The events of Daniel 6:1-3 occurred in the years 539-537 BC as the new government of Persia was being set up in Babylon. Daniel is about 85 years old. Ezra 1:2 (and all of chapter 1 and 2) is occurring and the Jews have begun their return to Jerusalem under the leadership of Zerubbabel. Cyrus is the emperor of the Persian Empire and Darius is under Cyrus as the king of Babylon.
Darius may be Gubaru (or, Gobryas) who is the governor of Babylon mentioned in the Nabonidus Chronicles. According to cuneiform writings Gubaru took his position as governor the same year Cyrus took the throne. Gubaru installed sub-governors in Babylon. Darius, or Gubaru, clearly "received" the kingdom or "was made ruler" under Cyrus in Daniel 5:31 and 9:1. Xenophon records that Gubaru was well advanced in age when he began to rule, just like Darius was older when he began to reign according to Daniel 5:31 which says: “Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.”
Herodotus says the Persian Empire was divided into 20 satrapies. An inscription says there were 23 satrapies and a tomb inscription says 29 satrapies. Satrap means "protector of the kingdom". Satraps were territories in this Persian Empire, which was the largest empire the world had seen.
Daniel 6:2 says there were 120 satraps with 3 administrators or commissioners overseeing them.
Daniel was one of the three. The phrase "might not suffer loss" indicates the administrators oversaw the integrity of the satraps The phrase used to describe the old man Daniel’s performance is "distinguished himself" which comes from a Hebrew verb form that indicates that Daniel "was continually" distinguishing himself."
Jealousy of Daniel’s supreme performance led the other satraps to intensify their investigation of Daniels honesty. The administrators and satraps began to double check Daniel's integrity to prevent him from being promoted any further.
Daniel was:
- faithful - meaning trustworthy
- not corrupt - meaning not politically corrupt or dishonest
- not negligent - meaning he did his job and fulfilled his obligations in his public office.
POINT ONE: The very thing a political party will condemn one day when held by their opponents, will be supported by themselves (or, claimed as their own idea) when it is their advantage. The use of religious persecution to achieve political aspirations caused by jealousy was set into motion. Since Daniel was known as a religious man and as one that would not compromise his opponents planned to use these two character traits against Daniel.
POINT TWO: Pure and simple this is politics at its worst. Take a man's noble character traits and his personal strength and integrity and make it illegal. Daniel’s opponents promote their idea and present it as a law to the king. They pretend to be concerned about devotion and commitment to Darius as a reason to set their idea into law. Actually their true motivation is to create an environment that is contrary to the strongest of Daniel’s noble character traits.
POINT THREE: Beware of people who advance political agenda's "for the children", or "for the homeless", or "for the disadvantaged", or "for the honor of the country", or "for patriotism" when the program is unnecessary, lacking common sense, or puts the country at a disadvantage. The confusion it causes, the empty laws it enforces and the unnecessary work it creates may be distractions designed to remove the focus towards something other than the actual goal and purpose.
"Went as a group" is another sign that evil is brewing. It is the first signs of democracy developing in world history. Democracy in its most developed state of corruption is the last age of the church known as Laodicea and the last days of the Daniel’s statue identified as the divided feet of clay.
"went as a group" is an Aramaic verb regas that mainly signifies "to be in tumult" . The verb form used means "to show tumultuousness". This verb denotes a mob scene rather than a diplomatic meeting before the king. This group is acting in conspiracy. |
