Daniel 1

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BIBLE STUDY TEXTBOOK SERIES

DANIEL

by Paul T. Butler

Author: Daniel, a Hebrew statesman, His name in Hebrew, Daniyyel, means God is Judge or God is my Judge or judge who pronounces judgment in the name of God. We know very little of the person Daniel. He was probably of royal lineage (Daniel 1:3), He was taken to Babylonia as a young man (just how old he was when this happened we do not knowprobably 20 years of age or younger). He died probably soon after receiving and recording the closing series of his prophecies (chap. 10-12), which he himself places in the third year of the reign of Cyrus. But when, and under what circumstances, his death occurred is unknown. He apparently did not return to Palestine with his people but spent his last days in Babylon. If he was taken to Babylon in the third year of Jehoiakim (606 B.C.) and lived past the return of the Jews to Palestine (536 B.C.) it would mean he lived more than 70 years in Babylonia alone! Thus his death would come at the ripe old age of 80-90, depending upon his age when he was taken to Babylon.

Daniel was truly a man of God. He was a man of faith, courage and conviction. He was ready at all times to declare without fear or favor what he believed and to stand for his convictions regardless of the circumstances and consequences. There are marks of true nobility, gentleness, compassion and unreproachable integrity borne out in his dealings with his contemporaries. His personal integrity was so great that he could be heard and trusted even by those monarchs who did not believe in his God. As a consequence of his veracity and erudition, he was made ruler over the province of Babylon and chief of the governors over its wise men under two Babylonian emperors and under Darius the Mede he was one of the three presidents of the satraps. Dean Farrar was impressed with the absence of Daniel’s name from all ancient documents outside the Scriptures as a strong reason to question the actual, historic personage of Daniel. Robert Dick Wilson deals with this argument from silence in a very lucid way in his book Studies in The Book of Daniel, published by Putnam. Dr. Wilson points out that it is hardly fair, in the first place, to use silence to argue against Daniel’s existence. Secondly, all the ancient Babylonian documents are silent about the numerous governors, judges, generals, priests, wise men, writers, sculptors, architects and all kinds of famous men who must have lived during that long period. But does the silence concerning such as these mean the emperor had not such judges, priests, etc.?

Edward J. Young in The Prophecy of Daniel, published by Eerdmans, gives five lines of evidence proving the Daniel of whom the book testifies is the author of the book:

In the second half of the book Daniel names himself (speaking in first person) as the one receiving the revelations, and he is ordered to preserve the book in which these words are found (Daniel 12:4).

It should be obvious to any honest reader that the book is the work of one person throughout. The first part prepares for the second; all sections are mutually related to one another; the historical narratives are interdependent; the character of Daniel is always the same.

Jesus Christ validates its authorship by Daniel (Matthew 24:15). One should also compare Matthew 10:23; Matthew 16:27 ff; Matthew 19:28; Matthew 24:30; Matthew 25:31; Matthew 26:64.

The Septuagint and the books of Maccabees show definite influence by the book of Daniel. Jewish tradition attributes its authorship to this Daniel.

The book is saturated with historical nuances of Babylonian and Persian background. It had to be written by a person contemporary with the events.

Date: H. C. Leupold dates the writing of this book between 538-528 B.C. Merrill C. Tenney gives shortly after his last vision, in 536 B.C. as the date. Keil and Delitzsch say it was written during the exile by Daniel. Edward J. Young agrees with the above statements. Practically all conservative scholars date the book somewhere near 536 B.C. Porphyry, a neo-Platonic philosopher of the third century A.D. was probably the first significant unbelieving critic of the book of Daniel. He alleged it was written by someone who lived in Judea during the times of the Antiochus Epiphanes (175-163 B.C.). According to Porphyry predictive prophecy is impossible therefore the book could not have been written before the events so an imposter wrote the book and lied for the sake of reviving the hope of the Jews during the terrible times of Antiochus Epiphanes. The modern critical view, fathered by Leonhard Bertholdt (1806-08) is that the book was written by an unknown Jew in Palestine at the time of the Maccabees in the second century B.C. Our personal observation, after studying the arguments of the critics many years now, is that all those who insist the book was written after the events recorded therein, do so because of the same prejudgment and presupposition as Porphyrythat predictive prophecy is impossible.

The destructive critics argue for a late date on the basis of three alleged evidences: historical, linguistic and theological. It is not the purpose of this commentary to offer a technical study of all the critical problems of the book of Daniel. However, we feel we must deal with these problems as concisely as possible because their resolution has direct bearing on true and honest exposition of the text.

Historical: It is alleged that Daniel is of late date because it is placed in the Kethubhim, or Hagiographa (writings) instead of the Prophets. However, some of the other documents of the Hagiographa are of great antiquity (Psalms, Job, Proverbs). Position in the Hagiographa is no proof of a late date of composition. It is further alleged that there are historical inaccuracies which make it likely that the author lived at a late date. In Daniel 1:1 it is stated that Nebuchadnezzar invaded Palestine in the third year of Jehoiakim, whereas Jeremiah 46:2 says that the first year of Nebuchadnezzar was the fourth year of Jehoiakim. Recent investigations show that the Jews reckoned their regnal year from the first month preceding the year of accession thus 605 B.C. would have been the fourth year of Jehoiakim who came to the throne in 608. The Babylonians, however, reckoned the first regnal year from the next succeeding new year’s day. Therefore, the year 605 would be only Jehoiakim’s third year according to the Chaldean reckoning. Nebuchadnezzar’s first regnal year began in April, 604, even though he had been crowned in September, 605. Daniel has written from the Chaldean viewpoint and Jeremiah from the Jewish. Both are correct, and the critics are wrong. Another historical discrepancy is alleged in that Daniel represents Belshazzar as the last king of Babylonia and as being slain when Babylon was taken by the Medes. Profane history seemed to indicate that Nabonidus was the last king of Babylon, and further that he was killed in the capture. Archaeologists have discovered clay tablets bearing inscriptions which prove that Belshazzar was Nabonidus-’ son and co-ruler with him, and that he was active as the ruler during any absence of Nabonidus. Why would Belshazzar promise to the interpreter of the inscription on the wall (chap. 5) promotion to the status of third ruler in the kingdom? Why not promise him promotion to second ruler? Obviously because Belshazzar himself was only the second ruler, inasmuch as Nabodidus his father was still alive. (cf. Archaeology and Bible History, by Joseph P. Free)

Linguistic: There are some Persian words in the text of the book. We admit that Daniel wrote the book (or at least a portion of the book) as late as the Persian dominion. He lived in it and it is not strange that some of the few political terms would be used. There are some Greek words (basically only three such words are used and they are of musical instruments) in the text. But Greek commercial and cultural activity and influence was already widespread before 600 B.C. As early as the reign of Sargon (722-705 B.C.) there were, according to the Assyrian records, Greek captives being sold into slavery from Cyprus, Ionia, Lydia and Cilicia. In the Neo-Babylonian ration tablets published by E. F. Weidner, Ionian carpenters and shipbuilders are mentioned among the recipients of rations from Nebuchadnezzar’s commissaryalong with musicians from Ashkelon and elsewhere. Portions of Daniel written in Aramaic have several words spelled with a d which critics argued were spelled with a z in Daniel’s time, the d being used much later. However, certain texts among the Ras Shamra (Ugaritic) Texts, which are dated as early as 1500-1400 B.C. prove that the words in Aramaic were spelled both ways even centuries before Daniel! As to the question of why half the book was written in Aramaic (first half) and half in Hebrew (last half), the reason for the choice is fairly obvious. Those portions of Daniel’s prophecy which deal generally with Gentile affairs were put into a linguistic medium which all the public could appreciate whether Jew or Gentile. But those portions which were of particularly Jewish interest were put into Hebrew in order that they might be understood by the Jews alone.

Theological: Basically, the theological arguments for a late date for Daniel revolve around the unbelieving critic’s presuppositions against the supernatural in miracle and prophecy. The critics lay customary emphasis upon the supposed evolutionary development of the Jewish religion. They point to motifs and emphases in Daniel which they insist evolved only during the intertestamental period. These emphases include prominence of angels, the stress upon the last judgment, the resurrection from the dead, the Messianic kingdom. Any reader of the Old Testament may quickly verify the fact that many prophets, long before Daniel’s time, spoke of angels, judgment, the Messianic kingdom, and a few concerning the resurrection. On the other hand, works which are admittedly of the second century B.C., such as I Maccabees and the Greek additions to Daniel, Baruch and Judith, show none of the four elements (angelology, resurrection, last judgment, Messiah!)

Purpose: Leupold writes: … a book of comfort, designed for evil days as well as for good days. By the help of it Israel could discern that its oppressions were, indeed going to be heavy, but, on the other hand, that they were foreknown by God and were therefore not to be dreaded too much. For if an all-knowing God had seen what would transpire He must at the same time be an omnipotent God who would be able to deliver His own, as well as a faithful God would not suffer them to be tempted above what they were able.

Gleason Archer writes: … the overruling sovereignty of the one true God, who condemns and destroys the rebellious world power and faithfully delivers His covenant people according to their steadfast faith in Him. G. Campbell Morgan writes: If I were to summarize the Book of Daniel I could do it in two sentences: first of all, the messages of Daniel, whether those delivered to pagan kings or those recorded that have been for the people of God, emphasize first the government of God over all kings and all nations; and secondly, they emphasize the fact of the continuity of that government until the consummation in which God’s will shall be done, His throne recognized, and the victory be with Him. Dr. Morgan’s paean of Daniel is well stated: I am so glad in these days that I have my Old Testament still, and I am watching the goodness of God in human history over all the machinations of men. The great lessons of Daniel are the general principles of other Old Testament prophets particularized! (cf. our commentary on Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah and Jonah). God presides over the history of the world; the Gentile nations as well as the Jews have always been under His control; the succession of human empires is ordained by Him; He permits the pride and fury of oppressors for a time, but humbles them in the end, and saves His own; His kingdom will come in due time, and will endure forever; faithfulness and constancy to Him lead to a life beyond death, and to an eternal reward of glory.

Style: The revelations concerning the future given in Daniel are in the form of dreams and visions, highly symbolic and figurative. There is a reason for this. This book was written about and during a period of the deepest national misery of the people of God, In fact the period of the Indignation (Daniel 8:19) had begun. There were undoubtedly many questions in the hearts of the pious Jews of the captivity such as: What does the future hold in store for God’s people? Will He leave us here, dispersed, or will He send His redeemer? If the latter, how is this to be accomplished, and, when? What can be done by anyone about these great, powerful, absolute pagan emperors?

In the style of prophecy they were accustomed to, the covenant people usually occupied the center of the stage. The world-powers by which they were harassed or threatened usually were noticed only incidentally and then as sympolical representatives of the spirit of world-power that opposes God. Daniel has a new point of reference! He is in the very center of that world-power which had overthrown and subjugated all the nations of the East, including the covenant people. From this frame of reference he predicts the rise of a succession of world-kingdoms, which shall destroy one another until an eternal kingdom of truth and righteousness shall be established on their ruins by the direct interference in history, at a particular point, by the God of heaven. In all of this Daniel relies almost exclusively upon symbolic, apocalyptic language. It is contrary to the nature and genius of prophecy, especially to prophecy of such a broad eschatological scope as this, to reveal the future in prosaic forms. In all prophecy there is an element of obscurity and God decreed it to be so for He said He would not speak to other prophets face to face as He had to Moses (Numbers 12:1-8), but to those following Moses He promised He would speak in dreams and visions. It is to be expected therefore that in revelations given in visions and dreams we would have a great deal of imagery and symbolism. When one considers the standpoint of Daniel such is to be expected. His circumstances were unique as were those of John, the author of the New Testament Apocalypse. Both were commissioned to relate unpalatable predictions of doom upon the pagan societies in which they lived. The style or form of Daniel is due to its subject matter. No other prophetical book of the Old Testament speaks of the heathen nations and their relation to the people of God with the same fullness and definiteness as does Daniel.

