Dear Peter,Well, I think of Jephthah and his daughter. But he had made a vow to God and had to keep it. King Darius had only signed a document, but because of it was forced to sentence his best friend to death. This is certainly not the arbitrary despotism of Persian rulers who could do exactly what they wanted, even as late as 1979! Of course there is the question of who this "king" is supposed to be. If he is supposed to be a local ruler in Babylon, and if he had signed a decree in the name of the overall King of Kings, he would have been bound by that decree. Perhaps that is the key to understanding Daniel 6.
I keep thinking of the line in Richard III
where the king says "Do you want me to break my word?
Do you want me to commit treason?"
Best,
Liz
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