The Law of the King
The Story . . .
Daniel 6:1-28
After Darius, king of the Medes and Persians, had
conquered Babylon, he executed all Babylonian government
officials, except one. That fortunate man was Daniel, a servant
of the true God. Seventy years earlier, he had been carried
from Judah to Babylon as a captive and made to serve in the
palace as an advisor to the Babylonian kings. Daniel became
known throughout the kingdom for having "an excellent
spirit." Daniel 5:12; 6:3.
Not only did King Darius spare
Daniel, but he "thought to set him over
the whole realm." Daniel 6:3. When
the Medo-Persian officials learned that
the king was going to promote an old
Hebrew captive to rule over them, they
were jealous and outraged. So they
plotted to entice Darius to sign a law
that for the next 30 days, anyone who
petitioned any god or man except the
king would be thrown into the lions' den
(Daniel 6:7). Apparently these men knew
that Daniel was unswerving in his prayer
life and firmly committed to obeying the
law of his God, which forbids worship
of any other gods (Exodus 20:3).
Just as they expected, the officials
caught Daniel praying to God from his
open window. When King Darius
discovered that he had been tricked and that his old friend was
headed for the lions' pit, he tried every possible angle to deliver
Daniel from the foolish law he had signed. But the law could not
be changed. Daniel went to the lions' den, and God rewarded
his faithfulness by sending an angel to shut the lions' mouths
(Daniel 6:22).
Prophecy tells us that in the last days, God's people will
have to make a similar decision regarding which king and
which law they will obey.
The Study
Fill in the blanks after reading each Bible text.
1. Can God's moral law be amended or repealed?
Luke 16:17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to _______________,
than one tittle of the law to fail.
Psalm 89:34 My covenant will I _______________ break, nor
_______________ the thing that is gone out of my lips.
Psalm 111:7, 8 All his commandments are sure. They stand fast
_______________ _______________ and ever.
Malachi 3:6 For I am the Lord, I _______________ not.
NOTE: Under no circumstances can God's Ten Commandment law ever be
amended or repealed. It is as permanent as God Himself. Three times in the Bible,
earthly kings (Herod, Ahasuerus, and Darius) made laws they later wanted to
change but could not. If the laws of weak, vacillating kings were unchangeable,
how could anyone think that the eternal law of God-written in stone by His
finger-could be altered? Look at this comparison between God and His law.
GOD IS: THE LAW IS:
Luke 18:19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .GOOD . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Romans 7:12
Isaiah 5:16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HOLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Romans 7:12
Deuteronomy 32:4 . . . . . . . . . . .JUST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Romans 7:12
Matthew 5:48 . . . . . . . . . . . . .PERFECT . . . . . . . . . . . . .Psalm 19:7
1 John 4:8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .LOVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Romans 13:10
Exodus 9:27 . . . . . . . . . . . . .RIGHTEOUS . . . . . . . . . . .Psalm 19:9
Deuteronomy 32:4 . . . . . . . . . .TRUTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Psalm 119:142, 151
1 John 3:3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Psalm 19:8
John 4:24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SPIRITUAL . . . . . . . . . . . .Romans 7:14
Malachi 3:6 . . . . . . . . . . .UNCHANGEABLE . . . . . . . . .Matthew 5:18
Genesis 21:33 . . . . . . . . . . . . .ETERNAL . . . . . . . . . . . . .Psalm 111:7, 8
God's law cannot be changed, because it is a transcript of His character. The glorious
words in Scripture that describe God also describe His law. God's law is His character
in writing. It is no more possible to change God's law than to change God Himself.
2. According to the Bible, what is sin?
1 John 3:4 Sin is the _____________________________ of the law.
Romans 3:20 By the _______________ is the knowledge of sin.
NOTE: The devil hates the law because it makes us aware that we need a Saviour
from sin. Romans 4:15 states: "For where no law is, there is no transgression." The
law cannot save anyone, but it shows us God's perfection and our imperfection.
