The Book of Daniel: Introduction & Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION:

Quite often, life does not lay before us an easy road. The obstacles that we are called upon to face may seem to be insurmountable. We sometimes face challenges that force us to stand for what is right in the midst of people who desire to force us to compromise and cave in to what we know is wrong. Making the wrong moral and ethical choices will ultimately lead to disaster, even if they seem to be the short term answer to a given problem. The scriptural example that we are going to look at this evening is a prime lesson about the importance of making the right choices in bad situations. This story also is a good picture of God using a willing young man to to be a godly influence in an extremely ungodly culture. TS: Notice some basic principles that will help you to live in a way that will make you a godly influence in an ungodly culture.

I- True Character Is Not Contingent Upon External Circumstances (Daniel 1:1 – 3).

Daniel 1:1–3 NLT

1 During the third year of King Jehoiakim’s reign in Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 The Lord gave him victory over King Jehoiakim of Judah and permitted him to take some of the sacred objects from the Temple of God. So Nebuchadnezzar took them back to the land of Babylonia and placed them in the treasure-house of his god. 3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief of staff, to bring to the palace some of the young men of Judah’s royal family and other noble families, who had been brought to Babylon as captives.

A- Character is not determined by the morals of the culture.

1- Daniel’s country was in moral chaos.a- Led by an ungodly ruler.

(2 Chron. 36:5) “Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he became king and reigned 11 years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God.”

B- Character is not determined by the security of the country.

1- Israel had been over run by Babylon and was subject to non-believers.

2- Israel was under the Judgment hand of God for her unfaithfulness to Him.

Jeremiah 25:12-14

Jeremiah 25:12–14 NLT

12 “Then, after the seventy years of captivity are over, I will punish the king of Babylon and his people for their sins,” says the Lord. “I will make the country of the Babylonians a wasteland forever. 13 I will bring upon them all the terrors I have promised in this book—all the penalties announced by Jeremiah against the nations. 14 Many nations and great kings will enslave the Babylonians, just as they enslaved my people. I will punish them in proportion to the suffering they cause my people.”

Jeremiah 29:10-14

Jeremiah 29:10–14 NLT

10 This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. 14 I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”

Jeremiah 52 NLT

1 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah from Libnah. 2 But Zedekiah did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, just as Jehoiakim had done. 3 These things happened because of the Lord’s anger against the people of Jerusalem and Judah, until he finally banished them from his presence and sent them into exile. Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. 4 So on January 15, during the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon led his entire army against Jerusalem. They surrounded the city and built siege ramps against its walls. 5 Jerusalem was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah’s reign. 6 By July 18 in the eleventh year of Zedekiah’s reign, the famine in the city had become very severe, and the last of the food was entirely gone. 7 Then a section of the city wall was broken down, and all the soldiers fled. Since the city was surrounded by the Babylonians, they waited for nightfall. Then they slipped through the gate between the two walls behind the king’s garden and headed toward the Jordan Valley. 8 But the Babylonian troops chased King Zedekiah and overtook him on the plains of Jericho, for his men had all deserted him and scattered. 9 They captured the king and took him to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath. There the king of Babylon pronounced judgment upon Zedekiah. 10 The king of Babylon made Zedekiah watch as he slaughtered his sons. He also slaughtered all the officials of Judah at Riblah. 11 Then he gouged out Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him in bronze chains, and the king of Babylon led him away to Babylon. Zedekiah remained there in prison until the day of his death. 12 On August 17 of that year, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard and an official of the Babylonian king, arrived in Jerusalem. 13 He burned down the Temple of the Lord, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem. He destroyed all the important buildings in the city. 14 Then he supervised the entire Babylonian army as they tore down the walls of Jerusalem on every side. 15 Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took as exiles some of the poorest of the people, the rest of the people who remained in the city, the defectors who had declared their allegiance to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen. 16 But Nebuzaradan allowed some of the poorest people to stay behind to care for the vineyards and fields. 17 The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars in front of the Lord’s Temple, the bronze water carts, and the great bronze basin called the Sea, and they carried all the bronze away to Babylon. 18 They also took all the ash buckets, shovels, lamp snuffers, basins, dishes, and all the other bronze articles used for making sacrifices at the Temple. 19 The captain of the guard also took the small bowls, incense burners, basins, pots, lampstands, ladles, bowls used for liquid offerings, and all the other articles made of pure gold or silver. 20 The weight of the bronze from the two pillars, the Sea with the twelve bronze oxen beneath it, and the water carts was too great to be measured. These things had been made for the Lord’s Temple in the days of King Solomon. 21 Each of the pillars was 27 feet tall and 18 feet in circumference. They were hollow, with walls 3 inches thick. 22 The bronze capital on top of each pillar was 7½ feet high and was decorated with a network of bronze pomegranates all the way around. 23 There were 96 pomegranates on the sides, and a total of 100 pomegranates on the network around the top. 24 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took with him as prisoners Seraiah the high priest, Zephaniah the priest of the second rank, and the three chief gatekeepers. 25 And from among the people still hiding in the city, he took an officer who had been in charge of the Judean army; seven of the king’s personal advisers; the army commander’s chief secretary, who was in charge of recruitment; and sixty other citizens. 26 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took them all to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27 And there at Riblah, in the land of Hamath, the king of Babylon had them all put to death. So the people of Judah were sent into exile from their land. 28 The number of captives taken to Babylon in the seventh year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign was 3,023. 29 Then in Nebuchadnezzar’s eighteenth year he took 832 more. 30 In Nebuchadnezzar’s twenty-third year he sent Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, who took 745 more—a total of 4,600 captives in all. 31 In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of King Jehoiachin of Judah, Evil-merodach ascended to the Babylonian throne. He was kind to Jehoiachin and released him from prison on March 31 of that year. 32 He spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and gave him a higher place than all the other exiled kings in Babylon. 33 He supplied Jehoiachin with new clothes to replace his prison garb and allowed him to dine in the king’s presence for the rest of his life. 34 So the Babylonian king gave him a regular food allowance as long as he lived. This continued until the day of his death.

