Daniel’s night of confinement in the lions’ den ended in a morning of glory and deliverance, with the king himself setting him free. Imagine the excitement in the city as the news spread that Daniel had spent the night in the lions’ den and had come out unhurt. God could have prevented Daniel from going into the lions’ den, but by allowing him to go in and bringing him out unhurt, the Lord received greater honor.
The traitors were judged (v. 24). Eastern monarchs had absolute power over their subjects (5:19), and no one dared to question their decisions, let alone try to change them. Darius didn’t throw all 122 officers and their families into the den of lions but only those men and their families who had accused Daniel (6:11–13). “The righteous is delivered from trouble, but the wicked takes his place” (Prov. 11: nasb). The only exception to this law occurred when Jesus Christ whom the Righteous One took the place of guilty sinners when He died for them on the cross (1 Peter 3:18). There is a law of compensation that says, “Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him” (Prov. 26: nkjv). For example, Pharaoh ordered the Hebrew male babies destroyed in Egypt, and at Passover, all the Egyptian firstborn died. He commanded the newborn Jewish babies to be drowned in the Nile River, and his own army was drowned in the Red Sea (Ex. 14—15). Haman tried to destroy the Jewish nation and ended up being hanged on the gallows he had made for Mordecai (Est. 7:9–10; 9:25). Even if sinners aren’t judged in this present life, they will be judged after they die (Heb. 9:27), and the judgment will be just. It seems cruel to us that the families were destroyed along with the conspirators, but that was an official Persian law and the conspirators knew it. Jewish law prohibited punishing the children for the sins of the fathers (Deut. 24:16; Ezek. 18:20), but Eastern despots took a different view. They didn’t want any remaining member of a traitor’s family to conspire to kill the ruler who ordered the father’s execution. It was much easier to bury corpses than to keep an eye on potential assassins, and besides, the example put fear into the hearts of potential troublemakers. Another important factor is God’s covenant with Abraham. The Lord promised that those who blessed the people of Israel would themselves be blessed, but those who cursed them would be cursed (Gen. 12:1–3). In allowing the families to be slain, God was only being faithful to His Word.
The Lord was glorified (Dan. 6:25–27). But Darius did more than execute the criminals. He also issued a decree to the whole empire, commanding his subjects to show fear and reverence to the God of Daniel, the God of the Hebrew exiles (vv. 25–27). Darius’ first decree in this chapter declared that he was god (vv. 7–9), but this second decree declared that the God of the Hebrews was the true and living God! In doing this, Darius joined King Nebuchadnezzar by giving public testimony to the power and glory of the true and living God (2:47; 3:28–29; 4:1–3, 34–37). God could have kept Daniel out of the lions’ den, but by rescuing him from the lions, God received greater glory.
The Jews had been humiliated by the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple because their defeat made it look as though the false gods of the Babylonians were stronger than the true God of Israel. The idolatry of the Jewish people, especially their kings and priests, had brought about the ruin of Judah, and the Lord used an idolatrous nation to defeat them. Jehovah hadn’t been honored by His own people, but now He was receiving praise from pagan rulers whose decrees would be published throughout the Gentile world. These decrees were a witness to the Gentiles that there was but one true God, the God of the Jews; but the decrees were also a reminder to the Jews that Jehovah was the true and living God. The Jewish exiles were surrounded by idols and were constantly tempted to worship the gods of the conquerors. What a paradox that the Jews, who were supposed to be witnesses to the Gentiles of the true and living God, were being witnessed to by the Gentiles!
The theology expressed in the decree of Darius is as true as anything written by Moses, David, or Paul. Jehovah is the living and eternal God whose kingdom will never be destroyed (v. 26; see Deut. 5:26; Josh. 3:10; Ps. 42:2; Jer. 10:10; Ps. 145:13; Rev. 11:15). He