DARIUS FORCED TO RENDER ADVERSE JUDGMENT

Daniel soon became aware of the law restricting prayer. Immediately, he entered into his house and went to his roof chamber, where the windows were open toward Jerusalem.  There Daniel began praying to God "as he had been regularly doing prior to this."  Daniel may have thought that he was alone, but  the conspirators were watching him.  Suddenly, they"crowded in," no doubt in the same excited manner in which they had approached Darius.  Now they were seeing it with their own yes-Daniel was "petitioning and imploring favor before his God." (Daniel 6:10, 11)  The high officials and satraps had all the evidence they needed to accuse Daniel before the king. 

Daniel's enemies slyly asked Darius:  "Is there not an interdict that you have signed  that any man that asks a petition from any god or man for thirty days except from you, O king, he should be thrown into the lion's pit?"  Darius answered: "The matter is well established according to the law of the Medes and the Persian, which is not annulled."  Now the conspirators quickly got to the point. "Daniel, who is of the exiles of Judah, has paid no regard to you, O king, nor to the interdict that you signed, but three times in a day he is making his petition." -Daniel 6:12, 13. 

It is significant that the high officials and satraps referred to Daniel as being "of the exiles of Judah."  Evidently, they wanted to emphasize that this Daniel whom Darius had elevated to such prominence was in reality no more than a Jewish slave.  They believed that  as such, he was certainly not above the law-no matter how the king felt about him!

 Perhaps the high officials and satraps expected the king to reward them for their astute  detective work.  If so, they were in for a surprise.  Darius was sorely troubled by he news they brought him.  Rather than becoming enraged at Daniel or immediately consigning him to the lion's pit, Darius spent all day strive to deliver him.  But his efforts proved futile.  Before long, the conspirators returned, and in their shameless spirit, they demanded Daniel's blood. -Daniel 6:14, 15. 

Darius felt that he had no choice in the matter.  The law could not be annulled, nor could Daniel's  "transgression" be pardoned.  All that Darius could say to Daniel was "your God whom you are serving with constancy, he himself will rescue you."  Darius  seemed to respect  Daniel's God.  It was Jehovah who had given Daniel the ability to foretell the fall of Babylon.  God had also given Daniel "an extraordinary spirit,"  which distinguished him from the other high officials.  Perhaps Darius was aware that decades earlier this same God had delivered three young Hebrews from a fiery furnace. Likely, the king hoped that Jehovah would now deliver Daniel, since Darius was unable to reverse the law he had signed.  Hence, Daniel was thrown into the lion's pit.  Next, "a stone was brought and place on the mouth of the pit, and the king sealed it with his signet ring and with the signet ring of his grandees, in order that nothing should be changed in the case of Daniel." -Daniel 6:16, 17.

Next time: A DRAMATIC TURN OF EVENTS 

From the book:  PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999