Much of what you normally do isn’t a result of conscious choices but a result of daily habits.
Daniel 6:1–3 (NIV) 1 It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, 2 with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. 3 Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.
Daniel 6:4–5 (NIV) 4 At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. 5 Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”
Daniel 6:10 (NIV) 10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
The story is easily identified as a court narrative of conflict. The plot is propelled by the jealousy that Daniel’s peers and subordinates in the Persian government feel toward his rapid rise to the top of the political hierarchy. They seek to undermine his position by pitting his loyalty to God over against his loyalty to the Persian government, which he serves. Boogaart is correct to see the conflict ultimately as one between two empires: On the one hand we have Darius, ruler of all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth (cf. verse 25) and enforcer of the law of the Medes and Persians. On the other hand we have the God of Daniel, working signs and wonders in heaven and on earth (cf. verse 27) and enforcer of Jewish law (cf. verse 5). The kingdoms overlap and the question of sovereignty has to be resolved.
As the chapter explores this conflict, it again emphasizes the overarching theme of the whole book: In spite of present appearances God is in control. God will be victorious over the seemingly powerful forces ranged against him and his people. Thus, this story, like those that preceded it, provides comfort for God’s people, who find themselves in situations that seem beyond their control. - Tremper Longman
On Daniel 6 Grant, Almighty God, since thou hast reconciled us to thyself by the precious blood of thy Son, that we may not be our own, but devoted to thee in perfect obedience, and may consecrate ourselves entirely to thee: May we offer our bodies and souls in sacrifice, and be rather prepared to suffer a hundred deaths than to decline from thy true and sincere worship. Grant us, especially, to exercise ourselves in prayer, to fly to thee every moment, and to commit ourselves to thy Fatherly care, that thy Spirit may govern us to the end. Do thou defend and sustain us, until we are collected into that heavenly kingdom which thy only-begotten Son has prepared for us by his blood. Amen - John Calvin
Darius I had to occupy Babylon (in 520) after a period of unrest and was known for his administrative ability. It was he who organized the empire into satrapies (6:1), and he was remembered for his favorable treatment of the Jews (Ezra 4:24; 6; Haggai)... The Prophets had said that the Medes would take Babylon (Isa 13:17; 21:1-10; Jer 51:11), and the familiar pattern of empires which located the Medes between Babylon (or Assyria) and Persia (see Dan 2:30) seems to have led the author of Daniel to identify his kings in the same sequence: Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar (Babylonian), Darius (Medes), and Cyrus (Persian). Daniel knows about the new law, so what he proceeds to do is deliberate. He does not set out to look for trouble, for he simply continues to do what has always been his practice. He is not commanded by Jewish law to pray three times a day, so he can easily find an excuse that might not violate his conscience; but this new law seeks to tell him how he cannot worship his God. That creates the issue for him that will be developed further in the theological and ethical analysis. His form of prayer has been of great interest to readers. Prayer both standing (Neh 9:5) and kneeling (Ezra 9:5) is mentioned in Scripture. Prayer “evening and morning and at noon” is mentioned in Ps 55:17, but the usual custom was to pray at the times of the morning and afternoon sacrifices in the Temple (1 Chron 23:30). First Kings 8:48 already speaks of prayers of exiles facing Jerusalem, and Tob 3:10-11 contains a close parallel to Daniel’s practice of prayer in an upper room, facing a window. For Daniel, the open windows mean he makes no effort to hide what he is doing, and his violation of the interdict is evident to all. - Donald E Gowan
Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin … Zechariah 4:10 NLT
Based on who you want to become, what one habit do you need to start?
(1) Make it obvious. (2) Make it easy.
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