The Regular Guys Bible Study
The Regular Guys Bible Study (or BS) podcast is a podcast for regular guys by regular guys (not theologians) studying the Bible together. It's brought to you by a couple of goofy -- sometime irreverent -- guys who just want to study the Bible together and show you that anyone can read and study the Bible. In fact, you SHOULD read and study the Bible yourself. We're here to show you how we do it, and, hopefully, we can have some fun along the way.
The Regular Guys Bible Study
Daniel 6
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We read Daniel 6 on Christmas Eve Eve and trace how integrity, envy, and leadership collide when prayer is outlawed. Darius brings order, signs a foolish law, fasts in anguish, and then praises the living God who delivers Daniel.
• the empire’s new structure under Darius and Daniel’s excellence
• jealousy and the manufactured decree to trap a faithful man
• Daniel’s unbroken habit of prayer and public trust in God
• a king’s remorse, a sealed stone, and a sleepless night
• deliverance at dawn and the public decree honoring God
• the severity of ancient justice and the danger of envy
• lessons for work, leadership, courage, and conscience
• faith under pressure, not fear of consequences
Read chapter seven, Daniel chapter seven, and Merry Christmas, guys. Happy New Year. We will see you on the flip side in twenty twenty-six. Read your Bible
Christmas Eve Eve And Setup
SPEAKER_01You are listening to the Regular Guys Bible Study Podcast, the Bible study for regular guys by regular guys. We are your host, Ken and Steve, and we are just regular guys studying the Bible together. Not theologians. Alright, Steve. So there's there's one thing I just realized from that from your attempt. The lag? The lag is awful. I was gonna ask. Man, it's like it's like half a second behind. This is this might be bad today. That's our excuse.
SPEAKER_03Well, I think it's always that way. We might be stupid or deporble.
SPEAKER_01Oh, it's just always bad. Oh man. Um, yeah, that but no, I mean typically uh I don't notice any lag um when you're trying to be stupid. I mean, on rhythm.
SPEAKER_03There is no lag with me being stupid.
Reading Daniel 6
SPEAKER_01All right. Well, guys, this is um Daniel 6 today. Uh and Christmas Eve Eve. It is Christmas Eve Eve. This is the Christmas Eve Eve edition of the regular guys' Bible study. Uh, regardless of when you listen to this, we're recording this on Christmas Eve Eve.
SPEAKER_03And this could be the penultimate episode of the year, or it could be the last episode of the year. Um if we record next week.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I bet we don't record next week. That's gonna be tough. It's possible.
SPEAKER_03You know, having all that time off.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. I don't have a lot of time off.
SPEAKER_03When we have time off. I don't have a lot of time off, but I have kids in.
SPEAKER_01So uh, because I have a new job, Steve. Sucker. Yeah. Anyway, um, so Christmas Eve Eve. Steve is stuck at home. I'm not stuck at home, but I am home. Um, so let's see, Daniel 6. Daniel chapter 6, um, which I think is great for Christmas. Um because it really relates a lot to Christmas. Um because of all the um imagery. I can't I can't wait to see the parallels you've come up with.
SPEAKER_03Nope. Are the lion are the lions Santa Claus?
SPEAKER_01Um the elves. The lions are the elves and Daniel's Santa Claus. Man, you'd have a you'd have this warped meaning of Christmas, don't you? Your your vision of Christmas has been warped by the world. No. It has to do it's not all about Santa Claus and presents? It's mostly about that, but not all. No, it's about Jesus. It's about God, and it's about human for a re uh a savior. All right, yes, it is time we start. Uh Daniel 6. If you haven't read it, guys, as always, please, please, please pause this thing, go read it. The whole thing, the whole point of this thing is that you read your Bible. Don't just listen to us. All right. And if you don't know how to read, you should go learn. Yeah, but it is true. If you don't know how to read, you just listen to us and follow along with the words, and maybe it might help you um learn to read a little bit. It'll help you at least. But you should learn.