3.To what law does 1 John 3:4 refer?
Romans 7:7 I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had
_______________ _______________ lust, except the law had said,
Thou shalt not covet.
NOTE: It is God's Ten Commandment law that says, "Thou shalt not covet." So
breaking God's Ten Commandment law, which He wrote with His own finger
(Exodus 31:18; 32:16), is sin. Every sin that any person could ever commit is
condemned by at least one of the Ten Commandments. This is why God's law
is called "broad" (Psalm 119:96) and "perfect" (Psalm 19:7). It covers the
"whole duty of man." Ecclesiastes 12:13. When we are aware of our sin, we look
for a Saviour. So the devil especially hates the law, because it sends us looking
for Jesus to save and forgive.
4. Did Jesus keep the Ten Commandments?
John 15:10 I have _______________ my Father's commandments.
NOTE: Jesus did indeed keep the Ten Commandments as an example for us
(1 Peter 2:21).
5. How many people have sinned?
Romans 3:23 For _______________ have sinned, and come short of
the glory of God.
6. What is the punishment for living a life of sin?
Romans 6:23 The wages of sin is _______________.
NOTE: If God's law could be changed, it would not have been necessary for
Jesus to die on the cross. The fact that Jesus paid the penalty for sin and died is
proof that the law is unchangeable.
7. Some say the Ten Commandments are not binding
for New Testament Christians. What does Jesus say
about this?
Matthew 19:17 If thou wilt enter into life, _______________
the commandments.
John 14:15 If ye love me, _______________ my commandments.
Revelation 22:14 Blessed are they that _______________
his commandments.
Revelation 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that
keep the _______________ of God.
NOTE: The New Testament plainly teaches that God's people will keep His
commandments. All of us know that the world is in big trouble today because
so many no longer feel it is important to obey God's law. The Bible speaks of
our day by saying, "It is time for thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void
thy law." Psalm 119:126.
8. How is it possible to keep the commandments?
Romans 8:3, 4 God sending his own Son ... condemned sin in the flesh:
That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled _______________
_______________.
Philippians 1:6 He which hath begun a good work _______________
_______________ will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through _______________ which
strengtheneth me.
NOTE: When a person is born again, Jesus Christ, through His Holy Spirit,
moves into that person's life and miraculously makes obedience possible.
9. What is the old covenant, and why did it fail?
Deuteronomy 4:13 And he declared unto you his covenant,
which he commanded you to perform, even _______________
_______________; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.
Hebrews 8:8 For finding _______________ with
_______________, he saith, ... I will make a new covenant with the
house of Israel and with the house of Judah.
10. Upon which law is the new covenant based?
Hebrews 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make ... saith the
Lord; I will put _______________ _______________ into their
mind, and write them in their _______________.
NOTE: The two covenants were agreements between God and His people. The
old covenant failed because it was based upon the faulty promises and works of
the people.
Exodus 24:7 All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient.
The new covenant succeeds because it is God's law written in the heart and is
based upon Jesus' promises and His miracle-working power.
Hebrews 8:10 I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts.
A person's entire nature is changed, so he finds doing God's will a pleasure.
Notice that the new covenant is based on the same law, but it is written in a
different place (the heart) and based on better promises (God's).
11. Doesn't living under grace, by faith, make keeping
God's law non-essential?
Romans 6:15 What then? Shall we sin [break God's law], because
we are not under the law, but under grace? _______________
_______________.
Romans 3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid:
yea, we _______________ the _______________.
NOTE: Those who have been forgiven by Jesus for breaking His law are doubly
duty-bound to obey His law. And sensing His blessed forgiveness, they are more
desirous than others to happily follow Jesus.
12. Are people saved by keeping the law?
Ephesians 2:8, 9 For by _______________ are ye saved through
_______________; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
NOTE: No one is saved by keeping God's law. All are saved by the miracle-working
grace of God. But those who are saved, or transformed, by the grace of Jesus will
want to obey His law as an expression of their love and thanksgiving to Him.
