1. What does the Bible have to say about things written in times past? Fill in the blanks: Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written _______ were _________ for our_________ , that we through ________ and _______ of the ________ might have hope.
2. To whom has God revealed His secrets? Amos 3:7 __________________________
3. How did prophecy come in the old times? 2 Peter 1:21 _______________________
4. For what reason does God reveal certain things? Deuteronomy 29:29. __________
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5. By what words does Jesus recognize Daniel as a prophet? Fill in the blanks, Matthew 24:15: When ye _______shall see the ______of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the _______, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand).
The last book of the Bible is also a book of prophecy. It is called "The Revelation of Jesus Christ." (Revelation 1:1). In prophecy God reveals history before it happens.
6. Isaiah 46:9, 10, Fill in the blanks: Remember the former ______ of old: for I am God, and _________ is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me, _________ the end from the _________, and from ancient times the _______ that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall _________, and I will do all My pleasure.
7. Fill in the blanks, Isaiah 42:9: Behold, the former _____ are come to pass, and new things do I ______: before they _____ forth I tell you of them.
God does not reveal all of His plans, but what He does reveal is for us. Our salvation is the object of prophecy (1 Peter 1:9-11).
During this series we will study the book of Daniel first, and then the book of Revelation. No one can afford to live in a time like ours without acquainting himself with the vital issues it has pleased God to open to our understanding in this fast moving age. Such issues are freighted with eternal consequences to every soul.
The book of Daniel was written by the person whose name it bears. Ezekiel, who was contemporary with Daniel, testifies to his piety and uprightness, ranking him in this respect with Noah and Job (Ezekiel 14:19-20). His wisdom even at that early day had become proverbial, as appears from the same writer. Daniel's birth and lineage is left in complete obscurity, except that he was of the royal line, probably of the house of David, which at that time had become very numerous. He first appears as one of the noble captives of Judah, in the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, at the beginning of the seventy years captivity- 606 BC. Jeremiah and Habakkuk were still uttering their prophecies, Ezekiel begun soon after, and a little later Obadiah. But all these finish their work years before the close of the long and brilliant career of Daniel. Only three prophets succeeded him, Haggai, Zachariah and Malachi.
During the study of the book of Daniel, you will see point by point, the history of the kingdoms there represented; Behold statesmen, councils, powerful armies, and see how God wrought to abase the pride of men, and lay human glory in the dust. God alone is represented as great. In the vision of the prophet He is seen casting down one mighty ruler, and setting up another. He is revealed as the Monarch of the universe, about to set up His everlasting kingdom; the Ancient of days, the living God, the Source of all wisdom, the Ruler of the present, and the Revealer of the future. You will understand how poor, how frail, how short lived, how erring, how guilty is man in lifting up his soul unto vanity.
The "light" that Daniel received, direct from God, was given especially for these last days. The visions he saw by the banks of the Ulai and the Hiddekel, the great rivers of Shinar, are now in process of fulfillment, and all the events foretold will soon have come to pass.
It was the God of heaven who exalted Babylon to a dizzy height of power and prosperity. Nebuchadnezzar was not only monarch of the greatest nation on earth, but was also eminently wise, just, considerate and honest; he was, in fact, the leading personality par excellence of the Gentile world, raised to power for a specific role in the divine plan. Of him God said, " I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant" (Jeremiah 27:6).
As the Jews went captive to Babylon it was essential that they should be held under a hand that was firm without being cruel; and Daniel's assigned mission was to secure the submission of Nebuchadnezzar's will to the will of God in order that this purpose might be realized.
Heaven might exalt Nebuchadnezzar to a position of power and prestige; but to humble his proud heart into cooperation with the divine decrees, another intelligent being, one who had himself learned the right use of the will and was a living example of loyalty to eternal principles of right, was chosen. In one of the dramatic moments of history, God brought together these two magnificent personalities, the two outstanding men of their day, the leaders of the two streams of ancient history.
It would really be interesting to know what Daniel looked like, but of course there are no pictures of him in existence. We do, however, have something of infinitely more value - a well-preserved character-personality portrait. Important as appearance may be, it is insignificant in comparison with those less tangible qualities of being which endure down through the ages. It is the way in which a man meets and solves the problems of life that reveals the kind of stuff he is made of. Fortunately for us, Daniel had plenty of problems to solve and in solving them left us a perfect picture of the man he really was. His main business in life was to live for God; and he discovered that it was possible to do so in Babylon just as well as in Jerusalem. The solutions of all the problems of life is easy for a man of character, and character consists essentially of living by principle rather than being guided by inclination, or one's feelings.
Two important facts are to be considered in this lesson - the character and personality of Daniel, and the circumstances by means of which God brought Daniel to the favorable attention of the king. The first and more important task is to analyze the character and personality of Daniel in order to discover those traits which qualified him to become the man of the hour. Then it will be possible to discover how God used these traits operating in the life of Daniel to command the attention and respect of the king.
