Daniel 1:1-21 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today we begin the book of Daniel. While you will always find people positing other theories, there is good reason to believe that the book of Daniel was written by Daniel himself starting in approximately 605 B.C. Many Bible scholars believe that Daniel lived around the same time as the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel, was born of noble birth in Judah and spent his first 15 years or so there. Growing up in Judah, Daniel probably heard the prophet Jeremiah preach about how one day because of their persistent rebellion against God, the king of Babylon would take over Jerusalem and send its people into exile. When Jerusalem in fact fell to Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel was among the young Jewish men who were taken to Babylon, to be educated in the Babylonian system in service of the Babylonian king. Daniel would spend the rest of his life living outside of Jerusalem, serving in the administration of various foreign kingdoms, including Babylon and Persia, while holding fast to his faith in the LORD.
Today’s passage is Daniel 1:1-21. Let’s go!
Daniel 1:1-6 (NIV)
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 and put in the treasure house of his god.
3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in 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.
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 these were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.
On verses 1-6: Among the young Israelite men who were handpicked for the king’s service, representing the kingdom of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. Just as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were among the outstanding young people who were handpicked to serve King Nebuchadnezzar, so you are one of the outstanding ones who have been handpicked to serve the greatest king of all, Jesus Christ.
Daniel 1:7 (NIV)
7 The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
On verse 7: Daniel, whose name means “God is my judge”, was given the name Belteshazzar, which was probably a prayer to one of the Babylonian gods saying, “Protect his life!”
Hananiah, whose name means “Yahweh is gracious”, was given the name Shadrach, which was probably a petition to the Babylonian moon god Aku.
Mishael, whose name means “Who is what God is?” (i.e. there is no one like our God), was given the name Meshach, which probably means something like “Who is what Aku is?” (i.e. there is no one like Aku).
Azariah, whose name means “Yahweh has helped/will help”, was given the name Abednego, which means “servant of Nebo”, another Babylonian god.
In other words, in each case, the Babylonian chief official took a name that was centered around Israel’s God and changed to a name that appealed to a Babylonian god.
Despite living in Babylon, being taught the Babylonian language and culture, and having his name changed to a Babylonian name, as we will see the verses that follow, Daniel never forgot who he really is.
The world will go to great lengths to uproot your original God-given identity and to plant your identity in something that does not last. Like Daniel, never forget who you really are: a precious and beloved child of God, chosen to serve the king.
Daniel 1:8 (NIV)
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.
On verse 8: Daniel probably did not want to eat the royal food and wine for two reasons. First, the royal food and wine included foods that were considered unclean according to the law of Moses. Second, the royal food and wine would have been offered to a Babylonian god before being presented for eating (an issue that first century Jewish Christian would later wrestle with). Despite living in a foreign land and having no more access to worship the LORD in the temple, Daniel and his brothers from Judah could have easily said, “We don’t want to offend anyone. Let’s just eat it like everyone else. All the other guys from Israel are eating it. Why don’t we?” But in the end Daniel still thought it was important to abstain from these foods as a way to set himself apart for the LORD.
How can we apply these verses to our own lives? Granted, the dietary laws in the Old Testament do not apply to Christians (see Mark 7:19; Acts 10:15). Still, one lesson I learn from these verses is that it is your choice how much of the world’s food you will eat. To be clear, I’m not talking about physical food. I’m talking about the messages that the world preaches about who to depend on and what to chase after. Every day you need to make a choice: will I let the Word or the world inform and transform my thinking?
Because in many ways you are what you eat, feed on the Word. As Jesus says, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3)
Daniel 1:9-16 (NIV)
9 Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel,
10 but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”
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.
On verses 9-16: When Daniel faced a problem, he got creative in finding a solution. Likewise, when you’re faced with a problem, don’t give up but get creative.
Also, another lesson: you’ll always look and feel better feeding on the Word than you would feeding on the world.
Daniel 1:17-21 (NIV)
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 in, 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.
On verses 17-21: Because Daniel and his 3 friends from Judah resolved to honour God in a small thing, God blessed them in other ways, giving them knowledge and understanding in other areas as well as favour with the king. Similarly, when you resolve to honour God in small things, God will bless you in other ways and give you favour.
Father, like Daniel, may I never forget who I am in You. May I feed on Your Word more than anything that the world offers me. Since wisdom, knowledge and favour come from You, I pray for wisdom to honour You in the small things, knowing that Your blessing and favour will follow in other ways. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