John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
13. What motivates a person to obey God's law?
Romans 13:10 Therefore _______________ is the fulfilling of the law.
Matthew 22:37-39 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy
_______________, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is
the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt
love thy neighbor as thyself.
1 John 5:3 This is the _______________ of God, that we keep his
commandments.
NOTE: Love is the magnificent motivator. The first four commandments have to
do with my duty to God. When I love Him, obeying those commands is a
pleasure. The last six commandments embrace my duty to people. If I truly love
people, I will not want to do anything that would hurt them.
14. Can I be a true Christian without keeping His
commandments?
1 John 2:3, 4 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we
_______________ his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and
keepeth not his commandments, is a _______________, and the truth is
not in him.
15. Are some Old Testament laws no longer binding
upon Christians?
Ephesians 2:15 Having abolished ... the law of commandments contained
in _______________.
NOTE: Yes, the ordinances that regulated the priesthood and the sacrificial system
have been abolished because they prefigured Christ (Colossians 2:13-17). He
fulfilled them as the true Lamb of God.
16. Whom does the devil especially hate?
Revelation 12:17 And the dragon [devil] was wroth with the
_______________ [the church], and went to make war with the remnant
of her seed [faithful during the end time], which keep the
_______________ of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
NOTE: Satan hates and is infuriated with God's end-time church, which obeys
Jesus' commands and teaches people that there is divine power to change a sinner
into a saint.
17. What are some of the glorious rewards of keeping
God's law?
John 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might
remain in you, and that your _______________ might be
_______________.
Proverbs 29:18 He that keepeth the law, _______________ is he.
Psalm 119:165 Great _______________ have they which love thy law:
and nothing shall offend them.
NOTE: Happiness, joy, peace, and more abundant living come to those who obey God's
law. No wonder David said that God's commands are more desirable than gold (Psalm
19:10).
Your Response
Do you desire to have a loving relationship with Jesus that will lead you to be one of
His joyful, obedient children?
ANSWER: _______________
Supplement
This section provides additional information for further study.
Parallels Between Bible Characters and Jesus
Many of the Bible heroes are types and patterns of Jesus. Moses, Joseph,
David, and Solomon were all people who, at some point in their lives,
foreshadowed the life and ministry of Christ. The similarities between their
experiences were intended to help the world recognize Jesus as the Son of God.
Daniel's experience with the law and the lions is one example of such a
spiritual parallel. Notice the following similarities:
- The leaders in Medo-Persia wanted to remove Daniel from his high
position because they were jealous of his close relationship with the
king. Daniel 6:3 says, "The king thought to set him over the whole
realm." Likewise, the leaders in Jerusalem wanted to get rid of Jesus
because they were jealous of His close relationship with the King of the
universe (John 5:18-20).
- The Medo-Persian officials followed Daniel around in an attempt to
catch him doing or saying something wrong (Daniel 6:4). The religious
leaders of Jesus' day sent spies to follow Jesus, hoping to catch Him
doing or saying something wrong (Luke 20:19, 20).
- Daniel's enemies could find no fault with him, so they created a trap to
accomplish their purposes (Daniel 6:5-9). Likewise, the chief priests and
scribes conspired with Judas Iscariot to make a trap for Jesus (Luke 22:2-
6). However, Pilate declared that he found no fault in Jesus (John 19:4).
- After Daniel was thrown into the lions' den, a stone was placed over the
entrance and sealed with the government seal (Daniel 6:16, 17). Jesus
also was placed in a tomb that had a large stone at the door and was
sealed by the government (Matthew 27:58-60, 65, 66).
- Both Daniel and Jesus were innocent and emerged alive from their
earthen prisons (Daniel 6:23; Mark 16:5, 6).
See if you can find other parallels between the lives of Bible characters and
the life of Jesus!
