The Book Of Daniel: A STUDY IN KEEPING The Faith!
The prophet Daniel lived in the sixth century before the birth of Jesus, here is a study using various online sources and The King James Version of The Holy Bible. God’s sovereign word. Any mistakes or misinterpretations are mine alone.
“In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. 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. And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes; Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego. But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs. And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king. Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants. So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days. And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat. Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat, and the wine that they should drink; and gave them pulse. As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm. And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus.”
-Daniel 1 (KJV)
The prophet Daniel lived in the sixth century before the birth of Jesus. During this approximate period:
- Construction on the Acropolis in Athens began
- Mayan civilization flourished in Mexico
- Aesop wrote his fables
- Confucius and Buddha lived
- Greek art began to truly excel
- The Phoenicians made the first known sea journey around Africa
- The Greeks introduced the olive tree to Italy
Daniel describes events of the second century before Jesus (especially the period 175-164 B.C.) with such precision that critics believe it had to have been written after that period, during the time of the Maccabees (in between the Old and New Testaments). Supposedly, the purpose for writing Daniel at that time was to inspire God's people on to victory during the Maccabean wars.
The first one to suggest a Maccabean date for Daniel was the Neoplatonic philosopher Porphyrius of Tyre (third century A.D.) Porphyrius couldn't believe the prophecies, so he suggested the later date. Jerome, in his commentary on Daniel, spent much of his time refuting these arguments.
Beginning in 1771, influenced by the Enlightenment, academics began to revive the old Maccabean date theory about the Book of Daniel. They all agreed that every accurate prediction in Daniel was written after the events took place.
The modern argument for "late dating" Daniel is based on supposed inevitable mistakes that a second century B.C. writer made when writing about a period 400 years before, in the sixth century B.C. In our own day, it would be as if someone wrote a story about the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock and they mentioned speedboats and computers. We would know that it was a forgery.
There are usually said to be five main historical blunders:
- The "wrong date" for Nebuchadnezzar's invasion of Judah
- Using the word "Chaldeans" to describe a class of soothsayers
- The "obviously legendary" account of Nebuchadnezzar's madness
- King Belshazzar and his relationship to Nabonidus
- The "legendary" figure of Darius the Mede
There is also a linguistic argument made, claiming Greek words are used in Daniel are words that did not come into the Hebrew vocabulary until the second century B.C.
As we go through the Book of Daniel, we will give special attention to these issues, and what modern archaeological research has to say about them. But we should ask: why such a strong attack against the Book of Daniel? Simply because Daniel contains more fulfilled prophecies than any other book in the Bible. In New Testament prophecy, Daniel is referred to more than any other Old Testament book.
At times, Communist governments prohibited preaching from the Book of Daniel because it reveals God's knowledge of the future, and it shows that in the end the LORD God and His people win.
“Jehoiakim king of Judah:” This was a Judean king placed on the throne by the Pharaoh of Egypt. His name means "Yahweh raises up," but the Lord did not raise him up at all, Pharaoh did.
“Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.” This was the mighty ruler of the Babylonian Empire. The name Nebuchadnezzar is a Hebrew transliteration of the Babylonian name Nebu-kudduri-utzur, which means "Nebu protects the crown."
“Came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.” Why did Nebuchadnezzar come against Jerusalem? Because the Pharaoh of Egypt invaded Babylon. In response the young prince Nebuchadnezzar defeated the Egyptians at Charchemish, then he pursued their fleeing army all the way down to the Sinai. Along the way (or on the way back), he subdued Jerusalem, who had been loyal to the Pharaoh of Egypt.
This happened in 605 B.C. and it was the first, but not the last encounter between Nebuchadnezzar and Jehoiakim. There would be two later invasions (597 and 587 B.C.).
Is this a historical blunder? This invasion in 605 B.C. is not mentioned in the book of Kings, but Josephus' quotation of the Babylonian historian Berossus shows that the Biblical account of three separate Babylonian attacks on Judah is accurate (Against Apion, I 19; Antiquities, X 11, 1).
The Babylonian chronicles are a collection of tablets discovered as early as 1887, and are held in the British Museum. In them, Nebuchadnezzar's 605 B.C. presence in Judah is documented and clarified.
When the Babylonian chronicles were finally published in 1956, they gave us first-rate, detailed political and military information about the first 10 years of Nebuchadnezzar's reign. L.W. King prepared these tablets in 1919; he then died, and they were neglected for four decades.