The word apocalyptic comes from the Greek word apokalypsis which means revelation or unveiling, and is applied to those writings which contain revelations of the secret purposes of God expressed by a high degree of symbolism. The development of world-power over a span of 600 years or more, the succession of judgments of God visited in history upon the enemies of God’s people, closing with the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth and the accomplishment of redemption through a Redeemer are the secrets of God Daniel is commissioned to unveil. If the book is to retain any semblance of mystery at all (which by the very nature of the mysterious would excite people to read and long for fulfillment), it must make use of imagery and symbolism. Within the Old Testament, this form of prophetical writing is approached by the closing Chapter s of Ezekiel (40-48) and is directly represented in the first half of Zechariah (Zechariah 1:8). In the New Testament symbolico-apocalyptic writing is found only in the Revelation of John which is a continuation and NT application of the prophetic principles of Daniel.

Background: One must go back to the time of Hezekiah to appreciate the background of Daniel’s experiences in Babylon. Hezekiah’s glorious reform (2 Chronicles 29-31) was short lived. Manasseh, Hezekiah’s son, set up idolatrous images all over the land of Judah (even in the Temple) (2 Chronicles 33:7). He slew those few devout Jews who refused to follow his wicked example of idolatry. His apostasy was the main cause for captivity (cf. Jeremiah 15:4).

Manasseh eventually repented but his change of heart was too late to undo the evil which had become a way of life for the nation and to avert the judgment of God. Manasseh’s son -Amon came to the throne but he was so wicked his servants assassinated him, and the people placed his God-fearing son, Josiah, on the throne (2 Chronicles 33:21-25). While workmen were restoring the Temple, the book of the law of Jehovah was found. Josiah attempted a reform but he met an untimely death in the battle of Megiddo (2 Chronicles 35:20-27). His son, Jehoahaz, the people’s choice, was quickly removed by Pharaoh-Necho, and replaced by the deposed king’s brother, Jehoiakim.

In the battle of Carchemish (605 B.C.) (cf. 2 Chronicles 35:20; Jeremiah 46:2) Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon defeated Pharaoh-Necho, and the 70 years of Babylonian captivity began (Jeremiah 25:1-12; Daniel 9:1-2). It was at this time that Daniel and his friends were carried away to Babylon. Habakkuk prophesied during the reign of the wicked Jehoiakim as well as Jeremiah (ministry during 626-586 B.C.). Jeremiah predicted Babylonian domination of Judah as a judgment of God to which the people were to submit but Jehoiakim, sitting in his winter palace and listening to the reading of Jeremiah’s prophecies, burned the scroll on which they were recorded. These prophecies were immediately re-written by Jeremiah with the addition of a terrible judgment of God upon Jehoiakim. His son, Jehoiachin, reigned only three months and was deported to Babylon with a number of other important people of Judah (including Ezekiel).

Zedekiah, a third son of Josiah, was Judah’s last king. Zedekiah’s tragic end is vividly described in 2 Kings 25:4-7. The people, except the poorest, were carried away to Babylon (2 Kings 25:11). The basic reason for the Babylonian captivity is given in 2 Chronicles 36:14 ff.

William Hendriksen characterizes the attitudes of the people in captivity very well. The first years were years of false hopefulness. The early exiles were confident that conditions would soon change and they would return to their land. Was not Jehovah’s temple in Jerusalem still standing? Jeremiah writes and attempts to deter them from putting trust in their false prophets (Jeremiah 29; Ezekiel 17:11-24). Secondly, there were years of hopelessness. When the temple was destroyed in 586 B.C. it seemed to many as if Jehovah had completely forsaken His people. Despair entered the hearts of the people and is expressed in one of the Captivity Psalms (Psalms 137). Ezekiel is God’s chosen vessel in Babylon to comfort the exiles. Thirdly, there came a season of revived hopefulness. For those who availed themselves of the opportunity to return to their country (and those who did so in spirit but because of position or age were not able to [e.g. Daniel]), hope stirred anew in their hearts that God was faithful and had yet greater things in store for His people. For others the time of indifference and assimilation set in. Babylonia to the south, Media and Mesopotamia to the north had become home to them. They intermarried with the people of the land and adopted their religion (Ezekiel 20:31-32 and cf. also Esther).

The Jews in Exile were permitted to form colonies in which their communal life could continue. For the most part they were permitted to gather in the homes of their elders and worship their God and read their holy scriptures. Life during the exile was highly diversified. Most Jews were probably agriculturists and earned their living by farming. Some ultimately entered business. Many became rich and influential. Other Jews became trusted men in government. An abundance of archaeological data now available describes in detail the types of houses, utensils, etc., used during the neo-Babylonian and Persian eras.

The captivity served a three-fold purpose. First it was God’s method of punishment for their sins (2 Chronicles 36:15-17). Second, it was a means of purification and preparation of the remnant for God’s Messianic purposes (Ezekiel 36:22-31). Third, God used it to bless the Gentile nations in preparing them to be called into the Messianic kingdom (cf. Micah 5:7).

Outline: Some divide the book into two general divisions: (1) Daniel revealing God’s purposes for the Gentile nations; (2) Daniel revealing God’s plans for the covenant people. Hendriksen divides the book (1) God’s Sovereignty in History; (2) God’s Sovereignty in Prophecy.

We choose to divide the book into three parts thusly:

Daniel’s Faith (chap. 1)

We shall elaborate upon the above outline with more detail as we proceed in exegesis through the book.

SPECIAL STUDY ONE

NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S BABYLON

excerpt from

EXILE AND RETURN

by Charles F. Pfeiffer Published by Baker Book House

A clay tablet which dates back to Persian times contains a map of the world. Various towns are marked, along with the canals and waterways which made them possible. Around the whole span of the earth’s surface is an ocean which has the appearance of a tire on a wheel. Beyond are yet other regions, indicated by triangles which touch the outer rim of the ocean. The geographical center of this universe, however, was the city of Babylon.

Babylon was an ancient city. We are told that Nimrod began his ancient empire there (Genesis 10:10). About 1830 B.C. a dynasty of kings from Babylon began to annex surrounding city-states and the First Dynasty of Babylon began is quest for power. The famed Hammurabi codified Babylonian law (ca. 1700 B.C.) and ruled all of southern Mesopotamia, extending his conquests as far as Mari on the middle Euphrates.

The glory of Babylon declined and southern Mesopotamia was ruled for centuries by governors appointed by the Assyrians who ruled from Asshur and Nineveh. When, under Nabopolassar, the Babylonians rebelled against Assyria and, in 612 B.C., helped destroy Nineveh, the center of empire, if not the center of the universe, could be identified with the ancient Babylon. Our knowledge of ancient Babylon comes from a variety of sources. It is described in the Bible as the capital city of the nation which took Judah into captivity. Daniel and his companions were trained as courtiers in the schools of Babylon. The Greek historian Herodotus, who wrote a century and a half after Nebuchadnezzar, described the city as a vast square, 480 stades (55¼ miles) in circumference, surrounded by a huge moat of running water, beyond which were ramparts two hundred cubits high and fifty cubits broad! Herodotus tells us that the streets were arranged at right angles, a fact later verified by Koldewey, the excavator of Babylon. The Euphrates was walled on both sides as it made its course through the city, a series of gates providing the inhabitants of Babylon access to the river. Diodorus Siculus and other Greeks spoke in admiration of Babylon, unquestionably the largest and most magnificent city of the ancient world.

The Book of Daniel records the boast of Nebuchadnezzar, Is not this great Babylon that I have built? (Daniel 4:30). The words are not without meaning. In addition to the walls which surrounded Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar was personally responsible for much that was within the city. He laid out and paved with bricks the great Procession Way which led to the temple of Marduk. The palace of his father Nabopolassar was completely rebuilt. Beams of cedar were imported from distant Lebanon for the project.

Nabopolassar had already begun the rebuilding of Babylon, but it was left to Nebuchadnezzar to pursue the work in earnest. Before the death of Nabopolassar about two-thirds of the work he had planned for the protection of Babylon had been completed. The inner wall of the city, known as Imgur-Bel, was finished. He also had built an outer wall, the Nimitti-Bel, and reconstructed the city gates with cedar wood covered with strips of bronze. Symbolic guardians of the city were the half-human, half-animal bronze colossi which stood at the threshold. Nebuchadnezzar took up where his father left off. A third massive wall was built on the east side of the city at a distance of four thousand cubits from the outer wall. Before this was a moat, walled around with bricks. Similar defenses were built on the west, but they were not as strong because the desert formed a natural barrier. To the north, the direction from which trouble might be expected, Nebuchadnezzar pursued a different plan. Between the two walls, and between the river and the Ishtar Gate he constructed an artificial platform of brick laid in bitumen. Upon this elevated platform he built a citadel which was connected with his royal palace. In this way he made the north wall so solid that it could be neither broken down nor breached. The citadel could be used as a watch-tower and, if need be, destructive missiles could be shot or thrown from it upon any enemy who might have reached the outside of the walls. Apart from the possibility of treachery within, Babylon appeared impregnable. The Neo-Babylonian period is well documented, and Nebuchadnezzar has left us accounts of his building operation. In describing his work on the walls he declares:

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, the restorer of Esaglia and Ezida, son of Nabopolassar am I. As a protection to Esagila, that no powerful enemy and destroyer might take Babylon, that the line of battle might not approach Imgur-Bel, the wall of Babylon, that which no former king had done, I did; at the enclosure of Babylon I made an enclosure of a strong wall on the east side, I dug a moat, I reached the level of the water. I then saw that the wall which my father had prepared was too small in its construction, I built with bitumen and brick a mighty wall which, like a mountain, could not be moved, and connected it with the wall of my father; I laid its foundations on the breast of the underworld; its top I raised up like a mountain. Along this wall to strengthen it I constructed a third, and as the base of a protecting wall I laid a foundation of bricks, and built it on the breast of the under-world, and laid its foundation. The fortifications of Esagila and Babylon I strengthened, and established the name of my reign forever.

Archaeology has provided us with the tools to evaluate the boasts of Nebuchadnezzar and the reports of Herodotus. In 1898 Robert Koldewey began the excavation of Babylon under the auspices of the Deutsche Orientgesellschaft. Work continued for more than eighteen years. Full reports of Koldewey’s work appeared in his book, Das wieder erstehende Babylon, which contained photographs and plans of the city and its principal structures. The foreword to the first edition was dated, Babylon, May 16, 1912. A fourth edition appeared in 1925.

