I. Daniel knew that the writing was signed which threatened him with death if he did his duty. It is well that we should all know it. There is no wisdom in telling even the youngest amongst us that his path will be a smooth one. It is a law that altereth not, which declares the contrary; a law more sure than any ordinance of Medes and Persians, for it rests on the unchanging qualities of human nature. As long as men are what they are, so long will they find it hard to be righteous, both from the fault of others and from their own.
II. "Daniel prayed and give thanks to his God as he did aforetime." It was not any unusual show of devotion; he did neither more nor less than he was used to do; three times in every day did he open his house towards Jerusalem and call upon God. The two things together are the secret of a holy life. Spiritual prayer, lest what we say be no better than the vain repetitions of the heathen; and frequent prayer, lest the spirit, being exercised too seldom, should leave us during the greater part of our lives the servants of sin.
III. It is the great art of the enemy of our souls to hinder us from thinking of God; to keep the question of obeying Him or not as much as possible out of our minds. Let us steadily bear in mind that the writing is signed against us; that if we will serve Christ we must be partakers of His suffering; we must take up our cross and follow Him. Yet, though we know this, not the less for this knowledge let us resolve to serve Him steadily; and that we may serve Him let us kneel down on our knees before Him, not once a day, much less once a week only, but often, but perpetually. And in the intervals of our work or our amusement let us link together, as it were, our more special and solemn devotions by a golden chain of heavenward thoughts and humble prayers; not trusting to our general good intentions but refreshing our continued decays and failings with as continued a recourse to the ever-open fountain of the grace of God.
T. Arnold, Sermons,vol. iii., p. 175.
I. It was no new thing for Daniel to pray; he did not do it out of bravado, he did not do it from ostentation; it was his habit thus to pray; he prayed "as he did aforetime." Those words give us the secret of his life. It was a consistent life. It was a life built throughout on the fear of God. It was a life every stone of which was a prayer. His worst enemies could find no fault in him, they acknowledged, except as touching the law of his God. They might taunt him for his religion; they might mock his faith; they could not deny the nobleness of his character, his uncorrupt integrity, his sterling worth, the wisdom as well as the uprightness which marked his conduct. The purity of his life they could not assail; it was a consistent life, a life based and built upon the fear of God.
II. But if the secret of Daniel's success and courage was his consistency, what was the secret of his consistency? It was this: that he was a man of prayer. He kneeled three times a day in his chamber, and prayed and gave thanks to his God, as he did aforetime. (1) These words remind us beautifully and touchingly how, through all that long life, and though he had left Jerusalem only as a boy, the heart of the captive still turned towards the home of his fathers and the city of his God. (2) Notice how, anticipating by centuries the injunction of the Apostle in everything by prayer and thanksgiving to make known our requests unto God he who had just heard what he knew to be his own sentence of death, not only prayed, but gave thanksbefore his God as he did aforetime. There was no fear in that heart, there was no doubt of God's mercy, there was no questioning of God's providence, because he knew that the den of lions awaited him. He gave thanks now as he had done aforetime. (3) The man of prayer may not always be the successful man, judged by the world's rules, but he is the strong man, the calm man, the brave man, the man against whom his worst enemies can find nothing to accuse him, except it be as touching the law of his God.
J. J. S. Perowne, Sermons,p. 17.
We are not told what went to make the "excellent spirit" (which was, in other words, Daniel's religion) which made him so illustrious in his day and generation. But though it is not declared, we have no difficulty in saying what were some of the features of that excellent spirit. (1) Part of the "excellent spirit" was a deep humility. The strength of every man is his humility. (2) In that "excellent spirit" there was very great sympathy for the feelings of those around him. (3) In that "excellent spirit" there was a very great amount of common-sense, because religion is common-sense, and the man who has been dealing most with the realities of the unseen world, will be the man growing most in those intelligences which connect themselves with the common things of life. The excellent spirit in Daniel was acknowledged, and all his enemies could bring against him was "he prayed too much." Consider the subject of private prayer.
I. All distinct acts of prayer are chiefly valuable as promoting the general habit of prayerfulness in the mind. There is a danger when we speak of the importance of prayer so many times a day of persons running away with the thought that that is enough. But to very little profit will be prayer three times a day in the closet, if it does not minister to an habitual uplifting of the heart in dependence and praise all the day long.
II. Though it is very desirable in our private communion with God, not to be mechanical, or tied down to certain laws too much, yet some method is very valuable, even in private prayer. Every prayer ought to have these outlines; invocation, confession of sin, praise, requests for future blessings temporal and spiritual, intercession.
III. Remember that all your greatness depends on your nearness to God. Always look to that first, for as with Daniel, so with you, the success of all the outer life will depend on that which is going on behind the scenes. A man depends on that which is going on alone between him and his God.
J. Vaughan, Fifty Sermons,2nd series, p. 90.
References: Daniel 6:10. Bishop Walsham How, Plain Words,2nd series, p. 262; Spurgeon, Sermons,vol. xiv., No. 815; vol. xx., No. 1154; Clergyman's Magazine,vol. xiii., p. 213; Homiletic Quarterly,vol. ii., p. 422; Preacher's Monthly,vol. iv., p. 279. Daniel 6:11-14. R. Payne-Smith, Homiletic Magazine,vol. xiii., p. 221.Daniel 6:15-22. Ibid.,vol. xiv., p. 272.Daniel 6:16. Preacher's Monthly,vol. vi., p. 248. Daniel 6:20. J. E. Vaux, Sermon Notes,2nd series, p. 44; Preacher's Monthly,vol. iv., p. 282.