Excavations also document the victory of Nebuchadnezzar over the Egyptians at Carchemish in May or June of 605 B.C. Archaeologists found evidences of battle, vast quantities of arrowheads, layers of ash, and a shield of a Greek mercenary fighting for the Egyptians.
This campaign was interrupted suddenly when Nebuchadnezzar heard of his father's death and raced back to Babylon to secure his succession to the throne. He traveled about 500 miles in two weeks, remarkable speed.
The siege of Jerusalem in 605 B.C. was cut short by Nebuchadnezzar's return to Babylon. This is not specifically detailed in the Babylonian Chronicles, but it is entirely consistent with the record.
“In the third year of the reign.” There is also no contradiction between Daniel, who says this happened in the third year of Jehoiakim, and Jeremiah 46:2, which says it was in the fourth year of Jehoiakim. Daniel reckoned a king's years after the Babylonian method: the first year of a king's reign begins at the start of the calendar year after he takes the throne. Jeremiah uses the Jewish method.
"It was customary for the Babylonians to consider the first year of a king's reign as the year of accession and to call the next year the first year. Having spent most of his life in Babylon, it is only natural that Daniel should use a Babylonian form of chronology."
-V Walvoord
“And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand.” In this 597 B.C. deportation, Jehoiakim, Ezekiel and others were taken away. This deportation is described thusly:
“And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land. And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king's mother, and the king's wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths a thousand, all that were strong and apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.”
- 2 Kings 24:14-16 (KJV)
Though Judah is conquered, God's hand is obvious; He is in command. This was prophesied in The Book of Isaiah:
“And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”
-Isaiah 39:7 (KJV)
This prophecy leads some to think Daniel and his companions were made eunuchs. Certainly, the Hebrew term saris was used of literal eunuchs; but the word derives from a phrase that simply means to be a servant of the king. It wasn't exclusively applied to literal eunuchs.
Why did the Lord give Judah into the hands of the Babylonians? The two main reasons for the captivity were Israel's idolatry, and their failure to observe the sabbaths for the land. This shows that God always settles accounts with those who refuse to respond to His warnings. In the 587 B.C. invasion, the city of Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed as we saw in the Second Book of Kings:
“And he burnt the house of the Lord, and the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man's house burnt he with fire. And all the army of the Chaldees, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down the walls of Jerusalem round about.
-2 Kings 25:9-10 (KJV)
“Part of the vessels of the house of God.” Nebuchadnezzar did not take all the furnishings of the temple, only some. The rest were either hidden before Nebuchadnezzar came or brought to Babylon later.
The confiscation of these items and their deposit in a Babylonian temple was a dramatic declaration by Nebuchadnezzar saying, "my god is better than your God." Was the God of Israel able to vindicate Himself?
This was a low time for Judah and God's people. It seemed that the God of Israel lost out to the gods of Assyria, Egypt, and Babylon. The Book of Daniel shows God vindicating Himself at a time when the conquest of Israel might have brought His reputation into disrepute.
“Bring certain of the children of Israel.” Nebuchadnezzar not only confiscated holy things from the temple, but the shining lights of Judah's future as well (young men perhaps 13-17 years old).
"The Hebrew for the princes is a Persian word, partemim, which is cited as another proof for a late date of Daniel. However, inasmuch as Daniel lived in his latter years under Persian government as a high official, there is nothing strange about an occasional Persian word."
-V. Walvoord
“Such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace.” Nebuchadnezzar showed himself a wise administrator, and a shrewd tactician. Taking these young men as hostages reminded the people back in Jerusalem that they should not revolt against recently imposed Babylonian rule.
“The king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat.” It was a given that the Babylonian government would provide for these young men in training. Yet, to have the same food and wine prepared for the king was intended as a special honor.
In the ancient world much more than the modern world, there was a huge difference between the food enjoyed by the elite and what common people ate.
“Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names.” Daniel tells us of four of these youths, and their new Babylonian names.
i. The name Daniel (meaning God is my judge) was changed to Belteshazzar (meaning Bel's prince).
ii. The name Hannaniah (meaning Beloved by the LORD) was changed to Shadrach (meaning Illumined by Sun-god).
iii. The name Mishael (meaning Who is as God) was changed to Meshach (meaning Who is like Venus).
iv. The name Azariah (meaning The LORD is my help) was changed to Abed-Nego (meaning Servant of Nego).