Koldewey came upon the walls of Babylon during the early days of his dig. It took considerable time to excavate them, but the results were indeed impressive. Around the ruins of the city was a brick wall 22⅓ feet thick. Outside this wall was a space 38⅓ feet wide, then another brick wall, 25 feet thick. If the outer wall were breached the invader would find himself trapped between two walls. Lining the inner side of the citadel moat was still another wall, 12 feet thick. In times of danger the moat could be flooded. The walls were surmounted every 160 feet by watch-towers. Koldewey suggests that there were 360 such towers on. the inner wall (an estimate based upon the pattern of the ruins). Excavations indicate that the towers were 27 feet wide, and they probably were 90 feet high (much less than the 300 feet mentioned by Herodotus). Ancient historians tell us that two chariots could be driven abreast on the road which ran on top of the wall and completely surrounded the city. The walls were constantly patrolled by guards. There were numerous gates in the walls, although Herodotus-’ reference to one hundred gates must be dismissed as hyperbole. The most famous entrance into the city was the Ishtar gate which led from the north of the city into the Procession Way. The gate was fifteen feet wide and its vaulted passageway was thirty-five feet above the street level. The bricks were so molded that they form bas-relief figures of bulls and dragons. Their surfaces were overlaid with thickly colored enamels. Nebuchadnezzar used properly fired bricks, and they have remained through the ages. The sun dried bricks used by his predecessors have disintegrated long ago. The Procession Way was primarily used for the great annual occasion when king and people went to the temple of Marduk at the New Year’s Festival. During the forty-three years of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar continued to beautify the Procession Way. He wrote:

Aibur-shabu, the street of Babylon, I filled with a high fill for the procession of the great lord Marduk, and with Turminabanda stones and Shadu stones I make this Aibur-shabu fill for the procession of his godliness, and linked it with those parts which my father had built, and made the way a shining one.

The pavement of the Procession Way was built over a base of bricks covered with bitumen. It consisted of blocks of limestone with sides more than a yard wide, pointed with asphalt. Inscribed on the underside of each of the slabs were the words:

Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, son of Nabopolassar, King of Babylon, am I. Of the streets of Babylon for the procession of the great lord Marduk, with slabs of limestone, I built the causeway. Oh, Marduk my lord, grant eternal life.

Along the walls of the Procession Way was a series of 120 lions in enameled relief. They were spaced at 64 foot intervals and gave a sense of awe to the street. The lions had hides of white or yellow, with manes of yellow or red. They were posed against a background of light or dark blue, The Procession Way was 73½ feet wide. At the annual New Year’s Festival, statues of the principal deities were assembled from all the provinces of the kingdom and solemnly carried through the Ishtar Gate out to the northern outskirts of the city, There they were transferred to boats and taken to the Garden Temple up the river, This was followed by the consummation of the sacred marriage of the principal god and goddess, which was presumed to guarantee the fertility and prosperity of the whole land. On the eleventh day of the month Nisan the procession joyously returned through the Ishtar Gate from the north. Marduk led the procession in his chariot-boat. Behind the chief god of Babylon rode the king in his chariot. Behind the king were carriage-boats containing the images of the other gods worshiped in Babylon. Along the Procession Way was the famous staged-tower or ziggurat of Babylon known as E-temen-ankiThe House of the Foundation of Heaven and Earthwhich rose 300 feet into the air and could be seen from a distance by travelers approaching the city. Fifty-eight million bricks are said to have been used in its construction. Like Babylon itself, the ziggurat goes back to remote antiquity. On its top was a Temple to Marduk, the god of Babylon. Enemies of the statesuch as Tukulti-Ninurta, Sargon, Sennacherib, and Ashurbanipaldevastated the city and destroyed the Marduk shrine. The tower was rebuilt by the Neo-Babylonian rulers Nabopolassar and Nebuchadnezzar. In a sense it pictured both the glories of Marduk, and of Marduk’s city, Babylon. Nabopolassar declared:

The lord Marduk commanded me concerning E-temen-anki, the staged tower of Babylon, which before my time had become dilapidated and ruinous, that I should make its foundations secure in the bosom of the nether world, and make its summit like the heavens.

The ziggurat consisted of seven terraces, on the top of which was a temple made of bricks enameled bright blue to represent the heavens. The temple was approached by a triple staircase, at the middle of which there was a place where the visitor might rest. Within the temple was a couch and a golden table. This was regarded as the abode of Marduk. No one except a priestess, who served as the consort of the god, was to enter this shrine. The prosperity of the land was thought to depend upon this sacred marriage ritual. Across the street from the ziggurat was the temple area known as E-sag-ila (The house which lifts up the head). Herodotus visited the E-sag-ila and was much impressed by its golden figure of Zeus (Babylonian Bel-Marduk) seated in the shrine beside a golden table. According to the statistics which Herodotus gives (which may be exaggerated) the gold of these objects weighed about 890 talents, or 4800 pounds with a current value of $24,000,000. Zeus appeared as a half-animal, half-human creature. Outside the sanctuary were a number of other altars and statues including a standing figure of Marduk, twelve cubits (twenty feet) high, of solid gold. The complex of buildings occupied sixty, acres, bounded on the west by the Euphrates and on the east by the Procession Way. Towering 470 feet above the ground was the shrine known as the E-kur (Temple mountain) built on a terrace of asphalted bricks like the nearby ziggurat. The total number of shrines in ancient Babylon, as recorded in contemporary inscriptions, appears incredible. We read that,

There are altogether in Babylon fifty-three temples of the great gods, fifty-five shrines dedicated to Marduk, three hundred shrines belonging to earth divinities, six hundred shrines for celesital divinities, one hundred and eighty altars to the goddess Ishtar, one hundred and eighty to the gods Nergal and Adad, and twelve other altars to various deities.

North of the ziggurat was a mound called Kasr on which Nebuchadnezzar built the most imposing of his palaces. The palace walls were of finely made yellow brick, and floors were of white and mottled sandstone. The palace was adorned with reliefs in blue glaze. Its gates were guarded by gigantic basalt lions. Near the palace were the famed Hanging Gardens, considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Nebuchadnezzar built the gardens for his wife who missed the hills of her Median homeland. The gardens appear to have been terraced and set on a small hill beside the palace, flanked by the Procession Way and the Ishtar Gate. Josephus quotes from Berossus, History of Chaldea, an account of the building of Nebuchadnezzar’s palace and the hanging gardens,

In this palace he erected retaining walls of stone to which he gave an appearance very like that of mountains and, by planting on them trees of all kinds, he achieved this effect and built the so-called hanging garden because his wife, who had been brought up in the region of Media, had a desire for her native environment.

The gardens were irrigated by means of an endless chain of buckets which raised water to the highest point of the terrace. The gardens were impressive when viewed from a distance from the city. The visitor to Babylon could see the tops of the trees towering above the city walls.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon was an excellent example of early city planning. The city was divided into a number of rectangles by wide roads which were named after the gods of the Babylonian pantheon. On the left bank of the Euphrates we find the streets of Marduk and Zababa intersecting at right angles with the streets of Sin and Enlil. On the right bank we find an intersection of the streets of Adad and Shamash. Except for the famed Procession Way, Babylon’s streets were not paved. A bridge connecting the eastern or New City with the western city of Babylon had stone piers and a timber foot path which could be withdrawn in times of emergency. Permanent bridges were rare, in the ancient East, and the one across the Euphrates was a source of wonder to travelers. The business life of the city centered in the wharves which flanked the Euphrates. Business offices were located along the river bank, The market sector of ancient Babylon has not been identified, but it was probably located in the Merkes quarter.

The houses of the city were frequently three or four stories high, being built according to a pattern which has been familiar in the East from ancient times to the present. Each home would be built around a central courtyard. There would be no windows facing the street, but all light would come through the courtyard. Access to the rooms of the second story was by a wooden balcony which extended around the entire inner courtyard. A narrow door in one of the first floor rooms opened into the street. Ancient Babylon required a system of canals if the best use was to made of the waters of the Tigris and the Euphrates. Hammurabi, the famed king of the Old Babylonian Empire had been a canal builder, and his successors needed to be careful to insure proper irrigation of the fields. When Nebuchadnezzar came to the throne of Babylon, its eastern canal had so deteriorated that there were places where its channel could not be traced. Nebuchadnezzar had it redug, and then walled up from the bottom. Because the canal passed through Babylon, it was necessary to build a bridge across it. Although most of his energy was spent on Babylon itself, Nebuchadnezzar did not completely neglect the other cities of Mesopotamia. He rebuilt the walls of Borsippa and restored the temples of the city to a good state of repair. Nebuchadnezzar was an able and an energetic sovereign, He was in all respects the most able as well as the most ambitious ruler of his day. In him the Neo-Babylonian Empire reached its zenith. Great as were his accomplishments both on the field of battle and in building the cities of his kingdom, Nebuchadnezzar left an empire that had no political stability. His own personality held it together, and when that was gone it was not long before his dynasty came to an end.

EXILIC TIMES

JUDAH

BABYLON

MEDIO-PERSIA

EGYPT

639

Josiah

626

Nabopolassar

609

Jehoahaz

Necho

Jehoiakim

Jeremiah 605

Nebuchadnezzar

697

Jehoiachin

Zedekiah

Psammetichus

Ezekiel 594

Daniel 588

Apries

586

Jerusalem

destroyed

568

Amasis

562

Awel-Marduk

(Evil-Merodach)

560

Neriglissar

(Nergal-sharezer)

559

Cyrus

556

Nabonidus and

Belshazzar

539

Edict

return of the Jews

Fall of Babylon

530

Cambyses

522

Zerubbabel

Haggai, Zechariah

Darius

515

Temple completed

485

Xerxes

479

(Esther)

464

Artaxerxes I

457

Ezra 444

Nehemiah 423

Darius II

404

Artaxerxes II

from The Old Testament Speaks

by Samuel J. Schultz, pub. by Harper & Bros. Publishing Co.

CAMEO OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR NOW IN THE MUSEUM AT FLORENCE

SPECIAL STUDY SIX

OUTLINE OF Matthew 24:1-51

by Seth Wilson

(Cf. Mark 13 and Luke 21)

Matthew 24:1-3THE OCCASION AND THE QUESTIONS. (Mark 13:1-4; Luke 21:5-7).

Observing the magnificent buildings of Jerusalem. Matthew 24:1.

Jesus-’ dire prediction: There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down Matthew 24:2.

The disciples-’ questions:

(1)

When shall these things be? (Destruction of Jerusalem).

(2)

What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? Matthew 24:3

II.

Matthew 24:4-31ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS.

Answers to first question, concerning Jerusalem. (Matthew 24:4-28; Mark 13:5-23; Luke 21:8-24).

DON-‘T EXPECT IT TOO EARLY!

Warning of preliminary troublesthe beginning of travail. (Matthew 24:4-14; Matthew 24:5-13; Matthew 24:8-19)

(1)

False Christs, wars, rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes do not indicate the end: be not troubled.

(2)

Persecutions, apostasies, false prophets, shall afflict the church: take heed to yourselves, endure to the end; trust God for help; the gospel testimony shall go into all the world. (Matthew 24:9-14; Matthew 24:9-13; Matthew 24:12-19) cf. Colossians 1:6; Colossians 1:23; Romans 1:8; Romans 10:18; Romans 16:19.

WHEN YOU DO SEE THE SIGN, EXPECT IT IMMEDIATELY!