SPEAKER_03Okay. There are 28 verses in this chapter. I don't see any headline breaks.
SPEAKER_01So you're just gonna do the whole thing, huh?
SPEAKER_03I'll read the first 14 and you can read the second fourteen.
SPEAKER_01Oh I would say one of us reads the first. Okay, yeah, that works. No, you read the first 15 because there's a paragraph break.
SPEAKER_02That's yeah. Oh, yes, I see what you mean.
SPEAKER_03Or I'll read the first 13. No, that's that doesn't work. That doesn't work. Because you've got you've got all that small stuff at the end.
SPEAKER_01Okay. Let's don't sit here and bicker about who's gonna read more, but you're gonna read more. Daniel sick, verse one.
SPEAKER_03It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom a hundred and twenty satraps to be throughout the whole kingdom, and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might not suffer loss. Then this Daniel became distinguished above all other high officials and satraps because an excellent spirit was in him, and the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful and no error or fault was found in him. Then these men said, We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God. Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement to the king and said to him, O King Darius, live forever. All the high officials of the kingdoms, of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked. Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction. When Daniel knew that
Darius’ Leadership And Structure
SPEAKER_03the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open towards Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his god. Then they came near and said before the king, Concerning the injunction, O king, did you not sign an injunction that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said The thing stands fast according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked. Then they answered and said before the king, Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day. Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel, and he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, Know, O king, that it is a lot of Persians that no injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.
SPEAKER_01Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king king declared to Daniel, May your God, whom you serve continually deliver you. And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. Then the king went to the pal to his palace and spent the night fasting. No diversions were brought to him, and sleep from fled from him. Then at break of day the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, as your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the den of from the lions. Then Daniel said to the king, O king, live forever. My God sent his angel and shut the lion's mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him, and also before you, O king, I have done no harm. Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him because he had trusted in his God. And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions, they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces. Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth, peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God enduring forever. His kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. He delivers and rescues, he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth. He who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions. So dan so this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian. You know, we've never recorded this early in the morning. My voice is not used to talking.
SPEAKER_03This is true.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
Envy, Office Politics, And Integrity
SPEAKER_01All right. Um, all right, my fly is thoroughly um mixed.
SPEAKER_03Call you Krusty the clown.
SPEAKER_01All right. What you what you got here, Steve? I got a couple of things right away.
SPEAKER_03I do too. So, you know, at the end of the last chapter, um Belshazzar was killed and Darius took over. But it seems like Darius didn't really change much. Because, I mean, he he's putting Daniel in charge, so he clearly knew, you know, who was competent and who wasn't. It just seems like maybe it wasn't a violent overthrow.
SPEAKER_01I think you're right that it wasn't a violent overthrow, but I do see a big change. One of the big changes Belshazzar didn't even know who Daniel was, or he had forgotten all about him. Oh right? Yeah. It was the queen who had to remind him of Daniel. Darius already had him in charge, um as part of in part of his kingdom, where Belshazzar was a very good thing.
SPEAKER_03So what you're saying it was a conspiracy. It was a conspiracy with uh Belshazzar's mom and Darius to kill her own son.
SPEAKER_01That is that's not at all what I'm saying. What I'm actually saying is that I think Belshazzar was an immature brat and thought and and and just did his own thing and didn't use the tools that were available to him. Um not only Belshazzar is Belshazzar is Herod, then. Maybe so. But no, I think Herod actually had uh well, let me another thing that they that's mentioned here in verse one um is where is this? Oops, there it is.
SPEAKER_03For those that don't know, Herod is involved in the birth of Christ in the story of it.
SPEAKER_01That's true. He wasn't involved in the birth.
SPEAKER_03Well, no, not he's in the story. He's part of the story.
