Anybody Else Want To Study The Book Of Daniel?

I find this book fascinating and would like help to know it better. I will start with Daniel 1:1

Daniel Taken to Babylon
Daniel 1
1In the third year of the reign of a Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.2And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with b some of the articles of 1 the house of God, which he carried c into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; d and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god.3Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring e some of the children of Israel and some of the king's descendants and some of the nobles,4young men f in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king's palace, and g whom they might teach the language and 2 literature of the Chaldeans.5And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king's delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might h serve before the king.6Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.7 i To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names: j he gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, AbedNego'.
 
I copied and pasted this from an old thread started by th1bill because he seemed to have such a good understanding:

Dan 1:1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
Dan 1:2 The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his god.
Dan 1:3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his officials, to bring in some of the sons of Israel, including some of the royal family and of the nobles,
Dan 1:4 youths in whom was no defect, who were good-looking, showing intelligence in every branch of wisdom, endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge, and who had ability for serving in the king's court; and he ordered him to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.
Jehoiakim has only reigned because he was paying a heavy tribute to Egypt because they had been conquered by Necho. Jehoiakim's brother, Jehoahaz was made king after the death of their father, Josiah, at Megiddo but Nebuchadnezzar defeated Egypt, leaving Judah without protection. So it is that the king of the Chaldeans has now taken Judah and looks for advisors that are wise and he begins to educate them in the ways of his kingdom. Of the men of Judah, he wants only the best young men to mold to fit into his empire.


Dan 1:5 The king appointed for them a daily ration from the king's choice food and from the wine which he drank, and appointed that they should be educated three years, at the end of which they were to enter the king's personal service.
Dan 1:6 Now among them from the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.
Dan 1:7 Then the commander of the officials assigned new names to them; and to Daniel he assigned the name Belteshazzar, to Hananiah Shadrach, to Mishael Meshach and to Azariah Abed-nego.
Nebuchadnezzar, being the king, knows enough to purchase the loyalty of his new staff and here we see a good example of his attempted bribery and to make sure of the tightest possible fit he even has their names changed to sound more like they belong. As we read we should notice that these four are not alone and I will venture a guess that they were a small minority of the youth concerned.

If we will meditate on the Word instead of just reading it we see that God has always held a remnant for Himself, just as He is doing here. When Elijah, just knew he was the only believer left god had it revealed to him that there were 7,000 others hidden away and cared for. There is a life application lesson here: If we are brave enough, not strong enough but brave enough, to stand against the overwhelming majority (in numbers only) God will care for, protect and make you victorious. These young men go forward to be victorious in ways they never could have looked forward to but they were to become victors and that because they trusted in their Saviour. Watch now;

Dan 1:8 But Daniel made up his mind 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.
Dan 1:9 Now God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials,
Dan 1:10 and the commander of the officials said to 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."
Here, once more is a lesson we should be teaching our children and our youth, another life application. Daniel has trusted, completely, in his Saviour and approaches his Training Guard with a plan to remain pure and undefiled in the eyes of Father God. These four young men (teens?) are seeking to live as they know God wants them to live. Another lesson to take from this passage is the devotion of the guard to his boss, the king.

Dan 1:11 But Daniel said to the overseer whom the commander of the officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah,
Dan 1:12 "Please test your servants for ten days, and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink.
Dan 1:13 "Then let our appearance be observed in your presence and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king's choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you see."
Still trusting the Saviour, Daniel lays out a plan to test these four with and God has already moved the guard to test them and so it is that the plan goes forward. Here we see another affirmation that when we look around for what God has going on and we choose to join in, He will bless us beyond, possible, measure. Watch now as God begins to bless because these youth have chosen not to eat Ham and Cheese on Rye.

Dan 1:14 So he listened to them in this matter and tested them for ten days.
Dan 1:15 At the end of ten days their appearance seemed better and they were fatter than all the youths who had been eating the king's choice food.
Dan 1:16 So the overseer continued to withhold their choice food and the wine they were to drink, and kept giving them vegetables.
Dan 1:17 As for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams.
Dan 1:18 Then at the end of the days which the king had specified for presenting them, the commander of the officials presented them before Nebuchadnezzar.
Dan 1:19 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.
Noticeably, there is no mention of the level or the lack of service the majority were indentured to but of even more worthy note, these, that remained true, were drafted into the King's personal service. They were thought so well of that he kept them close to him. As we will see in this study, they had relationship with Nebuchadnezzar because they maintained their Worshipful Relationship with their Savior.

