Daniel Series Lesson 4 Daniel Chapter 1

Daniel 1:1 KJV 1900

1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.

As we mentioned in our introductory comments, the first few verses of Chapter 1 do not seem to be speaking of a single incident, but instead appear to be a summary of the events that led to Daniel’s deportation.

We meet two kings in the first verse of Daniel: King Nebuchadnezzar and King Jehoiakim. One of these is one of the most detestable figures in the Bible – and it is not Nebuchadnezzar!

Jehoiakim was the son of King Josiah, and was appointed to be king by Necho, King of Egypt. A few years later Nebuchadnezzar defeated the Egyptians and Assyrians, and then turned his sights on Jehoiakim.

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Jeremiah 36:2–3 KJV 1900

2 Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day. 3 It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.

Jeremiah 36:23–24 KJV 1900

23 And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth. 24 Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words.

Jeremiah 36:27–31 KJV 1900

27 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying, 28 Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned. 29 And thou shalt say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, Thus saith the Lord; Thou hast burned this roll, saying, Why hast thou written therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast? 30 Therefore thus saith the Lord of Jehoiakim king of Judah; He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David: and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost. 31 And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them; but they hearkened not.

King Jehoiakim took a knife to the word of God, cut it in pieces, and through it in the fire. He had no regard for the word of God. Perhaps its due to my own personal experiences with some modern day Jehoiakim’s but that story really burns me up (no pun intended).

Are we sometimes guilty of the same thing? Do we pick and choose parts of the Bible the way he did? What difference is there if instead of cutting out something from our Bible, we simply choose to ignore it?

As we mentioned in our introduction, the city was first besieged (not captured) during the third year of King Jehoiakim’s reign (according to Daniel’s Babylonian calendar) or in the fourth year of his reign (according to Jeremiah’s Judean calendar.)

Who was Nebuchadnezzar? His name means “Nebo, protect my boundary!” He was the son of the Chaldean Nabopolassar, King of Babylon, and would soon be king himself.

Note that Nebuchadnezzar is called “king” even though he was not yet king when the city was first besieged. We use similar language today. We might say that President Bush was once the youngest pilot in the navy – but he wasn’t president at the time. Thus, Daniel refers to Nebuchadnezzar as king because he had been king when Daniel was written. (We need to approach the Bible with a little common sense and not look for an error around every corner.)

Why had this occurred? Why were the people taken captive?

One reason was their failure to trust in God. Judah had made alliances with Babylon, Assyria, and Egypt and in doing so had involved themselves in their power struggles – an involvement that eventually led to their destruction. These alliances were NOT according to God’s will.

A second reason was their idolatry. God had tried everything to get them to give up their idols, but they refused. When he sent them to Babylon he sent them to the world capital of idolatry!

We should be careful what we attach ourselves to. God may give us our fill of it! (Remember in Revelation how the Romans wanted blood so God gave them a river of blood 200 miles long.)

Interestingly, idolatry was never quite the problem for Israel after their captivity in Babylon as it was before. God’s plan worked.

Daniel 1:2 KJV 1900

2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.

Recall our introductory comments about “Shinar.” It was the site of the Tower of Babel and was a very early term for Babylon. It points toward an early date for the book.

In this verse we meet a third king! Nebuchadnezzar thought he was in charge, but God was in charge. He allowed Nebuchadnezzar to take Judah captive, and when the time was right he removed Nebuchadnezzar from power.

Just about all that is left of the mighty Nebuchadnezzar is a pile of bricks. When Nebuchadnezzar built the city, he had his name and picture imprinted on every brick that was used. One in the British museum shows the clear imprint of dog’s foot over the name of the mighty king!

Nebuchadnezzar thought he was building an empire for himself, but he was really building a school for the Jews. God sent them there for a 70 year lesson they would never forget. When the 70 years were over, God removed the Chaldeans through Cyrus the Persian.

“And the Lord gave” is the first indication of a major theme of this book: the absolute sovereignty of God. God is in charge. Babylon was only victorious because God allowed it to be. Later we will see the other side of the coin. Babylon will be defeated when it has finished serving God’s purposes.

Was Jehoiakim taken back to Babylon?

The “them” in verse 2 may just refer to the vessels from the temple, which we know went back to Babylon.

What about ?

Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters to take him to Babylon.

Again, this does not actually say that Jehoiakim returned to Babylon, only that Nebuchadnezzar planned to take him there.

Why does it matter? Other passages imply that Jehoiakim died in Judah.

Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: “They shall not lament for him, saying, 'Ah my brother!' or 'Ah sister!' They shall not lament for him, saying, 'Ah lord!' or 'Ah his majesty!' 19 With the burial of an ass he shall be buried, dragged and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.”

