Daniel

Daniel 1:1-2

Nebuchadnezzar, was reputed as a master builder and military architect.  His name is synonymous with the Babylonian empire.  He was king of that empire for 43 years (605-562 _BC).   The great victory over the Egyptians at the Battle of Carchemish helped to put him on the throne.  History records him as a bit of a war monger, obsessed over conquest and power.  We see this play out in Daniel; the earthly king seeking sovereignty and we get to see that any power or authority he had was given to him by God.  His pride became his downfall. 

Nebuchadnezzar came to Jerusalem and besieged it.  He believed, in his pride, that this was because his military prowess he could conquer Judah but the bible makes it clear that it was the Lord who delivered Jehoiakim into his hand.  Nebuchadnezzar was fresh from the Battle of Carchemish.  Jehoiakim had placed his hope in a coalition with Egypt.  Upon their defeat, Jehoiakim was powerless to stand against Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar.  We see clearly the sovereignty of God who ordained this punishment and spoke of it through the prophets.  Every army, every king, though prideful or disobedient, with all their free choice and the exercising of their free will, still serves the plan and will of God whether they acknowledge and believe that or not.

Why would God do such a dreadful thing?  Why would he allow such a brutal thing to happen?  In Leviticus 26, God detailed the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience.  He listed the consequences of disobedience in levels; if they failed, he would correct; if that didn't work, then it would become more severe, and so on.  At the fifth, and final level of disobedience and correction, the Lord said this:

²⁷ " 'If in spite of this you still do not listen to me but continue to be hostile toward me, ²⁸ then in my anger I will be hostile toward you, and I myself will punish you for your sins seven times over. ²⁹ You will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters. ³⁰ I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars and pile your dead bodies on the lifeless forms of your idols, and I will abhor you. ³¹ I will turn your cities into ruins and lay waste your sanctuaries, and I will take no delight in the pleasing aroma of your offerings. ³² I myself will lay waste the land, so that your enemies who live there will be appalled. ³³ I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins. ³⁴ Then the land will enjoy its sabbath years all the time that it lies desolate and you are in the country of your enemies; then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths. ³⁵ All the time that it lies desolate, the land will have the rest it did not have during the sabbaths you lived in it.

(Leviticus 26:27-35)

And again;

¹⁴ Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful, following all the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple of the Lord, which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.

¹⁵ The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. ¹⁶ But they mocked God's messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy. ¹⁷ He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians, ^m who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and did not spare young men or young women, the elderly or the infirm. God gave them all into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. (2 Chronicles 36:14-17)

The people who survived were taken into captivity and the articles of the temple were put in the treasure house of Marduk, the primary god of Babylon.  The captured articles were their way of giving thanks to their god for the victory.  The captive articles represented their god's superiority over all the gods of the captured articles.  This treasure house probably honored only Marduk even though the Babylonians honored many gods (they were polytheists).  This treasure house would have housed many articles from many other countries.  The articles of the temple were mixed with the profane articles of the nations, in a museum honoring a god, who was no god at all.

"God would rather have His people living in shameful captivity in a pagan land than living like pagans in the Holy Land and disgracing His name." (Warren Wiersbe)

Daniel 1:3-5

The word 'saris' is translated 'court official'.  This is likely a 'eunuch' that was a castrated male, a common practice in the ancient near east.  There is no record that Babylon held to his practice though.  Either way, Nebuchadnezzar summoned these servants to find some Israelites with certain desirable qualities to serve him in the palace.  This was a normal practice to bring up these educated royal captives.  Some later would be returned to the land as royals sympathetic to the king they serve.  The requirements presented were a high standard.  They were not to just be physically fit and attractive but to be teachable, intelligent and possess a certain poise.  This would be a unique opportunity for these young men to learn of this culture.  In a time of captivity, this was like studying abroad or foreign exchange.  For them, international study became a gift during their captivity.

They were to learn the language and literature of Babylon.  This would have been quite fascinating.  The culture of Babylon was an ancient one, having connections to the tower of babel.  The young students were provided for as they started a three-year program of study before taking their place in service to the king.

Daniel 1:6-7

The four young men had good Jewish names given to them by their parents.  Names were important to the Jews and no doubt important to these young men.  It's no doubt they weren't consulted regarding their new names, they were merely assigned.  They were given a new name, a fresh start in a new country.

Imagine this through the eyes of a young man.  Food, wine, learning, literature, no responsibility; sounds a little like college.  While many were struggling to get by, they got a new name, fed, educated for a future job, what a sweet opportunity.  Why would anyone want to make waves and risk this?  Only a few got this opportunity.  Many, if not most, would be tempted to not look back, accept the new name, new role while not making waves.  It would have been easy for these four to do the same.  But it's clear these young men had given their lives completely over to Yahweh; a new home, a new name and an education would not change that.  

• Daniel (my judge is El(God) became Belteshazzar (Bel protects his life)
• Hananiah (Yahweh has shown grace) became Shadrach (the command of Aku [Sumerian moon god]
• Mishael (Who is what God is?) became Meshach (who is what Aku is)
• Azariah (Yahweh has helped) became Abednego (servant of Nebo)

Daniel 1:8-10

The Jews were supposed to assimilate.  They were allowed to have homes, work jobs, marry, have children and worship their God.   To assimilate was to look more like a Babylonian.  That's what got them into this trouble to start with, they had turned from God and His ways.  Some may have argued it was too late for faithfulness and accepted compromise and conformed to the society they were living in.  But Daniel resolved in his heart.  With every decision, he was determined to remain faithful, to be a Jew, a child of God.  No matter what!