Dan 1:20 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.
Remember now Moses and the Exodus' beginning, these primitive kings valued their magicians and conjurers very, very highly and yet these four youth who have disobeyed his directives but have, rather, remained faithful to their Saviour in Heaven are regarded to be more valuable than the best and most prized in all of his kingdom. When we look back at history (His Story) we see over and over that those loyal to God the Father, the Holy Spirit and to Jesus, the Saviour, are exulted. Not always in wealth but history has recorded men like King David, King Solomon, Billy Sunday and Billy Graham to be known as great men of God. Their rewards will all lay at the feet of their Saviour, Jesus one day in eternity.

Every one of us can reach for and we can obtain that Royal Honor... if we remain true and holy.

Dan 1:21 And Daniel continued until the first year of Cyrus the king.
Daniel, it appears, remained in the Kings Service from the onset of his training period in 597bc until the first year of Cyrus the Great in 559bc. It looks like Daniel was the kings personal advisor for about thirty-eight years. He served under two kings of two empires. It should be noted that Babylon would have been located in Iraq and the ancient Persian people are found, today, in Iran and the two are, for the moment, not fighting but the war, also, is not over between them. They might be seen as united but that will be only because of their hate for Israel and thus, the United
States.

It is now, today, critical that we, God's People, keep our eyes on the World but our faith must remain in Jesus as our Saviour for only He can or will save us as the Day of the LORD approaches and soon will dawn.
th1bill,Mar 9, 2013Report
 
I copied and pasted this from an old thread started by th1bill because he seemed to have such a good understanding:

Dan 1:1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
Dan 1:2 The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his god.
Dan 1:3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his officials, to bring in some of the sons of Israel, including some of the royal family and of the nobles,
Dan 1:4 youths in whom was no defect, who were good-looking, showing intelligence in every branch of wisdom, endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge, and who had ability for serving in the king's court; and he ordered him to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.
Jehoiakim has only reigned because he was paying a heavy tribute to Egypt because they had been conquered by Necho. Jehoiakim's brother, Jehoahaz was made king after the death of their father, Josiah, at Megiddo but Nebuchadnezzar defeated Egypt, leaving Judah without protection. So it is that the king of the Chaldeans has now taken Judah and looks for advisors that are wise and he begins to educate them in the ways of his kingdom. Of the men of Judah, he wants only the best young men to mold to fit into his empire.


Dan 1:5 The king appointed for them a daily ration from the king's choice food and from the wine which he drank, and appointed that they should be educated three years, at the end of which they were to enter the king's personal service.
Dan 1:6 Now among them from the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.
Dan 1:7 Then the commander of the officials assigned new names to them; and to Daniel he assigned the name Belteshazzar, to Hananiah Shadrach, to Mishael Meshach and to Azariah Abed-nego.
Nebuchadnezzar, being the king, knows enough to purchase the loyalty of his new staff and here we see a good example of his attempted bribery and to make sure of the tightest possible fit he even has their names changed to sound more like they belong. As we read we should notice that these four are not alone and I will venture a guess that they were a small minority of the youth concerned.

If we will meditate on the Word instead of just reading it we see that God has always held a remnant for Himself, just as He is doing here. When Elijah, just knew he was the only believer left god had it revealed to him that there were 7,000 others hidden away and cared for. There is a life application lesson here: If we are brave enough, not strong enough but brave enough, to stand against the overwhelming majority (in numbers only) God will care for, protect and make you victorious. These young men go forward to be victorious in ways they never could have looked forward to but they were to become victors and that because they trusted in their Saviour. Watch now;

Dan 1:8 But Daniel made up his mind 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.
Dan 1:9 Now God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials,
Dan 1:10 and the commander of the officials said to 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."
Here, once more is a lesson we should be teaching our children and our youth, another life application. Daniel has trusted, completely, in his Saviour and approaches his Training Guard with a plan to remain pure and undefiled in the eyes of Father God. These four young men (teens?) are seeking to live as they know God wants them to live. Another lesson to take from this passage is the devotion of the guard to his boss, the king.

