Daniel 6:16

Daniel 6:16 says, Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.  Darius had no choice.  He had to put Daniel in the lions den.  Still, he expressed faith that Daniel's God would deliver him.  Sometimes, even those who are not followers of Christ recognize God's power.  I believe that this will only occur when we are totally obedient to God through the leadership and power of the Holy Spirit.  Daniel's obedience only rewarded him with the lion's den.  We sometimes hear the thought expressed that God does not want us to be unhappy, so He will give us anything we desire strongly enough.  This has never been God's teaching.  Verse seventeen adds, And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.  The king made sure that Daniel could not sneak out, but I don't think Daniel would have anyway.  He was relying on and being true to God, no matter what.  Daniel defied the law that came between God and him, but being held accountable for the consequences did not change.  We cannot stay true to our faith in God only because we believe that He will always keep us from suffering any consequences for our faith.  Daniel's faith got him sealed in a den of lions.  We need this same faith.  Verse eighteen continues, Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him.  Darius had a sleepless night, but I don't believe that Daniel did.  When we are secure in our relationship with God, we should rest easy at night.  Through our relationship with Christ, we should be at peace in our lives, no matter what.  We are God's children forever through our faith in Christ.  Verse nineteen states, Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.  The king had sealed Daniel in overnight, but that didn't mean that he had to keep him there longer than necessary.  Verse twenty adds, And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?  When the king put Daniel in the lion's den, he said that Daniel's God would deliver him, but he didn't truly believe this.  If he had, he would not have had a sleepless night and have now been questioning if God had delivered Daniel.  The king was more concerned with Daniel than he was with God, which is why it said he spoke in a lamentable voice.  He feared that Daniel was dead.  Acknowledging that God exists is not the same as putting one's faith in His ability to deliver us.  Verse twenty-one continues, Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.  Daniel did not speak angrily to the king.  I believe his greeting was more sincere than that of the other wise men who had failed to to interpret the writing, because they feared the king, and Daniel did not.  Verse twenty-two says, My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.  Daniel said that God had shut the mouths of the lions, because Daniel was innocent before God and the king.  This did not mean that Daniel had never committed a sin, but instead that he remained true to God even when faced with the very real threat of death.  We need to pray that God will find us innocent in our actions in the world through the sacrifice of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.  We must remain faithful to our death, no matter how imminent it may seem if we do so.  God has already delivered us from the power of death.  Verse twenty-three adds, Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.  The king was exceedingly glad that Daniel was unharmed.  Daniel was brought out of the lion's den unharmed because he believed in his God.  We must have that same faith in God, Who was Daniel's God.

Daniel 6:10

Daniel 6:10 says, Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.  Daniel was aware of the decree, but he did not allow it to alter his worship of God.  The decree was not that anyone had to worship Darius but was that no other god could be worshipped for thirty days.  Daniel could have just gone along with the decree and not worship God for thirty days, or he could have done so quietly in his own home, but he did not alter his worship at all.   Daniel knelt before his open windows three times a day and prayed.  If confronted with a situation where acknowledging God might be dangerous, we cannot allow ourselves to just go along and not acknowledge Him, even for a short period of time.  We must remain as faithful as Daniel was.  We cannot alter our worship of and obedience to God to conform to the dictates of the world.  Verse eleven adds, Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.  These presidents and princes did not just happen to notice Daniel praying to God.  They assembled to watch him, knowing he would not obey the decree.  There are people today who want nothing more than to discredit Christians, and the more faithful we are, the more they desire this.  We need to pray that the only way they hope to discredit us is due to our faithfulness to God.  Verse twelve continues, Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king’s decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.  They had what they wanted, and that was a way to get rid of Daniel.  I believe this would have been the first day of the decree.  They went to Darius, supposedly out of concern for his decree being violated, but they were never concerned about him anyway.  People still use flattery today to get what they want from those in power.  Verse thirteen states, Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day.  The other presidents and princes had what they wanted, which was some way to discredit or destroy Daniel.  They could not find a way to discredit Daniel through his work for Darius, so they attempted to get rid of Daniel through his devotion to God.  That is a good place to be.  It is always good that no one can discredit us because of our having done something wrong in the eyes of the world and can only attack us due to our devotion to God. They told the king that three times a day Daniel was praying to his God and not the king.   Verse fourteen adds, Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him.  The king was not upset with Daniel but was upset with himself for issuing the decree.  He spent the day trying to figure out a way to deliver Daniel, but the law prevented him from doing so.  Verse fifteen continues, Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed.  The king had to follow his decree.  There may be some in power today who feel that certain laws are wrong, but unless they are changed, they must be enforced.  If a law comes between God and us, we must remain true to God, no matter what happens.