"The bravest things we do in our lives are usually known only to ourselves."  Peggy Noonan

Daniel resolved not to defile himself.  To 'resolve' was to 'set his heart' conclusively and with authority.  While this resolution is announced for this story, it was established in his heart long before.  We could look back on Daniel's life and see it in his upbringing, the heart of his family and commitment to the ways of the Lord.  The resolution was set into his life; obedience was part of who he was and how he lived, not just simply something done by habit.   

The royal food was likely meat that had been offered to Marduk; the wine would have had the first part also offered in thanks to this pagan god.  We should take note on how this resolution came about.  It was respectful, he asked the one in authority if he could honor God by not being defiled.  In verse 9 we might assume that in normal circumstances this would not have been allowed, but God caused a change of heart.  However, the official was concerned about this.  It didn't sound like a good idea and if they became weak and deficient, they would be noticed.  Then the official would be held accountable.  After all, the Babylonians held captives of this caliber as extremely valuable. 

Daniel 1:11-16

What does faith look like?  Its an unwavering commitment when compromise would have been so easy.  It's a fixed resolve when the threat of physical harm was looming.  It's obedience in spite of consequence. 

It seems the chief official wasn't convinced.  He had been inclined, by God's hand, to show favor to them but this was risky.  He was responsible to deliver these men strong, healthy, wise and educated in three years.  Daniel then suggest to the guard a mere ten-day test.  This guard must have had short term care and responsibility for them.  The guard agreed to the test.

It's worth noting, the text doesn't tell us if the others were resolved the same way Daniel was.  Yet, Daniel includes them in the test.  The test provided four opportunities: 

• Daniel to be resolved to prior commitment
• Daniel became an example to other young men (and us)
• The other young men could resolve to stand with Daniel
• An opportunity for God to show his favor to the obedient
• The guard and chief official had the opportunity to see Yahweh at work.

Why did this test work?

1. The fine food wasn't healthy food.
2. Health is about more than food.
3. There is a spiritual element to heath and appearance.
4. Faithfulness is good for the soul.
5. God honors those who honor Him.

Ten days was the test time.  If the they grew week, lost weight, looked sickly or became ill, they would fail the test and be forced to conform to the king's food. The young men looked healthier than ever and better nourished.  The point was they were healthy and better nourished in spite of their poor diet, not because of it.  Not only that, but 'better nourished' means they were fatter than when they started. The 'fine' food was taken away and they were able to eat as they chose.  

Daniel 1:17

God gave these four young men 'knowledge and understanding' of all kinds of things.  This was the ability to read, understand and apply the things they learned.  It was to learn and apply what they learned; to reason, think critically and have rationale.  Then, beyond that, Daniel was given the ability to understand dreams and visions.  In short, these young minds had been renewed and transformed into something new and useful. 

Daniel 1:18-21

When the training was completed, the young men were taken to the King. The guard must have been quite proud to present them to the chief official; the chief official must have been pleased to present them for inspection before the king.  This kind of thing happened frequently, yet these four were found to be unequaled.  While it may appear that the king awarded them positions in his service, in reality, God gave these young men a ministry in service to Him.  They were found ten times better than those who used magic and sorcery. 

Do not think God owed them a reward for their faithfulness.  He is indebted to no man.  The service they were brought into by faithfulness was not always a blessing, not always fun or an easy life.  However, it was always an adventure; one they didn't have to embark on by themselves.  They knew the Lord always walked with them.  Daniel's was in service to the king for some 65-66 years.  While most of Daniel's life was lived in exile, his life was given freely in service to His Lord. 

• They took these young men from their country and promised land.
• They removed God from their name and gave them a name associated with another god.
• They attempted indoctrination into their culture (language & literature).
• They pressured, persuaded and tempted them to be conformed to their ways.

What they learned of themselves was that even the superpower of the world in that day could not touch their relationship with God.  The Lord guarded their hearts and minds; while their soul was safe in Him. 

¹⁰ My shield ^y is God Most High,

who saves the upright in heart. 

Lessons from Daniel:

1. Their transformation came about by the rejection of conforming.
   1. Conformation is easy; looks comfortable, feels harmless; yet in the end it is compromise.
   2. Transformation looks hard, unreasonable, unnecessary; yet in the end turns out to be a great reward.
   3. The reward of transformation is eternal; any benefit of conforming doesn't even measure on the same scale.
2. They lived out Romans 2; faithfulness is more important than my comfort or convenience of our flesh.
   1. They offered themselves as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.  This was their true and proper worship.  If it cost them the opportunity or their life, so be it.
   2. It is by this faithful obedience they know God's good, pleasing and perfect will (they would not be left wondering what could have been, had they been disobedient).
3. Faithfulness of the young men became a witness to others.
   1. Would the other 3 young men know this success without Daniel's leadership?
   2. The chief official and the guard got to see God work.   

©2018 Doug Ford