Kafkaesque -- nightmarish, bizarre, nonsensical rules.
7 All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.
This was due to jealousy. There are two ways to be promoted, there is the meritocracy, where we promote the people with the greatest skill and then there is the Kafkaesque approach. Rules are created to help the most inept stay in power while preventing the most skilled from advancing. This is what we are seeing here in this chapter.
8 Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. 9 Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree. 10 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. 11 Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.
Recently a school district fired a coach because he took a knee and prayed after the football game. It was essentially the exact same crime that Daniel committed here.
12 Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king's decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
13 Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day. 14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him. 15 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 establisheth may be changed. 16 Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.
It is not coincidence that the best employees are also those that are praying. Look at the story, all those who are put to shame by Daniel are the lowest and slimiest of men. They figure out what is the key difference between themselves and Daniel and it is that Daniel is a man of prayer, a man of God. So then they work to outlaw that. If you will pray daily and work together with God in your job you will find that you will become the most skilled.
17 And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel. 18 Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him. 19 Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. 20 And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? 21 Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.
I find this to be the most interesting part of the story. The same king who was coerced into signing this law is the one who is fasting and praying that Daniel not be eaten. He understands that he is surrounded by snakes and that it is Daniel that is providing him the surest and most reliable council. When I was teaching in Brooklyn the principal would rail against the science department like we were the weak link of the school. There was a tremendous disheartening among the department. It seemed to me that the goal was to force teachers to quit and work elsewhere. So I spent the weekend before my conference with the principal going through the data for the entire city and working to present the data in very easy to read charts. This showed that the Science department was far and away the most effective department in the school and was demonstrably the best science department in the city. In two years we move kids from the 50% range to the top 5% range in the city. No other school in the city showed that kind of improvement. Once the principal saw that her entire attitude towards the department changed dramatically. This was important to her, she could show these same charts to the superintendent when she got reviewed.
22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt. 23 Then was the king exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.
This is where we are today. The Supreme court ruled yesterday that this man has the constitutional right in this country to pray and the school had no right to fire him.
24 And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den.
This to me looks like the tribulation. In the tribulation judgement comes. It is called "the day of the Lord". When I was a teacher judgement day was the day of the Regents exam at the end of the year. That is where you found out, as a teacher, how effective you were. The Biden administration used a very different metric than in the past for choosing administrators. People were chosen based on "equity". They were chosen based on their sex, their gender, their ethnicity, etc. In the past people were chosen based on qualifications and merit. But regardless of what strategy you take judgement day will come. For the Biden administration it will be the midterm election. All indications are that the lions will have mastery over them and will break their bones in pieces.
25 Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you. 26 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. 28 So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
The result of this mid term election will be new laws are written affirming faith in God. Many compare Trump to Cyrus and if Trump comes back to power he will certainly know that it was solely because of the conservative Christian base that stood firm, even in the Lion's den.