Dan 1:11 But Daniel said to the overseer whom the commander of the officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah,
Dan 1:12 "Please test your servants for ten days, and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink.
Dan 1:13 "Then let our appearance be observed in your presence and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king's choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you see."
Still trusting the Saviour, Daniel lays out a plan to test these four with and God has already moved the guard to test them and so it is that the plan goes forward. Here we see another affirmation that when we look around for what God has going on and we choose to join in, He will bless us beyond, possible, measure. Watch now as God begins to bless because these youth have chosen not to eat Ham and Cheese on Rye.

Dan 1:14 So he listened to them in this matter and tested them for ten days.
Dan 1:15 At the end of ten days their appearance seemed better and they were fatter than all the youths who had been eating the king's choice food.
Dan 1:16 So the overseer continued to withhold their choice food and the wine they were to drink, and kept giving them vegetables.
Dan 1:17 As for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams.
Dan 1:18 Then at the end of the days which the king had specified for presenting them, the commander of the officials presented them before Nebuchadnezzar.
Dan 1:19 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.
Noticeably, there is no mention of the level or the lack of service the majority were indentured to but of even more worthy note, these, that remained true, were drafted into the King's personal service. They were thought so well of that he kept them close to him. As we will see in this study, they had relationship with Nebuchadnezzar because they maintained their Worshipful Relationship with their Savior.

Dan 1:20 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.
Remember now Moses and the Exodus' beginning, these primitive kings valued their magicians and conjurers very, very highly and yet these four youth who have disobeyed his directives but have, rather, remained faithful to their Saviour in Heaven are regarded to be more valuable than the best and most prized in all of his kingdom. When we look back at history (His Story) we see over and over that those loyal to God the Father, the Holy Spirit and to Jesus, the Saviour, are exulted. Not always in wealth but history has recorded men like King David, King Solomon, Billy Sunday and Billy Graham to be known as great men of God. Their rewards will all lay at the feet of their Saviour, Jesus one day in eternity.

Every one of us can reach for and we can obtain that Royal Honor... if we remain true and holy.

Dan 1:21 And Daniel continued until the first year of Cyrus the king.
Daniel, it appears, remained in the Kings Service from the onset of his training period in 597bc until the first year of Cyrus the Great in 559bc. It looks like Daniel was the kings personal advisor for about thirty-eight years. He served under two kings of two empires. It should be noted that Babylon would have been located in Iraq and the ancient Persian people are found, today, in Iran and the two are, for the moment, not fighting but the war, also, is not over between them. They might be seen as united but that will be only because of their hate for Israel and thus, the United
States.

It is now, today, critical that we, God's People, keep our eyes on the World but our faith must remain in Jesus as our Saviour for only He can or will save us as the Day of the LORD approaches and soon will dawn.
th1bill,Mar 9, 2013Report

Silk.........I would love to talk with you over the book of Daniel.

By the way......does anyone know what happened to th1bill???? I know he suffered with MS among other heath issues.

Daniel 1:1-2
Daniel wrote the book of Daniel!

The dead Sea scrolls have proved the fact of an early date for Daniel and that validate the fact the he wrote the book BEFORE the events took place.

There has been a great battle about the book over the years because it is to correct.

The coming of Nebuchadnezzar against Israel was the start of Judah's 70 years of captivity that Jeremiah detailed in the 25th chapter of his book. Israel rejected the Sabbath Law of God for 490 years. In 490 years there are 70 Sabbath's which is why God used Babylon to take them into captivity as His judgment against them. What that says to us is that there is no such thing as an unjudged sin!

It would be helpful to know that the name "Nebuchadnezzar" means NEBO PROTECTS. NEBO was the chief god of Babylon. He was the prince of gods and the god of fire.
 
Why do you find it fascinating in particular?

I admit it is because of the prophecies and how they are linked with Revelation but if you read what th1bill wrote, I think there are a lot of examples of how to keep with the Lord tho you are part of the minority. And because I would like to understand it better.

Major - I don't know what happened to th1bill, but I miss him. And joyful you will add your voice. I know you understand the book better than I. What do you think of Bill's analysis of the first chapter? I agree that Daniel wrote Daniel and we can see that those close to the king can write (and read). Please feel free to include Jeremiah verses as well. It is clear Daniel read this book as well.
 