Three years of training for them: The purpose of the food, names and education was simple. This was an effort at total indoctrination, working to make these young Jewish men leave behind their Hebrew God and culture. Undoubtedly, Nebuchadnezzar wanted to communicate to these young men, "look to me for everything." Daniel and his friends refused, insisting that they look to God.
Calvin wrote that Nebuchadnezzar knew that the Jews were a stiff-necked and obstinate people, and that he used the sumptuous food to soften up the captives.
Satan uses a similar strategy against believers today, wanting to indoctrinate us into the world system. Satan wants us to:
- Feed on what the world offers
- Identify ("name") ourselves in reference to the world
- Educate ourselves in the ways of the world
“That he would not defile himself.” The ancient Hebrew word defile carries the thought of polluting or staining as we see in the following scripture:
“For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.”
-Isaiah 59:3 (KJV)
“Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!”
-Zephaniah 3:1 (KJV)
“Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the Lord is contemptible.”
- Malachi 1:7 (KJV)
That Daniel requested that he might not defile himself implies that he explained the spiritual basis for his request. He didn't make it seem that he wanted to avoid the king's food out of other reasons.
“Therefore he requested.” Isn't Daniel making a big deal over a little thing? Yes, but the only way to go on with God is by being faithful in little things. We might ask, "Daniel, why bring religion into it?" But Daniel realized that his relationship with God touched every area of his life, even what he ate. Significantly, the very root of sin goes back to eating forbidden food.
“That he might not defile himself.” Why did Daniel and his friends consider the king's food defiled? First, it undoubtedly was not kosher. Second, it was probably sacrificed to idols. Third, it implied fellowship with Babylon's cultural system.
Daniel did not object to the name given to him, because he knew whom he was - you could call him what you liked. Daniel did not object to the Babylonian education, because he knew what he believed. Daniel did object to the food from the king's table, because it to eat it was direct disobedience to God's word.
"By eastern standards to share a meal was to commit one's self to friendship; it was of covenant significance."
-B Baldwin
The king ordered the menu. Rejecting the menu was rejecting the king, and could result in severe punishment.
Refusing the food might have branded them as being uncooperative, and spoiled all chances of advancement (many other Hebrew youths did eat the food).
There was a real threat of punishment. Ancient kings were well known for the severe and often sadistic punishments against those who crossed them. Nebuchadnezzar was capable of great cruelty. He murdered the sons of one king of Judah before the king's eyes; then immediately gouged out the eyes of the king, so his last memory would always be the murder of his sons:
“Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes: also the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Judah. Moreover he put out Zedekiah's eyes, and bound him with chains, to carry him to Babylon.”
-Jeremiah 39:6-7 (KJV)
Other rulers of Judah were literally roasted to death over a fire:
“And of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captivity of Judah which are in Babylon, saying, The Lord make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire.”
-Jeremiah 29:22 (KJV)
The food itself was no doubt pretty attractive, and seemed a much better alternative than eating a vegetarian diet and water for three years.
Mere distance made this challenging. Separated from family and home, it was easy to compromise.
It was easy to think that God had let them down by allowing them to be carried away into Babylon. Why should they risk their necks for a God who let them down? Many Christians have a mentality that says, "God, you do right by me, and I'll do right by you." Of course, God will always do right by us; but we don't always know what is right for us.
“Daniel purposed in his heart.” In this, Daniel illustrates how to conquer a difficult trial and glorify God before others in the midst of testing.
i. First, the heart must be set. Daniel purposed in his heart, making up his mind beforehand that he would not compromise.
ii. The life must be winning. Daniel found favor with his superiors.
iii. Protest must be courteous - Daniel requested. He made a polite request, showing discretion. Making a stand for Jesus Christ does not mean we must be obnoxious.
iv. Self-denial must be sought. Daniel and his friends knew this would cost them something, yet they were willing.
"Be ready for a bad name; be willing to be called a bigot; be prepared for the loss of friendships; be prepared for anything so long as you can stand fast by Him who bought you with His precious blood."
-C.S. Spurgeon
v. The test must be boldly put.
