Susanna and Daniel's Wise Questions

In Babylon, a wealthy man named Joakim lived with his wife, Susanna. She feared the Lord, and her parents had taught her according to the law of Moses. Joakim had a garden beside his house, and two elders who served as judges often came there to hear people’s cases.

Susanna used to walk in the garden at noon. The two elders kept watching her and let their desires turn them away from what was right. One hot day, Susanna entered the garden with two maids to wash, and the elders hid themselves there until she was alone.

Then the elders rushed out and threatened Susanna. They demanded that she agree to their wicked plan, and said that if she refused, they would accuse her of being with a young man in the garden. Susanna chose not to sin against the Lord. She cried out, and the elders cried out against her.

The next day, before the assembled people, the elders repeated their false story. The assembly believed them because they were elders and judges, and Susanna was condemned to death. Susanna cried to God, saying that he knew they had testified falsely against her. The Lord heard her voice.

As Susanna was being led away, God raised up the spirit of a young youth named Daniel. He called out that he was innocent of this woman’s blood and told the people to return to the place of judgment, because the elders had given false testimony. Then he had the two men separated so he could question them one at a time.

Daniel asked each elder under which tree he had supposedly seen Susanna with the young man. Their answers did not match, and the whole assembly saw that they had lied. The two elders received the judgment they had planned for Susanna. Her family praised God, and Daniel gained a great reputation among the people. What do Daniel’s questions show about judging a matter carefully?