PA Daniel (Bab 7) ; Menu Santapan Singa

 Daniel 6

Daniel di gua singa merupakan cerita yang tidak pernah bosan kita dengar. Semasa kecil, saya terkesan dengan cerita ini karena Daniel dilemparkan ke gua singa bukan karena ia jahat. Dia dihukum karena hidupnya saleh. Ini merupakan hal penting yang harus kita ingat selama kita mempelajari bagian ini. Kita biasa menerima konsep bahwa jika kita bersalah kita harus dihukum, dan jika kita benar seharusnyalah kita mendapatkan pujian. Idealnya memang demikian, tetapi yang terjadi tidak selalu seperti itu. Kadang-kadang yang bersalah mendapatkan pahala, sedangkan yang berbuat baik malah menerima hukuman. Pasal ini memperlihatkan bahwa kesalehan itu dapat sangat mahal harganya.

1. Bagaimana perasaan anda jika rekan kerja anda memutuskan untuk mengawasi segala hal dalam kehidupan sosial dan kehidupan pribadi anda ?


2. Baca Daniel 6. Menurut anda, mengapa para pejabat Persia mencari alasan untuk mendakwa Daniel (ay 2-6)  ?


3. Apa yang kita pelajari tentang karakter Daniel dari hasil penyelidikan musuh-musuhnya?


4. Jika anda diawasi seperti Daniel diawasi, perubahan apakah (jika ada) yang ingin anda lakukan terhadap gaya hidup anda sekarang ini ?


5. Raja Darius dengan senang hati menandatangani dokumen yang melarang orang berdoa kepada siapapun kecuali kepadanya (ay 7-10). Dalam hal apa tindakan ini mirip dengan dosa-dosa para pendahulunya ?


6.Bukti-bukti nyata apa yang anda dapatkan dalam ayat 11 mengenai ketaatan Daniel yang konsisten pada Allah ?


7. Bagaimana ayat 15-21 menekankan tentang dampak hidup Daniel pada raja ?


8. Dengan cara bagaimanakah keajaiban yang disaksikan oleh Darius telah meneguhkan teladan pribadi Daniel (ay 22-25) ?


9. Bagaimana kisah Daniel mendorong anda untuk menjadi teladan yang lebih menyerupai Kristus bagi orang-orang disekitar anda ?


10. Aspek-aspek spesifik apa dari karakter Allah yang dapat anda temukan dalam perintah raja Darius untuk memuji Tuhan ”Allahnya Daniel” (ay 26-28) ?


11. Renungkan kembali keenam pasal yang sudah kita pelajari ini. Bagaimana fakta bahwa Allah ”yang menggenggam nafas anda dan menentukan segala jalan anda” (Dan 5:23) dapat menolong anda menghargai dan menaati Allah, seperti yang sudah dilakukan Daniel ?


Sumber : hal 34-36 buku 7 Bahan PA Daniel "Tetap Saleh Ditengah Sekularitas". Penulis : Douglas Connely


Lampiran :

John Gill
This chapter gives an account of Daniel's being cast into the den of lions, and the causes of it, and the steps leading to it; and also of his wonderful deliverance out of it, and what followed upon that. It first relates how Daniel was made by Darius first president of the princes of the kingdom, which drew their envy upon him, Dan_6:1, and that these princes finding they could get no occasion against him, but in religion, proposed to the king to make a law forbidding prayer to any god for thirty days, which they got established, Dan_6:5, and Daniel breaking this law, is accused by them to the king; and the penalty, casting into the den of lions, is insisted on to be executed, Dan_6:10, which the king laboured to prevent, but in vain; and Daniel is cast to the lions, to the great grief of the king, Dan_6:14, who visited the den the next morning, and to his great joy found Daniel alive, Dan_6:19, upon which, by the law of retaliation, his accusers, their wives, and children, were cast into it, Dan_6:24, and an edict was published by the king, commanding all in his dominions to fear and reverence the God of Daniel, Dan_6:25.

Matthew Henry
Daniel does not give a continued history of the reigns in which he lived, nor of the state-affairs of the kingdoms of Chaldea and Persia, though he was himself a great man in those affairs; for what are those to us? But he selects such particular passages of story as serve for the confirming of our faith in God and the encouraging of our obedience to him, for the things written aforetime were written for our learning. It is a very observable improvable story that we have in this chapter, how Daniel by faith “stopped the mouths of lions,” and so “obtained a good report,” Heb_11:33. The three children were cast into the fiery furnace for not committing a known sin, Daniel was cast into the lions' den for not omitting a known duty, and God's miraculously delivering both them and him is left upon record for the encouragement of his servants in all ages to be resolute and constant both in their abhorrence of that which is evil and in their adherence to that which is good, whatever it cost them. In this chapter we have,  I. Daniel's preferment in the court of Darius (Dan_6:1-3).  II. The envy and malice of his enemies against him (Dan_6:4, Dan_6:5).  III. The decree they obtained against prayer for thirty days (Dan_6:6-9).  IV. Daniel's continuance and constancy in prayer, notwithstanding that decree (Dan_6:10).  V. Information given against him for it, and the casting of him into the den of lions (Dan_6:11-17).  VI. His miraculous preservation in the lions' den, and deliverance out of it (Dan_6:18-23).  VII. The casting of his accusers into the den, and their destruction there (Dan_6:24).  VIII. The decree which Darius made upon this occasion, in honour of the God of Daniel, and the prosperity of Daniel afterwards (Dan_6:25-28). And this God is our God for ever and ever.

