seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Daniel 1:1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia[a] and put in the treasure house of his god.
3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— 4 young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians.[b] 5 The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.
6 Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7 The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. 9 Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, 10 but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your[c] food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”
11 Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” 14 So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.
15 At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. 16 So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.
17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.
18 At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. 20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.
21 And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.
a. Daniel 1:2 Hebrew Shinar
b. Daniel 1:4 Or Chaldeans
c. Daniel 1:10 The Hebrew for your and you in this verse is plural
Well I've finished reading Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Jeremiah was the prophet sent back to Jerusalem by king Cyrus. Ezekiel was the prophet who stayed in Babylonia with the other exiles.... and he saw the the Temple to replace the one Jeremiah was restoring. Now there is Daniel.... and after years of training.... he's going to deal with the governments in Babylon.
This is from the easy English site.
Although Nebuchadnezzar was wicked, he was also wise. He chose the best of the young men from the people that he had defeated. These young men learned about the things of Babylon. Then they could serve the king. Later they would probably rule over their own people. The people would probably not oppose their own young men.
The young men got the best education that the king could give them. They did not even have to worry about preparing meals. They got the same food and wine that the king had.
We do not know why Daniel did not want to take the royal food and wine. In Babylon, people offered food to false gods before they ate it. Perhaps people would think that Daniel gave honour to those gods too. Daniel believed that it was wrong to eat the food. That is the important thing. (We may not be sure if something is wrong. But if we are not sure, then it is better not to do it.) So, Daniel asked if he could have vegetables and water instead.
It seems that Daniel was a good and pleasant person. So the king’s official liked him. God made Daniel like that. But the official was afraid of the king. The king might kill him if he did not obey the king’s command. The official wanted Daniel to eat the royal food. He thought that it would make Daniel seem healthier. Maybe this gave Daniel an idea. He asked the guard to give him and his friends vegetables and water for 10 days. Then the guard could see which of the young men were healthier. After 10 days, Daniel and his friends seemed healthier than the young men who ate the royal food. So, the guard agreed to give them vegetables and water.
This is from Bible-studys.org.
The book of Daniel was written by the prophet Daniel. Daniel prophesied after he was taken to Babylon with the first captives. He was taken on the first of three steps to overthrow Jerusalem which happened (in 605 B.C., then in 597 B.C., then finally in 586 B.C.).
He was chosen out to learn the language, and to work in the king's palace. He was chosen, along with other young men from prominent families, to serve in the Babylonian court.
Some believe that Daniel was a eunuch which was a procedure that was required for those serving in the king’s court. According to what I’ve found I do not know of a passage of scripture that specifically states that Daniel was a eunuch, there is strong evidence to believe so. The prophesy of Isaiah concerning the fall to Babylon (chapter 39:7 in particular), speaks of the young men of Judah being taken away and made "eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon".
This prophesy took place during the younger years of Daniels life. (Daniel 1:1 and following), state that Daniel was among those brought to Babylon (verse 6 in particular). Also, we see that Daniel was placed under the charge of Ashpenaz, master of the eunuchs. The fact that Daniel rose to such a high position of authority under the rules of Nebuchadnezzar and Darius, almost certainly confirms that Daniel was made a eunuch, common practice in biblical days to prevent any offspring being born to anyone who might challenge the throne.
Daniel's prophecies were different from Isaiah's, and Jeremiah's. Their prophecies were usually begun by saying, "Thus saith the Lord". Daniel did not use that expression when giving his. His ministry was involved in interpreting dreams and riddles. The most prominent of ministries, possibly, were the visions he had himself of events future to even our day. The book of Revelation and Daniel have much in common. Some future events are mentioned in both. Daniel had three friends who were fellow captives. We will see all four of these young men, standing up for God under great stress.
The book of Daniel must be understood through the spirit, if we are to understand anything it says. As with many prophecies, this covers the time they lived in, and covers times future to us, as well. The sovereignty of God is revealed in this book.
This is from enduringword.com.Setting the time: The prophet Daniel lived in the sixth century before the birth of Jesus. During this approximate period:
· Construction began on the Acropolis in Athens.
· Mayan civilization flourished in Mexico.
· Aesop wrote his fables.
· Confucius and Buddha lived.
· Greek art began to truly excel.
· The Greeks introduced the olive tree to Italy.
· The Phoenicians made the first known sea journey around Africa.
Daniel is one of those books that is studied over and over and over again..... and generally it's study involves the Book of Revelation.
All through the books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel.... I have been using the word "castrated". The act of castration is so violent..... when Lorena Bobbitt used castration on her husband.... men all over the country started to treat their women a little differently. As a matter of fact.... as I recall.... upon hearing the report of Mr. Bobbitt's fate.... many men clutched their own groins in fearful solidarity. So.... it makes sense that the Babylonian king would have no problem using this tool to subdue these enslaved young men. He was, after all, known for his cruelty.
Each time I have gone through this study.... I have been told that these boys would be castrated so that if one of the women in the kings harem got amorous ideas.... the boys wouldn't impregnate the palace girls. The idea was kill it before it grows. That makes sense too..... this is an unusually cruel thing to do.... but based on the idea of Babylonian world dominance..... they didn't want a slave mucking up the joint with offspring from the palace.
Now to the special diet. The commentaries on the special diet have changed over the years. Twenty years ago.... some ladies in the church decided that this vegan diet would answer their problems. I mean what better weight loss plan is there than a biblical diet and biblical study combined. I know there were at least a couple of us in that Bible study that were praying about at least twenty pounds. I remember a couple of "diet plan" books based on the study of Daniel. I have to admit.... maybe the reason my "diet plan" didn't work was simpler.... I wouldn't buy the book.... I figured I could read along in the Bible.... I didn't need to spend ten bucks to read what was already written by a prophet..... but then again... I never spent the money on the book and I never lost the weight.... This is not a weight loss diet.... this is the same diet set out in the law of Moses.
Daniel.... as I read it.... wasn't interested in loosing twenty pounds. There was no pamphlet that came with the castration surgery that explained his new dietary needs. IMHO.... Daniel just wanted a little control. The stuff the king ate..... it would have been meat offered to the Babylonian gods. May I add one more little tidbit..... God didn't want the descendants of Jacob [Israel] to eat meat that still had blood in it. One of the proper steps of making meat kosher [as I understand it] is draining the blood. The Babylonian chef would have been cooking the meat the kings hunters shot.... animals with cloven hooves [unclean]..... like deer or elk.... and they might have served them rare.
Daniel loved God.
