WHO WAS DANIEL?
- Born to a prominent Jewish family with royal connections.
- Daniel 1:3
Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles,
- Daniel 1:3
- Was a youth when he was taken to Babylon as a captive.
- Was handsome and good looking.
- Was intellectually gifted.
- Daniel 1:4
…no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace…
- Daniel 1:4
- Would remain in exile for the rest of his life.
Meaning of Daniel
- Dan – judge
- El – God
- Meaning – God is my judge, or the judge of God
This whole book is about judgment.
- Daniel 1 – God judges Jerusalem and the Hebrew boys
- Daniel 2 – God’s prophetic judgment on the whole world
- Daniel 3 – Judgment of the three Hebrew boys
- Daniel 4 – God judges Nebuchadnezzar
- Daniel 5 – Judgment of Babylon and Belshazzar
- Daniel 6 – Judgment on Daniel
- Daniel 7 – Judgment on the little horn
- Daniel 8 – Judgment in the sanctuary
- Daniel 9 – The beginning of judgment
- Daniel 10 – Introduction to Daniel 11
- Daniel 11 & 12 – When God will judge the world
THE CHIASM OF DANIEL
Daniel 2-7 is like a chiasm
What is a chiasm?
- It is a literary device in which a sequence of ideas are presented and then repeated in reverse order.
- Parallel thoughts.
- With the most important thought in the center.
- The book of Revelation is a chiasm. And many other books of the Bible have chiasm’s in them.
- A
- B
- C
- D
- C’
- C
- B’
- B
- A’
- So we see thoughts A, B, C and D.
- And then it is in reverse with C compliment, B compliment and A compliment.
The book of Daniel is written in 2 languages:
- Daniel 1 – Hebrew
- Daniel 2-7 – Aramaic
- Daniel 8-12 – Hebrew
This suggests that the book is split into 2.
Here is the chiasm that we find in Daniel 2-7 – the chapters that are written in Aramaic. So it’s not the whole book but part of the book only.
Daniel 2 – prophecy about world kingdoms
Daniel 3 – 3 Hebrew boys tested and thrown into the fire
Daniel 4 – A king is humbled – Nebuchadnezzar
Daniel 5 – A king is humbled – Belshazzar
Daniel 6 – Daniel tested and thrown into the lions den
Daniel 7 – prophecy about world kingdoms
Underlying message in chapters 2-7
- God will judge everyone.
- Those that are kingdoms of the world will be judged.
- This is Daniel 2 and 7.
- Those that claim to be faithful will be judged.
- The 3 Hebrew boys and Daniel.
- Those that raise their hand against God will also be judged.
- Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar.
- Ultimately God will be sovereign and will prevail.
- He will judge everyone.
Why judge?
- It’s reminder that God still rules and that He is still sovereign.
- Especially in the time that we live in.
- We have questions for God.
- Why allow all this wickedness to take place on the earth?
- Why allow bad things to happen to good people?
- Why does it seem to appear that evil is winning and not good?
- Why?
- God is telling us that He is still in control.
- Daniel 2 says it this way:
- Daniel 2:21
And He changes the times and the seasons;
He removes kings and raises up kings;
He gives wisdom to the wise
And knowledge to those who have understanding.
Daniel 1: The Foundation
We are thrown right into the action:
Daniel 1:1-2
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 articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god.
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, comes and besieges Jerusalem and he prevails. He conquers Judah and he takes Daniel as prisoner.
- We quickly see that there is a big battle between good and evil here,
- The house of God and its articles are carried away and they are brought into the house of the Babylonian gods.
- Note Exhibit 2, page 8 paragraph 2:
“As a worshipper…” - There are 2 sides at war:
- Two kings: Jehoiakim and Nebuchadnezzar.
- Two Gods: Jehovah and Marduk.
- Two Cities: Babylon and Jerusalem.
- Two temples: God’s temple and Marduk’s temple.
- Two peoples: The Hebrews and the Babylonians.
The overthrow of the Jewish nation was foretold more than a century before!
