Daniel 1
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Daniel 1
Daniel 1
1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god.
To be clear- Nebuchadnezzar was successful, but it was because God allowed him to be successful, in conquering Judah. The entier book of Daniel will emphasize the theme of God’s sovereignty in all maters. Judea fell, the king was taken, and the people of Jerusalem were deported into exile.
Why did God allow this? He had called on Judah to return to Him and they did not. He was calling them to repentance through disciplinary suffering.... and even this process would prepare them and equip them to return to the land of Promise and restore it.
Even in their shame and suffering, God was redeeming them and their situation was in harmony with God’s promises given to the generation of Moses.
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 7: Daniel and the Minor Prophets A. The First Hostages of the Babylonian Captivity (1:1–2)
Precisely because it was Yahweh who gave over the Jews into Nebuchadnezzar’s power, it was Yahweh’s hand that could again snatch them away from their foreign bondage, once they were ready to renew their covenant fellowship with him and carry out their part in his program of redemption.
3 Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility,
4 youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king’s palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.
5 The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate, and of the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king.
Nebuchadnezzar adopted a policy of taking the best and brightest young and putting them into national service. If you qualified, you would be put into the royal academy to be trained for government service.
We are unclear about how many were taken into this service- we are clear that Danile and his friends (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo) were the only ones who had the courage to observe the dietary laws of the Torah concerning unclean foods. Most of the food was unclean because it was related to pagan gods.
Very early in their training, a clearcut challenge was to their obedience and faith.
It was not to their advantage, but they remained steadfast and stuck to their guns. These 4 remained faithful, and passed God’s test.
6 Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah.
7 And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.
Note the changing of the names.
Daniel=”God is my judge”
Belteshazzar=”Bel protect his life”
Bel was a Babylonian god
Hananiah- “Jehovah is gracious”
Shadrach= “the command of the moon god”
Mishael= “Who is like God?”
Meshach= “Who is like Aku?”
Aku was a heathen god.
Azariah= “Johovah is my helper”
Abednego= “the servant of Nego”
Nego is another pagan heathen god.
Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego
Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 7: Daniel and the Minor Prophets B. Nebuchadnezzar’s Training Program (1:3–7)
These four godly youths, then, were committed to a demanding and many-faceted course of study (v.4), comprising all the language and literature of the Chaldeans. This must have included not only a mastery of spoken Chaldean (which may originally have been a northeastern Arabian dialect, perhaps mingled with Aramaic, though we have no written documents in the ancestral language of the Chaldeans and can only conjecture about this) but also of Akkadian, the official, literary language of Babylon from the days of Hammurabi and before. In addition to the renewed interest in classical Akkadian, abundantly attested in many documents from Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, there must also have been extensive study in the non-Semitic language of ancient Sumeria, from which Akkadian borrowed its entire writing system and many of its religious terms. Babylonian religion had always required a thorough knowledge of Sumerian literature—religious, magical, astrological, and scientific. Daniel and his three friends were subjected to a very rigorous and demanding curriculum, requiring their full attention as they mastered the important documents written in cuneiform Akkadian and Sumerian and contained in the central imperial library in Babylon. Thus they prepared themselves for the final examinations in “all kinds of literature and learning” (v.17).
8 But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself.
But- that’s a big “but”.... what’s it there for?
Daniel became the chief spokesman for the four. Resolved indicates that Daniel made up his mind first.... NIV says “placed on his heart”. He would not be “deviled” with unclean meats.... rather than break with Yahweh, he was will ing to risk being expelled from the training program and the danger that would create for him.... HIs priorities were right.
9 And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs,
“Favor”- this word implies a loyalty based on a relationship of mutual commitment.
“Compassion”- he could confide in him.
10 and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king.”
For the guard to have given over to the request that is about to be made, Daniel must have established good will and faithfulness toward this guard.
11 Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,
12 “Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink.
13 Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king’s food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see.”
This answer of Daniel’s regarding the food- in order to look better after 10 days than worse, on this strict diet, would have been a miracle. Daniel trusted God.
14 So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days.
15 At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king’s food.
16 So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.
Daniel’s faith in God in this initial matter prepared him for even greater testings that were to follow.
17 As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.
18 At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.
19 And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king.
29 Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.
20 And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom.
Why were these four “better” than the others.... there is a difference between information and wisdom....
Look at the story of Solomon in 1 Kings 4.29-34
29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, 30 so that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For he was wiser than all other men, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. 32 He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. 33 He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He spoke also of beasts, and of birds, and of reptiles, and of fish. 34 And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.
When the queen of Sheba came to visit Solomon in 1 Kings 10.1-3
1 Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. 2 She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind. 3 And Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her.
How was Solomon so wise? See 1 Kings 10.23-24
23 Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. 24 And the whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind.
God put it into his mind.
So, in Daniel 1.20, why were these 4 men so wise in Daniel 1.20
20 And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom.
God put it into their mind. There’s a difference between information, instruction, and wisdom.
21 And Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus.
Trying Times
Trying Times
Daniel 1.1-7.
The school for BAbylonian degrees- Nebuchadnezzar did not want smart Jews. He wanted more Babylonians… so they needed to be taught.
Satan wants us to be like him.
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
They got:
New homes
New knowledge (brainwashing)
New diets
New Names
Testing (Faith Under Fire)
Testing (Faith Under Fire)
They could change Daniel’s home, his studies, his food, and even his identity- but they could not change his heart (faith).
Ten day test… at the end the four were healthier and looked better than anyone else.
13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
God’s Win
God’s Win
They won the ten day test, but God won the three year battle. How?
17 As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.
They did not believe what they were taught, they became model students just the same. They learned their ways, they did not live their ways. (seminary training).
Look at that last verse…Daniel 1.21
21 And Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus.
Daniel obeyed the Lord, and he stayed around longer than anyone else. He lived under 4 different kings and likely lived to see the Jews return to their land at the end of the captivity. (He who does the will of God abides forever).
When You Know The Love Of God You Can Live In The Will Of God
When You Know The Love Of God You Can Live In The Will Of God
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