The sign of Jerusalem’s end, and how to escape the woes of that terrible time. (Matthew 24:15-28; Matthew 24:14-23; Matthew 24:20-24)

(1)

The abomination of desolation standing in a holy place is Jerusalem compassed with armies; then know that her desolation is at hand.

(2)

Let those in Judea flee to the mountains without delay. Pray that the hardships of flight may be lessened; but the unprecedented afflictions of the city must be escaped at all costs. Believe no false prophets, signs or promises; I have forewarned you; the Christ will not return at this time, or at any time without being seen from east to west.

EVEN THEN DON-‘T EXPECT THE PERSONAL COMING OF THE LORD!

(3)

The tribulation shall be excessive, shall threaten extinction of the Jewish people, shall take them captive to other nations, shall leave Jerusalem to the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

Answer to the second question, concerning Christ’s coming. (Matthew 24:29-31; Matthew 24:24-27; Matthew 24:25-28)

The time is purposely indefinite; but the event is to be watched for at all times (immediatelyMat 24:29), after a terrible and extended (see Luke 21:24) tribulation.

The event itself shall be unmistakable; accompanied by tremendous sights and sounds in all earth and heaven, the Lord Himself shall be seen by everyone, coming in the clouds with power and great glory.

The angels shall gather the elect from everywhere: look up, your redemption draws near. (Matthew 24:31; Matthew 24:27; Matthew 24:28)

III.

Matthew 24:32-36THE ANSWERS REVIEWED IN CONTRASTING SUMMARY.

Parable of the fig tree: signs are easily recognized. Watch for ALL THESE THINGSwars, persecutions, false Messiahs, the desolation of Jerusalem, and great tribulation, to come to pass in this generation. (Matthew 24:32-34; Matthew 24:28-30; Matthew 24:29-32).

Solemn affirmation of unfailing certainty of His words. (Matthew 24:35; Matthew 24:31; Matthew 24:33).

But of THAT DAY, Jesus-’ coming, no one knows. The time cannot be told, even by the Son of God. (Matthew 24:36; Mark 13:32).

IV.

Matthew 24:37-51PARABLES AND EXHORTATIONS TO BE READY AT ALL TIMES.

As in the days of Noah the flood came suddenly upon those who had been warned but believed not, so shall the coming of the Son of man be without any immediate forewarning signs. (Matthew 24:37-39)

In the midst of daily work, suddenly one shall be taken and another left; WATCH for you know not the day. (Matthew 24:40-42; cf. Matthew 24:31; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 1 Corinthians 15:52.)

Parable of a householder unprepared for a thief who came when he was not expected. Be ready, for when you think not, the Son of man comes. (Matthew 24:43-44)

The servants of the absent Lord have each one his own work (Mark 13:34) to be faithful until He comes. He may not come as soon as they imagine; but if they think that He tarries and they can take advantage of His delay to indulge in sin, He will come when they least expect it and will punish them. (Matthew 24:45-51; Matthew 24:33-37; Matthew 24:34-36). WATCH AT EVERY SEASONLuk 21:36.

(Christ continued the same lessons in the 25th Chapter 1. in the parable of the ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom, 2. in the parable of the talents committed to servants until the Lord’s return, and 3. in the scene of judgment that shall take place when the Son of man shall come in His glory.)

(In these additional prophetic pictures, He emphasizes that the servants must be prepared to wait patiently and to serve faithfully even though the Master may not come for a long time [see Matthew 25:19]; also that His coming will bring strict judgment and swift vengeance upon all who have not used the intervening time in His service.)

IN CONCLUSION

For this prophecy and similar ones were not written that we might (beforehand exactly) know history and the troubles of the future, so as to feed our curiosity as with an item of news; but that the pious might comfort themselves and rejoice over them, and that they should strengthen their faith and hope in patience, as those that see and hear that their wretchedness shall have an end, and that they, delivered from sin, death, the devil, and every evil, shall come to Christ in heaven, in his blessed eternal kingdom.

Martin Luther

He said to them, It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority, But you. shall be my witness in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.

Jesus Christ (Acts 1:7-8)

The prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired about this salvation; they inquired what person or time was indicated by the Spirit of Christ within them when predicting the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glory. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things which have now been announced to you by those who preached the good news to you through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

1 Peter 1:10-12

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Lange, Ezekiel & Daniel, commentary, Zondervan

Ed. J. Young, The Prophecy of Daniel, Eerdmans

Albert Barnes, Daniel, Vol. I & II, Baker

Leupold, Exposition of Daniel, Baker

Pfeiffer, Between The Testaments, Baker

Boutflower, In And Around the Book of Daniel, Zondervan

John C. Whitcomb, Darius The Mede, Eerdmans

Robert Dick Wilson, Studies In The Book of Daniel, Putnam

J. S. Exell, The Biblical Illustrator, Daniel, Revell

Orr, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Eerdmans

Ed. J. Young, An Introduction To The Old Testament, Eerdmans

Butler, Minor Prophets, College Press

Hastings, Dictionary of The Bible, Scribners

Hendriksen, More Than Conquerors, Baker

Summers, Worthy Is The Lamb, Broadman

Halley, Pocket Bible Handbook, Zondervan

Keil and Delitzsch, Daniel, Eerdmans

Allis, Prophecy and The Church, Presbyterian & Reformed

Josephus, Antiquities and Wars of the Jews, Kregel

Tenny, Pictorial Bible Dictionary, Zondervan

Everyday Life in Bible Times, National Geographic Society

Greece and Rome, National Geographic Society

The American Standard Version of the Bible

The Revised Standard Version of the Bible

Living Prophecies, The Minor Prophets Paraphrased with Daniel and Revelation, by Kenneth N. Taylor

The Berkeley Version of the Bible

The Douay Version of the Bible, I and II Maccabees

EXAMINATION ONE

REFUTATIONS (Answer the following by giving the argument which will correct the statement)

The Book of Daniel was written in the 2nd century B.C. by an unknown author. Refute!

We know very little about the Babylon of Daniel’s time. Refute!

There is a contradiction between Daniel and Jeremiah about the dates of Nebuchadnezzar’s attack upon Jerusalem. Refute!

ASSOCIATIONS (Associate the persons or events of column one with the correct person or event of column two.)

Jehoiakim

king of Persia

Belteshazzar

king of Babylon

Cyrus

river in Babylon

steward

mountain in Palestine

Ashpenaz

king of Judah

Nebuchadnezzar

Daniel

Babylon

Meshach

Abednego

Mesopotamia

Hananiah

Shadrach

Chaldeans

chief of eunuchs

Jerusalem

servant

Shinar

capitol of Judah

Mishael

Babylonian people

Azariah

Euphrates

territory in Babylon

Mishael

MEMORIZATIONS (Fill in the blanks:)

But Daniel _______ in his heart that he would not _______ himself with the king’s _______, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the prince of the _______ that he might not _______ himself. Now God made Daniel to find _______ and compassion in the sight of the prince of the _______.

EXPLANATIONS

Explain why the king of Babylon took these young men and fed them and trained them in Chaldean wisdom.

Explain why Daniel could permit himself to be trained in Chaldean (pagan) sciences, literature, etc., and still be faithful to God.

Explain how the Hebrew youths could subsist in this meager diet and still be healthier than their contemporaries.

Explain how Daniel and the other three could be ten times wiser than other Babylonian enchanters.

SPECIAL STUDY TWO THE BABYLONIAN PRIESTHOOD

In ancient Babylon the king served as both High Priest and civil ruler. He performed sacrifices and determined the religious life of his subjects. Since the king could not personally officiate in each of the temples in his realm, he appointed substitute priests to perform the routine priestly labors. Each temple would have a high priest, appointed by the king, and a number of lesser priests, known as shangu, who were also responsible to the king. The temple affairs were administered by these men who were chosen because of their fitness for the work.

There were other priestly functions of a specialized nature which presupposed specific training. The task of divination, the interpreting of dreams, and otherwise determining the will of the gods, was entrusted to the buru priests. The interpretation of oracles and dreams was on the basis of a long tradition of divination which the buru priests was expected to master. Hepatoscopy, or divination by the liver, was an ancient method of divination used by Hittites and Etruscans as well as by the Babylonians. The liver was regarded as the seat of the mental life. At the time of sacrifice, a god was thought to take hold of the victim, and the god’s thoughts were presumed to enter the animal’s liver. After a kid or sheep was slaughtered sacrificially, the victim’s body was opened and preliminary conclusions drawn. Then the liver was removed and subjected to careful examination. Actual livers were compared with terra-cotta models and abnormalities were noted. We do not know how various configurations were interpreted but we know that ancient kings and their officers had a high regard for divination by the liver.[1]

[1] Divination by liver was one means used by Nebuchadnezzar in determining whether to attack Jerusalem or Rabbath Ammon (Ezekiel 21:18-23).

Hittites and Etruscans, in commons with Babylonians, also studied the flight patterns of birds as. a means of divination. We do not know exactly what they looked for, but diviners skilled in this type of divination regularly accompanied the armies of Babylon. Babylon was noted for its astrology, but this differed in important particulars from the astrology which developed in medieval times, based on Greek antecedents. Babylonian astrologers noted the direction of the winds, the color of the stars, and the occulation of planets and eclipses. The information provided by Babylonian astrologers was used in agriculture as well as in matters of national policy, The Babylonian priests were constantly on the lookout for the abnormal. Any unusual circumstance attending a birth, human or animal, would be considered a sign which needed interpretation. If an exorcist were called to the home of an invalid, everything which he encountered along the way would be considered significant. If water were spilled on the road, its pattern might contain a message. The shape of oil which had formed on the surface of water would be duly noted. If an animal or plant were encountered, its significance would require interpretation. To the Babylonian with his world of gods and demons it was particularly important to have means of frustrating the forces of evil. A class of priests known as ashipu specialized in counteracting the work of demons. A formula used in one of their spells runs:

Thou are not to come near to my body, Thou art not to go before me, Thou art not to follow after me, Where I stop thou art not to stop, Where I am thou art not to sit, My house thou art not to enter, My roof thou art not to haunt, Thou art not to put thy foot in my foot’s imprint, Where I go thou art not to go, Where I enter thou art not to enter.

The purpose of the ashipu was always benevolent. He sought to help the sufferer who was physically ill, and in this sense his work anticipates the physician. All sickness was associated with sin in Babylonian thought, so the ashipu sought to discover what sin had been committed by his patient. A list of possible sins would be read with the thought that one of them might have been committed unconsciously. Only when the proper sin had been identified could the ashipu overcome the demon that had controlled the individual.

Sometimes demons were induced to leave their victims on the basis of a promise that the ashipu would give. A substitute habitation (such as a pig) was sometimes offered. At other times the demon might be bribed with a list of gifts that would be his as a reward for leaving his victim.

Another technique was to drive the demon from his victim. This might be done by preparing medicines of nauseous and putrid substances which the victim was required to eat. Presumably, if they were vile enough, the demon himself would not wish to remain. Eventually, by the process of trial and error, some substances were employed which had genuine medicinal value. Thus medicine, although mixed with magic, became a genuine science. Sometimes demons could be fooled. One recognized means of doing this was by placing an animal on top of a sick man. By following a prescribed ritual, the demon might be persuaded to enter the animal instead of the human. One such prescription reads:

Take a suckling-pig and set it level with the head of the sick man. Take out its heart and put it over the sick man’s heart. Sprinkle the sides of the bed with its blood. Dismember the suckling-pig and lay the parts in the sick man’s members. Then purify this man with pure water. Offer the suckling-pig in his place. Let its flesh be as the flesh of the sick man, his blood as the blood of the sick man.

