1 It pleased Darius (The Mede) to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom;
Darius is setting up his government. He chooses to put 120 men in charge, answerable to three men who were answerable to him.
At this time in history, Persia and Mede were "sister" countries. They shared the territories they conquered and worked together in war. Historically, their kings took turns being the "chief" king; Persia for one ruler, Mede for the next.
At this time, Darius was the chief ruler. Cyrus was Darius' nephew and son-in-law. After Darius' death Cyrus would become chief ruler with Xerxes (Ahasurus- Ester's hubby) as the under-ruler of Mede.
2 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.
3 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.
The king liked Daniel so much he was going to make him vice-king.
4 Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; because he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.
The other bureaucrats were jealous of Daniel and tried to find something to get him in trouble. But Daniel lived a righteous life and they couldn’t find even one small thing to accuse him of wrong doing.
Could you stand such an examination?
5 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.”
They knew the only way they were going to get Daniel was through his religion.
6 Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, “King Darius, live forever.
7 “All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counselors, 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 knew Daniel’s prayer habits and knew his integrity. They knew they had him.
Lions were often kept in captivity just for the punishment of wrong doers. They were probably confined in a pit.
8 “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 alters not.”
Once a law was signed by the king, it could never be changed. This was not true in most countries. Kings could arbitrarily change laws to suit themselves and exempt themselves from them. But in Medo-Persia even the king was bound by The Law.
This is where we get our country’s “equal in the eyes of the law.” Everyone from the president to the bum in the gutter is supposed to be subject to the same laws. This keeps the powers-that-be from passing unjust, cruel or frivolous laws.
9 Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.
His ego got the better of him and he doesn’t seem to have noticed that Daniel was not with them.
10 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 before.
Daniel had a powerful prayer life and he didn’t let a little thing like the threat of death get in his way. He knew who really had control of his life.
11 Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.
They probably arrested him.
12 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 alters not.”
13 Then answered they and said before the king, “That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regards not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but makes his petition three times a day.”
14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him.
The king was so upset he spent the day trying to find a loophole. He really liked Daniel and knew he had been tricked.
15 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 establishes may be changed.”
16 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 serve continually, he will deliver thee.”
What a statement of faith! And from a pagan at that!
17 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.
They covered the edge of the stone with wax and put their signet rings in it to leave an impression. If anyone had come along and opened the den, the impressions would have been broken. The fact that the princes sealed it too meant the king couldn’t even sneak Daniel out in the night.
18 Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of music brought before him: and his sleep went from him.
The king spent the whole night worrying.
19 Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.
20 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 serve continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?”
He recognized that if there was salvation for Daniel, it came from his God.
21 Then said Daniel unto the king, “O king, live forever.
22 “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.”
God knew that Daniel was innocent and prevented him from being damaged.
Do you suppose he used a lion as a pillow that night?
23 Then was the king exceedingly 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.
Not even a scratch!
24 And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den.
The king was mad enough he had the men who had fooled him and their wives and children thrown into the den.
Turns out angels really had protected Daniel. Those lions were so hungry they broke every bone before the people even hit the ground. They hadn’t left Daniel alone because of just being too full to be interested.
25 Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; “Peace be multiplied unto you.
26 “I make a decree, that in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for He is the living God, and steadfast forever, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and His dominion shall be even unto the end.
27 “He delivers and rescues, and He works signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.”
He did not outlaw the worship of others gods, but did command that everyone, at minimum, have a great fear of the True God.
Jewish history tells us that Darius and Cyrus (co-rulers) both worked towards changing their countries’ religion from polytheistic Baal and Ashera worship to Zoroasterism, which at this time in history was a monotheistic religion, probably a corruption of Judaism. Maybe this incident was what started them on this path.
28 So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
This ends the historical part of the book of Daniel. The rest of the book is a record of his visions. They begin in the reign of Belshazzar of Babylon and go through the reign of Cyrus of Persia.