Daniel: The Courage to Defy the Law

Take Courage

The final example in our study is Daniel. This lesson will focus on the courage he demonstrated in his willingness to violate the laws of men in order to be faithful to the Lord.

Then these commissioners and satraps came by agreement to the king and spoke to him as follows: ‘King Darius, live forever! All the commissioners of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the high officials and the governors have consulted together that the king should establish a statute and enforce an injunction that anyone who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, shall be cast into the lions’ den. Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document so that it may not be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked.’ Therefore King Darius signed the document, that is, the injunction.

Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously” (Daniel 6:6-10).

Persecution, in some form, is a certainty for Christians (2 Timothy 3:12; 1 Peter 4:12). Often the severest persecution will come from civil authorities. This can be carried out in one of two ways – either there will be evil rulers targeting Christians or there will be evil men with influence over unprincipled and/or ignorant lawmakers that will manipulate the rulers into targeting Christians. There are times in which Christians need to defy the law and suffer persecution in order to remain faithful to God. Peter famously said, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). Christians have generally enjoyed peace in this country. But as more evil men gain power and influence, our days of peace and freedom may be numbered. We need to be prepared to disobey the civil authorities if such becomes necessary in order to remain faithful to God. Daniel’s example shows one with the courage to defy the law when it became necessary to do so.

The Background

Like the three men in our previous lesson, Daniel was taken from his home as a young man and served in Nebuchadnezzar’s court (Daniel 1:3-7, 18-19; 2:48-49). While serving the Babylonian king, Daniel prophesied and affirmed the superiority of God’s kingdom over every human kingdom (Daniel 2:31-45). Also during the days of this king, Nebuchadnezzar was made to live like a beast (Daniel 4:23-25, 28-33) in order to teach him that God was “ruler over the realm of mankind” (Daniel 4:17, 26, 34-37).

When his son Belshazzar came to power, the new king saw the writing on the wall during a feast and wanted someone to interpret it (Daniel 5:1-7). Daniel would interpret, but he first reminded Belshazzar that all authority is from God (Daniel 5:18) and that God reigns supreme over every human ruler (Daniel 5:21). Daniel then interpreted the handwriting, explaining to Belshazzar that the king was subject to God, had been judged by God, and would be punished by God (Daniel 5:25-28). Sure enough, “that same night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain. So Darius the Mede received the kingdom” (Daniel 5:30-31).

Daniel then served Darius and the king was pleased with him (Daniel 6:1-3). However, some were jealous and conspired against Daniel (Daniel 6:4). Knowing his character, they understood that the only way to trap him was to make his religion illegal (Daniel 6:5). So they crafted a piece of legislation that would make Daniel’s religious practices against the law and convinced the king to sign it (Daniel 6:6-9).

Daniel knew that the law was signed and disobeyed it anyway, refusing to alter his service to God to conform to an ungodly decree. “Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously” (Daniel 6:10). When his enemies reported his defiance to the king, Darius tried unsuccessfully to rescue him (Daniel 6:11-15). After Daniel was cast into the lion’s den (Daniel 6:16-18), Darius found him still alive in the morning (Daniel 6:19-22). Daniel was delivered from the den and his accusers were cast in and “they had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones” (Daniel 6:23-24). Darius learned from this event and issued a decree recognizing the greatness and supremacy of God (Daniel 6:26-27).

Why This Took Courage

Let us consider five reasons why it took courage for Daniel to defy the law on this occasion.

First, he knew that the law was signed. This was not a law he violated in ignorance, which could have allowed him to plead for leniency when he was brought before the king. This was an act of deliberate defiance to the law.

Second, the penalty included “certain” death. Of course, death was only certain from a human perspective, ignoring the possibility of divine intervention. But it is interesting that Darius expressed confidence (or perhaps a hopeful desire) that God would deliver Daniel (Daniel 6:16), but nothing is mentioned about what Daniel thought would happen. We learned from the example of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego that God’s people should have absolute faith in His power, but also recognize that God will not always act according to their desires. Daniel had to recognize that God could have allowed him to be killed in the lion’s den.

