Title: Prohibition (Daniel 6:6-9)
Lesson 61 Prohibition (Daniel 6:6-9)
6:6-9
Then the prime ministers and princes gathered together and came to the king and said to him, “Long live, King Darius. All the prime ministers and chiefs of the land, princes, counselors, and rulers consulted and sought to enact a law for the king, and a prohibition against the king. That is, in the thirty days from now on, if anyone asks anything from any god or man except the king, he will be thrown into the lions' den. Please do not change it again.” So King Darius put a fish seal on the decree and issued a ban.
The kings and princes of Media and Persia were jealous of Daniel. So, I first found Daniel's fault in the history of the country and tried to sue him, but I couldn't find any gaps or faults. What conspiracy did you come up with after that? He risked Daniel's faith and plotted to make him fall.
Let's look at verse 6. "Then the prime ministers and princes." How many prime ministers did King Darius have in Medes and Persia? Three people were erected. How many people will be referred to as "prime ministers" in verse 6 here? Two people except Daniel. How many princes were there in all? 120 people were built. Some, if not all, of the princes may have been. "Then the prime ministers and princes gather." said to have gathered. It borrowed the power of the group. I couldn't come alone, so I borrowed the strength of a group and came out using the crowd psychology. “He went to the king and said to him, “Long live, King Darius.” The king was greeted first with a customary greeting.
Then in verse 7 they lied about the purpose of their coming. Two big lies. Let me read the first half of verse 7. Find two lies. "All the prime ministers, chiefs, princes, counselors and officials of the country consult. What lie did you tell? The first was, "All Prime Ministers." But who is really missing out? Daniel was never involved in the conspiracy or consented to deciding it. How can you agree not to pray for 30 days? Can't we live without prayer? But he spoke as if all three prime ministers had agreed.
What is the second lie? "The chieftain, the prince, the counselor, and the ruler," he said. All the officials across the country spoke as if they had all agreed. But in fact, it was conceived by two prime ministers and a small number of princes, who spoke as if all the officials had agreed to this. They made a false report to the king, as if the whole country had agreed to this.
Let's see what it is. “I was trying to ask for a law to be established for the king and a ban to be established.” Repeated the same words twice. Establishing laws and establishing prohibitions. Repeated for emphasis.
Then comes the content to be established as a ban. “O king, that is, if anyone asks anything from any god or man other than the king in thirty days from now on, he will be thrown into the lions’ den.” He thought that 30 days would be enough time to put Daniel in trouble. So what if it's over 30 days? There must have been many priests serving other gods in Media and Persia. Will the priests stand still? Wouldn't all zealous believers who serve other gods be against it? So we set a deadline of 30 days.
"If anyone asks anything from any god or man except the king." What do you ask God for? is to pray. It is to ban prayers of any religion for 30 days. He said, "If you ask anything from a person," he said. This is not to say that they seek directly from people. God is so transcendent that it is difficult to obtain it directly from God, so what do you do? Don't you ask through the priest? So this person can be called a priest. It is forbidden to ask anything from the priest.
The servants are taking advantage of the king's vanity. "King, you are like a god. So pray only to the king and forbid to pray to any god or through any priest." It encourages the pride of the king. This is what the gods mean. "Lord, our Medo-Persia is a newly established country. In times like these, the king should exercise his sovereignty more strongly and hold on to his servants from the beginning." In this sense, the prohibition was asserted.
From Daniel's point of view, is it possible to live without prayer for 30 days? It is easy for us to think that we should not pray for 30 days and then pray again after 30 days have passed. A lot of people must have thought so. But Daniel didn't think so. Prayer is said to be the breath of the soul. How can a person live without breathing for 30 days? Likewise, the soul cannot live without prayer. That's why Daniel couldn't approve of this plan. How can you live without prayer for 30 days?
We can pray at home, but how can our spirit be clear without coming to the altar this morning? So it's very sad at times. In particular, there are many times when I feel sorry for the priests who say that they have to fulfill their assigned prayer missions, but they say that they will become officers without showing an example of prayer without quietly coming to the Lord's temple the first hour of the day. I hope that God will bless our Seungdong Church so that in the future, the elders, Kwons, and deacons will work hard to set an example of prayer. Only then will God love and bless our Seungdong Church. Kwonsa is said to be the mother of prayer in the church. If only the name is the mother of prayer, then what need is it? It'd be better not to be ripped off. It is the glory of God. I hope that the church lay leaders will show a good example of prayer like Daniel did.
Guys, was Daniel a prophet? Were you a priest? It's not like that. was a politician. Daniel showed constant prayer in his life. In today's language, Daniel is a layman, not a pastor. Nevertheless, I tried to pray thoroughly with a time of prayer. I am rebuking you because I love you, so please do your best to pray.
Then look at verse 8. "Therefore, O king, I beg you to establish a ban." It's about making a law out of it. What did you say next? "I stamped the fisherman on the record." It is not just to say it in words, but to write it down and leave a clear record. What else did you ask to be stamped on the dossier? I was told to take a picture of the fishman.
"I put a fish seal on the decree and follow the unchanging ordinances of the Medes and Persians. The laws of the Medes and Persia, once established, could not be changed. Let's look at 1:19.
"If it pleases the king, make a decree that Vashti will never come before the king again, and write it down in the laws of Persia and the Media so that there is no change, and give the queen's throne to someone better than her."
Let's skip ahead and look at Esther 8:8.
"You shall write a decree to the Jews in the name of the king as you wish, and seal it with the king's ring, for a decree written in the king's name and sealed with the king's ring cannot be undone."
There are ordinances of the Medes and Persia, but it was that the decrees that had been set could not be changed again.
Let's continue with verse 9. What did King Darius do? When the servants were honoring King Darius, he fell over. It would have been nice if he had thought deeply and made a careful decision, but when his servants exalted him and supported him like a god, he fell over. that was arrogant. "Then King Darius put a fish seal on the decree and issued a ban." You would think you made a good decision. But in the end, it turned out to be a foolish decision that made me regret the ban.
The same is true. If you're in a hurry, you're impulsive and you're doing well, but you're more likely to go wrong. It is more likely to fail. It seems slow, but like Daniel, if you get down on your knees and pray and ask what God's will is and live according to God's will, it will be more certain. That is the way to be blessed.
Today, do not stand still, but calmly ask God's will like Daniel and pray, follow God's way as He leads, and please God for comfort, and there are no failures or faults in your work. , I pray in the name of Jesus that you will have a blessed day where you can succeed without any errors.