These small group studies of Daniel contain outlines, cross-references, Bible study discussion questions, and applications. Visit our library of inductive Bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the Bible you can use in your small group.
Daniel 6 Inductive Bible Study – Verse by Verse Commentary With Questions – Daniel and the Lion’s Den
Daniel 6 Bible Study Video
Daniel 6 Podcast
Outline
I. A righteous person is a good testimony (1-3)
II. A righteous person will face opposition (4-9)
III. A righteous person boldly stands on his convictions (10-16)
IV. A righteous person is never abandoned by God (17-24)
V. A righteous person makes a difference for the Lord (25-28)
I. A righteous person is a good testimony (1-3)
Discussion Questions
•Why do you think Daniel was appointed to such a high position in the new administration?
• What are the marks of a good employee?
• How is your reputation at your workplace?
• How can you become a better employee?
Cross-References
1 Peter 2:13-16 – Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1. Daniel’s shining reputation –
Daniel is now probably a little over 80 years old. He served in a high position in Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom. Then he served in a high position in Belshazzar’s kingdom. Both of these were Babylonian kings.
In Daniel 5 we learned about the overthrow of Babylon. Persia almost miraculously conquered this powerful capital in one night. It would be expected that the new foreign king would bring in his own officials and get rid of the previous administration. And yet Darius chose to have Daniel as one of three rulers he set over the entire kingdom.
Reflect – Why would the conquering king establish Daniel in such a prominent position?
Evidently, Daniel had a very good reputation. He was known as a person full of integrity. He was known as a wise, faithful, and loyal leader. The king wanted to find rulers who would protect his interests so that he “might not suffer loss” (verse 2.) Daniel fit the bill. And thus he served as a top official in at least three administrations spanning 6 decades. Daniel was a good employee with a good testimony. Employing Daniel brought real value to his employers.
Application – Are you a good employee like Daniel was? Do you have integrity as he did? Do you faithfully serve your boss’ interests? As Daniel did, we work for bosses who are often not believers. We work for companies that do not honor God. How can we serve God while still being good employees?
From a worldly perspective (your bosses’ perspective), a Christian employee has both some negative and positive sides. The negative is that the Christian employee will not blindly obey everything, even the sinful things, he is asked to do.
The Christian accountant should not be willing to change the numbers. The Christian salesman should not be willing to exaggerate how good the product is. The employee who loves Jesus should not be a slave to his work, which would be a lower priority than his family.
If your boss only sees the negative side, you will not last long in your job. But there is a positive side too. An employee who follows Jesus should be trustworthy. That means he will be honest with his boss and company. Just as he will not cheat the customer, he will not cheat the company either. Good employees should arrive on time and work hard.
Once I noticed a program on CBS Sport’s website for watching the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament that takes place every March. One of the advertised features of this program was that it had a “Boss Button.” The boss button allowed the watcher to close the video screen and open a fake spreadsheet at the click of a button. It was designed to encourage people to watch while at work. But to do this in secret without permission is stealing from the company.
A Christian employee should work hard even while the boss is out of the room.
Daniel kept being promoted because he was a faithful employee and served the interests of the king.
While other officials served their own interests and selfishly pursued personal gain, Daniel would not be corrupted. He was honest with his superiors and told them the cold, hard truth.
A follower of Jesus makes a good employee. It is not a guarantee that you will be promoted like Daniel was. And yet, if you are a good employee and work hard and behave with integrity, it is very likely that you will be successful.
Proverbs 22:29 – The one skilled in his work will serve before kings.
II. A righteous person will face opposition (4-9)
Discussion Questions
• Why did the other rulers seek to accuse him?
• What did their investigation uncover?
• What can we learn about Daniel’s character from their failure?
• Would they find that you are “too” devoted to the Lord from the world’s perspective?
• Do unbelievers in the world today seek to accuse believers?
• Why or why not?
• How did they deceive the king?
• In what ways did they influence the king to pass this law?
• Is this an effective way to make a petition to an authority?
• Should we use this method?
• Why could the laws of the Medes and Persians not be changed? Is this a good idea to have a rule that a law cannot be changed? Why or why not?
Cross-References
Psalms 37:12-13 – The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming.
Psalms 37:32-33 – The wicked watches for the righteous and seeks to put him to death. The LORD will not abandon him to his power
or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.
Ecclesiastes 4:4 – Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
Philippians 2:15 – Be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.
1 Peter 3:16-17 – Having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1. Jealousy motivated these politicians to scheme against Daniel –
1 Peter 5:8 – Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Do you know who Satan wants to devour the most? He wants to devour believers who have good testimonies. A good testimony for the Lord is a powerful tool to draw others to himself. A believer with a good testimony is like a lighthouse bringing ships in through a storm to a safe harbor. Satan wants to put out the light. His first method is often to tempt believers and get them to fall away. We saw this back in Daniel 1 when Daniel and his friends were tempted by unlawful food. When that doesn’t work, his next method is often to get rid of the person to extinguish their light.
Notice in this passage that all of these other officials were united against Daniel. Together they went to the king and requested a new law, a law forbidding prayer to anyone except for him for 30 days. There were a total of 120 satraps and 3 administrators. 122 of them stand against Daniel. Not one spoke up in his defense. Not one disagreed with their plan. These were career politicians. Many of them surely hated each other’s guts.
Reflect – What motivated them to plot against Daniel?
They are all jockeying for position. Each one wants to move higher up the chain. Make no mistake, they are not friends, not in normal circumstances. And yet here they are all united. This is the work of the enem