No Statute May Be Changed - Daniel 6:15

In the book of Daniel, Daniel shared how King Darius signed a decree that no one was to pray to anyone but him for thirty days, and afterward the men who convinced him to give this command saw Daniel praying and told Darius, “Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regards not you, O king, nor the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day. Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him”, and in chapter six and verse fifteen of his book Daniel shared how the men told Darius, “no decree nor statute which the king establishes may be changed” where we read,

Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establishes may be changed.

The verse reads, “Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king,…” Daniel began with the words, “then these men” or “at this time the overseers and leaders”, “assembled unto the king” which means “gathered and collected themselves to the royal ruler and leader”, “and said unto the king” or “and uttered, declared and proclaimed to the royal ruler and leader”, “know, O king” which means “be informed and certify O royal ruler and leader”. Daniel shared how the overseers and leaders gathered themselves together to King Darius and told him to perceive and be informed about the following.

The verse continues, “… that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establishes may be changed.” Daniel added the words, “that the law” or “that the order or decree” “of the Medes and Persians is” which means “belonging to the Medes whose name means middle land and was occupied by the inhabitants of Media and Persians whose name means pure or splendid and referred to the empire of Persia exists”, “that no decree nor statute” or “that not a single interdict, law of restriction or edict” “which the king establishes” which means “that the royal ruler and leader sets up or appoints” “may be changed” or “is able to be altered”. Daniel shared how the overseers reminded King Darius that the law of restriction belonging to the “Medes and Persians” is that orders and commands set in place by the royal ruler were unalterable. 

When we meditate upon Daniel’s words in this verse, we discover how the overseers and rulers were purposed to remind King Darius that his command concerning prayer was not able to be altered. The “law of the Medes and Persians” took precedence over any rule of man, and not even the king could alter it. This was their way of making the king keep his word about throwing Daniel into the “lions’ den”. We shall see how that works out for them in our next few verses, but for now let us consider how Daniel and the king responded to this difficult situation. God loves people, and He wants us to know we can follow Him regardless of the earthly outcome. Jesus said, “In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world,” (See John 16:33) and for this reason He came into the world to be crucified of the cross for the sins of all mankind and to be raised from the dead after three days. When we put our faith and trust in Him as our “Savior and Lord, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and give us His Holy Spirit so we have the power and resolve to be committed to Him regardless of the outcome people may desire for us. 

Next time Daniel shares how the men, “brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".