July 14: LOVE’S DOMINION
Then King Darius wrote: To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God, And steadfast forever; His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed, And His dominion shall endure to the end. Daniel 6:25-26
The immense gladness of King Darius was like nothing else he had ever experienced. His friendship and respect for Daniel had expanded into a joyous sighting—his spiritual eyes having been opened—of the Creator of all; the One that he does not want to lose sight of…
As the ruler of the largest kingdom in the history of the world thus far (for Medo-Persia brought additional lands to the conquered empire of Babylon), King Darius saw his platform as a way to help others discover the reality of the God of Daniel. The king begins by addressing everyone: all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth. He doesn’t want to leave anyone out!
A good leader desires order in the land and peace for his people. The kind of true peace that King Darius is personally experiencing, as one who has begun to see God, is nothing at all like a false peace that is brought about by forced compliance to a dictator. Thus, his good wishes, “Peace be multiplied to you”, are accompanied by directions. After the earlier experience of being duped and manipulated by those whose secret agenda to destroy Daniel was cloaked in homage for the king, the king’s discernment has been greatly enlarged, and he is using his earthly position of power to bring the attention of the people to God, rather than to himself. To declare that people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel is to say that fearing other people—what they may think or do—is not going to result in true peace.
In addition to the king’s directions, he tells the people why: For He is the living God, and all others are as nothing; man-made idols that have no life in themselves. He is steadfast forever, while the attributes assigned to the false gods are a mix of vacillating human emotions that are selfish and unreliable. Steadfast describes our God, who says, “I Am the LORD, I do not change.” (Malachi 3:6). Also, His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed. Earthly kingdoms, no matter how vast or powerful, are temporary.
His dominion shall endure to the end. This is an invitation to allow His dominion to overthrow any other dominion that you have allowed to rule over you, starting now. This is at the heart of the gospel message. The pure message of God’s love for you, uncorrupted, is one that has gone out into the world, conquering and to conquer (Revelation 6:2). Surrender your heart to divine conquest and begin a marvelous journey comprised of one victory after another, from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18), minute-by-minute, day-by-day. Know for certain that it is a journey of battles in the cosmic war between good and evil. If you are His:
“No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me,” says the LORD. Isaiah 54:17