SPEAKER_01Um, anyway, um it it says it pleased Darius to set over the kingdom a hundred and twenty satraps to be throughout the whole kingdom. Um and over them three high officials. So they were smoking pot. No, so Darius put some structure into the kingdom that we don't really know the structure of the kingdom when Belshazzar was there. But the fact that it mentions that he did this to me says there wasn't much much structure to the running of the kingdom before. And so um Darius comes in, and to me, it's like he sets this up as a CEO might. He puts he gets three trusted VPs below him and and has them uh in charge of all these um directors of the different areas.
SPEAKER_03And he's about to make Daniel C-O-O. The chief operating officer.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I was I was trying to I was trying to like C O O. Like you said C O O instead of C-O-O. I I thought like like S-E-E O-H O H. I don't know. It's early. What? I don't know. Just I all right.
SPEAKER_03Maybe we should just focus on the body.
SPEAKER_01You're falling flat. You did confuse me. I had no idea what you were saying. Okay, but yes. Um anyway, to me, it seems like Darius is much more like Nebuchadnezzar was in running the kingdom from like a business.
SPEAKER_02I think you're right. All right. And then um and Daniel was good at it.
SPEAKER_01Yes. Daniel was very good at being his and and just like in the office, you have the show or the movie. I'm talking about when you work, when you're working in an office place at a company. Oh there are some VPs that run their organizations much better than others, right? You've seen you've witnessed this, I've witnessed this. Yes, I have. Um
The Trap: Prayer Ban For Thirty Days
SPEAKER_01and anyway, and Daniel was the one that excelled over the others. And just like a lot of unhealthy businesses, uh, there seemed to be uh some office politics going on here. Definitely. So what's interesting to me about the office politics here, where these other guys are like so jealous of Daniel, is that they are in excellent positions. You know, it's it's like, why do you care so much that he's doing better?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, why why put forth the effort? It it's uh it is a bit odd. But you know, one thing occurred to me. Um you know, Daniel and uh Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they kind of remind me of that whack-a-mole game. Because anytime they sort of stand out among other people, someone comes along with a club and tries to beat them over the head.
SPEAKER_01That's true, that's a good point.
SPEAKER_03They never win the game, the other guys. They uh keep missing.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, because the moles keep popping up in the other holes. In this case, it's the Jews. The Jewish uh people in their kingdom keep popping up through the other holes.
SPEAKER_03Did you say mole juice?
SPEAKER_01Yum. Um, what else you got, Steve? I've got something um just about uh like verse 14.
SPEAKER_03Oh, I've got some stuff before then. All right. Verse five. Yeah. Uh then these men said, We shall not find any ground for complaint against this, Daniel, unless we find it in connection with the law of his God. So if someone tried to find fault with you, Ken, would they be forced to architect something that was used that used your worship of God against you?
SPEAKER_02I think I know the answer.
SPEAKER_01Wow. That is a really that's that's a really good question, Steve.
SPEAKER_02Um I don't know. I'm trying to think of what they could use.
SPEAKER_01I mean, I think they would say Ken's not very good at his job.
SPEAKER_03No, they would just say you're not very good at right now.
SPEAKER_01Ken's not very good at right now. Um I'm better. Look at the numbers.
SPEAKER_03I'm not sure So it's weird because it seems like in today, you know, things the way they are today, someone would just make something up and basically try to what's the word? Defame? No, yeah, defamation.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_03They'd make something up to make you look bad and wouldn't require proof. They'd just throw it out there. Enough people would repeat it, and that it would become truth.
SPEAKER_01And then so actually, Steve, I think that if somebody really at my job wanted to uh hurt me in some way, they actually might point to the podcast um and find where we talked about certain issues in like in Romans chapter one. Um where where we talk about what the Bible says um about these things, and they would use that against me and say that I hate certain groups of people, which isn't true.
SPEAKER_03But this is great.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03This means they are using your your worship of God against you.
