Tag: Daniel 1

Daniel 1 Part 2 (1:4-21) From Crisis to Opportunity: How God Used the Collapse of Judah to Expand His Remnants’ Understanding of Him

When His people sin, remaining faithful to His unchanging principles and character, God acts with justice to discipline His people. In the beginning of this chapter, God executed judgment on the nation. In the rest of the chapter, however, God showed compassion and grace to His remnant at the individual level through Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

  • God of Principle II (Compassion): Despite the sins of Judah, God showed compassion and ensured the survival of His people. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were among those who received God’s favor (Daniel 1:6, 8). Through God’s compassion, Daniel and his friends were able to abstain from the king’s choice food and instead eat only vegetables, thus keeping themselves undefiled (Daniel 1:8-16).
  • God of Principle III (Grace): For Daniel and his three friends – who were likely in their late teens or early twenties – being deported from their homeland of Jerusalem to Shinar in Babylon, a foreign land full of idols, was a traumatic and difficult circumstance. Nevertheless, God provided them with more than enough to live as men of God. God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom (Daniel 1:17).

Summary (Daniel 1:4-21)

Daniel was determined not to defile himself with the king’s food and wine. He sought permission from the commander of the officials to avoid consuming it. With God’s favor and compassion, the commander agreed to test Daniel and his friends by allowing them to eat only vegetables and water for ten days. When they appeared healthier than the other youths, the commander withheld the king’s food and continued to provide them with vegetables.

God gave these four youths knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom. After three years of education, they were presented to King Nebuchadnezzar and found to be ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers. Daniel continued to serve until the first year of King Cyrus.

Prudently denied King’s Choice Food

Daniel’s unwavering confidence in God was evident even though he hailed from a defeated nation. He understood that it was God’s will for Judah to be delivered to the Babylonians, and he prudently displayed this confidence to the Babylonians. With faith in his God, Daniel made the bold decision not to defile himself with the king’s choice food and requested that he be given vegetables and water instead.

While this may seem like a trivial matter, it was a risky request for Daniel to make as a prisoner from a conquered nation. If King Nebuchadnezzar had found the request displeasing, Daniel could have been executed. However, it was crucial for Daniel to maintain his identity before God the LORD, and his confidence in the sovereignty of the LORD gave him the strength to make this audacious request.

It’s worth noting that the term “defile” here refers to more than just physical intake but also spiritual intake. The meat offered to new students in the Babylonian royal institution was likely sacrificed to Babylonian gods and not prepared according to Levitical standards. By eating this meat, Daniel would have defiled himself spiritually. This was why he took the risk of requesting vegetables and water instead of the king’s choice food, displaying his unwavering faith in God even in the face of danger, even death. 

… Yet, “accepted” Babylonian name and education 

On the other hand, we find it intriguing that Daniel did not oppose being given a new Babylonian name, Belteshazzar (Daniel 1:7), and accepted Babylonian education (Daniel 1:5). 

First, Daniel knew his identity in the LORD God. The meaning of Belteshazzar is “Bel will protect,” and Bel is one of the Babylonian deities, a far cry from the meaning of the name Daniel, which means “God is judge.” Although others in Babylon may have referred to him as Belteshazzar, Daniel knew the meaning of his name and his identity in God the LORD. Therefore, he did not care what other people would call him or how they would try to define him.

Second, Daniel did not reject being educated in Chaldean literature. Given that Babylon was the most powerful nation in the region, it is likely that their progress in science, technology, military, and agriculture was far more advanced than that of Judah. Additionally, Babylon may have had a better understanding of the literature and geopolitical insights of surrounding nations. These kinds of knowledge did not oppose the principles of God in and of themselves. Daniel was confident in God’s ability to use even the leading scientific knowledge and literature to further his understanding of God and to serve Him as well as the king of Babylon.

