Daniel 6:10,11 “Our Man”

Here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

¹⁰And when Daniel knew that the writing was written, he went to his house and windows being opened to him in his roof-chamber toward Jerusalem and three times in the day he [was] one kneeling upon his knees and one praying and praising/thanking before his God as he was one doing from before this. ¹¹Then the men those stormed in and found Daniel asking and requesting before his God…

There are several observations from this passage I’d like to record, although not necessarily in any order. Just some random thoughts. Everyone of course notices how he prayed toward Jerusalem and that that is exactly what Solomon had portended back in his prayer of dedication (I Kings 8:47,48, for example). One could suggest Daniel is doing it specifically in response to Solomon’s words and that is certainly possible. However, I’d like to suggest another explanation, and that is this: Remember Daniel lived in Jerusalem essentially always in sight of the Temple.

His pious family along with everyone else in Jerusalem would naturally pray “toward” the Temple as they were very aware that was where the Holy of holies was, with the Ark inside, and it being specifically where the Lord told them He would dwell. Daniel then grew up literally in the shadow of the Temple and would have naturally and habitually prayed in that direction. I would suggest, that being the case, no matter where he was for the rest of his life, the most natural thing to do would be to pray “toward the Temple.” Solomon’s words certainly offered Scriptural sanction to Daniel’s habit, but I really suspect the real reason is much simpler and personal than that. It's simply what he grew up doing and, as we all know, those early habits have a way of becoming simply the fabric of who we are.

It's also possible, the reason he prayed three times a day was because the daily sacrifices were offered three times a day—the sixth, ninth, and twelfth hours of the day. Once again, one can imagine that anyone living in Jerusalem and being aware those sacrifices were being made would naturally see that as a time to stop for a moment and pray. That may be where the Jews (particularly the ones living in Jerusalem and always in sight of the Temple) got the tradition started and now it is just the most natural thing for Daniel to do. We are also aware that was David’s practice (Ps. 55:17), which certainly encouraged godly Jewish people to do the same. On the other hand, as I explained in my last post, I think those prayers (at least for Daniel and for David) were far more than just a tradition of “offering prayers.” I strongly suspect those were very deliberate and strategic times of communing with God about exactly what they had going on at that very time—the equivalent of Adam’s “walking with God in the cool of the day.”

I have been trying myself to deliberately emulate Daniel’s example. So far, I have enjoyed mentally doing so in my mornings, but so far haven’t had much success adding in the noon/evening opportunities. Our frantic American lifestyle certainly doesn’t lend itself to quiet times of prayer! Early in my Christian life, the Lord helped me to establish the habit of getting up early in the morning to study the Bible and pray, which then over the years has impacted my sense of when I need to go to bed (which is probably quite a bit earlier than most people), so that comes pretty easy – I’m just trying to be more immediately focused in those prayers. Squeezing the second and third prayer times into the rest of the day, though, has so far been a different story. Will keep at it.

Also, I notice in v. 12, when the goons rush in to catch Daniel, it says they found him “praying and asking God for help.”  In Hebrew, the first word, translated here “praying,” is exactly what the king’s decree had forbidden in v.8. Then the second word is definitely an “asking for help.” Verse 11 leaves it to where Daniel is “praising and thanking,” leaving you wondering if he’s at all even acknowledging what a terrible threat he is under. When it adds, in v.11, that he was definitely “asking,” it certainly leaves open the door that he was asking for the Lord to deliver him. That said, one probably cannot make too big a case for Daniel to be totally calm or definitely apprehensive.

For the rest of us, we’d probably be shaking in our boots and pleading with God to save us. It would probably be inhuman to imagine that Daniel isn’t afraid, but then I can also imagine at something over 85 years old, he could easily have reached a point where he just doesn’t get worked up about things anymore. When you’re young, everything is an emotional roller coaster, but aging (and especially godly aging) definitely puts a temper on all the drama. It’s like someone asked the old guy, “When you get old, does criticism still hurt?” He replied, “Nah. New bullets just go through old holes!” Daniel has seen it all. Living in the palace, he’s lived in a world of absolutely constant drama with all the intrigues and complete changes of power and all the rest. Maybe just through time, but definitely with having to constantly go to God in prayer, he’s just reached a point where he so totally trusts God, he’s just not worried. Another factor too is just the general miseries of life at age 85. It might be Daniel is so ready to go, he would welcome an exit, even if it has to be as lion food. I can see any or all of the above figuring into Daniel’s thinking.

One other factor in Daniel’s calmness (if we can read that into the passage) is perhaps to be found in his perception of the much larger spiritual battle raging around him. Starting in chapter 7, we actually go back to the time under Belshazzar and find Daniel having visions of the future and glimpses into the heavenly warfare going on. Now in chapter 6, it is several years later and I really wonder if Daniel, by this time, clearly sees those much larger spiritual battles and just doesn’t get too bent out of shape about how they seem to be playing out today.

For you and me, the encouragement would be to be like him, and learn ourselves to see those spiritual battles. That of course is what we’re called to in Eph. 6:11,12, to “put on the whole armor of God” since we “wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” I don’t get to have “visions” like Daniel, but I can read about his. I’m actually looking forward to studying from chapter 7 on, just for that reason—to try to learn to see what Daniel saw—that in the hope it will help me to be a calmer, more trusting person. Such a study will take several years and I may not live that long, but I’m really looking forward to however much I can do and all I can learn.

It is enormously encouraging to see what a fine man our Daniel was and then to know I can in time learn from him and maybe share a little tiny bit of his great faith!