SPEAKER_01Um yeah, and they would um twist my words um as as Satan likes to do, the twit to twist words and um because You know, we we did not say that
Darius’ Regret And Daniel’s Resolve
SPEAKER_01we dislike these people or uh you know certain things.
SPEAKER_03We don't call them these people.
SPEAKER_01Anyway, my point is all we did was talk about what the Bible says about these things. Um but we are called to love love everybody, but that would be ignored.
SPEAKER_03You know, they would they would really focus on they'd take what they wanted out of context and throw it in your face.
SPEAKER_01So I think so. That's that is how they would get at me.
SPEAKER_02What about you, Steve, if you ask the question?
SPEAKER_03I'm sure there are things outside my worship of God that could be used against me. I just don't know what they are because I'm just I'm that good, you know. I I never lie or make up stuff, you know.
SPEAKER_02Like right now. Yeah. Uh-huh. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01No, but no, I think um. You know, I I don't know of anything that people could use against you without turning to your worship.
SPEAKER_03You know, it's funny. I asked the question, but I didn't really, really think about it. Think about it for yourself. I just wanted to throw it in your face and make you think about it.
SPEAKER_01You're such a jerk. Uh but I you know what? I appreciate your jerkedness.
SPEAKER_03Thanks. Uh verse 7. Let's see. Let me read the verse again so I know what this note's talking about. All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den.
SPEAKER_02Oh, right. So they put this time limit on the decree.
SPEAKER_03Um I guess if they hadn't, Daniel might get repeatedly thrown into the lion's den because, you know, he'd keep praying to his god and they'd have to keep throwing him into the.
SPEAKER_01No, uh, I assume they put this this limit for one thing, they wanted the king to sign it. Um, and it so it would be uh a period of we love the king kind of thing.
SPEAKER_03Um that seems like a really dumb law, though.
SPEAKER_01It yes, it does seem like a dumb law. But then um also they would think, okay, it this won't take long. You know, they're not expecting that Daniel will need to be gone in multiple days.
SPEAKER_03They could have said seven days and still caught him.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and I'll bet, I'll bet there are um, I I should I wish I had looked this up, but I would not be surprised if there are multiple pagan worship uh rituals in this region. Um not just over the next month. Yeah, and so it's not, you know, people would not be willing to like throw away their other pagan worship forever.
SPEAKER_03So that's how this ties to Christmas. This was in December. You've got Hanukkah, you've got Christmas, you've got um uh what's the other one? Why are you saying this was in December? Because you just said there were
Stone Sealed, Night Of Fasting
SPEAKER_03other pagan things around the same time. You got festivists for the rest of us?
SPEAKER_01You got the festivist celebration, and you've got uh uh the winter solstice ramad, is it? I don't know when that is. I don't know.
SPEAKER_02Anyway. Um yeah, I think I think it all had to do about the ease of getting Darius to sign it.
SPEAKER_01Probably. And and actually that goes into my next question, unless you have something before verse 14. Go ahead. Is uh it seems just ridiculous that the king would sign such a thing. Um and then uh after he signs it, it's actually pretty impressive that he holds himself to the law, even though he hates it. Um in fact, I it makes me wonder. I I think of our own modern um uh political environment. Would our leaders hold themselves to the law?
SPEAKER_03No, they'd just pardon themselves and everyone else that might fall afoul.
SPEAKER_01That's exactly what I think. So um the modern our our modern system of uh judicial our modern judicial system while it's less barbaric than this is less has less integrity than theirs. And that's that's really a shame. But it is impressive, the integrity is impressive. Um even though the fact that he signed this thing is not impressive at all. I want people to work we think people should worship you. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.
SPEAKER_03And it's also like he's almost opening the door for him to be in his his uh you know the court where people come with problems and stuff, because they're not allowed to petition anyone other than him. Yeah, it'd be like 30 days of constant whining about this or that. That's true.
SPEAKER_02He doesn't have to listen to the city.