- Isaiah 39:5-7
5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: 6 ‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,’ says the LORD. 7 ‘And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’ ” - Jeremiah 25:6-9
6 Do not go after other gods to serve them and worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands; and I will not harm you.’ 7 Yet you have not listened to Me… 8 “Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Because you have not heard My words, 9 behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,’ says the LORD, ‘and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon… - God had given them ample warning but they didn’t listen.
- Many were not ready.
- It will be like that at the end of time as well.
- God has warned us of things to come. Calamities, disasters, the mark of the beast!
- But many will not be ready.
How long would they be in captivity for?
- Jeremiah 25:11
And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. - God has given us the Bible to warn us of future events as well.
- To help to be prepared. To guide us through these troubled times in which we live.
Daniel 1:3-4
3 Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles, 4 young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace…
The king was looking for some specific people.
- They had to have no blemish.
- They had to be good-looking.
- They had to be gifted in all wisdom.
- And possessing knowledge.
- And also they had to be quick to understand.
- They were the cream of the crop. The best of the best.
Basically, they could be divided into 2 qualities:
- Outward physical traits.
- Smart!
Normally we don’t find these 2 together. But Daniel and all those brought to the heathen court had both.
- Usually those that are beautiful/handsome, they spend a lot of time on their looks and not enough in their books.
- And those that are smart, they spend too much time in the books and not on their looks.
- But not so with Daniel and all those who were brought as captives to Babylon. They were smart AND they were good-looking.
Nebuchadnezzar is bringing people from other nations to come and serve him. But before he and trust them, he has to re-educate them. What does Nebuchadnezzar do?
Daniel 1:4
…whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans.
- First he gets them to learn the language and also the literature of the Chaldeans – which is the classical language and script of the country of Babylon at that time.
- So the Babylonian language and cuneiform writing.
- This is the mental aspect of the education.
- Mental preparation.
Daniel 1:5
And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king.
- They ate directly from the kings table.
- This is physical education. Physical preparation.
Daniel 1:6-7
6 Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 7 To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names: he gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abed-Nego.
- Changing of their names from Hebrew names to Babylonian names. Names that were dedicated to the God of heaven to names that were dedicated to the Babylonian gods.
- Daniel – Belteshazzar
- Hananiah – Shadrach
- Michael – Meshach
- Azariah – Abed-Nego
- This was a spiritual attack. Nebuchadnezzar wanted them to forget their spiritual heritage.
- This is what we call spiritual preparation.
So they were attacked in three areas:
- Mental.
- Physical.
- Spiritual.
But how does Daniel respond?
Daniel 1:8
But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
Out of the three areas that the king of Babylon attacked them in, Daniel only responded to one of them. Why?
- Mental: There was nothing with learning a new language and the culture.
- Spiritual: Daniel could not help that people would call him a different name even if he didn’t want them to.
- Physical: But Daniel had a choice in this, even though he was a prisoner.
Why did he purpose in his heart in this situation?
- The food had been offered to idols, the Babylonian gods.
- Moreover, the food was considered unclean and was not fit to be eaten according to what God had instructed them in Leviticus 11. And wine was clearly instructed by God not to be taken as drink.
- And remember, he was a prisoner. Yet he was willing to risk his life for the sake of the food that was being placed before him.
- So Daniel made a firm decision.
- And that decision has to begin in our hearts, in our minds.
When you make a firm decision, then God can begin to work.
- Daniel 1:9
Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs. - God begins to work for Daniel.
- You see, God cannot work on our behalf if we have not decided whether we want to be faithful or not. God works with our decisions.
- And Daniel has decided to be faithful to God. So God begins working on the heart of the chief of the eunuchs.
- When you read verse 9, we’re expecting for a good response from the chief of the eunuchs right?
- But look at how he responds.
Daniel 1:10
And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who has appointed your food and drink. For why should he see your faces looking worse than the young men who are your age? Then you would endanger my head before the king.”
- Basically, how does this chief of the eunuch’s respond? He basically says NO!
- He’s afraid that Daniel and his friends will look worse than all the others that came with him and the king would have his head for that.
- Where is God working in all of this?