CONCLUSION: It seems likely that Nebuchadnezzar planned to take him back but that after being captured, he died and his body was simply thrown down outside the city.

Removing the vessels from the temple was a terrible insult to the Jews. They were taken back to Babylon and placed in the treasury of the Babylonian gods.

The mention of these vessels in verse 2 is an example of the unity of this book. They will play an important role later.

Belshazzar is going to live to regret this theft in Chapter 5!

(Note that singular ‘god’ is probably more accurately translated ‘gods.’ The Babylonians had many different deities (Marduk, Nebo, Ishtar).)

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, handsome and skilful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to serve in the king’s palace, and to teach them the letters and language of the Chaldeans.

The purpose of this section is to explain why Daniel and his friends are in Babylon BEFORE the first big deportation, which occurred in 597.

The captives are called “children of Israel” even though they were not from the Northern Kingdom (Israel, which had been taken captive long ago) but were from the Southern Kingdom (Judah).

Later in verse 6, they will be called children of Judah. By this time, many from the Northern kingdom had migrated south due to Assyrian invasions, so Judah included people from both kingdoms.

The captives were of royal and noble birth. Why were they taken?

This weakened the subjugated nation. They were also hostages that would keep the Jews in line while Nebuchadnezzar went back to assume the throne.

This also strengthened the conquering nation. It was considered a good policy to make leaders from the conquered people. Alexander the Great did this, and Cyrus did this (as we will see later in this book).

How many captives were taken? Some historians believe there were between 50 and 75. (We remember only four!) Nebuchadnezzar needed enough so that he could train them to later administer his rule among the Jews.

How old were they? The Hebrew word for “youth” used here most probably places their ages between 14 and 17. Since we know that Daniel was still serving as a leader 70 years later, it seems clear that Daniel and his companions were very young when he was taken hostage. It is thus possible and perhaps probable that Daniel was as young as 13 or 14 when he was taken captive.

These young men were without blemish. The ancients (much like we moderns) believed that ones outward appearance reflected an inner condition. Indeed, God did not allow men with certain physical deformities to be priests.

They learned the ‘letters and language of the Chaldeans.’

We have already discussed the two meanings of the term ‘Chaldeans.’

The Chaldeans (led by Nabopolassar) overthrew the Assyrians and conquered Babylon in 612. The term ‘Chaldean’ can be used in an ethnic sense to describe anyone from the Chaldean tribe.

Like ‘Jew’ however, the term ‘Chaldean’ had both a nationalistic and a religious meaning. In the latter sense, ‘Chaldean’ can refer to a group of wise mean that arose from within that tribe.

The use here appears to be the former ethnic sense. These captives were going to get a crash course in Babylonian and Chaldean culture.

This included a study of the old languages of Babylonia including two dialects of Sumerian.

It also included mathematics and science, areas in which Babylon was very advanced.

It also included Babylonian mythology, including their creation and flood legends. (Clay tablets at the British museum show the types of math problems and legends that they studied.)

They enrolled in the University of Babylon – and were subjected to the same brainwashing that some of our universities employ (or at least are accused of employing.) Brainwashing has little effect on a discerning mind!

More evidence for early date: Would a late-date author writing in Palestine have enrolled his Jewish heroes in the University of Babylon for a pagan polytheistic education?

The Maccabeans wanted to retain their Jewish heritage in the face of Greek influences. Is this the type of hero they would have created? Daniel was steeped in the foreign culture and seemed to take to it readily with God’s help and approval.

Daniel knew that if he were to have any effect at all on the Babylonians, he would need to understand their culture. Think of Paul teaching the Greeks. Would he have had the effect he had on them if he had not been so intimately knowledgeable about Greek culture. Effective missionaries take the time to learn all about the people they are trying to reach, just like Paul did.

5 The king assigned them a daily portion of the rich food which the king ate, and of the wine which he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king.

The term for ‘rich food’ used here is a technical Persian term that is used only twice in the Old Testament (both times in Daniel). It denotes gifts from the royal table.

The king’s food would have helped reverse the effects of the siege and the deportation. However, their seems to have been a more devious reason behind the king’s generosity.

Remember, the king’s goal was to BRAINWASH these children. He wanted them to forget their own land and culture and become Chaldeans. His theme song may have been ‘How are you going to keep them down on the farm after they’ve seen Paris?’

Did it work? Of the 50 to 75 captives, only 4 that we know of remained true to God.

Our Message: The devil constantly works to change our appetites. He wants us to crave the things of this world. We need to resist the way that Daniel did.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world.

Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.

Our greatest danger is that we will be absorbed by the world.

Typically these feasts would have begun with a sacrifice to the false Babylonian gods and would have consisted of many unclean foods. Thus, Daniel and his friends had a dilemma. Would they compromise or not?