The ashipu priest was clothed in red when performing his functions. Red was deemed particularly potent in warding off evil spirits. He might also be dressed in a fish-like skin to emphasize his relationship to the wise god, Ea. Traditional formulae were uttered verbatim. The priest would call upon the demon by name, demanding that he cease tormenting his victim and depart. Calling upon the good gods to aid the sufferer, the ashipu priest would exorcise the demon.

Another specialized function was the chanter who, by his songs, was supposed to soften the heart of the gods. Prayers were intoned by the chanters, who were accompanied by large drums or lyres. The lyre was usually decorated with a bull’s head, and the tone itself was likened to the bellow of a bull. Of the ancient Babylonian chants which we possess, fifty-seven require the accompaniment of a drum, forty require a flute, and forty-seven involve the lifting of hands in the attitude of prayer.

The Book of Daniel gives us a Biblical picture of the Babylonian priests and wise men at work. Diviners claimed to have existed as a separate order from remote antiquity, and it was required that they be physically sound. Daniel and his companions are described as children in whom was no blemish (Daniel 1:4). The Babylonian texts insist: the diviner whose father is impure and who himself has any imperfection of limb or countenance, whose eyes are not sound, who has any teeth missing, who has lost a finger, whose countenance has a sickly look or who is pimpled, cannot be the keeper of the decrees of Shamash and Adad.

Those who purpose to be Babylonian diviners were required to take a long course of study before they could serve at the Babylonian court. The Hebrew captives were subjected to a three year training program in the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans (Daniel 1:4-5) after which they were given court appointments. It is evident that Babylonians were receiving the same schooling, for we are told that Daniel and his friends were ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers (Daniel 1:20). When the wise men of Babylon were unable to interpret the dream of Nebuchadnezzar we are told that Daniel did so, after which the king placed him over all the wise men of Babylon (Daniel 2:48).

The Book of Daniel makes it clear that diviners were expected to be able to interpret anything, and that they formed an important element in the king’s court. The godly Daniel, however, humbly trusting his God, showed Nebuchadnezzar that the magic and sorcery of Babylon could not be trusted to meet the basic problems of men or nations.

Daniel 1:1-7

Part OneDaniel’s FaithChapter 1 CHAPTER ONE

I. DANIEL’S FAITHDan 1:1-21

I. PAGANIZATION ATTEMPTED

TEXT: Daniel 1:1-7

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; and he carried them 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 in certain of the children of Israel, even of the seed royal and of the nobles;

youths in whom was no blemish, but well-favored, and skilful in all wisdom, and endued with knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability to stand in the king’s palace; and that he should teach them the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.

And the king appointed for them a daily portion of the king’s dainties, and of the wine which he drank, and that they should be nourished three years; that at the end thereof they should stand before the king.

Now among these were, of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

And the prince of the eunuchs gave names unto them: unto Daniel he gave the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abed-nego.

QUERIES

When did this siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar occur?

Why attempt to nourish the Hebrew lads on Babylonian dainties?

Why were the Hebrew lads given Babylonian names?

PARAPHRASE

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and encircled the city with his army and beseiged it. And the Lord permitted Nebuchadnezzar to capture Jehoiakim along with some of the sacred vessels of worship from the temple of God. Nebuchadnezzar took all his plunder along with his prisoners back to his own land of Babylon and he put the sacred vessels on display in the treasury of his own pagan temple. Then Nebuchadnezzar ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his servants, to select some of the young Jewish nobles and to train them in Babylonian language, sciences and culture. Ashpenaz was instructed to select young, strong, healthy, good-looking men who were well informed, widely read in many fields, alert and sensible and possessed of poise and self-confidence sufficiently to make a good appearance in the court of the king. And the king took special occasion to command that they should receive a daily serving of the richest and most desirable food and wine from his own table for a three-year training period. He planned to develop these young men physically, mentally and socially in order that they might become his advisors. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were four of the young men chosen, all from the tribe of Judah. And as a part of their naturalization into Babylonian life, the king’s chief servant gave them Babylonian names. Daniel was called Belteshazzar; Hananiah was called Shadrach; Mishael was called Meshach; Azariah was called Abed-nego.

COMMENT

Daniel 1:1 IN THE THIRD YEAR. OF JEHOIAKIM. Immediately the problem of an apparent discrepancy between Daniel and Jeremiah confronts us. (1) Jeremiah 25:1 says that the fourth year of Jehoiakim and the first year of Nebuchadnezzar were the same; (2) Jeremiah 46:2 has Nebuchadnezzar defeating the army of Pharaoh-’-Necho at Carchemish in the fourth year of Jehoiakim; (3) and, finally, Jeremiah 25:8-14 seems to imply that Nebuchadnezzar had not yet come against Jerusalem (at all?) in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, Yet, Daniel says not only that Nebuchadnezzar did come against Jehoiakim in Jehoiakim’s third year, but that Nebuchadnezzar was king when he came in this third year, while Jeremiah specifically states that the first year of Nebuchadnezzar was not until the fourth year of Jehoiakim.

Historical research offers two possible solutions one of which is undoubtedly the correct answer: (1) According to the Babylonian way of designating time of regnal activity, only the first full year of reign was called the first year of a king’s reign. The year in which the king ascended the throne, whether at the first of the year or later, was not designated his first year, but the year of accession to the kingdom. Daniel, writing in Babylon, many years after the event, would undoubtedly use Babylonian terminology, especially in such a technical matter, speaks of Jehoiakim’s third year but means the same year as does Jeremiah in mentioning the fourth year (Jeremiah writing in Judah, using Jewish terminology). Edward J. Young points to a biblical example of such a difference between Babylonian and Jewish methods of reckoning regnal activity. There is a passage in 2 Kings 24:12 through 2 Kings 25:30 where the eighth and nineteenth years of a reign are spoken of; the parallel passage to this in Jeremiah 52:28-30 speaks of the same reign as in the seventh and eighteenth years. The following table will help to clarify this point:

*Babylonian

Jewish*

Accession

First Year

Second Year

Third Year

Third Year (Daniel 1:1)

Fourth Year (Jeremiah 25:1)

(2) There is a passage in Josephus (cf. Antiquities X:II:I and Contra Apion Daniel 1:19) which he copied from Berossus, theChaldean historian, which relates that Nabopolassar, Nebuchadnezzar’s father, had heard that a governor whom he had not set over Egypt had revolted. Being himself old, Nabopolassar dispatched his son leading the massive Babylonian army to take the rebel in hand. This Nebuchadnezzar set out to do; but while engaged in the task, his father took sick and died. Whereupon Nebuchadnezzar turned over his captives to his subordinates, selected a small band of the most courageous of his soldiers set out immediately for the capitol city of Babylon to take over the reigns of government. Among the captives Nebuchadnezzar left with his subordinates were Jews, Phoenicians and Syrians, and of the nations belonging to Egypt. This would imply that Nebuenadnezzar had been engaged in an expedition against Jerusalem prior to the battle at Carchemish. Notice that Daniel 1:1 does not state that Nebuchadnezzar conquered and destroyed the city of Jerusalem in the third year of Jehoiakim! only that he came and besieged it. But, if Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem before he went home at the death of his father to take the reins of government, why does Daniel say king Nebuchadnezzar besieged the city? Daniel, writing long after the event, is using the proleptic form in applying the title king. We sometimes say, In the childhood of President Lincoln, or when President Teddy Roosevelt charged up San Juan hill.

The two foregoing positions are outlined here for sake of clarity. It would seem that either position is entirely credible. Which of the two is most probable, the reader must decide for himself:

(1)

(2)

Early 606 B.C. Jer. delivers the address recorded in Jeremiah 25

Early in 605 B.C. Jer. delivers the address recorded in Jeremiah 25

606 B.C. Neb. besieges Jerusalem; carries off Jehoiakim, temple vessels, Daniel, and friends

Early, in 605 Neb. defeats the Egyptians at Carchemish (Jeremiah 46:2)

Nebuchadnezzar hastens home at death of his father

Nebuchadnezzar then appears in Palestine

Early 605 B.C. Neb. defeats Egyptians at Carchemish

Then occurs the siege of Dan 1:1; also recorded in 2 Kings 24:1; 2 Chronicles 36:6-7

Nebuchadnezzar comes against Jerusalem twice more, 597 B.C. and 586 B.C.

Neb. hastens to Babylon at death of his father

Daniel 1:2 AND THE LORD GAVE. INTO HIS HAND. AND HE CARRIED THEM. TO THE HOUSE OF HIS GOD. Although Nebuchadnezzar was unaware of it, and probably would not have admitted it at the time (however, he was later to change his mind), he became an instrument of the Divine will. God permitted Nebuchadnezzar to exercise his fury against Jerusalem and to take the covenant people into captivity for the good of God’s people (cf. Jeremiah 25:1 ff; Jeremiah 27:5-7, etc.). Please refer also to Minor Prophets, by Paul T. Butler, published College Press, Special Studies on Philosophy of History.

Nebuchadnezzar is spelled Nebuchadrezzar in Babylonian and means Nebo protect the boundary, or Nebo protect the crown. Jehoiakim was not deported, (cf. 2 Chronicles 36:5) therefore all that Nebuchadnezzar brought to the treasure house of his god were some of the sacred vessels from the temple in Jerusalem. The suffix them can only refer gramatically to the vessels. Some of these vessels Belshazzar (Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson) desecrated by using them in a drunken, riotous feast (Daniel 5:2-4). It was customary in those days for conquerors to commandeer and plunder thoroughly the treasuries of the vanquished. The rapine of defeated foes is still practiced by ungodly nations todayRussia robbed Europe of some of its most priceless treasures during World War II. The Babylonian prince took his booty home and put it in safe deposit in the treasure-house of the temple to his pagan gods.

Daniel 1:3. THE KING SPAKE UNTO ASHPENAZ. THAT HE SHOULD BRING: CERTAIN OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. Lange points out that it is possible that Ashpenaz himself might not have been a literal eunuch since Joseph’s master at the court of Pharaoh is called by the same Hebrew word and yet was married (cf. Genesis 37:36; Genesis 38:1-7). It is highly probable though that Ashpenaz and all his subordinates were eunuchs in the literal sense. However, it is not necessary to assume that Daniel and his Hebrew friends were made to become literal eunuchs. In fact, Ezekiel 14:20 seems to imply that Daniel had sons and daughters. It may also be assumed that Daniel would resist being made a eunuch with as much forcefulness as he did the king’s dainties since the law of Moses prohibited a eunuch to enter the congregation of Israel, (Deuteronomy 23:1).

Ashpenaz, major-domo, was commanded by the king to select only the most eminent of the captivesthose of royal stock. By this means he could gather, from every subjugated nation, a select body of talented young diplomats. The value of such a heterogeneous group to a pagan court, representing an amalgamation of many different political, cultural and intellectual ideas and secrets, is at once evident. Daniel was from the tribe of Judah, the royal tribe of Israel.