Silk.........I would love to talk with you over the book of Daniel.

By the way......does anyone know what happened to th1bill???? I know he suffered with MS among other heath issues.

Daniel 1:1-2
Daniel wrote the book of Daniel!

The dead Sea scrolls have proved the fact of an early date for Daniel and that validate the fact the he wrote the book BEFORE the events took place.

There has been a great battle about the book over the years because it is to correct.

The coming of Nebuchadnezzar against Israel was the start of Judah's 70 years of captivity that Jeremiah detailed in the 25th chapter of his book. Israel rejected the Sabbath Law of God for 490 years. In 490 years there are 70 Sabbath's which is why God used Babylon to take them into captivity as His judgment against them. What that says to us is that there is no such thing as an unjudged sin!

It would be helpful to know that the name "Nebuchadnezzar" means NEBO PROTECTS. NEBO was the chief god of Babylon. He was the prince of gods and the god of fire.

Precisely Major...but this first attack (Jeconiah...around 606 B.C.) was not the same the final carrying away, for Nebi had set up Zedekiah for a short time...
 
I find this book fascinating and would like help to know it better. I will start with Daniel 1:1

Daniel Taken to Babylon
Daniel 1
1In the third year of the reign of a Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.2And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with b some of the articles of 1 the house of God, which he carried c into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; d and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god.3Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring e some of the children of Israel and some of the king's descendants and some of the nobles,4young men f in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king's palace, and g whom they might teach the language and 2 literature of the Chaldeans.5And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king's delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might h serve before the king.6Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.7 i To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names: j he gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, AbedNego'.
A great book.. Because I can never fully understand it :D May be I will learn more about it from here!!

I have read and heard some sermons were it was mentioned that Daniel and others went through a physical horror.. Nebuchadnezzar ensured these young adults will have no hopes of marriage.. I circling around this since I don't remember the exact word for this kind of act! That certainly sounds very reasonable.. Bible is silent about Daniel having any kind of family.. If that is what happened, imagine a teenager taken into captivity, no hope of family, stripped of every personal wealth, changed names, changed culture and everything.. Today kids complain so much.. So so so much! Imagine what Daniel endured. We don't see this in the first few verses.. We simply skip through.. It does not sound anything out of ordinary.. But thinking about it, something extra ordinary has happened.. If we take ourselves back to past and put ourselves there, we will see the pain Daniel would have endured..
 
Hey Rav (waving). Eeeek - I never heard that Daniel was a eunich? Like you, I don't think I fully understand Daniel either. So I can't wait to explore
 
I admit it is because of the prophecies and how they are linked with Revelation but if you read what th1bill wrote, I think there are a lot of examples of how to keep with the Lord tho you are part of the minority. And because I would like to understand it better.

Major - I don't know what happened to th1bill, but I miss him. And joyful you will add your voice. I know you understand the book better than I. What do you think of Bill's analysis of the first chapter? I agree that Daniel wrote Daniel and we can see that those close to the king can write (and read). Please feel free to include Jeremiah verses as well. It is clear Daniel read this book as well.

Yes mame. Daniel read Jeremiah and it was then that he determined that the 70 years of captivity were coming to a close.

Bill seemed to be very well versed and I saw no argument with anything he posted.
 
A great book.. Because I can never fully understand it :D May be I will learn more about it from here!!

I have read and heard some sermons were it was mentioned that Daniel and others went through a physical horror.. Nebuchadnezzar ensured these young adults will have no hopes of marriage.. I circling around this since I don't remember the exact word for this kind of act! That certainly sounds very reasonable.. Bible is silent about Daniel having any kind of family.. If that is what happened, imagine a teenager taken into captivity, no hope of family, stripped of every personal wealth, changed names, changed culture and everything.. Today kids complain so much.. So so so much! Imagine what Daniel endured. We don't see this in the first few verses.. We simply skip through.. It does not sound anything out of ordinary.. But thinking about it, something extra ordinary has happened.. If we take ourselves back to past and put ourselves there, we will see the pain Daniel would have endured..

