Old Testamemt - Daniel 1 - October 31, 2022

10/31/2022 – Daniel 1

The student manual gives a wonderful introduction to Daniel: “Like many of his brethren the prophets, Daniel was prepared and raised up as a minister to kings and emperors. At the time that Nebuchadnezzar first carried the Jews captive into Babylon (about 605 B.C.), Daniel was chosen as one of the choicest Jewish youths to be taken to Babylon and trained for service in the king’s court. Because of his righteousness and sensitivity to the promptings of the Spirit, he was greatly favored of God. The Lord blessed him with the gift of interpreting dreams and visions. This endowment soon made him an object of greater attention from the emperor, and he was raised to positions that enabled him to spend his life in service to the kings of the land. He became the Lord’s minister to those rulers. He was made chief of the wise men, chancellor of the equivalent of a national university, ruler of all the Hebrew captives, and, as governor of the province of Babylon, one of the chief rulers in both the Babylonian and Persian Empires. Though at times his life was endangered because of the jealousy of evil men, yet he lived so perfectly that the Lord continually protected and preserved him.”

Nebuchadnezzar was a Babylonian prince and was in command of his father’s troops. His battles in Egypt started the beginning of the end of the Egyptian Empire as a world power. His armies secured Syria and Judea.

Chapter one begins with Daniel as one of the captives who was being trained to serve in Nebuchadnezzar’s court. Daniel, along with several other Hebrew young men who were “well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science…whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.” (v 4) Daniel was one of these young men.

These young men were given Babylonian names. “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” (v 8) And v 9 tells us what happens when we follow the Lord’s commandments, no matter what: “Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.”

When David, and his close friends, asked to be able to eat simple, healthy food, the prince of the eunuchs was afraid to do that, thinking that the simple foods would not give them the energy and nutrition they needed. But David continue to talk with the prince of the eunuchs, and then presented this trial: “Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse [grains] to eat, and water to drink. Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenances of the children that eat of the portion of the king’s meet: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.” (v’s 12-13)

David is now a servant, but he continues to honor all around him, and to do his best at the tasks he is given. David and his 3 friends proved that the simpler diets caused them to look healthier than those on the ‘royal’ diet. 

These young men are still servants in a strange land. But they do their best to work and learn, but they still do the things that keep them close to the Lord. And because of this, “God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.” (v 17)

When all the young men who were being trained were brought to the king “among them all was found none like Daniel” and his 3 friends “in all matters of wisdom and understanding” that the king found them “ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm” (v’s19-20)

The things that helped these young men to remain faithful to the Lord in these difficult circumstances were the simple things the Lord asks of us all: praying, fasting, choosing good friends, trusting in God and being a light to others.

The Bible scholars tell us that Daniel and his companions were among those of the first captivity, and that Daniel remained in Babylon with many of the other Jews even after most of them had returned to their homeland to rebuild their temple and nation. Daniel remained in Babylon serving various kings through the seventy years of the Jewish captivity. They belief he stayed there at least 80 years.

In a very real sense, today we all live in Babylon were there are many things surrounding us that may tempt us to compromise our standards and to question the need for our faith in Heavenly Father and His plan.