None of the sixty-nine books of the Bible has been attacked by so many of the enemies of the Word of God as has the book of Daniel. Crritics claim that Daniel, if such a person ever existed, had nothing to do with the writing of the book. They claim it was written
after the time of Antiochus Epiphanes in 165 B.C.
Josephus, the Jewish historian in his account of the Jewish persecutions and struggle with Antiochus Epiphanes tells us these things came to pass “according to the prophecy of Daniel which was given 408 years before.” He also tells us that when Alexander the Great came against Jerusalem in 332 B.C., Juddua the high priest showed him the reference to him in the book of Daniel (8:5-8) and he was so pleased with what Daniel had written that he spared the city.
Ezekiel, a contemporary of Daniel, in his book mentions Daniel three times (Ezekiel 14:14, 20; 28:3). Ezekiel tells us Daniel did live and was noted for his righteousness along with Noah, for wisdom which was equal to Job’s. But the highest authority that declared
Daniel actually lived during the time the book of Daniel was written was our Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:15). Jesus referred to Daniel as, “the prophet” an actual person.
The denial that Daniel lived during the time of the Babylonian Captivity and wrote the book that bears his name is a denial of the integrity and wisdom of the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said there was a prophet named Daniel and he fortold a time
when the “abomination of desolation” would appear and would stand in the temple in the holy place. When anyone claims Daniel never lived, the book of Daniel is fiction, that person has called Almighty God a liar and is on the verge of committing the unpardonable
sin.
In this life we may never fully understand all of what Daniel wrote, but we can understand all that God wants us to understand in our present situation. The Lord revealed to Daniel events that was going to happen during his life time and during the Gentile Age and in the tribulation period known as the time of “Jacob’s trouble” or the time of “great tribulation.”
Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were historical characters , but they were also a type of the nation of Israel. The experience of the Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in the fiery furnace and the experience of Daniel in the lion’s den typify the history of Israel during the time of the Gentile, the reign of the Antichrist, the time of Jacob’s trouble. The time when Satan will make his last and futile attempt to annihilate Israel. The deliverance of Shadrach, Meshach, Abed-nego from the fiery furnace and the deliverance of Daniel from the lion’s den are examples of Jehovah’s present protection of Israel and her ulitmate deliverance from Satan and his demonic hosts and the restoration of the Promised Land.
God’s plan and purpose for Israel was to make her a leading nation of the world, but through disobedience and idolatry the plan was put on hold. In the year 721 B.C. the Northern Kingdom of the divided kingdom of Israel was defeated by the Assyrians. It was not long after the defeat of the Northern Kingdom (Israel), that the Sothern Kingdom (Judah) began falling away from the true worship of God. This resulted in the Babylonian Captivity.
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, the eldest son of godly Josiah, Nebuchadnezzar’s armies overran Jerusalem and Jehoiakim surrendered to
Nebuchadnezzar, but was again placed on the throne. Nebuchadnezzar was called back to Babylon at the death of his father, Nabopolassar, to be crowned king of Babylon. He reigned over Babylon for forty-three years (605-562).
When Nebuchadnezzar returned to Babylon he took with him some of the vessels from the temple, princes of royal blood and the most intellectual of the young men of Judah. Daniel was among those taken to Babylon.
Three years after he was placed on the throne of Judea by Nebuchadnezzar, Jehoiakim rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. In the eleventh year of Jehoiakim’s reign Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem, put Jehoiakim in chains and took him to Babylon where it is believed he was killed (2nd Chronicles 36:5-7). Jehoiakim’s son Jehoiachin replaced him on the throne.His reign lasted only three months, as he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all his father had done (2nd Kings 24:8-16). Jehoiachin’s uncle, whose name was changed from Mattaniah to Zedekiah by
Nebuchadnezzar, replaced Jehoiachin on the throne, but he did that which was evil and ungodly in the sight of the Lord and rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. In the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reigh Nebuchadnezzar again besieged Jerusalem, and took the city after two
years of battle. He destroyed the temple and Jerusalem and from that time forward the Jewish people ceased to exist as a nation (2nd Kings 24:17-20). The city of Jerusalem and the land were left in a desolate condition for seventy years, as predicted by Jeremiah
(Jeremiah 25:11).