Opportunity to expand One’s Visions

The collapse of Judah was a great crisis for the Jewish people, as it threatened to erode their identity in God. But it also presented a great opportunity. In the aftermath of the destruction of Judah and God’s temple, the Jews had a chance to expand their understanding of God. God can work wonders with His remnants, even through the wisdom and literature of the gentiles, especially the Chaldeans.

Daniel and his three friends were among those remnants who were given knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom. They did not reject this education, but instead used it to further their relationship with God. They did not allow themselves to be turned by Chaldean literature and wisdom, but instead used it to become even stronger men of God who could serve both their pagan kings and honor God (Daniel 2 and 3).

If Judah had not collapsed, Daniel and his friends might not have had the opportunity to serve the king of Judah in such important roles. Those who were faithful to God might have faced persecution in Judah, as Jeremiah did. The intelligence and wisdom of Daniel and his friends might have shone more brightly under the Babylonian empire, where they were allowed to be educated. In addition to the word of God, they equipped themselves with the world-leading Chaldean wisdom and literature, becoming more refined men of God with competence.

We can learn from their example today. We too can use cutting-edge technology and frontier knowledge to serve our nation and honor God at the same time. We must not allow this knowledge to master us, but instead subject it to the service of God, our nation, and our neighbors. In this way, we can use even secular knowledge to become more refined men and women of God.

Conclusion

The last verse of this chapter shows that Daniel was a man who served faithfully for around 70 years until the first year of Cyrus. Daniel was undoubtedly a competent man of God, but it’s essential to recognize that his success and longevity were a manifestation of God’s faithfulness. Despite Judah’s sins and the collapse of their nation, God remained compassionate and gracious to His remnants, including Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. We can draw inspiration from the lives of Daniel and his friends and see how God’s wisdom and knowledge were instrumental in the foundation of their success in the kingdom of Babylon. 

As followers of Christ today, let us continually praise God for His unwavering love and faithfulness towards us. May we seek God’s grace and compassion in our lives, knowing that He is the ultimate source of all wisdom, knowledge, and strength.

Daniel 1 Part 1 (1:1-1:3) The True God: Why the Defeat of Judah Did Not Compromise God’s Sovereignty

The defeat of God’s nation and people by Babylon did not compromise His sovereignty. Instead, this event – the loss of national sovereignty and people being led away in captivity to the land of Babylon – highlighted His sovereignty in a powerful way. God demonstrated both His judgment and compassion through this event. At the national level, He executed His judgment on Judah for their collective sin. However, at the individual level, God showed compassion and grace to the captives, including Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

Summary

The LORD God gave Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. In addition, Nebuchadnezzar took some of the vessels from the house of God and also selected some of the sons of Israel – youths who showed intelligence and discerning knowledge – to educate them for three years in order to serve him personally. Among these youths were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

However, Daniel was determined not to defile himself with the king’s food and wine. He sought permission from the commander of the officials to avoid consuming it. With God’s favor and compassion, the commander agreed to test Daniel and his friends by allowing them to eat only vegetables and water for ten days. When they appeared healthier than the other youths, the commander withheld the king’s food and continued to provide them with vegetables.

God gave these four youths knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom. After three years of education, they were presented to King Nebuchadnezzar and found to be ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers. Daniel continued to serve until the first year of King Cyrus.

Collapse of Judeo-centric Worldview

“God is on our side” is a phrase we often use to comfort ourselves, but it must be taken with caution. We need to be on God’s side, not the other way around. When Joshua met the captain of the host of the LORD before Israel’s first battle in the land of Canaan, he asked which side he was on, to which the captain replied that he came as the captain of the host of the LORD (Joshua 5:13-14). This reply implies that it was irrelevant which side he, who was representing the only true God, was on. Joshua immediately postured himself to the listening and obedience mode to the captain. As such, Joshua and the Israelites needed to be on the LORD God’s side. 

