What does Daniel 6:28 teach about God's sovereignty over earthly kingdoms? A quick reading of the verse “So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.” (Daniel 6:28) Setting the stage • Chapter 6 closes with a dramatic proof of God’s power—Daniel protected in the lions’ den and his accusers judged. • Immediately the text records Daniel thriving under two successive world rulers. • The Babylonian Empire has just fallen (Daniel 5); the Medo-Persian Empire has risen. Yet Daniel’s position is secure. What the verse teaches about God’s sovereignty over earthly kingdoms • A change of empire does not unsettle God’s plan. He is the constant above every throne. • Daniel’s prosperity across administrations shows that promotion comes from the Lord, not merely from human favor (Psalm 75:6-7). • The verse silently, yet powerfully, illustrates that “He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes them” (Daniel 2:21). • By naming both Darius and Cyrus, Scripture spotlights a seamless divine hand guiding two very different monarchs—God rules over each. • Daniel 4:17 has already declared, “the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom He wishes.” Verse 28 is the narrative proof a chapter later. • Even the kings’ hearts are steered by Him: “The king’s heart is a watercourse in the hand of the LORD; He directs it wherever He pleases” (Proverbs 21:1). • Cyrus himself fulfills Isaiah 44:28 – 45:1, where God foretold, by name, a pagan ruler who would advance His purposes—demonstrating mastery over nations before they even rise. Supporting snapshots from the wider story • Daniel served Nebuchadnezzar (Babylon), Belshazzar (Babylon’s final king), Darius the Mede, and Cyrus the Persian—four very different regimes, one steady God. • Each empire thought itself unstoppable; each fell or faded exactly when God decreed (Isaiah 40:23). • God not only guarded His servant; He leveraged pagan courts to preserve His revelation and later to release Israel from exile (Ezra 1:1-4). Take-home truths • Earthly power is transient; divine authority is permanent. • Loyalty to God is always safer than loyalty to any regime; He alone controls their lifespan. • When God purposes to keep His people and His gospel influence in public life, no political turnover can eject them. • History, from Daniel’s lions’ den to the cross and empty tomb, keeps shouting: the Most High reigns, and His kingdom “will never be destroyed” (Daniel 7:14). |
    |