SPEAKER_03You mentioned verse Yeah, you mentioned 14. It's clear to me that he really likes Daniel. I mean, he's upset.
SPEAKER_01He yeah, you're right. He is really upset about this.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, distressed, you might
Deliverance At Dawn And Decree
SPEAKER_03say. Yep.
SPEAKER_01In fact, he he fasts. It says he fasts. Um so so you know, it's hard for us to go without food. Um, all right.
SPEAKER_03So 17's my next thing.
SPEAKER_01That's mine too.
SPEAKER_03Do you think there's a parallel here with the stone over the mouth of the lion's den and the stone over Jesus' tomb?
SPEAKER_02That is not what I was gonna say. Oh but um I did think about that. Um you know, sure, why not? I don't know. It could be.
SPEAKER_01I mean um, you know, Jesus was put in the tomb dead and came out alive.
SPEAKER_03Um, and there were guards placed there to make sure that nothing happened, and he's using the seal of his ring to make sure there's no funny business.
SPEAKER_01Yep, and Daniel went in, presumed that he would die and came out alive. Um and in the same way that the uh that Mary and Mary and who ran to the tomb on Mary and Martha?
SPEAKER_03That sounds right.
SPEAKER_01Uh ran to the tomb early in the morning. Uh Darius did that same thing. Uh ran to the stone or where the uh the lion's den where the stone was. So yeah, there seems to be a parallel, regardless. Um regardless if it's I can't say it's not intentional. Of course it's intentional. This is God's word. Um how could it not be intentional? So yes.
SPEAKER_03Perhaps not not important enough that it's an obvious sort of oh moment. Yeah. So what did you have for four seventeen?
SPEAKER_01I'm just in curious um how you seal a stone with a signet ring. With a signet ring. Do they pour wax around the so they put the stone there, then they pour wax all over it, and then he puts his ring into the wax? Is that how that works?
SPEAKER_03That's the only thing I can think of.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's the only thing I can think of. And it kind of, you know, it kind of makes sense. I mean, that putting a stone in front of that's a lot of wax, but putting a stone in front of a an opening um doesn't really seal it. Uh if you gotta if you're gonna seal the stone, it's you've got to have some malleable material around it.
SPEAKER_03Um But I do think the stone had gravity on its side. I think this hole is like on the ceiling of the cave. Because don't they like throw in a rope later to pull him out? Something like that.
SPEAKER_01They don't say they put in a rope, but um it says you think that they brought him up.
SPEAKER_03Right, and then they threw they threw the other people down in the room.
SPEAKER_01And before they hit the ground, yes. So it's like they throw them in a hole, it sounds like. Yeah, I think you're right about that. Um so
Justice, Harsh Consequences, And Translation Notes
SPEAKER_01you know, the hole might not be that big, honestly. Um, so yeah, I guess that's my thought is that they roll this stone over and they drizzle wax all around it, um, and he puts his signet ring in it, um, and then to move the stone, it's gonna break the wax and blah blah blah. Right. All right. Um, so in let's see, have a note for 18, and I say there's many examples of fasting in the Bible uh when we are petitioning uh God. Um but Darius is not a Jew. Yeah. Do you think he was fasting to petition the Jewish God, the real God, or some other God or gods?
SPEAKER_03That's hard to say. Um we don't really know how much he knew of the true God.
SPEAKER_02It could be that he was reaching out to the God of Daniel, not knowing who the God of Daniel was and asking for deliverance.
SPEAKER_01I think, yeah, my my feeling is that he was petitioning the god of Daniel. Um because you know when it doesn't Daniel doesn't have to come up and he come out and say, My God, the God of the Jews, save me from this. Darius asked him, Did your God save you? Um, so that's true, he already has some knowledge of Daniel's worship. And uh and you know, and I think that's one reason why he's so upset that he got tricked into this stupid, stupid thing. Um so I think my opinion is that he's fasting to the real God, even though he does not know him. So he's pleading with the God of Daniel. Alright, that's my take on that.