Third, this was a short-term challenge. The law prohibiting men from petitioning “any god or man” besides the king would only be in force “for thirty days” (Daniel 6:7). Daniel could have reasoned that, rather than facing death for violating the law, it would be better for him to compromise his faith for thirty days and then return to serving God as he had previously done when law was expired.

Fourth, he did not go into hiding. Instead of closing his windows and trying to go unnoticed, Daniel kept the windows open while he prayed (Daniel 6:10). He could have tried to avoid trouble, but he did not.

Fifth, the king signed the law. Daniel had a good relationship with King Darius up to this point (Daniel 6:3). But even though the king did not write the law, he did sign it. There was no guarantee as to how he would react when he learned of Daniel’s disobedience. He could have had sympathy for Daniel since the law was unfair (which he did); or he could have responded with anger for Daniel’s open defiance to the law he signed (cf. Daniel 3:12-13, 19). Human reactions are often unpredictable as they are affected by a myriad of factors. Daniel chose to be faithful without regard to how King Darius would react.

Daniel Took Courage

Daniel knew what was right with regard to praying to God. When Solomon completed the temple, the Lord said, “My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). During this difficult time in the nation’s history, Daniel continued to pray to God as the Lord expected His people to do.

Daniel also knew that being faithful to God and continuing to pray to Him was more important than conforming to an unjust human law. The forgiveness and healing that God promised (2 Chronicles 7:14) was worth far more than any favor from a human king.

Finally, Daniel took courage. When the law was signed, he did not procrastinate in hopes that the month might pass before he needed to take a stand. He prayed to God as he always had regardless of the consequences.

Application for Us

Since we never know when we may face persecution from the civil authorities for our faith, we need to learn from Daniel’s example.

First, we should not hope to be able to claim ignorance. While it is sometimes true that those who are unaware of a law may get some leniency when they are caught, we must be faithful to God whether or not we are aware of a law that prohibits service to Him. When Peter and John were “commanded…not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus,” they said, “We cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:18-20). When they were arrested a second time, they said, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). They did not claim ignorance. They knew the law. But they willfully disobeyed it in order to carry out the will of the Lord.

Second, we must be faithful, even if punishment is certain. The Hebrew writer reminded his audience of some who “were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection” (Hebrews 11:35). Even if punishment is certain, we must endure it with joy (Acts 5:40-41) because of the reward that awaits us for our faithfulness (Matthew 5:11-12).

Third, we must not compromise “temporarily,” thinking that the situation will improve later. First of all, the situation may not improve in the future. The wise man asked the question: “If no one knows what will happen, who can tell him when it will happen?” (Ecclesiastes 8:7). Situations that we think will be temporary may not be. Then, if we compromise, our unfaithfulness may end up being permanent. Furthermore, if we compromise our faith, we may not have time later to repent. Not only could we pass from this life at any time (Luke 12:19-20), but the Lord could return at any moment and call us before His judgment seat (2 Peter 3:10; 2 Corinthians 5:10). We cannot afford to risk the eternal fate of our souls for a “temporary” compromise.

Fourth, we must not be Christians in private only. Our faith must be visible to others. Jesus made this clear when He said, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

Fifth, we must not worry about how others will react. When Peter and John were told by the Council not to preach anymore, they answered, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20). They did not worry about how the men on the Council would react. They were determined to obey the Lord.

Conclusion

As society becomes more ungodly, persecution against Christians – particularly from the government – will become more common and more severe. Unless our country undergoes a significant change in direction, we must prepare for such persecution in our future. Daniel’s deliberate defiance to the law of man in order to remain faithful to God is an example we need to remember today. No matter what laws may be passed, or what penalties may be imposed on Christians for following the Lord, we must always be willing to echo the words of Peter: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).


.