Daniel Chapter 6

This is a continuation of my reading of Daniel.

6:1-2    Each adviser was in charge of 40 high officials and probably many other staff around and under them. I can’t imagine having the problems and concerns of hundreds of thousands of people be on my shoulders.

6:3    Daniel had a great track record. No one just walks into a position like that without having done some sort of management previously, and excellently for that matter.

6:4    What am I doing to create/maintain/protect that kind of reputation and work habit?

6:5    The strongest attacks come from your blind-side/seemingly unrelated direction. These men were able to complete the same job, so religion was an additive, not a requirement. These men attacked what he believed/who he was, not his job. Daniel had to be attacked in the one area that he found success through, that he felt secure about. Probably not an area he felt he needed to protect. Never assume that people respect God.

6:6-9    The administrators went full force to attack Daniel, but it was in a passive aggressive manner. When people have a problem with the way you live, not the job you do, they will not likely confront you about the problem they have. They went straight to the top and put Daniel in a tough but fantastic position. His life was now on the line, where he chooses honoring God or potential death.

6:10    AS USUAL! This threat did not inspire a renewing/rededication of Daniel’s heart and affections. This came in the middle of a lifestyle of honoring God, not after a long rebellion or a drunken weekend. Not only did he consistently pray, building the relationship, but he also thanked God in everything. That kind of peace and genuine attitude can only come from habit or second nature.

6:11-13    The accusers “strike” by telling on Daniel behind his back. They don’t even have the decency or courage to confront him like real men. The king is then tricked into a position to fire his most valuable employee.

6:14    How valuable are you to your boss? Do you have the kind of integrity and work habit that your supervisor would scramble to find a way to keep you?

6:21-23    God honored Daniel and himself by sparing Daniel’s life. God didn’t barely save him, with Daniel recovering after several months of rehab; Daniel came out unscathed and in good health. This is the same kind of protection that God gave Daniel’s friends in the fiery furnace.