The God you serve makes all the difference in how you live your life and how you live your life makes all the difference in how your life ends up.
There are 3 earthly characters in this story.
A.There is a king named Darius who ruled earth. In many ways he believed that he was a god or at least a representative of a god.
B.There are the presidents and satraps. I will count the group of them as one. They seemed to count themselves as their own god because they were very self-serving.
C.There is a man named Daniel. He served the Living and True God.
There is one other main character in this story. He is not earthly and so I kept Him separate. The Almighty God is clearly seen in this story. He is really in control and He is orchestrating the entire story.
Verses 1-3 6 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; 2 and over them three presidents, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. 3 Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other presidents and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.
Darius is now king. If this was Darius I, then he was a brutal conqueror. It is reported the Darius I crucified 3,000 people in his conquest of Babylon. Darius wants to make sure that everything in his kingdom is monitored and that he does not lose anything. He decides to set up a system of overseers. There will be 120 overseers scattered throughout his kingdom and then 3 presidents over all of them. Daniel was one of the presidents.
Daniel rose to the top. He not only was better than all the satraps, but better than all of the presidents. I love the words used here. Daniel became distinguished. This was because there was an excellent spirit in him. Because of this distinction, Darius planned to put Daniel over everyone. He would be the president of the presidents. This foreigner was at it again. Darius was going to promote Daniel even over the Medes and the Persians.
Daniel was distinguished. There was an excellent spirit in him. He stood out. Do not hear me say that Christians are to be the best in all areas of the world. Such distinction might require idolatry. We should do the best we can to show ourselves capable, dedicated, and yet balanced. Daniel could dedicate his life to the service of God and king because he had no family. He was probably made a eunuch by Nebuchadnezzar so that Daniel would not be distracted by other issues. This was quite common in that day. Those of us who have families must not become distinguished only in our jobs by neglecting our families. This is not a good representation of our God. We must properly invest in whatever area that God has placed us. We must make sure that we are involved only where God has called us. These areas of personal investment must be checked and sorted on a regularly basis. Some areas will remain constant such as church and family, but others may come and go depending on the time of life or the circumstances.
Verses 4-5 4 Then the presidents and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. 5 Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.”
The presidents and the satraps are not going to stand for this if they can help it. They are not going to have some guy who doesn’t even worship their gods ruling over them. They have nothing in common with him and this means war. So they start looking at how he does his job. After all, this is about the promotion that he is getting at work. The presidents and the satraps can find nothing wrong with Daniel’s performance. They cannot find any mistakes that are going to help them fight their cause. They cannot find any complaints worthy of bringing before the king that would not seem petty. All that they found was that Daniel was faithful, had no errors, and no fault was found in him.
The presidents and the satraps then compared notes and they all found the same thing about Daniel. He did his job and did it well. Basically, they could find no reason that Daniel should not have the promotion. He excelled above them. So they looked around and found the only thing that was different enough from them and that no comparison could be made to them. The God of Daniel was different than the gods of the presidents and satraps. Darius had not dealt with Daniel’s God. He probably did not care who Daniel worshipped as long as he did a good job for his kingdom. Darius was the king and Daniel served the king well. Daniel knew how to behave among the royals. He knew the language. He looked good and dressed appropriately. Most importantly to Darius, Daniel caused his kingdom to prosper. That was what mattered.
Daniel served the king well because he was a servant of God. We are not simply to be the people who do what it takes to get by, but we are to work as unto the Lord. Promotions, raises, etc. are not to be the driving force. We may or may not get promoted or a raise – even if they are deserved. These issues are not the measuring sticks of us doing well. We are to do well because our work is a reflection of the God we serve.
Daniel’s work record was spotless. The presidents and satraps could find no reason why Daniel should not be promoted above them. They actually knew that on merit, the king had made the right decision. Daniel was the best, but Daniel was unique in one area. The presidents and satraps could not find fault with Daniel, so they attacked his faith in God.
D. A. Carson says it this way - Daniel’s colleagues were unable to find ground for complaint against him and therefore had no leverage to remove him as an administrator. While his colleagues had come to hate him they could not but recognize his integrity. They knew that their only hope lay in employing Daniel’s well-known spiritual strength as a political weakness, knowing that he would obey God rather than men. This they did by turning the king’s spiritual weakness into their own political strength.1
Now this is easier said than done. It is difficult to live such a life that no one could find fault with anything that is worth accusing us of, but the Scriptures do give us this challenge. Verses 6-7 6 Then these presidents and satraps came by agreement to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live forever! 7 All the presidents of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions.
