Copyright © 2006 By Doug Lawrence. All Rights Reserved.
Catechism Of The Catholic Church Reprinted With Permission.
- 19 -
Daniel In the Lion's Den
Free Will, Faith and Redemption
(Volume 1 - Part 3) - Commentary By: Doug Lawrence
People ask, "If God is all powerful, why didn't He simply destroy
Satan, forgive Adam and save Himself (and all of us) a lot of
trouble?"
Good question! Someday, we may learn the answer, but all we know for sure is
that God decided to handle things differently. But, what we already know about
God's system of law, justice, order and mercy should make it easier for us to trust
(accept on faith) His divine judgment in all things, including this one.
There's also another possibility. It's possible that when God makes a law, He
makes it forever. This arrangement seems equally fair to all of His creatures and it
should also be quite manageable for a Supreme Being who is master of time and
space.
Consider this well-known passage from the Old Testament Book of
Daniel, in which this exact situation (a law, once made, cannot be
changed) is encountered.
Daniel 6:6 - 27 Then the princes, and the
governors, craftily suggested to the king,
and spoke thus unto him: King Darius, live
for ever: All the princes of the kingdom, the
magistrates, and governors, the senators,
and judges, have consulted together, that an
imperial decree, and an edict be published:
That whosoever shall ask any petition of any
god, or man, for thirty days, but of thee, O
king, shall be cast into the den of the lions.
Now, therefore, O king, confirm the
sentence, and sign the decree: that what is
decreed by the Medes and Persians may not
be altered, nor any man be allowed to
transgress it. So king Darius set forth the
decree, and established it.
Now, when Daniel knew this, that is to say, that the law was made, he went into
his house: and opening the windows in his upper chamber towards Jerusalem,
he knelt down three times a day, and adored and gave thanks before his God, as
he had been accustomed to do before. Wherefore those men carefully watching
him, found Daniel praying and making supplication to his God. And they came
and spoke to the king concerning the edict: O king, hast thou not decreed, that
every man that should make a request to any of the gods, or men, for thirty days,
but to thyself, O king, should be cast into the den of the lions?
And the king answered them, saying: The word is true, according to the decree
of the Medes and Persians, which it is not lawful to violate.
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