Daniel 6:1 - Meaning and Application

We are told about Daniel, first, what a great man he was. When Darius, after conquering Babylon and taking the throne, reorganized the government, he made Daniel the chief minister of state. In other words, Daniel was put at the head of public business, with major responsibility for the treasury and the royal seal. Darius ruled a very large kingdom, and conquering more land only meant more land to govern. One man could not manage all of it, so he had to appoint others under him.

He set 120 princes over the kingdom (Daniel 6:1), and assigned each one a district. Their job was to administer justice, keep public order, and collect the king’s revenue. This reminds us that lower magistrates are ministers of God for our good, just as the king is. So we should submit both to the king as supreme and to the governors sent by him (1 Peter 2:13, 1 Peter 2:14).

Above these princes were three presidents, or chief administrators, who were to review public accounts and hear appeals or complaints against the princes if they abused their power. Their work was to make sure the king would suffer no loss (Daniel 6:2). That meant both protecting the royal revenue and preventing the princes from oppressing the people. When rulers misuse power, the king himself is truly harmed, because the people lose trust in him and God is displeased with him.

Daniel was chief among the three because he stood out above the others in every quality needed for rule. He was preferred above the presidents and princes (Daniel 6:3), and the king was so pleased with his work that he planned to set him over the whole kingdom. He trusted Daniel so fully that Daniel would have had wide authority to appoint and remove officials at will.

We should notice this first for Darius’s credit. He chose Daniel for his personal worth and fitness for the work. Any ruler who wants good service should follow that rule. Daniel had been a great man in the conquered kingdom, and one might think he would be treated as an enemy, imprisoned, or driven away. He was also a foreign captive from a ruined kingdom, so he might have been despised as a stranger.

But Darius seems to have judged people quickly and wisely. He saw that Daniel had something uncommon in him. No doubt Darius also had many favorites of his own, and many old friends expected promotion in the new government. Yet Darius cared so much for the public good that, finding Daniel wiser and better than the rest, and likely hearing that he was specially guided by God, he made him his right hand.

We should also notice this for God’s glory. Daniel was now very old, more than seventy years after he had first been taken captive to Babylon, yet he was still as able as ever in body and mind. He had stayed faithful to his religion through the temptations of earlier reigns, and now, under a new government, he was still honored as before. He remained steady like an oak, not bending like a willow. He stood firm in virtue, not by giving in to evil. Honesty is the best policy, because it protects a person’s good name, and those who honor God will be honored by him.

Second, Daniel was a good man. He had an excellent spirit in him (Daniel 6:3). He was faithful in every duty, dealing fairly between ruler and people, so that neither side was wronged. There was no fault to be found in him (Daniel 6:4). He was not only free from dishonesty, but even from carelessness or poor judgment. He did not make blunders, and he had no need to excuse himself by saying he forgot or did not mean it.

This is written as an example for all who hold public office. They should aim to be both careful and conscientious, so that no blame can fairly be laid on them, not for wrongdoing and not even for avoidable mistakes. Good servants of the public should want to be clean in both conduct and judgment.

Third, Daniel suffered bad will because of both his greatness and his goodness. The presidents and princes envied him because he was placed above them. They likely also hated him because he watched them closely and would not let them enrich themselves at the government’s expense. Envy is stirred up by anything that is good. Solomon says it is a trouble that a man is envied for every right work (Ecclesiastes 4:4). The better a man is, the worse his rivals may speak of him.

The result of envy is also bad. Daniel’s enemies did not want only to disgrace him, they wanted to destroy him. Wrath is cruel, and anger is fierce, but who can stand before envy? (Proverbs 27:4). So Daniel’s enemies sent spies to watch him in his work. They searched for something to accuse him of in government matters, some neglect, unfairness, hasty word, harsh treatment, or overlooked duty. If they could only have found even a small mistake, they would have turned it into a major crime.

But they could find no charge against him, and they admitted it. Daniel acted honestly, and now he was all the more careful because he knew he was being watched (Psalm 27:11). We all need to walk carefully, because many eyes are on us, and some watch for us to stumble. Especially those who are in full and important positions need to keep a steady hand and an even course.

At last they decided that they would find nothing against him except in matters related to the law of his God (Daniel 6:5). So Daniel still openly kept up his religion and held it firmly without giving way. And that did not stop his advancement. There was no law requiring him to follow the king’s religion, and he was not unfit for public office unless he refused it. The king did not care what God Daniel prayed to, so long as he faithfully did his work. He would go with the king as far as duty allowed, but no farther. Since treason could not be charged against him, they tried to accuse him of irreligion.

It is a great thing, and it brings much honor to God, when people who profess faith live so carefully that even their most watched and hostile enemies can find no fault in them, except in matters related to God. In those matters, they must follow their conscience.

It is also worth noticing that when Daniel’s enemies could find no reason to accuse him in his work for the kingdom, they still kept enough sense of justice not to bring in false witnesses. They did not try to charge him with crimes he had not committed or to twist his loyalty into treason. In this, they put to shame many who were called Jews and many who are called Christians.