July 1 Daily Devotional

Daniel 6

It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom a hundred and twenty princes, and over them three presidents, of whom Daniel was one. Daniel was distinguished above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him, and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. Then the presidents and the princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom, but they could find no occasion nor fault, forasmuch as he was faithful. Then these men said, “We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.” Then the presidents and princes came to the king and said, “King Darius, live forever. All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes … have consulted together to establish a royal statute … 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.”

Now when Daniel knew that the decree was signed, he went into his house (and the windows were open in his chamber toward Jerusalem), he fell upon his knees three times a day, prayed and gave thanks to God, as he did before. When these men found Daniel making petition arid supplication before his God, they said to the king, “Daniel … regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh petition three times a day.” Then the king, when he heard this, was much displeased and tried till the going down of the sun to rescue Daniel. But these men said to the king, “Know, O king … that no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed.”

Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. And the king said to Daniel, “Thy God, whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.” The king went to his palace and passed the night without sleep. In the morning he came to the den and cried with a lamentable voice to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?” Daniel, who was unharmed, replied, “O king … my God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me.” Then the king was very glad, and he commanded to take Daniel out of the den; and the men that had accused him were cast down and the lions broke all their bones to pieces, before they came to the bottom of the den. Then Darius wrote to all the people of his kingdom, “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.”