Daniel 1:4. NO BLEMISH. WELL-FAVORED. SKILFUL IN ALL WISDOM. ENDUED WITH KNOWLEDGE. UNDERSTANDING. SCIENCE. AS HAD ABILITY TO STAND IN THE KING’S PALACE. TEACH THEM. LEARNING AND. TONGUE OF THE CHALDEANS. These are the king’s own specifications. He is first of all interested that these young men who will grace his court have no physical infirmity or blemish. They must be physically handsome. Beauty was regarded almost as a virtue among the ancients. The king would not permit an ugly, misshapen, stooped, or scarred courtier. But more important, they were to be mentally alert and capable of analytical understanding. They were to be more than mere philosophers and theoriststhey were to be apt at making practical application of what was learned and known. As the Hebrew puts itthey were to have a knowing knowledge. They were to be possessed already of a great amount of contemporary science and knowledge. Nebuchadnezzer had in mind the extra-ordinary young man. He desired only the brilliant, the scholarly.

His purpose in being so selective was to gather a group of young men eager to learn and easy to teach the sciences and culture of the Babylonians. The king’s theory was that if he could provide himself with a retinue of widely diversified sources of knowledge and wisdom and at the same time Babylonianize them or bind them to loyalty to Babylon, he would be that much more able to conquer and rule. Daniel and the other three lads were enrolled in a crash course in Babylonian culture and for three years were given the ancient equivalent of a liberal education. We gain some idea of the literary resources of the seventh century before Christ when we are introduced through archaeology to the vast library of Ashurbanipal (704-681 B.C. just prior to Daniel’s day) which contained 22,0000 volumes of cuneiform (i.e. wedge-shaped writing) clay tablets. These tablets contain religious, literary, and scientific works among which were the Babylonian creation and flood tablets. These tablets came from a variety of sources. Many were copied from originals by his own scribes. He dispatched officials to the cities of his Empire with orders to gather all texts of importance. One of his extant discoveries ends with the words, If you hear of any tablet or ritualistic text that is suitable for the palace, seek it out, secure it, and send it here.-’ The Babylonians inherited the sexagesimal system from the ancient Sumerians. This system of numbering by sixties is still in use. We reckon sixty seconds to the minute, and sixty minutes to the hour. The system is also used in the division of the circle into three hundred and sixty degrees. Clay tablets have been found showing common familiarity with measurement of the area of rectangles and of right and isosceles triangles. An amazing knowledge of algebra is also shown in the Babylonian literaturetablets of squares, square roots, cubes, and cube roots. The Pythagorean theorem was known by the Babylonians more than a thousand years before Pythagoras! Closely related to their knowledge of mathematics was their science of astronomy. By 800 B.C. Babylonian astronomers had attained sufficient accuracy to assign positions to the stars and note their heliacal settings. An attempt was made to determine cause and effect relationships between the motions of the heavenly bodies and purely human events and this is known as astrology and is definitely not scientific. A cuneiform tablet from about 700 B.C. classifies the fixed stars. Lengths of daylight and darkness at a given time could be predicted by the Babylonians.

In the field of medicine certain scientific advances were made. Their attempt to learn the will of the gods by an examination of animal entrails furnished, by way of analogy, some idea of human anatomy. As early as the Code of Hammurabi (1700 B.C.) physicians performed delicate operations on the human eye. Babylonian science was the result of observation and classification and they used it to serve many practical purposes. Taxonomy in plant, animal and mineral kingdoms was practiced. Chemistry and metallurgy were everyday sciences in Daniel’s day. And, of course, there was an extremely complicated theology or philosophy of Babylonian religion. We will deal with this aspect of Daniel’s education in a later section of the text.

Daniel 1:5. A DAILY PORTION OF THE KING’S DAINTIES, AND OF THE WINE WHICH HE DRANK. The king commanded that these young men enrolled in instruction in Babylonian culture should also learn to live (especially to eat indulgently) like Babylonian men of eminence. He ordered that they learn the social graces of the Babylonian royal table by eating from the king’s kitchen. Dainties probably refer to foods in which only the king could afford to indulgeluxurious, costly, rare, delicatefood that is associated with the lives of those who are lovers of pleasure and luxury. By association with this type of food they would be exposed to a subtle moral softening and weakening process. Godly people are warned to abstain from indulging in such eating of the flesh (cf. Psalms 141:4; Proverbs 23:1-3; Revelation 18:14).

The king’s purpose in this was certainly pragmatic and perhaps psychological. It is clear from the phrase, that at the end thereof they should stand before the king, the practical end the king sought was training in social graces befitting men of the court. And, it may be, Nebuchadnezzar was attempting a psychological brainwashing through such a thorough introduction into Babylonian table manners. The next verses suggest this.

Daniel 1:6-7. THE PRINCE OF THE EUNUCHS GAVE NAMES UNTO THEM. In olden days most names were theophoric. That is, they had the name of the deity incorporated, Daniel means my judge is God; Hananiah means gracious is Jehovah; Mishael means who is He that is God? and Azariah means Jehovah hath helped, When the Babylonians changed their names it meant they intended to honor their gods for victory over the Hebrews whose God the Babylonians believed they had vanquished. A parallel for such action is found in 2 Kings 23:34; 2 Kings 24:17; Esther 2:7.

Beltheshazzar means protect his life; Shadrach means command of Aku (the moon god); Mesach means who is what Aku (the moon god) is? and Abednego means servant of Nebo. No doubt the purpose of the Babylonian king was to so assimilate these young men into the Babylonian culture they would become, for all practical purposes, Babylonians and dissociate themselves completely from the Hebrew ways; even from their God. Although these lads did accommodate themselves readily to new knowledge and new culture, they remained true to their knowledge of and daily walk with the Living God. The rest of their story is yet to be learned.

QUIZ

What evidence is there that Daniel (606-536 B.C.) wrote this book and not some pseudo-Daniel of 200-1000 B.C.?

What is the purpose of the book of Daniel?

What is apocalyptic literature?

Describe the city of Babylon in Daniel’s daygive its location, etc.

Show how the apparent discrepancy between Jeremiah’s account of Jehoiakim and Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel’s account do not contradict.

How extensive was the knowledge and wisdom of the Babylonians at this time?

Why did the king insist on these young men eating food from his table?

Daniel 1:8-16

II. PERSEVERANCE ACTUATED

TEXT: Daniel 1:8-16

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king’s dainties, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

Now God made Daniel to find kindness and compassion in the sight of the prince of the eunuchs.

And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your food and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse looking than the youths that are of your own age? so would ye endanger my head with the king.

Then said Daniel to the steward whom the prince of the enuchs had appointed over Daniel, Hananhia, 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 youths that eat of the king’s dainties; and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.

So he hearkened unto them in this matter, and proved them ten days.

And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer, and they were fatter in flesh, than all the youths that did eat of the king’s dainties.

So the steward took away their dainties, and the wine they should drink, and gave them pulse.

QUERIES

What sort of defilement was Daniel anxious to avoid?

Was the physical development natural or miraculous?

What is pulse?

PARAPHRASE

Daniel solemnly resolved that he would not deny the God of Israel by eating food and drinking wine, from the king’s table which had been dedicated to the worship of idols. He courteously requested from the king’s chief servant that he not be forced to participate in the worship of idols by partaking of this food. Now Daniel allowed God to live in and through him to such an extent that the chief servant of the king was inclined toward Daniel with kindness and compassion. Yet, as kindly disposed as he was to Daniel’s regard for principle, he explained his own predicament, saying, I dare not grant your request because my king shows no mercy to those who disobey him, He has ordered this food for you, and if you do not eat it and your physical development deteriorates, he will execute me without mercy, Afterward Daniel politely asked the under-steward assigned to serve them their food if he would be willing to perform a simple test which would involve no personal danger to himselfGive us a simple vegetable and water diet for just ten days. Then, at the end of this short period, compare our physical development with that of those young men who eat the king’s rich delicacies and decide upon our request according to what you see, So the servant agreed to Daniel’s proposition and fed them vegetables and water for ten days, and at the end of ten days he saw that their physical development was even more what the king desired than those who had been eating the king’s food and the steward did not bring them food from the king’s table any more but continued to give them vegetables to eat.

COMMENT

Daniel 1:8 DANIEL PURPOSED IN HIS HEART THAT HE WOULD NOT DEFILE HIMSELF. The godly parents of this young Hebrew must have been of the same caliber as the parents of John the Baptist, righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless (Luke 1:6): They had done a superb job of rearing their son in the admonition and nurture of the Lord. Daniel was possessed of the great principles of righteousness and holiness and faith. He was not one who sought to be justified by a righteousness which is of law-keeping but by a righteousness which is by faith.

Leupold points out that there are three aspects of Daniel’s heathen environment about which he had to make moral decisions as affecting his relationship to the Living God: (1) the acquisition of heathen wisdom; (2) the bearing of heathen names; (3) the eating of heathen food sacrificed to idols. Daniel knew that in studying heathen sciences he could not be compelled against his conscience to believe those elements of that science that were false. He may have taken Moses and Joseph as his examples of guidance. Their exposure to heathen sciences and myths did not destroy their faith. Daniel’s second experience, that of being given a heathen name, he simply had to endure as something he could do nothing about. It had no bearing on his relationship to God any more than children today who are given heathen names deliberately or unconsciously by their parents.

The matter of eating from the king’s table was much more serious. It was a matter which would involve his relationship with God. All meals served at the king’s table were of foods (especially wine and meats) which had been used in worship ceremonies dedicated to heathen idols. To share in such a feast was, according to an eternal principle, the same as worshipping the idol (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:20 ff). The significance of Daniel’s act does not, as Lange comments, consist in a legalistic asceticism but in the proof of resolute faith and obedient devotion to the Living God rather than giving the slightest respect to a pagan idolatry.

But notice the courteous and amiable manner Daniel displayed in expressing his faith and devotion to righteous principle. He displays no fanaticism or rudeness, but honestly and frankly states his intention to the chief servant and asks his help.

Daniel 1:9. GOD MADE DANIEL TO FIND KINDNESS AND COMPASSION. Most commentators speak as if God worked a miracle of irresistible grace upon the heart of the chief eunuch so that he could not help himself but to show kindness and compassion toward Daniel. We prefer to presume, in the light of biblical teaching that man is a free moral agent, that the Spirit of God working in the heart of Daniel and subsequently in his actions toward this chief eunuch moved the eunuch to kindness and compassion. All the glory is to be given to God. For it is God who works in Daniel to strengthen him that he should not yield in devotion to hold principle while at the same time being respectful and kind to the chief servant. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy (Matthew 5:7). The chief eunuch recognized that Daniel’s request was made upon the basis of principle and he respected the request. The response of this pagan was, in the ultimate sense, to the grace of God manifested in the life of Daniel.

Daniel 1:10. I FEAR MY LORD THE KING. SO WOULD YE ENDANGER MY HEAD WITH THE KING. The chief eunuch was under great psychological stress and, had not Daniel displayed the grace of God in his request, probably would have responded very inconsiderately with so unimportant a character as this Hebrew captive. He could very well have considered Daniel’s request as insubordination and impudence, This chief steward was a trusted servant of an absolute monarch, Failure to carry out his emperor’s wishes meant, if discovered, immediate death.

Yes, the chief steward sympathized with Daniel’s principles, but it meant almost certain execution for him and so he was about to deny Daniel’s request. Surely, he reasoned with Daniel, you young men would not want to be responsible for me losing my head to the king’s executioner!

