Daniel - Chapter 1

The transcription is a discussion about the first chapter of the book of Daniel in the Christian Bible. It talks about the historical context of the chapter, including the reign of King Jehoiakim and the invasion of Babylon. It also mentions the importance of learning a new language and the significance of Daniel and his friends' names being changed. The transcription emphasizes Daniel's resolve to remain faithful to God and the blessings he receives because of it. It concludes by highlighting the theme of God's sovereignty and encourages listeners to seek wisdom from the Lord. I am Julie Callio, your host, and thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedules to tune in with me today. If by chance you want to contact me, you can do that at vab.bc.pc at gmail.com. Today we are looking at chapter 1 of Daniel, which is located in the section called Major Prophets in the Christian Bible. The book begins, chapter 1 verses 1 and 2, In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his God in Babylonia, and put in the treasure house of his God. Now Jehoiakim's reign was from 609 to 598 BC. For those who follow along daily, we covered yesterday, in 2 Kings, the end of chapter 23 and the beginning of chapter 24, his reign. It was during his reign that the final battle between Assyria and Babylon, the battle of Carchemish, took place and Assyria was destroyed. This happened in the year 605 BC. And so the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, came south and invaded the land of Judah and made them a vassal nation. Nebuchadnezzar's territory extended from the wadi of Egypt all the way up to the Euphrates River, 2 Kings chapter 24 verse 7. It was during this first invasion that Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were taken to Babylon. One thing that the Bible is clear about is that it was the Lord who delivered Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. The writer of 2 Kings tells us over and over and over again that the reason the Lord allowed his people to be taken over by another country was because of the sin of his people, especially the leadership, which led the Lord's people to sin. One thing I like about learning about Daniel is that it was not just the prophet Jeremiah who was godly in seeking the Lord, there were others in the kingdom that were. And even though these men were godly, the Lord allowed them to go into exile. Verses 3-5 read, Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility, young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude of every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand and qualified to serve in the king's palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king's table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king's service. It seems that Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were of the royal family and nobility, although we don't know exactly how. We do know they were young, fit, and intelligent. When the verse said he was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians, that reminded me of the prophet Jeremiah who declared in Jeremiah chapter 5 verse 15, O house of Israel, declares the Lord, I am bringing a distant nation among you, an ancient and enduring nation, a people whose language you do not know, whose speech you do not understand. The exiles had to learn a new language, and that may be why the book of Daniel is written in two languages. Chapter 2 starting with verse 4b through chapter 7 verse 28 is written in Aramaic, which as C. Hasselbullock said in his book, An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophetic Books, is the language of diplomacy. If you remember in 2 Kings 18, after the Assyrians had wiped out the northern ten tribes of Israel and had come to attack Judah during the reign of King Hezekiah, the king's officials had asked the Assyrians to speak in Aramaic so that the Hebrew people on the wall would not understand what the Assyrians were saying. But instead the commander of the Assyrians spoke in Hebrew to all the people and told them that their king and their god could not stop the Assyrians, but he was wrong. The Lord struck the Assyrians and they ran home. Daniel chapter 1 verses 6 and 7 say, Among these were some from Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. The chief officials gave them new names, to Daniel the name Belteshazzar, to Hananiah Shadrach, to Mishael Meshach, and to Azariah Abednego. It's funny to me that when Christians speak of these guys, we use Daniel's Hebrew name, but with the other three we use their Babylonian name. With a new place and a new mission came a new name. But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel, but the official told Daniel, I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you. Here we see that Daniel had a resolve to be holy unto the Lord. He also did not defy his authority, but instead he asked for permission. Also notice that again God caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel. Verses 11 through 14, Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, Please test your servants for ten days. Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food and treat your servants in accordance with what you see. So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. Keep in mind the training was for three years. I also noticed how it was Daniel that had the resolve, but his friends followed suit. Ladies, I don't know about you, but I am always convicted when I read this because I definitely need to eat more vegetables. There is also a good chance that the foods were not made according to Jewish customs. There was some foods they were not to eat, like pig, and the foods also may have been associated with idolatrous worship practices. While the guard was willing to do the test, and verses 15 and 16 say, at the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead. Ladies, I will share with you that this past year I have made it a point to try and eat an apple at least three or four days a week. A co-worker of mine does that and she dipped it in peanut butter powder, so I thought I should try that too. I did and I can testify that my body feels so much better than I did a year ago. I also got a small blender and I try to make spinach smoothies because there is power in healthy food. Verse 17 says, To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning, and Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds. This makes me think of the New Testament book of James chapter 1 verse 5. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. It is the Lord who gives knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. That is why it is so important to seek him and ask him. We also see that Daniel was also given a specific spiritual gift. He could also understand visions and dreams of all kinds and that is key to this whole book. Verses 18 through 20, At the end of the time set by the king to bring them in, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the king's service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in the whole kingdom. Ladies, when we follow the Lord and his ways, we are different than those who do not. In this case, they were ten times better. Verse 21 gives us a side note, And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus. This one verse tells the readers that King Nebuchadnezzar will also fall, as well as the Babylonian kingdom, and there will come another, King Cyrus of Persia. The kingdoms rise and fall, but it is the Lord God of heaven that reigns over all of them. As Dr. Bett said in Old Testament class, God's sovereign control over the spiritual and political aspects of life stands as one of Daniel's key themes. So ladies, has the Lord God of heaven spoken to you today? Do you understand that where you are and when you are is not an accident? Do you need to seek the Lord for wisdom of what to do in your situation? Do you feel like you are in exile? God has a plan, and when we align ourselves up to his ways, when we resolve ourselves to be obedient to the Lord like Daniel did, he blesses us. Another reason the Lord brought Daniel and his friends to Babylon was to let the nations know that there is a God above their gods. We too are placed where we are to let the world know there is a God in heaven. Ladies, let's not harden our hearts like the kings and people of Judah. Instead, let's be like Daniel and his friends and obey. Now I'm going to go and eat an apple with peanut butter powder. Now I'm going to go and eat an apple with peanut butter powder. May the Lord be glorified through our lives. Until next time, and thanks so very much for listening.