Daniel 6:5—“Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.”

 Daniel’s fellow officials were determined to bring him down. They examined his work in the kingdom, seeking an accusation against him, but “they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful” (Daniel 6:4). Unable to charge him with dishonesty or neglect, they said, “We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God” (v. 5).

Their words expose their enmity. Daniel had done them no wrong. Yet his faithful service stood in the way of their designs, and his devotion to God gave them a means to attack him. They could find no fault in Daniel’s conduct, so they sought to turn his faithfulness to God into a charge against him. Thus they devised a decree that would set the king’s command against Daniel’s duty to pray to the Lord.

When the decree was signed, Daniel prayed as he did aforetime” (v. 10). He did not provoke his enemies with a new display of religion. Neither did he forsake his accustomed worship to satisfy them. The conflict arose because his enemies chose to punish Daniel’s faithfulness to the LORD.

Believers should not assume that upright conduct will win everyone’s approval. Our Lord said, “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you” (John 15:18). Yet we must take care that any opposition we face is truly for obedience to God, rather than for our own misconduct (1 Peter 4:15–16). Like Daniel, let us serve faithfully in our daily responsibilities and remain steadfast when others turn our devotion to God into a cause for accusation.