But shouldn’t they have eaten the food? After all, as verse 5 says, they were going to have “to stand before the king”! Yes, but Daniel answered to another king. There was another king that Daniel would stand before some day.

“To stand before the king” is a Persian term for “royal service.” It meant more than literally standing before the king.

PROBLEM: They were educated for three years and then went before the king. Yet later in Chapter 2 we discover that Nebuchadnezzar’s first dream occurred during the second year of his reign. Is this a contradiction? No.

It is possible that their education did not take a full three years. says that Jesus would rise “after three days” when in fact he rose on the third day. In , we find that Joseph put his brothers in jail for three days, but we later see that he brought them out during the third day.

A second explanation involves the Babylonian system for dating the years of a king’s reign that we discussed earlier. The actual first year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign was called the year of his accession, the actual second year of his reign was called the first year of his reign, etc. The first year of their training would have corresponded to Nebuchadnezzar’s year of accession.

Another possibility is that they were still in school. This would explain why they were not present when the king first spoke to the wise men.

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.

At last we are introduced to the hero of our story, Daniel, and his three friends. Would anyone in the world have considered Daniel to be an important figure at this time? No, but to God he was of the utmost importance. We must try to see the world as God sees it.

Their Hebrew names were all changed to Chaldean names so that they would forget their land and culture.

This is not the only time this occurred in the Bible.

Joseph became Zaphenath-paneah ()

Hadassah became Esther ()

Daniel (My judge is El [God]) became Belteshazzar (Nebo protect my life). This is hinted at in where Nebuchadnezzar says that Daniel was named after his God, which was presumably Nebo.

Another commentary said that Belteshazzar may refer to Belet, the wife of Marduk.

There are many different theories regarding the exact meanings of these names. The ones given here seem to be the most popular.

Hananiah (Yahweh has shown grace) became Shadrach (the command of Aku) which honors the Sumerian moon god, Aku.

Mishael (who is what God is?) became Meshach (who is what Aku is?)

Azariah (Yahweh has helped) became Abednego (the servant of Nego [probably Nebo]).

HERE’S A GOOD QUESTION: Why do we remember Daniel by his Hebrew name and the others by their Babylonian names?

Daniel wrote the book, and he seems to favor his original name. Also, it is easier to pronounce than Belteshazzar. (I wonder if he had used his new name if Belteshazzar would now be a popular name like Daniel is.)

As for Daniel’s three friends, he sometimes uses their old names and sometimes uses their new names. Their new names seem to have stuck, though, because those are the ones that are used during the fiery furnace account. (Again, the pronunciation theory may apply here as well.)

Note also that after the exile, some Jews still used Babylonian names. Zerubbabel means the seed of Babylon and Shenazzar refers to a Babylonian moon-god. (Some of our days of the week refer to false gods.)

8 But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s rich food, or with the wine which he drank; therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself.

Nebuchadnezzar’s brainwashing plan had three components:

Teach them Chaldean culture and language.

Give them Chaldean names.

Feed them Chaldean food.

The first two could be done without compromising the word of God.

Daniel could learn their culture without having to adopt it and believe in their false gods.

(We should never run from knowledge! Would Daniel have had such an impact on Babylon if he had buried his head in the sand and refused to learn about them. We need to teach our children to be discerning, not to run in fear from knowledge.)

Also, the Babylonians could call them anything they wanted.

But the heathen food was another matter. This is where our fourteen year old hero and his friends had to draw the line. (Theses teenage boys drew the line at food!) Why?

Jewish food had to be prepared properly (blood drained…) . Also, many animals were considered unclean and could not be eaten. The Babylonians ate pork and horse. This violated the dietary laws in the Torah (, , and ).

God did not want his people to practice idolatry or to associate with people who did. The Babylonian food would have been offered to pagan gods and would have been served at pagan feasts. To eat under those conditions would have been to wholeheartedly accept the false Babylonian gods.

A third reason is that according to Eastern standards, to share a meal was to commit oneself to friendship. It had a covenant significance.

For Daniel, it would have meant an obligation of loyalty to the king, and Daniel rejected that symbol of dependence.

This also explains why the eunuch was so reluctant to agree with Daniel’s request later in verse 10. It was treasonous! (‘You would endanger my head with the king.’)

(But what if they just ate it and didn’t believe. Would that have been all right? No. God does not need secret agents.)

Remember Aesop’s fable about the bat. The beasts and the birds had a war and the bat joined both sides. With the birds he acted like a bird and with the beasts he acted like a beast. When he was discovered he had to hide and only come out at night. I fear that some of us may be spiritual bats. Daniel was not.

Daniel made a resolution and he stuck to it. Was this difficult or easy?