Daniel 6:1

Daniel 6:1 says, It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom;  Darius set up the government the way he wanted it.  When governments are overthrown today, those coming to power establish their own system of government.  Verse two adds, And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage.  Over the hundred and twenty princes, Darius placed three presidents, and Daniel was first.  This had nothing to do with Belshazzar's promotion of Daniel, because he was no longer in charge.  Verse three continues, 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 was preferred over the others and was placed over the whole realm.  I believe this was because Daniel was not attempting to gain power for himself but was honestly doing what was best for Darius under the leadership of God.  If we, as followers of Christ, are placed in a position of power, or authority, we must always do what is best for the ones we serve under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, and never for personal glory.  Verse four states, Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. The other presidents and princes did not like Daniel, this Jew who was a Babylonian captive that now ruled over them.  Yet, the could find nothing to accuse him of to cause him to be removed from power.  We need the same testimony today.  We need to be honest in all our dealings with others.  Verse five adds, Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.  Those who plotted against Daniel knew the only way to cause Daniel to fail was by utilizing his relationship to God and His law.   We know that Christians today are charged with all sorts of negative things because of their stand for God and His law.  Verse six continues, Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever. The presidents and princes began to put their plan into action by appealing to Darius' vanity, appearing to have his best interest at heart.  Verse seven says, All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellers, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.  They really did make it seem that what they proposed was for the king's glory.  He would be the only one worshipped for thirty days.  They knew this was long enough for their purpose.  They knew Daniel would not go thirty days without worshipping God and he would never worship Darius.  Are people as certain about our faithfulness as followers of Christ today?  Verse eight adds, Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.  For their plan to succeed, they had to convince the king to issue a decree in writing so that it could not be changed.  They wanted no loophole for Daniel.  Verse nine continues, Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.  The king, likely due to his vanity, signed the decree.

Daniel 5:24

Daniel 5:24 says, Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.  Daniel told Belshazzar that it was because of his actions in claiming the temple vessels as his own that he saw the part of the handwriting on the wall.  We sometimes hear the expression that we have seen the writing on the wall, but we don't always associate it with God's judgment.  We need to acknowledge, that by whatever method, God will make people aware of their sin.  Verse twenty-five adds, And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.  Since the writing was from God, those who did not know Him could not understand it.  They may have even been able to pronounce the words, but they didn't know what they meant.  The same is true today.  God's judgment is certain, unless we accept Christ as our Savoir and Lord.  Until we do, we cannot begin to understand what God has to say to us.  There is no way that someone who doesn't know God can tell us about God and His will for us.  Verse twenty-six continues, This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE: God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.  Daniel begins a word-by-word interpretation of the message.  The first thing was that God had numbered Belshazzar's kingdom.  We can also be certain that our kingdom, our time on earth, is numbered.  It will end, either in death or at the return of Christ.  Verse twenty-seven then states, TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.  God weighed Belshazzar with God's scale, and no matter how important Belshazzar was in the eyes of the world, by God's scale he was found wanting.  When God weighs our lives, we will always be wanting or come up short.  It is only through the sacrifice of Christ that we can be restored. Verse twenty-eight adds, PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.  Beshazzar's kingdom was going to be divided between the Medes and Persians.  What we amass in this world will not last forever.  When we die, it will be claimed by others, yet we often put more emphasis on the things of the world than we do on the things of God.  Verse twenty-nine continues, Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.  There is nothing said about Belshazzar repenting.  He did fulfill his promise of making the one who interpreted the writing, which turned out to be Daniel, a third ruler of the kingdom.  Still, this was an empty promise, because his kingdom was coming to an end.  Any worldly possession or position we are given in this world is likewise an empty promise.  Verse thirty declares, In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.  We might say that God didn't give Belahazzar much time to make things right, but God had given him a lifetime.  Belshazzar knew of the experience of his father, Nebuchadnezzar, but still chose to defy God.  People today choose to ignore the teachings of the Bible and the example of Christians, sometimes even their own parents, and the time will come when God judges them, and they will be found wanting.  Verse thirty-one adds, And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.  Not only was there a new king, but there was a new kingdom in power.  Still, God was and is and always will be the ultimate authority.

Daniel 5:17

Daniel 5:17 says, Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.  As with the rich foods of the Nebuchadnezzar earlier, Daniel told Belshazzar that he did not want the money and power that was offered him.  If we start to accept material rewards before we will proclaim God's word, then we have truly lost sight of what we are called to do.  There is a difference in witnessing for reward and relying on God to meet our needs.  Verse eighteen adds, O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour:  Daniel begins by proclaiming the power of God.  He said that God had given Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar's father, his kingdom and glory.  As stated earlier, we can ask if God actually placed Nebuchadnezzar in power, or simply allowed him to rise to power.  Verse nineteen continues, And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down.  God gave or allowed Nebuchadnezzar to have great power over all the nations around him.  There are nations today that have great power and deny God, but the fact that God allows them to maintain this power does not mean that He gives them this power.  I do not believe that God changes nations, but that He changes individuals who change nations.  That is why we need moral leaders, those who are dedicated to following God.  Verse twenty states, But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:  I believe that by now Belshazzar might have been wondering why Daniel was telling him all this.  He had to have known what had happened to his father during Nebuchadnezzar's time of disgrace, as we might say.  Sometimes we may need to remind people of God's work in the past in order to get them to understand that God is still at work today and will never change.  Verse twenty-one adds,  And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will.  Daniel reminded Belshassar of what had happened to Nebuchadnezzar when he refused to acknowledge God.  God's judgment does not change with time or situations, but is always sure and just.  Verse twenty-two continues, And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;  Basically, Daniel told Belshazzar that he was without excuse for his behavior.  He knew what God had done in Nebuchadnezzar's life.  We will never be able to stand before God and justify our rebellion against Him.  Verse twenty-three concludes, But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:  Daniel still had not interpreted the writing, but he was telling Belshazzar the reason for the writing.  Belshazzar not only didn't recognize God, but he went out of his way to defy God by using the temple vessels as his own.  The reason that any person is punished by God is because of their refusal to acknowledge Him.  I also believe that we can never use the things of God for our own purposes without being held accountable for doing so.