"I think that a Christian man should be willing to be tried; he should be pleased to let his religion be put to the test. 'There,' says he, 'hammer away if you like.' Do you want to be carried to heaven on a feather bed? Do you want always to be protected from everybody's sneer and frown; and to go to heaven as if you were riding in the procession on Lord Mayor's day?"
-C.S. Spurgeon
“God had brought Daniel into favour.” God will never abandon us when we stand for Him. Daniel entrusted himself to God, and God came through, though it was no doubt a stretching experience for Daniel and his friends.
“Into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.” God moved upon the authorities so they would regard Daniel with goodwill; but God also worked through the wise actions of Daniel to cultivate this goodwill.
“Prove thy servants, I beseech thee.” Daniel saw the situation through the steward's eyes, and addressed his legitimate concerns. He wouldn't let the chief of the eunuchs pay the price for Daniel's conscience. In it all, Daniel was willing to put himself and his faith in God to the test.
There is something so reasonable about Daniel's approach. He could have gone on a hunger strike; he could have started throwing over banquet tables. Instead he made a polite request, made it to the right person and said, "Put us to the test."
In this sense we might say that Daniel made a godly and wise compromise with the “chief of the eunuchs.” He certainly did not compromise in an ungodly way, but he showed the wisdom The Book of James speaks about:
“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.”
-James 3:17 (KJV)
"Martyrs by proxy, who have such strong convictions that they think it somebody else's duty to run risk for them, are by no means unknown."
-E. Maclaren
"It is of no use for a man to say, 'I have made up my mind upon certain things,' and to keep doggedly fighting over those matters, while, at the same time, the whole of his life is unkind, ungenerous, and unlovable. Yes, by all manner of means be a martyr if you like; but do not martyr everybody else."
-C.S. Spurgeon
“Pulse to eat, and water to drink.” “Pulse” refers to all kinds of grains and plants, not strictly vegetables. Basically, this was a vegetarian diet, chosen because none of the meat was butchered in a kosher manner or was sacrificed to idols.
Was Daniel presumptuous or testing God when he put God to the test? Not at all, because he had both a command to obey and a promise to trust as we see in The Book of Exodus:
“And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and He shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.”
-Exodus 23:25 (KJV)
“So he consented to them in this matter.” This was the hand of God at work. The chief of the eunuchs had all the "power" in this situation; Daniel and his friends seemed to be completely at his mercy. Yet God moved upon this man, and “he consented to them in this matter.”
“Their countenances appeared fairer and fatter.” This was the hand of God at work. There was no biological reason why a vegetarian diet should make them appear “fairer and fatter.” Perhaps their diet would have made them appear the same as the other Jewish young men who ate the king's food, but not “fairer and fatter.”
“God gave them knowledge and skill.” The special intellectual ability of Daniel and his companions was not due to their diet, but to the special intervention of the Lord.
Some think their diet had a direct effect on their knowledge. Trapp says,
"This slender diet was some help to their studies; for loaden bellies make leaden wits."
-V. Trapp
Nevertheless, surely the key was spiritual.
These young Jewish men gave themselves to the Lord in a remarkable way and God blessed them in a remarkable way. J. Edwin Orr remembered something Billy Brice said to him: "Edwin, if Christians would only give over and above their reasonable service, the Lord would give over and above the usual blessing." Daniel and his friends understood this principle, and God blessed them for acting on it.
“Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.” This shows that purity of heart and faithfulness to God come before enlightenment in divine mysteries. Daniel will later receive great revelation, but now he simply shows himself a dedicated follower of God.
“Among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.” These young men from Jerusalem were immersed in the study of Babylonian culture, literature and religion; yet they remained faithful to God. The work of the prophets like Jeremiah, Zephaniah and Habakkuk had not been in vain. They were in Babylon, but not of Babylon.
We can infer that Daniel and his friends were well trained by their parents. We must train our children this way.
“And Daniel continued even unto the first year of King Cyrus.” Daniel had a long, successful career in the worst of circumstances. He worked for tyrants who thought nothing of killing their staff and advisors, much less firing them. His employer suffered the worst kind of hostile takeover when the Medo-Persian Empire conquered the Babylonian Empire. The seeds of his great success are evident in the very first chapter of the Book of Daniel.
Daniel and his friends show us that inner conviction can overcome any outer pressure, and that God-honoring convictions yield God-given rewards.
Christian brothers and sisters, God fearing is the start of God honoring!
-God bless!
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