Daniel and the Lions' Den
All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. Dan. 6:7
that whosoever shall... They knew Daniel prayed 3 times daily, so guessed rightly that any law to stop his praying for 30 days would get him involved with breaking the command (Dan. 6:10).
The king was proud of his accomplishments, and he thought it nothing but right for his subjects to consult him first. He loved Daniel, and had no idea these presidents and princes were conspiring against Daniel. Notice, in this petition to the king, they appealed to the vanity of the king.
save of thee... A deceptive stroke of the king’s ego secured his injunction, which was designed to benefit Daniels peers. Ancient kings were frequently worshiped as gods. Pagans had such inferior views of their gods that such homage was no problem.
he shall be... The customs of heathen people, many times, will not be the same as Godly men. These presidents and princes were aware of Daniel's loyalty to his God. They knew this was the only way to trap him. Notice also, these evil men set the punishment. They thought they would be rid of Daniel.
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