SPEAKER_03Well, I think I think you're right, though. I mean, later when he gives his uh praise to God, it seems like he's already well aware of Daniel's God.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Um so I have a note and it references 23. Twenty-three. But I'm not sure why I put it there. Um so God doesn't always keep us free from paint. And many times he uses it to get our attention. But Daniel was already focused on God, but he also did keep him free from being eaten by lions.
SPEAKER_02Um I it seems like uh he's using this to get Darius's attention. Yes, I agree with that. He is and and our attention.
SPEAKER_01Yours and mine.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that's true.
SPEAKER_01But um but yeah, and at the time, I would think it would be yeah, it would be Darius's uh attention and I mean the Jewish people are the it's well this is what I've heard. I don't know if this is accurate, but the Jewish people is the they are the longest lasting people on this earth as a people group.
SPEAKER_02They gotta be going on what seven thousand years now, something like that. Uh something.
SPEAKER_01And so um
What This Teaches About God And Us
SPEAKER_01to do that, God did miraculous things even when they were conquered. So you know, when when a when a people group gets conquered, they typically meld into the conquering um nation and become a just a mix, a hodgepodge of stuff. But that never happened to the Jewish people. Um well, it happened to some of them. Others, yes, sure, sure. There are not but I'm saying as the people group as a whole never got wiped out because of this, because there was always a remnant protected them. Um, and with things like this, where now Darius, you know, makes this statement. Um, you know, uh uh uh uh let's see, I make make a decree that all my royal dominion people are to tremble in fear before the God of Daniel. Then he goes on and talks about it, right? Um so suddenly now the God of Daniel, which means the Jewish people group are now protected by the government that that took them over. So I think that's cool.
SPEAKER_03But don't you think it's a bit harsh what the king did with the uh the bad guys here in the story? I mean, it's one thing to throw them into the pit, but their wives and children too. That that that's pretty harsh.
SPEAKER_01That's uh he's taking he's pulling out a uh pulling a pulling a page out of Nebuchadnezzar's book. Yeah. It's time to punish people.
SPEAKER_03Okay, let's uh let's make sure we don't miss anyone. Yeah, um yeah, that's uh I mean I mean you could argue you could argue that you're avoiding later problems because you know, some kid that saw his father thrown into the lion's den is it gonna come trying to get justice or get revenge.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and there's um what's that what's that book um that was made into a movie where the kid um oh shoot. Uh Wizard of Oz? Ender's game. Did you read Ender's Game?
SPEAKER_03I did.
SPEAKER_01So in Ender's Game, Ender um is bullied and uh and beat up. Um and he ends up beating up the other guy that that was bull. Or I don't know if he's beat up. He's trying they try to beat him up, but instead of stopping um just stopping the person who's beating him up, he goes beyond that, so he'll never be picked on again. And and so, and that's like uh you know, a story that's kind of a a thread in the story because um that's what makes him a good leader, um is this resilience um and not going to be pushed around and no one will push him around again. So I kind of think that's what is happening here. If you're gonna be in a leadership position and you try to deceive me, that's this is gonna happen to you and your family. And so the whole point here, I think, is that I have to put more people in place here. They are not gonna try to deceive me because they know what I'm gonna do when I find out.
SPEAKER_03That's you know, that's to tie this back to Christmas. Yeah, Herod went and killed all the children of a certain age group.
SPEAKER_01That's true. To avoid what, two two years old and younger, right? Yeah, something like that. So, yeah, that's um trying to just trying to get one. Just to try to kill one baby. He he declared that all children under two should be killed.
SPEAKER_03So in that sense, Darius looks like a saint.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's true. This is only one family. Uh or sorry, two families.
SPEAKER_03Families.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, two families.
SPEAKER_03Is it just two?
SPEAKER_01There were three people put over all the group, all the all the all the satrap, all the um Yeah, but I don't know that you can say that it was just the other two.