Daniel's first favorable contact was on the social level, where we find integrity of character (verse 8) winning favor and respect. The way was thus prepared for the second contact, this time on the physical level, where a special consideration of health principles (verse 12) resulted in such marked physical improvement (verse 15) as to win active cooperation of those who had already learned to appreciate his personality. The third contact came on the level of intellect, where the blessings of heaven was added to Daniel's own native ability (verse 17) in such a way as to win even the king's recognition of what was undeniable mental superiority (verse 20). Satisfied that Daniel was socially, physically and intellectually superior, the king was ready to meet and respect the Author of all these remarkable traits of character. God now had a man of principle, had placed him in contact with those whom He desired to influence, and had demonstrated his unparalleled excellence. The fourth contact came in the realm of spiritual things. But that part of the story awaits the next installment of the narrative.
During the seventy years captivity of the Jews (Jeremiah 25:11) (606-536BC), Daniel resided at the court of Babylon engaging in the most stirring activities, and bearing the weightiest care and responsibilities that can devolve upon men in this earthly life. Apart from the connection with the Chaldean monarchy, Daniel enjoyed infinitely higher exaltation in being beloved and honored by God and His holy angels, and admitted to the council of the Most High. The prophecy of Daniel chapter 2, the interpretation of which was given to Daniel are in many ways the most remarkable of any in the sacred record, and it is the most comprehensive. It is the first prophecy giving a consecutive history of the world from that time to the end. Daniel's prophecy located most of its predictions within well defined prophetic periods though reaching many centuries into the future. It gives the last definite chronological prophecy of the coming of the Messiah.
The books of the Bible are not arranged in chronological order. The events in the book of Daniel took place before those in Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther. Even the chapters in the book of Daniel are not in chronological order as we shall discover as we proceed.
The personal history of Daniel reaches to a date a few years subsequent to the subversion of the Babylonian kingdom by the Medes and Persian. He is supposed to have died at Shushan or Susa, in Persia, about the year 530BC, age nearly ninety four years. His age being the probable reason why he did not return to Judea with other Hebrew captives, under the proclamation of Cyrus. (Ezra 1:1). 536BC marked the close of the seventy years captivity
SERIES 2 LESSON 1 - DANIEL CHAPTER 1
CAPTIVES IN BABYLON'S ROYAL COURT
1. Who was king of Judah when Nebuchanezzar beseiged Jerusalem? Verse 1 ______
2. What did Nebuchanezzar take along with him when he took Jehoiakim? Verse 2 ______________________________________________________________________
3. Where did he put the holy vessels that he brought from Jerusalem? Verse 2 last part ______________________________________________________________________
4. What was the name of the master of the king's eunuch? Verse 3 ___________________
5. What did the king instruct the master of his eunuchs to do? Verse 3. ________________ ______________________________________________________________________
6. List five qualities the king wanted in those persons he was sending for? Verse 4 ______________________________________________________________________
7. How long were they required to train before serving before the King? Verse 5 ______________________________________________________________________
8.Match the Judean name below with their Babylonian name. Verse 7.
a. Daniel ___________________ Abednego
b. Hananiah _____________________ Belteshazzar
c. Mishael _____________________ Shadrach
d. Azariah ______________________ Meshach
9. Daniel and his companions refused to eat the king's meat. What type of food did they eat instead? Verses 12-14 ____________________________________________
10. What was the name of the person Daniel consulted concerning their diet? Verse 11. ______________________________________________________________________
11. What position did this person hold? Verse 11 ______________________________
12. How long did the steward tested Daniel and his companions on this diet? Verse 14. ______________________________________________________________________
13. What was the result? Verse 15. _________________________________________
14.What happened next? Verse16 __________________________________________
15.What special gift of Daniel did the Bible mentioned? Verse 17. ________________
16. List the next two events in the life of these men as recorded in verses 18 and 19____________________________________________________________________
17. The king examined them in wisdom and understanding: What was the result? Verse 20 ______________________________________________________________
How long did Daniel serve in the courts of Babylon? Verse 21. ________________
The events in verse 1 of chapter 1 of the book of Daniel is a fulfilment of the prophecies prophesied by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 25:8-11), . All through the book of Jeremiah there is call to repentance, and revelation of the doom to come upon Jerusalem if they did not repent. They did not repent hence the doom was fulfilled in Daniel Chapter 1. As I told you before, the books of the Bible are not arranged in chronological order. If they were, the book of Daniel would be before Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther. Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther, are among the last five books of the Bible to be written. The events spoken of here in Daniel chapter one verses 1 and 2 are the same events spoken of in 2 Kings chapter 24, and 2 Chronicles chapter 36. The overthrow of Jerusalem spoken of here was prophesied by Jeremiah and was accomplished in 606BC. Nebuchanezzar set out on his expedition near the close of the third year of Jehoiakim, from which point Daniel reckons. But the King did not accomplish the subjugation of Jerusalem until about the ninth month of the following year, from which point Jeremiah reckons. Jehoiakim, though bound for the purpose of being taken to Babylon, humbled himself and was permitted to remain as ruler in Jerusalem tributary to the king of Babylon. This was the first siege (2 kings 24:1, 2). Twice subsequently the city revolted, but was recaptured by the same king and more severely dealt with each succeeding time.
