Reading for June 17th

Read Daniel 6.1-28 Daniel in the lion's den.
This narrative demonstrates God's protection of righteous Jews from foreign
monarchs who demand worship of pagan gods and themselves.
In verses 1-9 Darius (522-486 BCE) organized the Persian empire into twenty
"satrapies," administered by officials called satraps.
See Esth 1.1; 8.9.
Daniel's success as president, an otherwise unknown position,
prompts a plot to bring him down by playing upon his religious piety.
Darius is persuaded to demand worship of himself as a god,
 much like Antiochus IV Epiphanes, "manifest god."
So that it cannot be revoked: Once signed with the royal signet,
Persian laws could not be revoked, even by the king.
In verses 10-18 Judaism requires three set times for prayer: morning, afternoon,
and evening (see Ps 55.17; Jdt 9.1).
The narrative portrays Darius as a victim of the plot since he intended no harm to Daniel.
Cyrus authorized the building of the Second Temple (2 Chr 36.22-23; Ezra 1.1-4),
which completed during the reign of Darius (Ezra 6).
Darius calls upon God to save Daniel, and attempts to do so himself.
In verse 22 God sends an angel to protect the righteous Daniel from the lions (compare 3.19-30).
In verse 24 the families of criminals are punished as well to deter crime
(Num 16.23-33' Josh 7.24; 2 Sam 21.6, 9; Esth 9.130.
In verses 25-27 Darius's announcement of the kingdom of God serves the
fundamental purpose of the book: to point to the establishment of an independent
Jewish kingdom identified as the kingdom of God.
In verse 28 Cyrus (539-530 BCE) preceded his son Cambyses (530-522 BCE)
and Darius I (522-486 BCE) as ruler of Babylon.
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