Approximately 600 years later, it appeared that the people of Judah had forgotten this important lesson. They believed that God was on their side unconditionally and would protect them from Babylon, despite prophet Jeremiah’s warning. However, they failed to understand that their obedience and reflection of God’s holiness were necessary for God’s protection. They were chosen by God, but with the condition that they follow His commands (Deuteronomy 28). Continuing to sin and refuse to repent, they falsely believed that God would defend them. Although God had protected them in the past, deliberate sin and injustice could not be tolerated forever.

Therefore, Jeremiah’s prophecies and warnings of the collapse of Judah and the plundering of the Temple of God were fulfilled, which bewildered the leaders and prophets of Judah. Their Judeo-centric worldview and perhaps their understanding of the sovereignty of God also collapsed.

However, the national defeat and plundering of the Temple of God did not demonstrate the collapse of God’s sovereignty. Instead, they revealed a different aspect of God’s sovereignty, one that was wider and deeper than their formal understanding of God

The Sovereignty and Faithfulness of God in Defeat of His People

The book of Daniel opens with the “defeat” of God’s people and their nation. King Zedekiah of Judah was captured and the Babylonians completely overran Judah and Jerusalem. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took vessels from the house of God and brought them into the temple of his own god. Additionally, he took many fine and intelligent youths from among the sons of Israel as captives to eventually serve him and the kingdom of Babylon. At face value, this appeared to be a complete defeat of Judah and its God, the LORD. However, this event in no way compromised the absolute sovereignty of God. In fact, the defeat of Judah only highlights the sovereignty of the LORD.

In ancient times, conquests and wars were believed to be the result of struggles between different gods. The Babylonians, for example, believed that the defeat of Judah proved that their gods were stronger than the LORD of Judah (Daniel 1:1-2). Similarly, other nations believed in their gods within their own understanding. Their gods operated according to their respective beliefs of how gods should operate. When they won wars, their gods were praised as stronger than the gods of the defeated nations. When they lost wars, the power of their gods was nullified.

In other words, the value of these gods depended on the winning and prosperity of the people who believed in them. This is a great irony because if gods were dependent, then how can they be gods? In fact, they were merely just idols, created in the image of sinful and limited man. For gods to be considered true God, they need to be completely independent and transcendent over the understanding and reasoning of people.

In contrast to the gods of other nations, the true God, the LORD, does not operate within the realm of reason and understanding of finite human minds. The LORD God is a God of absolute principles that do not depend on the winning and prosperity of His people. The defeat of Judah and the plundering of God’s temple do not nullify God’s sovereignty. Although this event must have been a great shock to many in Judah, as many prophets continued to falsely prophesy that the LORD God would deliver Judah from the Babylonians, the defeat, deportation of the Jews, and plundering of the temple, in fact, testified to the faithfulness of the LORD and one of His principles: absolute justice.

  • God of Principle I (Justice): God hates sin. As the people of Israel and Judah failed to obey the LORD, depriving justice to orphans, widows, and aliens, God delivered Judah to the Babylonians.

God, in faithfulness to His principle of justice, executed judgment on Judah at a national level. He had warned the Israelites in His covenant with them, spoken through Moses, that failure to obey His commands and show justice and mercy to the weak of society, such as orphans, widows, and aliens, would result in being removed from the land He had given them (Deuteronomy 28:58-64). During the last few kings of Judah, God sent many prophets to exhort their leaders to repent and obey His ordinances and statutes. However, the people of Judah repeatedly defied God’s call to live a holy life, resulting in oppression of the weak and injustice. God removed them from their land and delivered them to their enemies, as He had promised. Along with the defeat of Judah, God willingly allowed Himself to be humiliated as Nebuchadnezzar plundered the temple of God (Daniel 1:2).

Conclusion

The book of Daniel begins with a cataclysmic event of the collapse of Judah, which posed a great crisis to the identity and future of God’s people. However, this collapse was also an opportunity for the remnant of Jews who survived by God’s compassion to understand and experience His grace in a new way.

Likewise, we may face similar crises in our own lives, but let us stand firm and cling to God, for these moments may be opportunities to deepen our understanding of Him.