Put yourself in his place. His home had been destroyed and he had been dragged away in chains. It seemed like God had forsaken him. He had been without much food for a long time during the siege. Maybe God wanted him to eat this food. Who would know and what would it hurt?

Wouldn’t this little quibble hurt his chances to get a good position in the government? Money was involved! Doesn’t that overrule all other considerations?

Daniel knew what was right and he did it no matter what or no matter who stood against him. We need more Daniels!

They were not the first to be tempted with forbidden fruit, but unlike Adam and Eve, they passed the test!

But wasn’t Daniel being a legalist? Wasn’t carrying this all just a bit too far? Not according to God. We may think it is all right to ignore some of God’s word, but it doesn’t really matter what we think. It is what God thinks that matters and God agreed with Daniel!

This may come as a surprise to some (particularly in the denominational world), but the church is not a democracy. We do not determine the truth; we don’t vote on the truth. The truth is the truth regardless of what we think about it. Daniel and his friends did not get together to vote on what to do; they knew what to do.

Daniel used the word “defile.” Even that was courageous! He used a strong word but an appropriate word. We really need more Daniels today!

The Babylonians could change many things about Daniel’s life: his homeland, his culture, his name, his diet. But they could not change his heart. He remained loyal and true to God.

Can you imagine the kind of courage this required for a teenager to stand up against all of Babylon! God, give us courageous Christians!

9 And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs; 10 and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear lest my lord the king, who appointed your food and your drink, should see that you were in poorer condition than the youths who are of your own age. So you would endanger my head with the king.”

Why did Daniel receive such favor? Was it because of something he did? No. God gave Daniel favor in the Babylonian’s sight. God deserved the credit for Daniel’s success. Again we are reminded of God’s sovereignty.

Daniel feared God, but who did the chief eunuch fear? Nebuchadnezzar. The chief eunuch feared for his life. Daniel feared for his soul.

11 Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had appointed 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 rich food be observed by you, and according to what you see deal with your servants.”

Daniel next goes to the steward that the chief eunuch had appointed and offers him a deal. Why?

Daniel was persistent. The first official did not give him the answer he wanted. He did not give up at the first sign of difficulty.

The 10 days in this verse is just that – ten days. Unlike Revelation, much of this book is historical and not apocalyptic. Later, we will study sections of this book in which numbers should be interpreted figuratively.

The King James Version uses the word ‘pulse’ in place of ‘vegetables’ in verses 12 and 16. It is a poor translation in that it refers only to beans, peas, and lentils. The actual Hebrew word includes all types of vegetables.

14 So he hearkened 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 rich food. 16 So the steward took away their rich food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.

Why did the steward agree to their plan? Who do you think got all of the rich food they refused to eat? When you answer the second question you will have your answer to the first!

As God’s people we should not run from a test. We should invite a test of our faith. We should pray for such a test. Because such a test gives us a chance to show the world whose side we are on and to prove to the world that we are on the right side.

Their improved appearance seems to have been miraculous, since it is difficult to see how a 10 day diet of vegetables could have made a visible difference.

17 As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all letters and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

Again note the phrase “God gave.” God is in charge here. Their learning and wisdom were gifts from God. (Not due to their diet as vegetarians like to claim!)

God gave Daniel wisdom and the ability to understand visions and dreams.

This gift would allow Daniel to become an advisor to Nebuchadnezzar, which is obviously what God had in mind. It would also allow Daniel to be considered a ‘wise man’ in the king’s court, and would allow Daniel to be the channel of revelation that God wanted him to be.

Ezekiel speaks of a man named Daniel who was wise and could interpret secrets. Who do you think he had in mind? The liberal critics think [or at least say!] that Ezekiel was speaking of a mythic pagan character who was famous for his drunkenness.

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 them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they stood before the king. 20 And in every matter of wisdom and understanding concerning which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom.

These four young men made quite an impression on the king. Although they had only been in the country for a few years, they already knew more than the wise men who advised the king.

With God’s help they passed their final exams. You can almost picture God playing the role of the proud father as these three boys showed up all of the Babylonian wise men!

‘Ten times’ better? This was a common idiom for ‘much’ better.

21 And Daniel continued until the first year of King Cyrus.

This means that Daniel was around from 605 until AT LEAST 539 B.C.

PROBLEM: How can this verse be true since in we find that Daniel receives a vision in the third year of Cyrus?

Again let’s read the verse and see what it actually says.

Does it say that Daniel died during the first year of King Cyrus? No. Not at all.

It simply tells us that Daniel survived into the next empire. Daniel lasted longer than the Babylonians did! He had predicted the fall and he was there to see it.

Who was Cyrus? He was the first Persian emperor that took over after the Chaldeans were defeated. He released the Jews from captivity and allowed them to return to their land. Read Ezra.