Adam Clarke
Darius the Median, who succeeded Belshazzar in the kingdom of Babylon, having heard of Daniel’s extraordinary wisdom and understanding, constitutes him the chief of the three presidents who were over the whole empire, and purposed also to make him prime minister or viceroy, Dan_6:1-3. This great partiality of the king towards a stranger of Jewish extraction, and who had been carried captive into Chaldea, raised up a great many enemies to Daniel; and a scheme was even contrived by the presidents and princes to ruin him, Dan_6:4-15; which succeeded so far that he was cast into a den of lions, but was miraculously delivered, Dan_6:16-23. Darius, who was greatly displeased with himself for having been entrapped by the governors of the provinces to the prejudice of his faithful minister, is pleased and astonished at this deliverance; punished Daniel’s enemies with the same kind of death which they had designed for the prophet; and made a decree that, throughout his dominions, the God of Daniel should be had in the greatest veneration, Dan_6:24-28.

Darby
Another form of iniquity appears besides that of Babylon (chap. 6). Cyrus, personally, had better thoughts; and God, from whom they came, made use of him for the temporary re-establishment of His people, in order that the Messiah should come and present Himself to them-the last trial of His beloved people. It is not Cyrus, therefore, whom we find here the instrument of the iniquity which sought to destroy Daniel-of that human will which can never endure faithfulness to God. Here it is not idolatry, nor is it insult offered to Jehovah, but the exaltation of man himself, who would shut out all idea of God, who would have no God. This is one of the features that characterise the depths of the human heart. Man in general is well pleased with a god who will help him to satisfy his passions and his desires-a god who suits his purpose for the unity of his empire and the consolidation of his power. The religious part of man's nature is satisfied with gods of this kind, and worships them willingly, though he who establishes them imperially may do it only politically. Poor world! the true God suits neither their conscience nor their lusts. The enemy of our souls is well-pleased to cultivate in this manner the religiousness of our nature. False religion sets up gods that correspond to the desires of the natural heart, whatever they may be; but which never call into communion and never act upon the conscience. They may impose ceremonies and observances, for these suit man; but they can never bring an awakened conscience into relationship with themselves. That which man fears, and that which man desires, is the sphere of their influence. They produce nothing in the heart beyond the action of natural joys and fears. But, on the other hand, the pride of man sometimes assumes a character that changes everything in this respect. Man will himself be God and act according to his own will, and shut out a rivalship which his pride cannot endure. A superiority which cannot be disputed, if God exists, is insupportable to one who would stand alone. God must be got rid of. The enemies of the faithful avail themselves of this disposition. Cruelty is less inventive, save that its subtlety is shewn in this, that, in flattering the higher power, it does not appear to blame any except those who disobey and despise his word.
The contest being with God Himself, the question with men is decided with more carelessness and less passion as to them. Passion allies itself less with the pride than with the will of man. Man, whatever his position, is the slave of those who pay him the tribute of their flattery. Self-will is more its own master. In this case, deceived by his vanity, the king finds himself bound by laws, apparently instituted to guard his subjects from his caprices, under colour of attributing the character of immutability to his will and to his wisdom-a character that belongs to God alone. Daniel is cast into the lions' den. God preserves him. He will do the same for the remnant of Israel at the end of the age. The judgment, which the enemies of Israel sought to bring upon those who were faithful among that people, is executed upon themselves. But the effect of this judgment extends farther than in the former cases. Nebuchadnezzar forbade any evil being spoken of the God of Israel, and He extolled the King of heaven by whom he had been humbled. But Darius commands that in every place the God of Daniel and of Israel should be acknowledged, the only living God, whose kingdom is everlasting, and who had indeed delivered the man that trusted in Him. Historically it appears that Darius had some feelings of respect for God and for Daniel's piety. It was not his God, but the God of Daniel: still he honours Him, and even calls Him the living God.
Thus we see that idolatry, impiety, the pride that exalts itself above everything, are the characteristics of the great empires which Daniel sets before us, and the causes of their judgment. The judgment results in owning the God of the Jews as the living and delivering God and the Most High that ruleth in the kingdom of men. The same features will be found in the last days. This terminates the first part of the book.