So, the presidents and satraps conspired against Daniel. They also conspired against the king. The presidents and satraps came to the king and set the king up. They trapped him. Just so you know, they are not concerned with the kingdom, but their own welfare. They did not want the best man for the job in the position. They wanted Daniel out of the picture. They came to the king and said, “O King Darius, live forever!” This was the correct way to address the king, but it was a statement that the high level authorities under the king should believe. They should be stating that they want the kingdom of this king to last forever and be prosperous. They did not want this. They were entirely hypocrites. They were not trying to get the king to make an informed decision. They were trying to deceive the king and trap him with his own laws. They tell the king that everyone in the kingdom is in agreement with this new proposal. In verse 7 the word ALL is used. It probably looked liked ALL because the presidents and satraps had included the counselors and the governors in their appeal. We do not know whether they were really asked or not, but they were certainly included. This ALL was a lie. Daniel was not in on this agreement. The king knew that Daniel paid him the correct honor because Daniel had been in his presence multiple times. This brings up an interesting point. Daniel must not have had many, if any conversations with the king about Daniel’s God and his relationship with him. Daniel came before the king and did his job correctly.
There are times where the Lord calls us into circumstances without requiring us to be verbally expressive about our faith. Our lives are to be expressive of our faith, but when God places us in ungodly or “not God friendly” situations, we are to serve as unto the Lord as much as we are allowed and expectantly wait for the opportunity that God has arranged for us to speak with boldness and clarity. When we do get the chance to speak, our speech, our testimony should not contradict what our lives have been saying. Daniel’s life of service was designed by God to promote the glory of God. God had the timing carefully planned out and we will see this unfold as the story goes on.
Then the lynch mob unfolds the strategy. This is not even a long term law. This is very well planned out. They obviously knew that Darius was not a faithful, worshipping man. He probably had gods, but in his mind, he was the only god that mattered. He was the ruler of the kingdom. This made it easy for the presidents and satraps to play into Darius’ vanity. After all, everyone could stand to worship him for only 30 days. This is not a sacrifice. Darius was convinced that even the leaders under him thought this was appropriate. What a great idea to honor the king. This would reinforce everyone’s support of the king and his kingdom and certainly remind everyone in the kingdom of the king’s majesty. The presidents and the satraps even told the king how he should accomplish this ruling and what the punishment should be. They wanted the king to sign this ruling into law. The punishment was attractive to the king as well. Darius must have already had a den of lions. He must have liked using this to destroy his enemies. It would have been an effective deterrent to an uprising from an individual. Darius did not think that anyone he cared about was at risk because ALL of the presidents, satraps, counselors, and governors were in agreement with this proposed ruling.
If you serve God, then you will try to be genuine. If you serve yourself, then you will do whatever it takes to make yourself look good. If you serve something or someone else, then you will invest your energies promoting and protecting them. If you do not serve God, then you will promote everything else even if you have to lie. The presidents and satraps were hypocrites. The presidents and satraps spoke, “O King Darius, live forever!”, but that was not what they wanted at all. They were trying to get rid of the man who could help Darius succeed the most. They were seeking to take out the only rival that they had. They appeared to be promoting the king’s welfare, but they did not care about the king at all. They were promoting themselves.
Verses 8-10 8 Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 9 Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction.
The presidents and the satraps wanted this ruling signed into law right away. The timing was important because they wanted to get rid of Daniel before the promotion took place. They wanted the documents signed in such a way that once it had been signed into law by the king, it could not be reversed even by the king. Not all documents that were signed fall into this level of importance, but the presidents and the satraps knew what they were doing. They had asked for a legal document.
Keil - In order that they may more certainly gain their object, they request the king to put the prohibition into writing, so that it might not be changed, i.e., might not be set aside or recalled, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, in conformity with which an edict once emitted by the king in all due form, i.e., given in writing and sealed with the king’s seal, was unchangeable; cf. v. 16 and Esth. 8:8; 1:19. ãÌÄé ìÈà úÆòÀãÌÅà, which cannot pass away, i.e., cannot be set aside, is irrevocable. The relative ãÌÄé refers to ãÌÈú, by which we are not to understand, with v. Lengerke, the entire national law of the Medes and Persians, as if this were so unalterable that no law could be disannulled or changed according to circumstances, but ãÌÈú is every separate edict of the king emitted in the form of law. This remains unchangeable and irrevocable, because the king was regarded and honoured as the incarnation of deity, who is unerring and cannot change.2
So Darius signed the document and the injunction making the law irreversible.
