Good Morning Friends,
“Then they said to the king, ‘Daniel, who is
one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the
decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.’ When the king heard
this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made
every effort until sundown to save him. Then the men went as a group to the
king and said to him, ‘Remember, O king, that according to the law of the Medes
and Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed.’ So the
king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den.
The king said to Daniel, ‘May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue
you!’ A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king
sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that
Daniel’s situation might not be changed. Then the king returned to his palace
and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought
to him. And he could not sleep.” (Daniel 6:13-18)
Have you ever made a decision and then wished
you could change it, but you couldn’t? You had to live with the ramifications
of the decision because it was irreversible. That’s what happened to King
Darius. He was the third king under whom Daniel had served while an exile in Babylon.
Darius, like the other two kings before him, was impressed with Daniel and
respected him and his God.
Darius had made a law that anyone found
praying to anyone other than Darius would be thrown into the lion’s den. Darius
did not think through all of the outcomes of that law. He knew Daniel prayed
and knew the kind of man Daniel was, that he would keep on praying. But his advisors
buttered him up and his pride caused him to make the law without thinking
through all that it would cause to happen. Now, he had to live with that
decision, for the law could not be changed.
Darius agonized all day trying to find a way
to save Daniel. He agonized all night while Daniel was in the lion’s den,
hoping that somehow God would intervene.
Darius is a good reminder to us -- a warning
-- think before you act. You’ll still make bad decisions sometimes, but you can
reduce the number of bad decisions by taking the time to think through the
decision as best you can before you make it. Darius wished he had!
His, by Grace,
Steve
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