(2 Kings 24:6–12)

2 Kings 24:6–12 NLT

6 When Jehoiakim died, his son Jehoiachin became the next king. 7 The king of Egypt did not venture out of his country after that, for the king of Babylon captured the entire area formerly claimed by Egypt—from the Brook of Egypt to the Euphrates River. 8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan from Jerusalem. 9 Jehoiachin did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, just as his father had done. 10 During Jehoiachin’s reign, the officers of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came up against Jerusalem and besieged it. 11 Nebuchadnezzar himself arrived at the city during the siege. 12 Then King Jehoiachin, along with the queen mother, his advisers, his commanders, and his officials, surrendered to the Babylonians. In the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, he took Jehoiachin prisoner.

C- Character is not determined by where you are.

1- Daniel had been carried captive in a pagan land where his God was not known.

a- Babylonian gods:

Marduk: Chief god of Babylon, sometimes called Merodach or Bel, the Babylonian equivalent of Baal meaning “lord.” He was credited with creation, a feat reenacted each new year and celebrated with a festival. In typical ancient Near Eastern fashion, Marduk was proclaimed king. The reigning monarch was seen as the son of the god. As the kingdom grew, Marduk was attributed with more powers until he was acknowledged as lord of the heavens.

Ishtar: Mesopotamian goddess of fertility and war. In her role as goddess of fertility, Ishtar was associated with Tammuz, the god of vegetation. Ishtar was sometimes identified with the planet Venus and was designated “Mistress of Heaven” in the Amarna tablets. The goddess is perhaps the “Queen of heaven” of Jer. 7:18; 44:17–19, 25; Ezek. 8:14.

Zamama

Ekua

Anshar

Shamash

Ramman

Sin

Nana

Nebo

Tashmitum

Sarpanitum

Nin-mar (daughter of Marduk)

Khusha

Nun-gal

Sippar

A

II- Having a Godly Influence Begins With Those Who Know You Best (Daniel 1:4 – 7).

Daniel 1:4–7 NLT

4 “Select only strong, healthy, and good-looking young men,” he said. “Make sure they are well versed in every branch of learning, are gifted with knowledge and good judgment, and are suited to serve in the royal palace. Train these young men in the language and literature of Babylon.” 5 The king assigned them a daily ration of food and wine from his own kitchens. They were to be trained for three years, and then they would enter the royal service. 6 Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were four of the young men chosen, all from the tribe of Judah. 7 The chief of staff renamed them with these Babylonian names: Daniel was called Belteshazzar. Hananiah was called Shadrach. Mishael was called Meshach. Azariah was called Abednego.

A- Daniel was among relatives and friends. (vs. 3).

1- All of them were captives in Babylon.

B- Peer pressure and education could have been a factor for Daniel (vs. 4-5).

1- Daniel chose to live out a Godly Character with those who knew him best.

C- Daniel gathered an inner-circle of committed believers around him (vs. 6).

1- It is significant that the four were named together.

2- They continued to stand together throughout the years. (see chapter 3)

III- The Growth of Godly Influence Comes Through the Testing of Character (Daniel 1:8 – 14).

Daniel 1:8–14 NLT

8 But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods. 9 Now God had given the chief of staff both respect and affection for Daniel. 10 But he responded, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has ordered that you eat this food and wine. If you become pale and thin compared to the other youths your age, I am afraid the king will have me beheaded.” 11 Daniel spoke with the attendant who had been appointed by the chief of staff to look after Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 12 “Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water,” Daniel said. 13 “At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king’s food. Then make your decision in light of what you see.” 14 The attendant agreed to Daniel’s suggestion and tested them for ten days.

A- It all begins with the decision to live out your commitment to God (vs. 8-10).

B- Godly character seeks to influence and encourage close friends to live out commitment to God. (vs. 10-11).

C- Consistently live for Christ in the times of testing and leave the rest to God (vs. 12-14).

IV- Consistent Godly Character Greatly Impacts People and Leaves a Lasting Legacy (Daniel 1:15 – 21).

Daniel 1:15–21 NLT

15 At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king. 16 So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the food and wine provided for the others. 17 God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams. 18 When the training period ordered by the king was completed, the chief of staff brought all the young men to King Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked with them, and no one impressed him as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the royal service. 20 Whenever the king consulted them in any matter requiring wisdom and balanced judgment, he found them ten times more capable than any of the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom. 21 Daniel remained in the royal service until the first year of the reign of King Cyrus.

A- Living Out a Godly character will confirm God’s faithfulness (vs. 15-20.

B- Consistently living out a Godly character results in a lasting impact (vs. 21).

1- Daniel continued to live an impactful life for many years.

2- The effect of Daniel’s life and teaching likely influenced the wise men that came to see Jesus.

3- Daniel’s legacy continues to live thousands of years after his death… we are reading about him almost 2500 years later.

a. Nabopolassar, who began his reign in 625 b.c., died; and his young son, Nebuchadnezzar, who already had been leading the army, ascended to the throne on September 6/7 605 b.c.. This is when Daniel and his friends were taken to Babylon.

Conclusion: