Daniel: A Model of Godly Character, Integrity and Courage (Daniel 6)

Scripture reading – Daniel 6; Daniel 7

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* Please note that words and phrases in brackets are the author’s amplification.

Today’s Scripture reading is from Daniel 6–7. This first of two devotionals focuses solely on Daniel 6, set around 536 BC. Daniel is now a man in his mid-eighties — one who has faithfully served God at the pinnacle of power in two world empires, the Babylonian and the Persian. His life and testimony are spotless, and he has proven himself a man of godly character, integrity, and courage.

Daniel 6 – The Empire of the Medes and Persians

Darius, king of the Medes and Persians, made Babylon his capital after conquering the Chaldean empire. Scholars are unsure whether “Darius” was a personal name or a royal title—such as “Pharaoh” or “Caesar.” Several Persian kings named Darius suggest it was a title, not a personal name. Likely, King Cyrus conquered Babylon, and “Darius” served as his royal designation.

Having secured the kingdom, Darius focused on establishing a civil government. To prevent corruption and mismanagement from causing the crown to “suffer no loss,” he organized his administration in two tiers: 120 princes as provincial governors and three presidents overseeing them (Daniel 6:1–2).

Daniel, whose character and integrity impressed the king, was in his eighties and named first among the three presidents, over his peers, and ultimately set “over the whole realm” (Daniel 6:2–3), second only to the Persian king. From a human perspective, Daniel served at Darius’s behest; from a spiritual perspective, he was God’s servant for such a time. In my study of Daniel’s life, I find three qualities that every believer should emulate. 

Daniel had “an excellent spirit.” (Daniel 6:3)

Though in his eighties, Daniel had neither faded into irrelevance nor succumbed to bitterness. His energy was reduced, but his servant’s heart remained strong, and he kept “an excellent spirit” (Daniel 6:3). When duty called, Daniel was ready.

Daniel “was faithful.” (Daniel 6:4-9)

Daniel’s civil service was exemplary, and he demonstrated integrity in all aspects of his duty to the king. However, his peers envied Darius’s plan to elevate Daniel “over the whole realm” and conspired against him. They tried in vain to find any flaw or fault that could serve as grounds for accusation, but found none (Daniel 6:4).

Frustrated, Daniel’s enemies concluded that the only vulnerability they could exploit was his devotion to God. Flattering the king’s ego, they coerced Darius into issuing a foolish decree: for thirty days, he alone would be recognized as the object of petition and worship, and any man who appealed to any other god would be condemned to death in the lion’s den (Daniel 6:6–7).

The king, perhaps blinded by flattery, signed the decree — knowing that, under the law of the Medes and Persians, even he could neither alter it nor reverse its penalty once enacted (Daniel 6:8–9).

Daniel was devoted to God. (Daniel 6:5, 10)

God’s law was not merely known to Daniel — it was inscribed on his heart (Daniel 6:5). His devotion to God shaped his character. When Daniel learned the king had signed a decree against petition or prayer, his integrity had already made his decision. He went home, opened his window toward Jerusalem, knelt upon his knees, and prayed — just as he had always done. Scripture records it plainly:

“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime” (Daniel 6:10).

Daniel had faithfully served the Lord since his youth, and he would not compromise that devotion in his old age. If it came to it, he chose to die rather than miss a single prayer meeting with his God. His body and duties were in Babylon — but his heart belonged to God.

Daniel’s enemies were not disappointed. (Daniel 6:11-13)

With singular purpose, Daniel’s adversaries went directly to Daniel’s house and found him on his knees, praying to his God (Daniel 6:11). Without delay, they went before the king and accused Daniel of violating his decree. They reminded Darius of the law he had signed and rehearsed its penalty: any violator was to be cast into the lion’s den (Daniel 6:12).

Having established the legal grounds, Daniel’s adversaries characterized his prayer and worship as a personal affront to the king, reminding him that Daniel was a ‘man of the captivity of Judah’—a foreigner and a Jew. They subsequently presented charges against Daniel: 1) He had demonstrated contempt for the king and ignored him and his edict. 2) He had violated the king’s decree on three separate occasions (Daniel 6:13).

The King’s Distress (Daniel 6:14-21)

Without recourse (Daniel 6:14-15), Darius ordered Daniel into the lion’s den. Even as he pronounced the sentence, the king expressed admiration and hope: “Thy God whom thou servest continually, He will deliver thee” (Daniel 6:16). Darius knew Daniel’s unwavering devotion and hoped God’s power would save him. A stone was then brought and laid over the mouth of the den — most likely a large pit open at the top — and the king sealed it with his own signet and those of his lords, so that no one could alter Daniel’s fate under the guise of the king’s authority (Daniel 6:17).

That night, Darius couldn’t rest. He lay awake through the long hours of darkness, turning the same question over in his mind — would Daniel’s God deliver him? As the sun rose, the king rose from his bed and raced to the lion’s den (Daniel 6:19). Arriving, Darius called into the darkness with a trembling voice: “Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?” (Daniel 6:20).

It was the cry of a man desperate for an answer — had Daniel’s God prevailed? Had He saved him? Then, from within the den, came the reply: “O king, live for ever” (Daniel 6:21).

Daniel’s Desire: For God alone to be glorified (Daniel 6:22)

When King Darius heard Daniel’s voice from the den, he wasted no time in having him brought out. Daniel emerged without so much as a scratch — and he quickly deflected all praise to God: “My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before Him [In God’s presence] innocency [purity; goodness] was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt [committed no crime]” (Daniel 6:22). 

Daniel gave God full glory for his deliverance. It was God who had sent His angel to close the lions’ mouths. He, Daniel, had not sinned against God and had committed no crime against the king.

Daniel’s Enemies were Disgraced and Destroyed. (Daniel 6:23-28)

Daniel’s enemies met a swift and fitting end. They had slandered God’s servant; now they suffered the very fate they had intended for him — cast into the den of lions, along with their households (Daniel 6:24), a reminder that God is just. Solomon observed in his proverbs to his son, “The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead” (Proverbs 11:8). “Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him” (Proverbs 26:27).

The King’s Second Decree (Daniel 6:25-27)

Moved by what he had witnessed, Darius issued a second decree and proclaimed,

“I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for He is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end. ²⁷  He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions” (Daniel 6:26-27).

Closing thoughts…

God could have spared Daniel from being cast into the lion’s den—but He did not. Instead, He chose to bring His servant through the trial, thereby bringing far greater glory to His name. The miracle of Daniel’s deliverance echoed throughout the Persian empire. Daniel himself continued to prosper throughout the reign of Darius (Daniel 6:28)—a living testament to the faithfulness of the God he had served since his youth.

Copyright © 2026 – Travis D. Smith 

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