius to establish one hundred twenty satraps over the kingdom in order that they would be in authority over the entire kingdom. 3 Also, out from, over them, three supervisors, of whom Daniel was one of them in order that these satraps would exist in the state of having to give an account to them so that the king would never be able to suffer loss. 4 Then this Daniel was distinguishing himself above the supervisors as well as satraps because an extraordinary spirit was in him. Consequently, the king intended to establish him over the entire kingdom 5 as a result, the supervisors as well as the satraps were repeatedly attempting to cause a pretext to be found against Daniel with regards to governmental affairs. However, repeatedly they were totally unable to cause any pretext in the form of corruption to be found because he was trustworthy. Indeed, no negligence in the form of corruption was found against him. 6 Therefore, these men concluded, “We will never be able to cause a pretext to be found against this Daniel unless we cause it be found in connection with the law originating from his God.” 7 Consequently, these supervisors as well as the satraps conspired together to the detriment of the king and said the following to the king, “King Darius, live forever! 8 Each and every one of the supervisors over the kingdom, namely the senior officials well as the satraps, that is the royal officials, in other words the governors are in agreement that the king should issue an edict. Specifically, an interdict, which should be enforced in order that whoever makes a request from any god or human being during a thirty day period except from you, O king, must be unceremoniously deposited into a lion’s den. 9 Now, please O king establish an interdict. Specifically, please sign the document into law in order that it can never be changed according to Medo-Persian law, which can never be revoked.” 10 Because of this, King Darius signed the document into law, that is, the interdict. 11 Now when Daniel was aware that the document was signed into law, he entered his home, which had windows in its upper room swung open toward Jerusalem. Then he worshipped on his knees three times during the day. Indeed, as was his custom, he prayed while giving thanks in the presence of his God just as he had been doing previously. (My translation)
Daniel 6:11 Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God. (NASB95)
This verse presents the next event that took place after Daniel worshipped his God by giving thanks to Him.
“These men” is a reference to Daniel’s fellow supervisors and satraps who were conspiring against him.
“Came by agreement” is the third person masculine plural hafʿel (Hebrew: hiphil) active perfect form of the verb reḡǎš (רְגַשׁ) (reg-ash´), which means “to conspire together” and is used with Daniel’s fellow supervisors and satraps as its subject.
Thus this word denotes that they came by secret agreement or cooperation for a deceitful purpose.
“And found Daniel making petition” defines specifically the previous statement which said that Daniel’s fellow satraps and supervisors conspired together.
“Found” is the third person masculine plural hafʿel (Hebrew: hiphil stem) active perfect form of the verb šeḵǎḥ (שְׁכַח) (shek-akh´), which means “to find” or “to discover” in the sense of coming upon by searching or effort and is used here with Daniel’s fellow supervisors and satraps as its subject.
Thus, this word indicates that these individuals “found” Daniel praying to his God implying that they immediately went to Daniel’s home in order to catch him in the act of praying to his God.
“Making request” is the masculine singular peʿal (Hebrew: qal) active participle form of the verb beʿā(h) (בְּעָה) (beh-aw´), which means “to make a request” and is used of Daniel as its subject indicating that the conspirators immediately went to the home of Daniel and found him “making request” of his God in prayer.
The verb ḥǎnǎn, which follows it makes clear that Daniel was making request for himself since he was praying for deliverance.
“And supplication” provides a specific detail which sheds more light on the previous statement which said that the conspirators found Daniel making request from his God in prayer.
“Supplication” is the masculine singular hitpaʿʿal (Hebrew: piel) middle participle form of the verb ḥǎnǎn (חֲנַן) (khan-an´), which means “to ask earnestly and urgently for help, implore for help, to make an earnest and urgent request in prayer, to call upon earnestly in prayer.”
This indicates that when Daniel heard that the interdict was signed into law prohibiting anyone in the next thirty days from praying to his god, Daniel went home and “earnestly and urgently made a request” from his God in prayer to deliver him from certain death.
“Before his God” is composed of the preposition qǒḏām (קֳדָם) (kod-awm´), “before” and its object is the masculine plural noun ʾělāh (אֱלָהּ) (el-aw´), “God” which is modified by the third person masculine singular pronominal suffix hû(ʾ) (הוּא) (who), “his.”
The noun ʾělāh means “God” referring to the God of Israel without reference to a member of the Trinity.
It is the object of the preposition qǒḏām, which means “in the presence of” and denotes Daniel was making an earnest and urgent prayer request “in the presence of” his God.