Daniel 1:11-13. PROVE THY SERVANTS. TEN DAYS. GIVE US PULSE TO EAT. AND AS THOU SEEST, DEAL WITH THY SERVANTS. Daniel now proposes to one of the under-servants appointed by the chief servant to serve Daniel and the three lads their fare, a very simple, reasonable and relatively safe experiment. For ten days Daniel suggests, they be fed pulse and water. Zero-‘im literally means, things sowed. Things sowed were not customarily offered by pagans as food to their gods. This Hebrew word could be translated in a general sense as vegetables. It involves more than legumes (peas and beans) and would include wheat and other grains so that bread would be in their diet. Wine was not, of course, foreign to the Hebrew diet, except in this case the wine would have been associated with pagan worship ritual.

Ten days is reasonably short enough not to arouse the suspicion of the king and yet long enough to test the merits of the case. There are probably two elements involved in Daniel’s proposalhis faith that God will provide and his common sense that overrich fare such as the luxurious table of the king, offered in unlimited amounts, is not as conducive to good health as is plain, substantial food. The Mosaic law implies this in its prohibition of eating fat (Leviticus 7:22-24; Leviticus 3:17; cf. also Titus 1:12-13).

Young argues that Daniel received a special revelation from the Spirit of God and. in speaking he was acting in accord with that revelation. He says that if Daniel had made this offer merely upon his own initiative he would have been guilty of presumption. He asks, What warrant could faith have that at the expiration of a short period of time such a change would be apparent in the physical appearance of the youths as is suggested here? This in turn would imply that the resultant physiological excellence of the Hebrew youths over their contemporaries was miraculous. Such a miracle is not, of course, out of harmony with the historical record of the Old Testamentmany such miracles are recorded, and did occur. We simply do not have a sufficient amount of testimony from Daniel to make a final decision in the matter of how it occurred. It would seem that a combination of three elements may be involved: (a) a direct revelation to Daniel plus (b) Daniel’s common sense based on past experience and (c) faith in the directions of God as revealed in the Mosaic law concerning the eating of certain foods. Whatever the case, we consider Daniel’s proposal a direct expression of his trust and devotion to the Living God.

Daniel 1:14-16. AND AT THE END OF TEN DAYS THEIR COUNTENANCES APPEARED FAIRER. SO THE STEWARD TOOK AWAY THEIR DAINTIES. AND GAVE THEM PULSE. The remarks of Leupold are appropriate here: It may -seem that a disproportionate amount of emphasis is being given to a secondary matter. But the meticulous care exercised by these young men in doing the will of their God is perhaps the strongest indication that could be found of their complete allegiance to their God. Their determination shows how clearly they discerned what issues were at stake, and how correctly they were getting their bearings in the matter of making an adjustment in reference to daily contact with heathen life. The issues involved were not trifles. In this matter they had to take a stand.

For the believer in God there are three areas of morality: (a) that which is always right; (b) that which is always wrong; (c) that which is a matter of opinion (which the believer is at liberty to choose, guided by love for God and fellow-man). Daniel was called upon to act in all three realms. It is always right to be kind and courteous to one’s fellow manDaniel did so, It is a matter of opinion about learning from the literature and culture of the worldDaniel did so and used it to serve God and man. It is always wrong to blaspheme God by worshipping idols-Daniel refused. The believer’s liberty is bounded by Divine authority as revealed in a propositional revelation and is also bounded by the principle of lovelove for God and His will first, and love for man second. The only way the believer knows a proper action or expression of love is by direction of the revealed will of God, A believer does not live by practising any ethic or moulding himself on any ideal, but by a faith in God which finally ascribes all good to Him and seeks His will as it has been revealed through His prophets and His Son and recorded inerrantly in the Bible.

QUIZ

What were the three aspects of Daniel’s heathen environment about which he had to make moral decisions?

Why was the matter of eating the king’s dainties more serious than the other?

How does Daniel behave toward his captors in resisting defiling of himself?

How did Daniel find favor in the eyes of the chief eunuch?

What are the three areas of morality for the believer in God?

How did Daniel behave in these three areas?

What is the believer’s ultimate source of knowing what is right and wrong?

**SERMON NUMBER ONE DARE TO BE A DANIEL. **

Text: Daniel 1:8

INTRODUCTION

WHY WAS DANIEL IN BABYLON?

He was one of the first groups of captives carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon during the period of Judah’s downfall and the Captivity of the entire nation of Judah

The captivity of the Jews was prophesied by Jeremiah

Daniel’s subsequent life indicates that he could not have been one of the many reprobates who brought God’s wrath upon the nation of Judah causing the captivity

We assume therefore that God had special need of Daniel and allowed him to be taken to Babylon to serve Him and those who would repent while in captivity

John Noble came to this conclusion concerning his imprisonment in Communist Russian prison camps for some 12-13 years

… there were those cynics and skeptics among my fellow prisoners who asked how anyone could give thanks to a God who was permitting us to suffer as we did. I always answered to such criticism that while I did not know what purpose was being served by the suffering we were enduring, I was sure that there was a reason. I felt that God would deal in due time with the atheists of Russia and that meanwhile the world must see by the suffering of the victims of communist tyranny what an evil system it is.

II.

WHAT WAS BABYLON LIKE?

The city was surrounded by 60 miles of wall, 300 ft. high, 80 ft. thick, submerged underground 35 ft. (in order to keep enemies from tunneling under). The Euphrates river split the city in the middle. The temple of Bel contained a golden image and golden table which weighed more than 25 tons. It had 53 temples and 180 altars and some 4000 gods.

The king’s palace was perhaps the most magnificent building ever erected in antiquity. It was protected itself by 4 succeeding walls plus moats and other defense mechanisms.

The hanging gardens, built by Nebuchadnezzar for one of his homesick queens, consisted of several tiers of arches, each holding up a solid platform 400 ft. sq. upon which would be planted trees, shrubs, flowers, gardens of all kinds. These platform gardens were watered by hydraulic pumps pumping water upward from one level to another.

Their society and culture was what would be expected from a pagan empiresensual, luxurious, indulgent, cruel, proud and powerful.

In such a land and amongst such a people was the young man Daniel.

DISCUSSION

DARE TO BE A DANIEL, DARE TO STAND ALONE

He had his friends with him; he was not all alone

They stood many of the tests of loyalty to God with Daniel 2.

What a blessing believing and faithful friends can be

The great apostle Paul was blessed with a few faithful friends Luke, Barnabas, John Mark, Silas, Titus 4.

It is a great consolation to a believer who has to suffer to know there are other believers sharing in the same experiences and remaining faithful

As Christians we are one body of believers and when one member suffers we all suffer (cf. Romans 12:15; 1 Corinthians 12:25-26)

Yet, each believer must ultimately stand alone when his faith is tested

He had his God; he was not all alone

He undoubtedly was reared in a God-fearing, God-worshipping Jewish home and knew by the experience of faith that God was with him

He knew by God’s supernatural manifestation of Himself in miraculous deeds that God was with him; physical development on a diet of vegetables; supernatural learning and wisdom and ability to interpret dreams

His providential reception by this pagan court should indicate to him that God was protecting him

Yet, God could not make Daniel’s choices for him. SO DANIEL WAS, IN A VERY REAL SENSE, STANDING ALONE

Daniel, all alone, had to CHOOSE whether to self-righteously refuse training in the wisdom of the Chaldeans or to recognize there was nothing basically immoral in studying in a selective way and making the most of every opportunity to glorify God among the heathen.

Daniel had choices to make and so he was all alone

His friends could not decide for him; HE MUST STAND ALONE

God will not choose for him; HE MUST DECIDE FOR HIMSELF

Daniel and his three friends STOOD PRACTICALLY ALL ALONE AS THEY CHOSE TO REFUSE PARTICIPATION IN IDOL WORSHIP

Every believer must make personal choices which no one else can make for him

Every believer must realize that those who truly trust the Lord are in the minority and often times it will appear as if no one but themselves are standing up for righteousness and truth

The Bible teaches that believers are to be set apart from the world (2 Corinthians 6:14 to 2 Corinthians 7:1; John 17:14-17; Matthew 7:13-14, etc.)

Examples of those who have stood alone (except that God was with them):

Noah (preached 120 years only 8 were saved)

Abraham (left his own country and wandered)

Moses (stood against Egypt and Pharaoh)

David (stood alone against Goliath, then against Saul)

Paul (stood against the heathen world; against Judaizers)

Martin Luther (stood against powerful world church)

Alexander Campbell (stood against denominationalism)

PERFECT EXAMPLE: JESUS CHRIST, even His friends deserted Him; was forsaken by God in order to suffer our eternal punishment for us

John Noble, I was increasingly certain that many of these Russians respected the courage with which prisoners held to their faith in God and that they would have liked to join us if they could.

II.

DARE TO HAVE A PURPOSE FIRM

Definition of Dare: resolution; bravery, courage; backbone; venturous; challenging; unflinching.

Standing alone without a godly purpose is vanity and pride; such are rebels without causes for any cause that is not godly is a losing cause!

Daniel had purpose because he had conviction. He was fully persuaded that God exists and that He is a jealous and loving God

Daniel’s Purpose

To glorify God. This was Daniel’s targethis main concern in every experience that life brought him.

He refused to eat from the king’s table because in so doing he would be participating in the worship of idols. Practically all the rich and luxurious food and wine the king and his court ate had been devoted as sacrifices to pagan idols. To eat this food Daniel would give the king the impression that he was willing to worship idols. Daniel’s purpose was just the opposite.

It may also be that some of the food from the king’s table was unclean according to Mosaic law. Daniel’s purpose was to uphold the law of God in every instance possible.

Daniel knew that if he trusted God, God would manifest His power and it was Daniel’s purpose to let his life and his mouth be a testimony to the True and Living God.

In doing this Daniel would become a source of light to the darkened pagan society dwelling in ignorance and sin. He would at the same time become a source of encouragement and strength to his Jewish brethren in captivity.

Every believer needs to have a purpose firm

I have a sermon entitled A Life Worth Living with three main points: (a) Have a Belief Worth Trusting; (b) Have a Job Worth Doing; (c) Get a Reward Worth Having.

Daniel could have rationalized like so many of us do today and said, When in Babylon, do as the Babylonians do. BUT HE KNEW HOW TO SAY NO! AND MEAN IT! It was not easy for him. Consider all the pressures he had to endure.

Self-control is the mark of real man-hood. Strong men, cruel men, shrewd men may control nations and empires but if they cannot control self they are the weakest of all men: cf. Alexander the Great; Hitler, etc.

The world, for the most part, respects purity, courage, honesty, conviction.

The people who have done the most for mankind and in a lasting nature are men who have had the one purpose which counts the mostTO GLORIFY GOD! Think of Joseph, Esther, Francis Bacon, Michelangelo, Handel, Lincoln, David Lloyd George, Pascal, Michael Faraday, etc.

Such a purpose will come only with persuasion that God is, that Jesus Christ is the living, reigning, returning Lord, and that the Bible is the Word of the Spirit, SUCH A PURPOSE WILL COME ONLY WITH DAILY, SWEET COMMUNION WITH GOD THROUGH HIS WORD AND PRAYER! This is where Daniel’s purpose came from.