The second overthrow was during the reign of Jehoichin - son of Jehoiakim, when all the sacred vessels were either taken or destroyed and the best of the inhabitants were led with the king into captivity (2 Kings 24:10-15). The third overthrow was during the reign of Zedikiah when the city endured a formidable siege. The siege continued for a year and a half during which time the inhabitants of the city suffered all the horrors of extreme famine. The garrison and the king attempted to escape from the city, but they were captured by the Chaldeans. The sons of the king was slain before his face. The king's eyes were taken out and he was taken to Babylon; thus was fulfilled the prophecy of Ezekial 12:13, that he would be carried to Babylon but he would not see the place. The city and temple was at this time completely destroyed, and the entire population of the country with the exception of a few husbandmen were carried captive to Babylon in 586 BC. Such was God's testimony against sin; not that the Chaldeans were the favorite of heaven, but God made use of them to punish the iniquities of His people. Had the Israelites been faithful to God and kept His Sabbath, Jerusalem would have stood forever (Jeremiah 17:24-27). But they departed from Him and because of His great love and mercy He allowed them to go into exile that they may learn what nothing else thus far was able to teach them, that God "will" bring His word to pass. Leviticus chapter 26 tells of the judgments that would come upon Israel if they rebelled against God. In this chapter we find the probable fulfillment of the judgments predicted by the prophet Isaiah to king Hezekiah more than a hundred years before, when this king had vaingloriously shown to the messengers of the king of Babylon all the treasures and holy things of his palace and kingdom. Hezekiah was told that all these good things would be carried as trophies to the city of Babylon, and that even his own children would be taken away and be eunuchs in the palace of the king (2 Kings 20:14-18). The word "children" as applied to these captives means offsprings and descendants of offsprings.
We learn from the record that these youths were already skillful in wisdom, cunning in knowledge and understanding science, and had ability in them to stand in the king's palace. In other words they had a good degree of education, and their physical and mental powers were so far developed that a skillful reader of human nature could form an accurate estimate of their capabilities. It is believed that they were about eighteen or twenty years of age.
In the treatment given these Hebrew captives, we see an instance of the wise policy and the liberality of the king - Nebuchadnezzar. He chose young men to be educated in all matters pertaining to the kingdom, that he might have efficient help in administering its affairs. He appointed them daily provisions of his own food and drink, instead of the coarse fare which some would have thought good enough for captives. For three years they had all the advantages the kingdom afforded. Though captives, they were royal children, and were treated as such by the humane king of the Chaldean.
Daniel purpose not to defile himself with the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank. Daniel had other reasons for this decision than simply the effect of such a diet upon his physical system. It was frequently the case that food used by the kings and princes of heathen nations, who were often the high priest of their religion, was first offered in sacrifice to idols, and the wine they used, poured out as a libation before their gods. Also, some of the flesh foods used by the Chaldeans was pronounced unclean by the Jewish law. On either of these grounds Daniel could not partake of these articles. Therefore he respectfully requested of the proper officer that he might not defile himself.
The prince of the eunuchs feared to grant Daniel's request, since the king himself had appointed the food for Daniel and his companions. This shows the great personal interest the king took in these captives. It appears that his sincere object was to secure in them the best mental and physical development that could be attained.
It is interesting to note what was included in Daniel's request for his diet. The word for "pulse" in the Greek translation refers to the word "seed." In the record of the creation story it mentions "every herb bearing seed and the fruit of a tree bearing seed." This makes it clear that Daniel's request included grains, legumes, and fruits- or a vegetarian diet as we call it. They were tested on this diet for ten days, at the end of which their countenance were found to be fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the king's meat. Thus they were allowed to continue on a pulse diet. At the end of the three years of training, they were brought before the king, and the king communed with them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah Mishael and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king. (verse 19).To Daniel alone seems to have been committed an understanding in visions and dream.
We now back track to verse 6 a minute. Here we see the name change of these three Hebrews. This change of names was probably made on account of the significance of the words. In the Hebrew, the word Daniel means "judge for God"; Hananiah, "Gift of the Lord"; Mishael "who is what God is"; and Azariah - "whom the Lord helps"; Since these names had some reference to the true God and signified some connection with His worship, they were changed to names which had definitions linking them to the heathen gods and worship of the Chaldeans. Thus Belteshazzar_ the name given to Daniel signified "prince of Bel"; Shadrach, "servant of Sin", (the moon god); Meshach, "who is what Aku is" (Aku being the Sumerian equivalent of -Sin- the moon God); and Abednego - "servant of -Nebo."
The Hebrew worthies, whom the king found to be ten times better in all matters of wisdom and understanding than the wise men in his realm stood before the king in the royal palaces of the city of Babylon. It is said that Daniel continued there for seventy long years, until the first year of king Cyrus.
Friend, whoever you may be, studying this lesson, God is depending on you to stand up for what is right. Give your life to God, and let Him fashion it according to His will. Stand up for God and He will stand up for you.
May the Lord be with you as you continue to study His word.