Rav, I have in fact heard that said more than a few times and IMO it would be the thing to be done by Nebuchanazzar. It was the normal thing to do when taken captive so that there would be no threat of children being a threat to the throne.

1:3 says that....
"And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of the eunuchs that he should bring certain of the children of Israel and the kings seed..........."

While it is not specific it certainly implies that this is the case. I would however not argue for it or against as the Scriptures are not clear on it.
 
Precisely Major...but this first attack (Jeconiah...around 606 B.C.) was not the same the final carrying away, for Nebi had set up Zedekiah for a short time...

You bring up an excellent point and I in fact had to look it up. I do not remember things as well as I used to anymore.

I have several study notes from years ago and I refer to them now in order to respond to your point.

Some critics over the years have used the date of the 3rd year of Jehoiakim and compared that to Jere. 25:1, who says that the invasion was in the 4th year of his reign, to say that there are errors in Scripture,,, so then God made a mistake.

The more I studied this I found that Jeremiah lived in Palestine and used the Palestinian system of reckoning.
Daniel lived in Babylon and he used the Babylonian system of reckoning. The Babylonians designated the FIRST year of a reign as the year of accession and the Palestinians did not. Therefore the 3rd year here in Daniel 1:1 is the same as the 4th year in Jeremiah 25:1, so that there is then no contradiction between the two.
 
You bring up an excellent point and I in fact had to look it up. I do not remember things as well as I used to anymore.

I have several study notes from years ago and I refer to them now in order to respond to your point.

Some critics over the years have used the date of the 3rd year of Jehoiakim and compared that to Jere. 25:1, who says that the invasion was in the 4th year of his reign, to say that there are errors in Scripture,,, so then God made a mistake.

The more I studied this I found that Jeremiah lived in Palestine and used the Palestinian system of reckoning.
Daniel lived in Babylon and he used the Babylonian system of reckoning. The Babylonians designated the FIRST year of a reign as the year of accession and the Palestinians did not. Therefore the 3rd year here in Daniel 1:1 is the same as the 4th year in Jeremiah 25:1, so that there is then no contradiction between the two.

you are correct brother
 
Is it fair to add Daniel to "heros of Faith"? For me he was a hero of faith.. Because he had total trust in Lord.. Thinking of being taken as captive.. Forcefully made an eunuch (assuming that happened).. Names changed.. Totally new land, culture, language.. Then offered king's choice food.. And he simply rejects.. One aspect is obedience.. But I am seeing great faith.. Faith in below,

That Lord is still in control
Lord has not forsaken him
Lord will redeem him
Promise of eternity

In modern day, it is something like me getting kidnapped to Iraq, away from my family, unknown language, no idea for how long I will live.. All the king is asking is "adopt to my culture". It does not sound too much.. He is not asking to forsake everything. I can still secretly worship Lord.. People say "Do what Romans do when in Rome". What is wrong in that..

But Daniel did not think like that.. He had total trust in Lord that there is no need to "compromise" or "adopt" irrespective of circumstance.. Isn't it complete trust or faith in the Lord?
 
Welcome Paul - so you think Daniel, having all his faculties, chose to abstain? It seems to me that somewhere in scripture (OT) it says you could not worship/go into the tabernacle if you didn't have all your parts? And does anyone know why they just ate vegetables?
 
Is it fair to add Daniel to "heros of Faith"? For me he was a hero of faith.. Because he had total trust in Lord.. Thinking of being taken as captive.. Forcefully made an eunuch (assuming that happened).. Names changed.. Totally new land, culture, language.. Then offered king's choice food.. And he simply rejects.. One aspect is obedience.. But I am seeing great faith.. Faith in below,

That Lord is still in control
Lord has not forsaken him
Lord will redeem him
Promise of eternity

In modern day, it is something like me getting kidnapped to Iraq, away from my family, unknown language, no idea for how long I will live.. All the king is asking is "adopt to my culture". It does not sound too much.. He is not asking to forsake everything. I can still secretly worship Lord.. People say "Do what Romans do when in Rome". What is wrong in that..

But Daniel did not think like that.. He had total trust in Lord that there is no need to "compromise" or "adopt" irrespective of circumstance.. Isn't it complete trust or faith in the Lord?

Yes I do believe that he is one of the Heroes of faith. If fact I would also include Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
 
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