Daniel 5:9

Daniel 5:9 says, Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied.  Belshazsar was greatly troubled.  His appearance astonished his lords.  Belshazzar had looked to worldly advisors to interpret God's word, and naturally they failed.  Unless a person has a relationship with God, or asks someone who does for help, they can never understand God's word.  Had Belshazzar recognized that God was the author of the writing and had acknowledged Him, I believe that he would have known what the writing meant.  This is what happens when a lost person acknowledges God.  That person begins to understand God's word.  Verse ten adds, Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed:  The queen heard about what had happened and came to the banquet hall, which would imply that she wasn't there when all this was happening.  Still, she wished for the best for Balshazzar.  She told him to cheer up.  She had good news for him.  When we encounter lost people today, we should tell them to cheer up, because we have good news for them.  Though our good news, the gospel, brings everlasting salvation and not just a temporary solution as the queens did.  Verse eleven continues, There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers; She said there was a man in the kingdom who could interpret the writing.  At least she remembered the God given ability of Daniel.  Verse twelve states, Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation.  Evidently, Daniel did not associate himself with these other wise men, whose purpose was to tell the king his future.  There are those today who want to be around the source of power and will say anything to keep the person in power happy, but they can never change the coming judgment of God.  Verse thirteen adds, Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry?  Evidently, Belshazzar was familiar with what Daniel had done during Nebuchadnezzar's reign.  He said that Nebuchadnezzar had brought Daniel out of Jewry, which meant that he didn't understand everything about Daniel.  Daniel and his friends were still committed to the Jewish faith and the God of the Jews, the only true God.  Knowing the good works of a follower of Christ is not enough to save a person without knowing Christ Himself.  Verse fourteen continues, I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee.  Belshazzar still did not acknowledge that Daniel served the only God but thought that the spirit of the gods lived in Daniel.  Had Belshazzar acknowledged God, he would not have profaned the things of God.  Then he wouldn't have been in this position.  Ultimately, we will be held accountable for our actions, and our only hope is through salvation made available by Christ.  Verse fifteen says, And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not shew the interpretation of the thing:  Belshazzar may have been surprised by the failure of the so-called wise men, but I doubt that Daniel was.  We should not be surprised that those who are not followers of Christ cannot answer questions related to God.  Verse sixteen adds, And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.  Belshazzar thought that he could buy the interpretation.  There are still people today who want to buy themselves into a right relationship with God, but salvation is never about money and power, but only about faith.

Daniel 5:1

Daniel 5:1 says, Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.  Balthazar, Nebuchadnezzar's son was now king of Babylon and had been for about seventeen years, according to Matthew Henry.  Belshazzar had fought Cyrus, the king of Persia and lost and was now under siege in the city.  Instead of turning to God for help, he decided to have a great feast and defy God.  Verse two adds, Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.  Maybe Belshazzar felt that by profaning the things of God he would make himself look more powerful.  There are still those in the world today who, when they find themselves in great distress, instead of turning to God attempt to make themselves look more powerful than God.  Verse three continues, Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.  Belshazzar and those gathered with him were using the things dedicated to God for their own purposes.  When we fail to acknowledge the authority of God in our lives today, we do the same thing.  What God blesses us with is still His and is to be used for His glory and not for our own pleasure.  Verse four declares, They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.  Not only did Belshazzar and his friends profane the things of God, but they praised their false gods as well.  Anytime we do not give God the credit for all that is happening in our lives, we are guilty of giving credit to some false god, some material thing.  Verse five adds, In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.  Belshassar was celebrating, then he saw the part of a hand that wrote writing on the wall.  He might have just thought he was drunk, except for the writing.  It is hard to dismiss the word of God when it is clearly written for us, whether on a wall or in a book, the Bible.  Verse six continues, Then the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.  Belshazsar was terrified by what he saw.  When an unsaved person encounters God in judgment today, they should be just as terrified.  Verse seven says, The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.  Belshazzar had learned nothing from Nebuchadnezzar.  He called on the same group of so-called wise men, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers.  He promised them great rewards if they could interpret the handwriting.  When a person is terrified by the judgment of God, the things of this earth become much less important.  Belshazzar was willing to give up a lot to have the handwriting interpreted.  Verse eight adds, Then came in all the king’s wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.  As with Nebuchadnezzar, the wise men failed.  They could not interpret it, since it was God's word, and they did not acknowledge Him.  Those who do not know God cannot understand what He has to say to anyone.