Daniel 6:11 (6:12) Then these men conspired together, namely, they found Daniel making request, specifically, making an earnest and urgent prayer request in the presence of his God. (My translation)
This verse presents Daniel’s response to Darius signing into law an interdict which demanded a person to be executed if they prayed to their god or any human being with the exception of the king in the next thirty days.
Daniel’s fellow supervisors and satraps conspired together in coercing Darius to sign this interdict into law.
Immediately after the interdict was signed into law, the conspirators went to Daniel’s home to find him breaking this law.
They found him making an urgent and earnest prayer request from his God to deliver him from death.
The conspirators were no doubt rejoicing since they were all eyewitnesses that Daniel broke the newly signed law.
Daniel’s response to this tremendous adversity is an excellent example for Christians to follow when they are faced with a great adversity.
Prayer was the first resort for Daniel and not the last resort.
1 Peter 5:6 Make it your top priority and permit yourselves to be humbled under the mighty hand of God the Father in order that He may promote you at the proper time by casting all your anxiety upon Him because as for Him He cares about you. (Author’s translation)
Life can be scary at times living in the devil’s world. God knows this.
That’s why He gave us provisions, like prayer, to deal with our problems.
God does not want us to be anxious about anything.
He wants us to trust in His Word.
Philippians 4:6 teaches that we should pray for a solution to our problems, rather than become worried or anxious.
The apostle Paul, in this passage, commanded a group of first century believers in Philippi, who were under tremendous adversity, to pray for a solution.
The principles in Philippians 4:6 are applicable to our struggles faced daily here in the twenty-first century.
Philippians 4:6 At this very moment, all of you stop continuing to be anxious about absolutely anything, but rather, concerning anything at all by means of reverential prayer in the presence of the Father and by means of petition accompanied by the giving of thanks, let your specific detailed requests be repeatedly made known in the presence of the Father. (Author’s translation)
Philippians 4:7 presents the fantastic, wonderful results that would take place in the soul of the believer who obeyed his prohibition and command in Philippians 4:6 and utilized the three-fold means to dealing with adversity in life.
Philippians 4:7 And as a result the peace produced by God the Holy Spirit, which is always superior to any and every human conception, will as a dogmatic statement of fact cause your hearts to be protected and, as a result, your thoughts by means of the doctrine of Christ Jesus. (Author’s translation)
Therefore, in Philippians 4:6-7, Paul taught that prayer, essentially, solves the problem of stress and anxiety, which is widespread in twenty-first century America.
In Daniel chapter six, we see that as a result of being persecuted, Daniel was suffering undeservedly in order to bring glory to God.
The Bible teaches that God uses undeserved suffering to advance His children to greater spiritual growth.
The believer must experience undeserved suffering since it is through undeserved suffering that the believer is conformed to the image of Christ.
John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (NASB95)
2 Corinthians 4:17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (NASB95)
Philippians 1:29 It has been graciously granted (the privilege) because of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also, to suffer (hardship) because of Him. (Author’s translation)
Philippians 3:10 that I come to know Him experientially and the power from His resurrection and the participation in His sufferings by my becoming like Him with respect to His death. 11 If somehow (by becoming like Him with respect to His death), I may attain to the exit-resurrection, namely, the one out from the (spiritually) dead ones. (Author’s translation)
The believer must deny self in order to imitate the Lord Jesus Christ and carry his own cross.
Luke 14:25 Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. 27 Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” (NASB95)
John 15:20 “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.” (NASB95)
2 Timothy 3:12 Indeed, all who desire to live spiritually in fellowship with Christ Jesus will be persecuted. (Author’s translation)
The conspirators knew Daniel would not comply with this edict.
Daniel 6:10 (6:11) records that Daniel prayed three times every day.
His fellow satraps and supervisors obviously knew this as indicated by the fact that they coerced Darius into establishing this decree.
Daniel 6:10 (6:11) records Daniel praying three times a day to his God.
This tells the reader why the conspirators are recorded as saying in Daniel 6:5 (6:6) that they will never be able to cause a pretext to be found against Daniel unless they cause it to be found in connection with the law of his God.
Thus, we see that the conspirators are using Daniel’s spirituality and faithfulness to his God against him as a political weakness.
Their actions make clear that they knew that Daniel would rather die than disobey his God.
Their conspiracy makes clear that they knew Daniel would obey God rather than the king or the laws of Medo-Persia if they came into conflict with the laws of his God.
The fact that the conspirators knew of Daniel’s habit of praying three times a day to his God indicates that Daniel never hid his relationship with God and that this relationship was public knowledge.