Good Morning! - Daniel 6:1-3 - Daniel's Reappointment Under Darius - 2009.10.30

It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom a hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom; And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might giveaccounts unto them, and the king should have no damage.Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm (Daniel 6:1-3)

Daniel was an old dog at this time. "He had spent a lifetime—from a boy of seventeen until he was about ninety—in the palace of pagan kings" (McGee). Belshazzar seemed to have been one brick short of a load in failing to recognize that Belteshazzar (Daniel the Prophet) was the most talented and competent man in his kingdom to manage his affairs.

Is it not strange that Darius the Persian conqueror of Babylon would so quickly bring Daniel out of obscurity and put him in charge of the other 120 princes and two fellow presidents? Well, when God's plan and God's timing focus on a scene, strange things happen. That's true, not just in ancient Babylon and Persia (Iran) but in your town and at your house.

It's hard for God's people with Bible in hand to really believe the radical stuff in their Bibles. That the Bible may really relate to you personally in your daily living is a radical and unknown idea with many who call themselves Christians. The Bible calls that state of existence—unbelief and it is often accompanied by pride. If you want a personal walk with the Lord and if you want a Bible that has personal meaning to you, you can have it.

But many Christians know little about their Bibles except that the cover says "Holy Bible." And some that have spent a lifetime listening to Sunday school lessons and sermons do not mix faith with them and they have virtually no effect on them. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it (Hebrews 4:2).

James observed that in his day and said: But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was (James 1:22-24).

Paul called this quirky state of mind: "dull of hearing" (Acts 5:11) and knew that it would be useless to try to get some things across to people in this condition.

Darius found an excellent spirit in Daniel. This man believed God and God blessed everything he did. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). He sought to please God rather than man in everything he did. By examining the preceding chapters of Daniel we see that his very soul was anchored on serving God. If it cost him his life, then so be it. This is one of the vital differences in people—a vital difference in Christians. Shall I please self or God? Shall I please my friends or God? When we answer those two questions, we can predict the outcome of the speech and actions of the person regardless of who it is.

Darius is the silver king in Nebuchanezzar's dream. Time will move on to the brass kingdom of Greece and then to the iron kingdom of the Roman Empire and then to the iron mixed with clay kingdoms of the feet of the image. The iron and clay are a mixture of dictatorships that exercise efficient power and the democracies dominated by the fickle masses.

At the stage of the feet a great stone shaped without hands will come and strike the image on the feet of iron and clay and the whole thing will topple and fall and be ground into powder. The wind will carry it all away. And the stone will grow in size and fill the whole earth. We are in the feet of the image and we are waiting for the stone that is to come. Read Daniel 1-5 again and get some real stuff into the engine room of your soul.Ω

Memory Verse for this week:

(1Th 4:13)But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. (1Th 4:13) (See 1Th 4:13-18).