John Noble, This I found that honesty paid even in a Russian concentration camp where it might seem that only a fool would try to hold to a conventional moral standard. I had resolved to try to show. by example, what the faith of a Christian could do. Many times thereafter I dis covered that no matter where I was, honesty got me further.

III.

DARE TO MAKE IT KNOWN

Daniel had conviction and purpose and was not afraid to make it known

There were plenty of excuses Daniel might have had to keep silent about his faith in God

To the contrary, Daniel took every opportunity to testify concerning the True and Living God

There was the time he prayed to Jehovah with his windows open in defiance to the king’s edict

There was the time he delivered the true message of God to Nebuchadnezzar about his insanity

There was the time he delivered the true message of God to Belshazzar

And, of course, there were many other occasions

This world needs people, Christian people, who will dare to make their purpose knownto glorify God.

Our heathen world needs believers with conviction. About the only conviction most people have today is that it’s wrong to have convictions.

Dare to proclaim the counsel of Godthe whole counsel of God

Dare to make the most for God of every situation

Dare to be honest with self, with God, with associates in every situationDaniel did not give up, but neither did he cause undue alarm or antagonism in the heart of his pagan ruler. Joseph and Moses and Paul are prime examples.

Believers will never be encouraged and strengthened unless there be those who have purpose who will dare to make it known

Unbelievers will never become believers unless believers dare to make the gospel known (Romans 10:17)

Examples of those who dared to make it known

All the Old Testament prophets; Isaiah (ch. 6); Jeremiah (ch. 1 and Jeremiah 20:9); Jonah, Ezekiel, Amos, Hosea, etc.

John the Baptist: one of the loneliest men who ever walked the earth was fearless in making the glory of God known

Paul the apostlepreached from house to house, night and day, with tears; preached to kings and authorities

Jesus Christthis was His food (John 4); Zeal for the house of God consumed Him (John 2). Jesus dared to tell it like it is (cf. Jn. 7-8-9; Matthew 23, etc.)

How may every believer dare to make his purpose known?

By personal evangelism with his neighbors, friends and relatives

By teaching a Bible School class (elders are to be apt to teach)

By supporting various arms of evangelism with financial means: Bible Colleges; T.V. Programs; Missionaries; Printing Efforts

By writing letters to unconverted friends and relatives

By living lives that do not compromise with worldliness but yet do not withdraw into a monastic life and dissociate from the daily affairs of needy men.

CONCLUSION

HERE IN THE FIRST REAL TEST OF DANIEL’S FAITH WE SEE VICTORY

God providentially cared for them in the matter of food and they developed physically to a state more to be desired than their heathen contemporaries

God providentially supplied greater knowledge, learning, wisdom than all their contemporaries

Notice: these providential blessings were not afforded for Daniel to indulge himself but to give him greater opportunity to serve the Lord

God has promised to give every believer such an abundance of opportunity to serve the Lord (cf. Ephesians 3:20; 2 Corinthians 9:6-15) Joseph recognized this, Genesis 50:20

II.

AT THE END OF DANIEL’S LIFE AND BOOK (ch. 12 WE SEE VICTORY

It is significant that of all the Old Testament books, Daniel is the one which deals most of moral courage and faithand it is the one which deals the most with the resurrection

Daniel is given a vision of victory like the aged John in Revelation. Daniel’s curiosity almost gets the best of himhe wants to know the why and wherefore of all that he had seen in vision but God knows that what he needs most is assurance of victory.

They that be wise, shall shine like the brightness of the firmament; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.

But go your way till the end; and you shall rest, and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.

DANIEL, WHO HAD WITNESSED SO COURAGEOUSLY AND FAITHFULLY TO HIS LAST DAYS IS TOLD, YOU SHALL REST.

DANIEL, WHO DARED TO STAND ALONE, DARED TO HAVE A PURPOSE FIRM, DARED TO MAKE IT KNOWN. SHINES AS THE BRIGHTNESS OF THE FIRMAMENT, ONE OF THE BRIGHTEST OF THOSE STARS WHICH HAVE TURNED MANY TO GOD AND RIGHTEOUSNESS

III.

WILL YOU DARE TO BE A DANIEL. A JOSEPH. A MOSES. A PAUL?

Daniel 1:17-21

III. PROSPERITY AWARDED

TEXT: Daniel 1:17-21

Now as for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams,

And at the end of the days which the king had appointed for bringing them in, 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 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 realm.

And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus.

QUERIES

How did God give these youths knowledge, learning and wisdom?

Who were the magicians and enchanters in Babylon?

Who is king Cyrus?

PARAPHRASE

God gave these four youths supernatural ability to learn and they soon mastered all the literature and science of the time; and God gave to Daniel special ability in understanding the meanings of dreams and visions when they are given as divine messages. And when the three-year training period was completed, the chief of the eunuchs brought all the young men in this training program to the king for interview and examination. King Nebuchadnezzar interviewed each one at length and found that none of them impressed him as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. So they were appointed to his regular staff of advisors. And in all matters requiring information and reasoned judgment the king found these young men’s advice ten times better than that of all the skilled wise men and prognosticators in his realm. And Daniel held this appointment as the king’s counsellor for some twenty-four years and through five or six emperors, until sometime in the first year of the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

COMMENT

Daniel 1:17. GOD GAVE THEM KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL IN ALL LEARNING AND WISDOM. The only conclusion to reach from the statement in Daniel 1:17 is that the ability to gain knowledge and have learning and wisdom was a direct and supernatural gift of God to the four young lads. The gift of God was received, of course, willingly and we may safely presume they applied themselves diligently to their task. The phrase skill in all learning and wisdom indicates God gave them a power to perceive, distinguish and judge everything they learned whether it was to be accepted and practiced and taught as truth or to be rejected as false. They had inerrant insight into all the knowledge and learning of Babylonians. Leupold says, … a discernment that enabled these four to sit in judgment on all secular learning that was offered them and to evaluate it according to the estimate of all-wise God. They were also given wisdom which is the ability to rightly apply the knowledge acquired as God would have it applied. Daniel was given an additional gift that the other three did not haveunderstanding in all visions and dreams.

Visions and dreams were often used by God in the Old Testament to reveal special missions or messages to certain men (cf. Jacob, Joseph, etc.), Inasmuch as these dreams and visions were usually in extended symbolism they required special, divine interpretation, directly from God or through one of God’s appointed messengers. This would be especially necessary when such dreams and visions were given to pagan rulers. Daniel’s gift was extraordinary. See our introductory study entitled Interpreting The Prophets, in The Minor Prophets, by Paul T. Butler, pub. College Press, for information on dreams and visions. Daniel was not unique in this gift of interpreting dreams and visions (Joseph had the gift and exercised it extensively).

Daniel 1:18-19. AND AMONG THEM ALL WAS FOUND NONE LIKE DANIEL, ETC.. It is still amazing to some people, but true in most cases, that firm but courteous propagation of principle and truth will be appreciated and rewarded even by pagans who themselves are prone to follow falsehood and myth. Joseph, Moses, Peter and John and Paul are prime examples as they stood before pagan rulers and princes. This is true because truth is always wise! What is true may not be immediately and physically pleasurable, but it is always wise. And only the degraded reprobate will fail to recognize that. It did not take Nebuchadnezzar long to recognize the contrast between the wisdom of these four youths and the foolishness of the mythology and mysticism of the enchanters and magicians.

Daniel 1:20-21. HE FOUND THEM TEN TIMES BETTER THAN ALL THE MAGICIANS AND ENCHANTERS. The word ten is, of course, hyperbolic and simply means Daniel and his three companions were found exceedingly wise and perceptive. They were much more learned and discerning than the young men who had been born and reared in Babylonin fact more than all the trained wise men of Babylon!

It would be well to give a brief resume of Babylonian religion here. The religion which the Jews of the Exile found in Babylon had roots which went back over two thousand years. The ancient Sumerian religion was highly polytheistic and made a practice of absorbing or incorporating every religion or god it contacted. The god of a victorious state was considered to be the most powerful deity, for warfare was always waged on two levels. The earthly states were championed by their celestial deities, and the battles in the sky were accounted as real as the battles on earth (cf. Daniel chap. 10). In very ancient Sumerian times (2000 years before the Jewish captivity) the chief god was known as Anu, the sky god who was regarded as father of the great gods. The second great god was Bel (the Semitic Baal) which means Lord, and he was ruler of earth. The third of the great Sumerian gods was known as Enki who ruled the waters upon which the Babylonians believed the terrestrial world floated. Then there was a pantheon of some 4000 gods which included Sin the moon-god, Shamash, the sun-god, and Adad the storm god. Fertility and reproduction in the Tigris-Euphrates valley were associated with Ishtar also the goddess of war. There was Ninurta, fertility god who was responsible for the annual flooding of the rivers; Gibil the god of fire who was invoked by magicians in their tasks of exorcismhe was called upon to burn to death evil spirits and sorcerers; Nergal, destroyer of life, the god of pestilence and death, god of the land of no return; Nabu (Nebo) god of the scribes who was keeper of the Table of Fate with power to prolong or shorten life (Nebuchadnezzar’s name expresses faith in Nebo). During the First Dynasty of Neo-Babylon an important revolution took place in the religion of the country. A minor deity named Marduk was chosen as the principal god of the whole of Babylonia and was placed at the head of the pantheon. The mythological story of how he rescued all the gods and goddesses from the monster Tiamat and was acknowledged by all he rescued as chief god is too long to recount here, Tammuz, son of Ishtar, was a god of vegetation who disappeared each year in the late summer and returned (i.e. was resurrected) the following spring (cf. Ezekiel 8:14), In the Greco-Roman world Tammuz was worshiped as Adonis (a name which is a variant of the Semitic Adon, lord, or master).

The Babylonians of Daniel’s day had an elaborate system of good genies or spirits and evil genies. Evil genies were believed to enter houses even when doors were bolted and if they found men or women in sin without the protection of their personal god they entered that man or woman and possessed them. The Babylonian felt himself surrounded by ghosts, or spirits of men whose lives had proved unhappy on earth. The ghosts had been cheated out of happiness in this life and, nursing their grief, they were determined to torment the living. This is the kind of learning and wisdom Daniel and his three friends, and especially Daniel, would later renounce in favor of being true to Jehovah God and would, indirectly at least, expose as mythological and false. We shall deal with the magicians and enchanters in chapter two.

QUIZ

What was the knowledge and skill in learning and wisdom given these youths?

Why did God use visions and dreams to communicate to man?

Why is truth usually rewarded with respect even by heathen?

What was the character of Babylonian religion?

Who was the chief god of the Babylonians in Daniel’s day?

Old Green Commentaries

The College Press Bible Study Textbook Series — 59 volumes by 25 authors, published between 1961 and 1992 and affectionately known as the 'old green' commentaries for their green hardback bindings. Each volume is a commentary, workbook and teaching manual in one, written by Restoration Movement …

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Old Testament

GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOS JDG RUT 1SA 2SA 1KI 2KI 1CH 2CH EZR NEH EST JOB PSA PRO ECC SOS ISA JER LAM EZK DAN HOS JOL AMO OBA JON MIC NAH HAB ZEP HAG ZEC MAL

New Testament

MAT MRK LUK JHN ACT ROM 1CO 2CO GAL EPH PHP COL 1TH 2TH 1TI 2TI TIT PHM HEB JAS 1PE 2PE 1JN 2JN 3JN JUD REV

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