II. THE SUBTLE ATTACK OF SATAN ON DANIEL
CONCERNING THE WORSHIP OF GOD
In verses 4 through 9 we see the subtle attack of Satan on Daniel concerning the worship of God.
A. The Chief Ministers and Satraps,
with the High Officers of the Kingdom,
Taking Counsel Together
Being jealous of Daniel, the chief ministers and satraps "sought to find a ground for accusation against Daniel from the perspective of the kingdom, but they could find no ground for accusation or fault, inasmuch as he was faithful, and no negligence or fault was found related to him" (v. 4). Therefore, the chief ministers and satraps, with the high officers of the kingdom, took counsel together that the king should establish a statute and make firm an edict that anyone who made a petition within the next thirty days to any god or man besides the king should be cast into the lions’ den (vv. 5-7). They appealed to the king, saying, "Now, O king, establish the edict and sign the writing so that it is not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot pass away" (v. 8). The intention of the chief ministers and satraps was to destroy Daniel, but Satan, who was behind them, wanted to stop or cut off the channel of prayer God was using for the carrying out of His economy.
B. King Darius Signing the Edict
King Darius signed the writing, that is, the edict, to establish it (v. 9).
III. DANIEL’S FAITHFULNESS IN THE WORSHIP OF GOD
Verse 10 reveals Daniel’s faithfulness in the worship of God. "Now when Daniel came to know that the writing had been signed, he went to his house (in his upper room he had windows open toward Jerusalem) and three times daily he knelt on his knees and prayed and gave thanks before his God, because he had always done so previously." He had read the prophecy of Jeremiah which prophesied that the children of Israel would serve the king of Babylon for seventy years (9:2b; Jer. 25:11). Standing upon this word, Daniel must have prayed many times for the fulfillment of this prophecy and for the return of the captives. He prayed, and he would not let anything stop or frustrate his prayer. He knew that his prayer was for the carrying out of God’s economy concerning His elect. Therefore, his prayer was a serious matter.
Today, prayer is the lifeline in the Lord’s recovery. The more Satan tries to frustrate our prayer, the more we should pray.
(Life-Study of Daniel, Chapter 8, by Witness Lee)
