We left off our study in the Book of Daniel with Darius the Mede appointing certain rulers over the former Babylonian Empire. Moreover, Daniel was being considered for placement in authority over all Darius’ newly appointed governors (Daniel 6:1-3), satraps according to Persian political arrangement. As chance would have it, political rivalries were ignited in that process, and a dangerous political conspiracy against Daniel is, now, under way in the new government of the former Babylonian kingdom (Daniel 6:4-5).
What occurs next needs to be placed in the context of the time. The text tells us that “these presidents and princes” met before the king. The identities of the presidents and princes are not recorded, but, when they met with Darius (Daniel 6:6-7), they claimed their request was unanimously held by all of the king’s newly appointed presidents and governors over the former Babylonian territories. However, this is obviously a lie, because Daniel couldn’t have agreed with the suggestion put to the king. If the agreement wasn’t held by Daniel, then why should we expect these men represented all other authorities in the kingdom? Therefore, their number is, no doubt, much fewer than the 120 princes and three presidents mentioned in Daniel 6:1. More than likely, two of the presidents and a small number princes representing the local provinces of the former Babylonian kingdom were involved.
Consider the importance and need of a sense of unity and loyalty among the Babylonian territories, as this pertained to the conquering regime, the Medo-Persian Empire. It was the need for unity and loyalty to the Persian Empire that was behind the request of these conspirators. They asked the king to make a decree in writing that couldn’t be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians. It was so binding that not even Darius could alter it, once the decree was signed (Daniel 6:8-9). The decree would be a royal statute, making it binding upon all that no petition to any god or man could be made for the next 30 days, except to make that petition a prayer to the king, and disobedience to this decree would require the culprit to be cast into the lions’ den (Daniel 6:7). In other words, for the next 30 days the whole former Babylonian empire looked only to Darius for their good. On the face, the idea had great prospects to initiate a sense of unity among the newly conquered territories and at the same time express their allegiance to the victorious king. So, Darius agreed and signed the decree (Daniel 6:9)
Notice that the text says: “When Daniel knew that the writing was signed…” (Daniel 6:10). Daniel understood what was going on, but Darius was ignorant of the methods of Daniel’s enemies. The king’s interest wasn’t his personal integrity, but the unity of the kingdom. Patriotism and political expediency don’t always embrace personal integrity. It’s a “my country, right or wrong’ kind of thing. Personal integrity and God take a back seat to such an attribute. Daniel didn’t live by political expediency; he had integrity, and with integrity he served the king. In other words, he wouldn’t sacrifice his integrity, not even to serve the king. Both the king and Daniel’s political position in the kingdom came second, because Daniel’s integrity demanded putting God first (Daniel 6:10).
When the conspirators understood that Daniel prayed to God and violated the king’s decree (Daniel 6:11), they brought the matter before the king, asking him if he hadn’t signed the decree that was to unite his kingdom under his authority, and Darius agreed that he had done so, and that, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, the decree couldn’t be changed, not even by himself (Daniel 6:12)
Then, the conspirators unveiled the real reason behind their request to the king by accusing Daniel of not respecting the king (Daniel 6:13). In other words, if one puts God above the king, or puts God above country, one cannot be a patriot, and one cannot be of good service to either the king or one’s country. According to political expediency and a zealot form of patriotism, personal integrity and one’s putting God first, before country, is anathema and worthy of treason, and in the context of Daniel 6, worthy of being cast into a den of hungry lions!
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