- You see it’s important to remember that even though we decide for God, it doesn’t mean that the road will be all smooth without any problems.
- But because Daniel has purposed in his heart, he is persistent. What does he do next?
Daniel 1:11-14
11 So Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king’s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.” 14 So he consented with them in this matter, and tested them ten days.
- Daniel goes to the one below the chief. He goes to the steward who is probably lower in rank than the chief of the eunuchs. But most likely, even though the chief of the eunuch’s said no, he probably told Daniel – if you go ask the steward and he says yes, then I’m ok.
- That way, the chief was not going to get in trouble if Daniel and his friends turned out worse. And the steward was willing.
- God was working. But we still need to be persistent.
- Daniel just asks for vegetables and water. A simple diet.
At the end of 10 days, what was the result?
- Daniel 1:15
And at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies. - Their faces appeared better and fatter in flesh.
- In the KJV it says that their faces appeared FAIRER and FATTER in flesh.
- Why fairer and fatter?
- If I’m going to get fatter eating just vegetables and drinking water, that’s not good!
- Well you see, they had just walked around 1500km across the hot desert, with the sun beating down on them every day.
- Moreover, they had been castrated and made eunuch’s before they arrived in Babylon.
- So they didn’t arrive in the best of health. They were sunburnt and they were skinny.
- So when the Bible says that at the end of 10 days they were fairer and fatter – it was describing their recovery. They were able to gain back their weight faster and their skin also healed faster as well.
- This is the benefit of having a healthy vegetarian diet.
- Even the sports world recognizes it. There are many that are even vegan as professional athletes.
- Tennis – Novak Djokovic, Venus & Serena Williams
- Basketball – Chris Paul, Kyrie Irving
- NFL – Tom Brady
- Runner – Carl Lewis
- Soccer – Lionel Messi
Daniel 1:17
As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom…
Was Daniel and his 3 friends given knowledge and wisdom because they were vegetarian?
- No, of course not.
- This was given them from God because they stayed away from those things that they knew were not right to place in their body. They were faithful to God’s instruction.
- They were faithful in the little things.
- So when God could see that they were faithful, then He could entrust to them bigger things.
And to Daniel, God could entrust something even bigger.
- Daniel 1:17
…and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. - Daniel was called to the role of a prophet.
- And God wants to call many people to this role, even in these last days.
- Joel 2:28
“And it shall come to pass afterward
That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions.- In order for us to fulfill this verse, we have to be like Daniel as well.
- We need to be faithful and obedient in the little things.
- It was because of appetite that sin came into the world at the very beginning.
- And the very first temptation of the devil to Jesus was:
- Matthew 4:3
… “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
- Matthew 4:3
- Jesus had to overcome on the point of appetite where Adam failed.
- And today, that is still an important aspect that forms the foundation of understanding scripture and especially the prophecies.
- If you can’t think well, you can’t make wise decisions.
- Our mental ability is directly affected by what we eat and drink.
Finally, Daniel and his friends are called in by the king himself, and Nebuchadnezzar interviews them.
- Daniel 1:18-20
18 Now at the end of the days, when the king had said that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 Then the king interviewed them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they served before the king. 20 And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm.
How much better did the king find them to be than all those that were in his whole kingdom?
- 10 times better!
- Not just 10 times better than their friends and young people that came with them.
- Even 10 times better than all his wise men who were the magicians and astrologers.
- This was a declaration that the king made himself. It wasn’t God seeing in the heart. It was measured by a man that did not even believe in God at that time.
As a result, Daniel and his three friends were made a part of the group of wise men that would counsel and guide and advise the king. And not only that, God would give insights and messages to Daniel that would be a guide to us and also an affirmation for many that the Bible can be trusted!
Even Jesus would give recommendation and counsel us to go back and study the book of Daniel.
Matthew 24:15
“Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand)…
So as we start to dig into the book of Daniel, let us take the first lesson from this first chapter which sets the foundation for the whole book of Daniel.
- We need to learn to be faithful in the little things.
- We need to learn to be careful with our diet.
- The physical affects our mental ability, which affects the capacity to which God can communicate with us.