Daniel 6

It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred twenty local governors, who should be throughout the whole kingdom;

and over them three presidents, of whom Daniel was one, that these local governors might give account to them, and that the king should suffer no loss.

Then this Daniel was distinguished above the presidents and the local governors, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.

Then the presidents and the local governors sought to find occasion against Daniel as touching the kingdom; but they could find no occasion or fault, because he was faithful. There wasn’t any error or fault found in him.

Then these men said, “We won’t find any occasion against this Daniel, unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.”

Then these presidents and local governors assembled together to the king, and said this to him, “King Darius, live forever!

All the presidents of the kingdom, the deputies and the local governors, the counselors and the governors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a strong decree, that whoever asks a petition of any god or man for thirty days, except of you, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.

Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the writing, that it not be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which doesn’t alter.”

Therefore King Darius signed the writing and the decree.

When Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house (now his windows were open in his room toward Jerusalem) and he kneeled on his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did before.

Then these men assembled together, and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God.

Then they came near, and spoke before the king concerning the king’s decree: “Haven’t you signed a decree that every man who makes a petition to any god or man within thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered, “This thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which doesn’t alter.”

Then they answered and said before the king, “That Daniel, who is of the children of the captivity of Judah, doesn’t respect you, O king, nor the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.”

Then the king, when he heard these words, was very displeased, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him; and he labored until the going down of the sun to rescue him.

Then these men assembled together to the king, and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians, that no decree nor statute which the king establishes may be changed.”

Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Your God whom you serve continually, he will deliver you.”

A stone was brought, and laid on the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel.

Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting. No musical instruments were brought before him; and his sleep fled from him.

Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste to the den of lions.

When he came near to the den to Daniel, he cried with a troubled voice. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, is your God, whom you serve continually, able to deliver you from the lions?”

Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever!

My God has sent his angel, and has shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not hurt me, because innocence was found in me before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.”

Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

The king commanded, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions—them, their children, and their wives; and the lions mauled them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they came to the bottom of the den.

Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages who dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you.

“I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. “For he is the living God, and steadfast forever. His kingdom is that which will not be destroyed. His dominion will be even to the end.

He delivers and rescues. He works signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.”

So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview.
This chapter recounts Daniel’s deliverance from the lions’ den after being accused by envious officials for praying to God in defiance of a royal decree. It highlights the conflict between human authority and divine obedience, culminating in God’s sovereign intervention and the vindication of Daniel’s faithfulness, which leads to a public acknowledgment of God’s power by a Gentile king.

Flow.

The king appoints Daniel as a chief administrator, provoking jealousy among other officials who conspire to trap him through his religious devotion.
Unable to find fault in his conduct, they manipulate the king into issuing an irrevocable decree forbidding prayers to any god or man but the king for thirty days.
Daniel continues to pray openly toward Jerusalem, is condemned to the lions’ den, and the king reluctantly enforces the decree.
God sends an angel to shut the lions’ mouths, Daniel is unharmed, and the king, overjoyed, punishes the conspirators and issues a decree honoring the true God.

Connections.
Following chapter 5, where God judges Babylon’s pride through Belshazzar’s fall and Darius’s rise, this chapter shows how God preserves His servant under a new empire, now using a Medo-Persian ruler to bear witness to His living power. Just as chapter 5 exposed the futility of idolatry and human arrogance, chapter 6 demonstrates the unstoppable rule of God over all kingdoms, setting the stage for the apocalyptic visions in chapter 7, which reveal the eternal kingdom “which will not be destroyed” (), a theme anticipated in Darius’s confession.

What it teaches.
True worship cannot be silenced by human decree, and God is able to preserve those who trust in Him, even when obedience leads to suffering (WCF 16.4, 18.2). Daniel’s steadfast prayer life reflects a covenant faithfulness that honors God before rulers (HC LD 10), and his deliverance testifies to God’s power over death and His dominion over all creation, including the beasts of the earth (WCF 4.1, LD 9). The king’s recognition of “the living God” parallels the creeds’ affirmation of God as “the Maker of heaven and earth,” active and reigning (Apostles’ Creed; WCF 4.1). The angelic intervention confirms God’s sovereign care over His people, working signs and wonders in fulfillment of His redemptive purpose (; WCF 5.7).

Apply.
Faithfulness to God may require continued prayer and public witness, even when the cost of obedience is life itself.

AI-generated. Not a substitute for Scripture, your pastor, or the confessions.