Of course, Daniel found out about the injunction. When he found out about the document, he went home, opened his windows in the upper part of his house that were pointed toward Jerusalem, got down on his knees, and prayed AND gave thanks to God. He did this 3 times a day just like he had always done. Was this in defiance of the king’s law? YES! But this was not defiance of authority. Let’s not confuse the two. Daniel was a tremendous servant to the king and had demonstrated his willingness to subject himself to the king’s authority for years even prior to this king’s reign. Daniel’s refusal to obey the king’s law was in obedience to a higher authority. Daniel was the servant of the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY. Daniel had to obey God first and then if what the king wanted from Daniel did not contradict what God had decreed, Daniel could then obey the king. This is not an odd idea. Let’s say that we worked for a company and the owner of the company had given all employees a mandate to where green hats and this was non-negotiable. The manager of the company waited for a few days and then came to the employees of the local store and told you that he did not want you to wear the green hats and if you did, you would be fired and he is not going to change his mind. What should you do? The correct thing to do is to report the manager to the owner and wear the green hat while you are reporting the disobedient manager. The owner has more authority than the manager. The owner has made his request clear.
Daniel did not flaunt his faith, but he did not hide his faith either. He went to his house and prayed just like he had always done. If he would have gone to his house and started praying on his front lawn instead of how he usually did, then he would have been wrong. He was not trying to be defiant – he was simply living out his faith.
God placed Daniel in this position. Look, God is either sovereign or He is not. Daniel believed that God was in control of not only his life, but the lives of all on earth. Daniel went home and prayed, but Daniel also gave thanks to God just like he always had. This is incredible. God just delivered him to death. Daniel believed that God had the right to do so if that would be the mechanism that gave God glory. This is the same attitude that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had in chapter 3. I recently heard a terrible, but wonderful true story. A young soldier was sent to Iraq. This young man is a Christian. He met a young Iraqi woman and began to have his friends and family pray for this woman’s salvation. This young woman was Muslim. This young woman did repent and believe. God gave her a new heart through faith in Christ. The soldier and the woman grew in love for one another and were engaged to be married. The young woman came to the U.S. to live. While in the U.S., her family found out about her conversion to Christianity and came to the U.S. They took her back to Iraq and forcibly began to try to get her to renounce her faith in Jesus. She would not. It did not matter what they did to her, she was not going to recant her faith. Her family stoned her to death. I am deeply saddened by her death, but I am spurred on by her stand. This young woman’s life as a Christian (although short) is to be celebrated and I am proud to call her my sister in faith. To God be the glory!!
Verse 11 11 Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God.
Daniel’s enemies came and found Daniel praying. This was not difficult. Daniel had not deviated from what he had done in the past. This is exactly what Daniel’s enemies had hoped for and Daniel was playing right into their hands. What was Daniel thinking about? If he would have just closed the windows they would not have been able to discover Daniel’s violation of the new law. It seemed that he wanted to be caught and he wanted to be thrown in the den of lions.
Daniel had become so predictable. The one thing that Daniel’s enemies were sure of is that Daniel was going to worship his God and none other. Can you imagine the shock on their faces if Daniel would have worshipped the king in order to save his own skin? What made Daniel such a threat to them was the character and spirit that God had built into Daniel. They knew they could count on that to bring about his destruction.
Verses 12-13 12 Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes 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 and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 13 Then they answered and said before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.”
Then this gang of conspirators came to the king and reminded him what he had signed into law. They did not leave anything out including the punishment. Darius, the king, states that he not only remembers the law, but he knows that it stands fast and is irrevocable. The stage was now set and the trap was sprung. The only thing left to do was show the king what was caught in the trap. That is what they immediately did. They are still quite slick about this. They present Daniel as one of the exiles – one of the slaves from Judah, not Daniel – the guy who is best at running your kingdom. They are careful to point out that this slave has decided to pay no attention to you, O king or your laws. They make sure that the king knows that Daniel not only disobeyed once, but that he does this 3 times a day. He is a continual offender.
Daniel’s enemies told the king who Daniel used to be. They reminded the king that Daniel was one of those lousy exiles. He is not one of us. They really wanted to make sure the Daniel was seen in a bad light, so they did not address who he was at present. Satan does this to us on a regular basis. He will remind you of who you used to be while carefully isolating you from the truth of who you are now. He is an accuser of the brethren.
Verses 14-15 14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. 15 Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.”