SPEAKER_03Because Daniel was distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps. Okay.
SPEAKER_01Well, there were two other satraps.
SPEAKER_03There were at least two.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, at least two. Uh so I don't know how many total, but um yes. Uh let's see. Yeah, my only other comment was um if you read the NIV version, it says uh let me read 24. And and I've seen this in other things um similar, but not uh it says, at the king's command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were buried. Brought in and thrown into the lion's den. Now, I hate that translation, but I don't know if that's accurate for the translation. But they did not falsely accuse Daniel. Daniel did worship God.
SPEAKER_03Oh. Yeah, and ESV says maliciously accused, which is better.
SPEAKER_01That sounds like what they did in the story. Right. And so you know, and ESV is a direct word-for-word translation, where NIV, uh, the modern NIV, is a uh not word-for-word translation, but a sentence translation, so they say. Um, trying to make the sentence mean the right thing. Um so anyway, I think uh malicious is a better a better word there for that phrase because that's what they did. Um and then my last comment was something I said early on, but it's just amazing to me. These these people had really good lives. Um, these satraps had great lives, these leaders, whoever else was they had great lives, but out of jealousy and envy and hatred, they destroyed them themselves.
SPEAKER_03Uh they had the devil whispering in their ear to try and damage the Jews.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. But it to me that seems like an accurate picture of what we do today. Or not me, not me. I don't do this, I hope. Um, but you see this kind of thing happen where just powerful people out of envy or hatred or uh they just destroy themselves in an attempt to destroy others instead of being satisfied with where they are, um and you know, it's just instead of love demonstrating just hatred and it destroys them. Alright, that's all I got.
SPEAKER_03Kind of stupid, yeah. Yep.
SPEAKER_01So anyway, what does that say about God? What does it say about God, Steve?
SPEAKER_03That God will uh protect his people?
SPEAKER_02Okay. I I guess that's good. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01God I think it says God honors um God honors those who worship him. Um does that but it you know a lot of times we take this to mean God won't let us be harmed when we worship him. And that's not true. I mean, we see many examples where God's people were harmed uh because of what they did. Um Paul, um, Peter um went through a lot of harm. Jesus Jesus, uh maybe a little bit. Yes, Jesus. Um anyway, um so we you know, don't and Paul says we will experience pain. And in fact, Daniel himself experienced pain. I mean, he was conquered if you recall in the very beginning, he was part of a conquered people. Um that was not without pain itself, I'm sure.
SPEAKER_03Um, and perhaps even taken away from his family.
SPEAKER_01Yes, yeah, I'm sure he was.
SPEAKER_02Um, and so what does this say about us as believers?
SPEAKER_03Uh to be faithful towards God in all circumstances.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I I think that's right. And don't fear. Don't fear the circumstances that might don't
Closing, Next Chapter Preview, Merry Christmas
SPEAKER_01feel don't fear the the reaper? Yeah, sure. That that works. Don't fear the reaper. Mo, but don't fear the consequences of worship. Um you know, I think we often especially young believers, or actually people in their in their prime can sometimes fear what the worship of God might do, or you know, the their true worship, if people find out about their true worship of God, that they fear what that might do to their career or their friendships or whatever. Um, but we cannot fear that. We need to embrace that and let God do what he wants to do.
SPEAKER_03To work with it. Yep.
SPEAKER_02That's all I got, Steve.
SPEAKER_03Chapter seven next time, next year, I guess.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, probably next year is when we'll do that. Um so yeah, read chapter seven. I don't even know what chapter seven is. I'd known what all the other ones were gonna be, but this one I am clueless. We get into some of the weird visions of cool. That'll be fun. All right, well, read chapter seven, Daniel chapter seven, and Merry Christmas, guys. Happy New Year. We will see you on the flip side in twenty twenty-six.
SPEAKER_03Read your Bible.