Ashpenaz the chief of Nebuchadnezzar’s officials was ordered to bring in some of the sons of Israel, including some of the royal family and of the nobles, youths in whom was no defect, who were good-looking, showing intelligence in every branch of wisdom, endowed
with and discerning knowledge, and who had the ability for serving in the king’s court. He ordered him to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. They were to be given a daily ration from the king’s choice food and from the wine which he drank, and educated in the ways of the Chaldeans for three years, at the end of which they were to
enter the king’s personal service.Among the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiahm, Mishael and Azariah.
The the commander of the officals assigned new names to them. To Daniel he assigned the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah Shadrach, to Mishael Meshach and to Azariah Abed-nego.”
Changing the names of these captives may not seem like a big deal to the casual reader of the Word of God, but those who are spiritually minded will recognize what is happening. This is an attempt to draw the captives from their religion and their God and gradually draw them into the religion and habits of their captors. But changing a person’s name does
not change the character of a person. These young men were rooted and grounded in the faith of their fathers and changing their names will not accomplish the goal intended in the changing of their names.
To the average youth the temptation to enjoy the comforts of the king’s place would be attractive and appealing. Daniel and his friends could have found many excuses for yielding to the king’s command. They could have said they were captives and their only
choice was to obey their captors. But Daniel and his friends refused to forsake their faith and their God.
They knew that the meat of the king’s table would sometimes be meat forbidden by the Mosiac law, the flesh of swine, meat from which the blood had not been drawn, or had been offered to idols. If they ate the meat from the king’s table they would violate God’s
law (Leviticus 11:3, 7-9, 12, 46, 47; 17:10-14). They knew if they ate meat forbidden by the law of God they would be ceremonially defiled. “Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank: so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself (v. 8).
Daniel did not know what his decision might cost him. His decision not to eat the king’s meat nor drink his wine was a crisis day in the lives of Daniel and his friends. Daniel and his friends were determined to eat, drink, and do whatever they did “to the glory of God.”
Christians should do what Daniel and his friends did even though they knew they would suffer persecution. They refused to coexist with the unrighteous and ungodly. Refuse to defile themselves with the religious trends of the times. Today as never before in the history of the church the necessity for living obedient, Spirit-filled, separated life, dedicated to the Lord needs to be emphasized.
Daniel was an extraordinary young man. There was no sign of weakness in his decision. With his whole heart he vowed that he would not obey the king’s command and he didn’t. But he didn’t speak to the commander of the officials in a haughty, dogmatic way. He didn’t simply say he would not participate in the kings plan for his life. If he had taken a rebellious stand he wouldn’t have gained the favor of the commander of the officials.
Daniel requested the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself. The commander of the officials told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has appointed your food and your drink: for why should he see your faces looking more haggard than the youths who are your own age? Then you would make me forfeit my head to the king’”
The commander of the officials was telling Daniel the order to eat the king’s meat and drink his wine was not his idea. He was following orders. If he disobeyed the command of the king he would lose his life. Daniel could have told the commander of the officials he
didn’t care if he lost his life he wasn’t going to dishonor his God to save his life. Daniel could have preached a sermon denouncing the idols and religious views of the Babylonians. But he didn’t. He requested permission to choose his own diet and not be compelled to eat the king’s meat and drink his wine. It didn’t take the commander of the officials long to see something out of the ordinary in Daniel and with the Lord working on his heart he was willing to reason with Daniel.
Verses twelve to seventeen clearly tell us what happened. God took care of Daniel and his friends. He gave them knowledge, skill, all learning and wisdom. It seems that God bestowed the gift to understand visions and dreams upon Daniel. God knew in the near
future Daniel would have need of this understanding visions and dreams. He knew Daniel would be faced with an unreasonable task of interpreting a dream the king had forgotten and He proved the ability to understand visions and dreams before the need arose.
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 talked with them, and out of them all not one was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, so they entered the king’s personal service. As for every matter of wisdom and understanding about which
the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in all his realm.
God always prepares His servants for the service He has called them to perform.