The king was distressed. He knew that he was about to lose his best leader. He spent the rest of the day trying to deliver Daniel. These men – these schemers – came to the king and reminded him that he had signed a law that could not be changed or avoided. They saw the effort that the king was making and they wanted to make sure that the king knew that they were watching him as well. Darius, the king, knew that he was trapped and could do nothing to save Daniel. The law must be followed. He then commanded that Daniel be brought and thrown into the den of lions. Apparently this den was a type of hole or chamber that was deep enough to keep the lions from escaping.
Even the best effort of man cannot deliver you from the situation that God has placed you in. If this happens, then look for what God is trying to display about Himself.
Darius did not want to lose any of his kingdom. That is why he wanted to promote Daniel in the first place. He wanted to be powerful and to be honored. Because he wanted the praise of men so badly, he compromised the greatest asset he had to keeping himself and his kingdom great. He almost lost Daniel. Be careful not to become like Darius because of the potential for the praise of men. Think before making big decisions, especially when the decision is promoted by vanity. Short term decisions may have devastating long term effects. Of course, this can be applied in many areas. Verses 16-18 16 Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” 17 And 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. 18 Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him.
The king threw Daniel into the den of lions and did this while trying to comfort Daniel. In an ironic moment, the king told Daniel that he hoped that the God whom Daniel served continually that got him into this mess would also deliver him. We do not know whether this was a way for the king to simply say that he had no choice and that he would miss Daniel. I think that we can believe that Darius hoped that somehow God would deliver Daniel. Somehow, we do think that Darius thought there was a chance. We know that by the way he returned the next morning to see what had happened to Daniel.
When your life displays the power of God on a daily basis, even those who do not believe in God know that He has power and in Him is hope during difficult circumstances. I am continually amazed at how many people will pray to God when their lives are falling apart. They will not worship Him any other time, but when they are very ill, their children are not doing well, their house has been hit by a tornado, their finances are failing, etc, they will run to God and beg Him for help. We run to God as well during all of those things, but He is our God and He told us to run to Him. He is not their God. They run to our God. This is not an accident. This is good logic. They see our hope and they want some hope as well.
The lion’s den was then sealed with a stone and the king affixed his signet and the signet of his lords on the stone so that it would not be disturbed. The future of Daniel was now in the hands of Daniel’s God and the lions. The king spent all night fasting. He did not sleep. The fact that Darius had to do this to Daniel really bothered him.
Darius hated losing Daniel. Daniel was the guy who served him the best. Daniel was the one that Darius trusted his kingdom to the most. As the story shows, he is the only one of his high level overseers that could be trusted. Be valuable to the world around you and they will fight to keep you around. Verses 19-23 19 Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. 20 As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” 21 Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! 22 My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” 23 Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken 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.
First thing in the morning – remember that Darius had not been asleep – Darius hurried to the lion’s den. Darius did not even wait to get the stone away from the mouth of the lion’s den. He started shouting in anguish for Daniel. The king first declared to Daniel exactly what Daniel would want to be known as. The king called Daniel “servant of the living God”. Then he asked if Daniel’s God had been able to deliver Daniel from the lions. Darius was willing to call God “the living God”, but did not know the extent of God’s power. After all, Darius did not worship God.
Daniel’s life of faith gave him an identity. Daniel could not have been paid a higher honor than to be called “the servant of the living God”. Even the king was willing to call him by this name. What do people call you and me?
Daniel answers the king - O king, live forever! Remember this is the same greeting used by the presidents and satraps. MY GOD sent HIS angels and (HE) shut the lion’s mouths. Daniel had not been attacked. Daniel gives a strange reason. Daniel states that the reason that he was rescued by God is because he was found blameless before both God and the king. Basically, Daniel was not harmed because he had done no harm.
Daniel did not rail against the king. He could have. He could have accused the king of stupidity for being duped. Daniel could have had a bad attitude towards the guy who just tried to murder him as an innocent man. He could have pointed out all of the king’s vanity. But he did not. Daniel still honored the king because God had appointed Darius the king and Daniel was not going to question God’s choices.
Daniel was found unharmed because he was blameless before God and king. There are times that God receives glory from the death of His saints. I told you a story earlier of such a young lady. We are to tell the truth about ourselves, but we are to trust the Faithful Creator that placed us in these circumstances. If He has provided an Advocate in Christ, then He has not forgotten you in your time of trouble.
King Darius was exceedingly glad. He commanded that Daniel be taken out of the den. The king had kept the irrevocable law. He had punished Daniel, but now He could exercise any decision that he wanted with regards to Daniel’s future. Daniel was removed from the lion’s den. He had no damage of any kind, because he trusted in his God.
