Daniel 6:1–5

It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps, to be over the whole kingdom; and over these, three governors, of whom Daniel was one, that the satraps might give account to them, so that the king would suffer no loss. Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm. So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him. Then these men said, “We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.”

For the next few devotionals, we will watch pure evil at work. These governors and satraps hate Daniel, not because he’s a Hebrew, but because he’s outperforming them. They simply resent his excellence. So, they will hatch a plan that doesn’t just take him down a peg; it’s a plot to kill him—all for the “crime” of doing good work.

But evil this great always has a spiritual element, and this is no exception. The officials could easily have framed Daniel any number of ways, but they insist on getting God involved. Pay attention to the bizarre way this takes shape.

So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him.

So what? Who needs a legitimate reason to charge Daniel? These guys haven’t got an ethical bone in their bodies. They could just set him up with something bogus.

But no. It just has to involve “his God.” “We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.”

That is not a coincidence. The real force behind this plot is spiritual.

The battle will not be fought strictly on physical turf.

As we watch this story unfold, be on the lookout for the stamp of spiritual evil. Also note the actions of the “useful idiots” who are under its spell.

Most importantly, watch how God’s agenda is on a different plane than their agenda and how His agenda stays on track the whole time while theirs does not.

The devil and his minions hate God first, and people second. They might hate servants of God more than everybody else, but they want everyone to suffer.

Thus, the useful idiots are more than just disposable; the forces of evil want them dead.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV stands for the English Standard Version. © Copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NIV stands for The Holy Bible, New International Version®. © Copyright 1973 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. KJV stands for the King James Version.