God delivered Daniel. The king could not deliver Daniel even though he was considered an extension of the gods. Daniel could not deliver himself even though he was very important in the kingdom. God did deliver Daniel. Paul was betrayed like Daniel and had the same attitude. II Timothy 4:14-18 Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. 15 Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. 16 At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! 17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.3
Daniel didn’t back off of his stance. He wasn’t a coward. He was a man of faith. He had been placed in this deadly situation because of the God he served. Daniel served God for a reason. Daniel knew God as the one and only Living God. He believed God to be the one in control. He believed that even though he could have died.
The king’s focus now moves from Daniel’s welfare to the ones who had deceived him. In another ironic change of events, King Darius commands that all the men who had wrongly accused Daniel be brought and thrown into the den of lions. Not only were these men punished, but their entire family as well. All were tossed into the den of lions. Just so you know that these lions were vicious, we are given an interesting piece of information. No one is to walk away from this scene thinking that the lions were having an off day or that they were not hungry when Daniel was in the lion’s den. These same lions that did not harm Daniel started attacking all that were thrown in before they could reach the bottom of the pit. They not only attacked them, but they broke all of their bones to pieces. It was a vicious attack. A clear distinction was made between Daniel and those who had accused him.
Proverbs 12:13 13An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, but the righteous escapes from trouble.4
God is allowed to place His people in earthly peril. He knows what awaits them in glory. They will not die. They will enter life everlasting. They are His people. They are His children. The presidents and the satraps thought that they controlled the situation by their deception and manipulation, but God was always in control. He displayed His glory by rescuing the innocent Daniel and now He displayed His glory by destroying His enemies.
II Peter 2:9-10 9…the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.5
Verses 25-27 25 Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. 26 I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. 27He delivers and rescues; he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, he who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.”
King Darius then makes a different decree. This one does not honor the king and it does not honor Daniel. It honors God. Darius states who should listen to this decree. All peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth are to pay attention. Peace be multiplied to you. He then states that everyone in his kingdom is to tremble and fear the God of Daniel. It is interesting that Darius does not make God his god even after seeing God demonstrate His power. If you listen to this declaration, it is obvious that Darius has gained an understanding of God, but still does not claim God to be his god. Darius prophesied much like Caiaphas in John chapter 11:50-51. 50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” 51 He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation6 So Darius then gives the highest praise to God. Darius says that God is living and will endure forever. This is the same as saying – O King that will live forever! He continues by saying that God will always reign and no one will conquer Him. Darius continues to describe God by stating what he has seen. God delivers and rescues – He works signs and wonders in heaven and earth – He saved Daniel from the vicious and powerful lions.
Darius had reached a point that he was willing to make this proclamation without even being one who worshipped God. In the end, what God had made clear to Daniel by faith, Darius made clear to his kingdom without faith. God declared the truth about Himself even through the heathen king. What Darius declared is true about God and also about the Christ yet to come.
Jeremiah 10:10 10But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. At his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation.7 Isaiah 9:7 7Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.8 Luke 1:30-33 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 9
You see – Daniel is a foreshadowing of Christ. Like Daniel, Christ served obediently and no fault was found in Him except His faith. Like Daniel, Christ was wrongly accused and put to death. Like Daniel, Christ was sealed with a stone in what was supposed to be His grave. Like Daniel, Christ was delivered by God to what appeared to be certain death. Daniel did not die then, but Daniel did finally die. Christ died, but was raised and remains alive forevermore. Daniel’s enemies were destroyed. Christ’s enemies will be destroyed forevermore. In both cases, God did this.
Acts 2:29-36 29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, 35until I make your enemies your footstool.’ 36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” 10
Verse 28 28 So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian. 11
So in the end, Daniel was the only who prospered in this scenario. The king who served himself as god looked foolish because he was conned by most of his upper advisors. The fact that he looked foolish meant that the honor he pursued was gone among those who knew him best. Not the desired end. The presidents and satraps that tried to promote themselves by having their competition executed were killed by the king that they deceived while trying to kill Daniel. Not the desired end. Daniel is the only one that actually prospered through this entire passage. It was not his desire to prosper on the earth although he did, but it was his desire to promote the Lord God while living on the earth. He received his desired end for God promoted himself through Daniel and Daniel now enjoys His Lord forevermore.
Only the servants of God will enjoy the presence of the Lord forever. That is real prosperity. This is not short term gratification. Romans 8:17-18 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.12