Daniel 1 - Daniel's Training in Babylon

• Resources for this study
• Book - Daniel: Determining to Go God’s Direction by Warren Wiersbe
• Book - The Handwriting on the Wall by Dr. David Jeremiah.
• Radio Broadcast series - Skip Heitzig
• History
• The Book of Daniel
• The book of Daniel is a book of History and also Prophecy.

• One third of the Bible is considered Prophecy.
• To give a historical account of the faithful Jews who lived in captivity and to show God is in control of heaven and earth, directing the forces of nature, the destiny of nations, and the care of his people.
• The Book of Daniel is not written in chronological order.  To read in the proper order of events they should be read as chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, and finally chapter 12.
• Contains very detailed predictions compared to other prophecies found in the Bible.
• The Hebrew Bible contains 3 sections: the Torah (Teaching or Law), Nevi’im (Prophets), and the Ketuvim (Writings).   The Hebrews did not see Daniel as a prophet because he worked as a royal official.  Jesus did recognize Daniel as a Prophet (Matthew 24:15).
• Gives a helpful insight into the Book of Revelation.
• The Highlight - Daniel 2:44 from the Dream of Nebuchadnezzar.
• The Key Verse - Daniel 2:22
• Chapters 8 through 12 give Daniel’s apocalyptic visions.  They give a glimpse of God’s plan for the ages, including a direct prediction to the Messiah.
• A prophet was required to be 100% accurate or they could be stoned by a decree from the King.
• Critics claim the Book of Daniel must have been written after the events he prophesied because of how accurate they were.  They included predictions about Alexander the Great, the building of the Roman Empire, and they also included Antiochus Epiphanies.
• 4 key prophecies.

• The 4 Empires - Babylonian, Medo-Persia, Greek, and Roman.
• The 70 Weeks - relates to Jesus’s birth, death, and final return
• Isaiah also mentions King Cyrus by name 200 years ahead of time (Isaiah 45: 1, 13)
• Old Testament verses that show that Daniel did exist.   (Ezekiel 14:12-14, Ezekiel 28:1-5.
• Babylon
• The city of Babylon was built along the Euphrates River which is now in present day Iraq.  It may have been the largest city between 1770 and 1670 BC and also again between 612 and 320 BC.
• The Palace in Daniel 4:28-29, is the same palace that Saddam Hussein had restored.
• Nebuchadnezzar bought Babylon to a great peak in history and he was proud of what he had accomplished.  He had forgotten that the God of Israel had given him the power and authority to overthrow Israel.
• Babylon was at one time considered one of the 7 wonders of the world.   Its walls were 300 feet tall, 80 to 85 feet thick, 60 miles long, and contained 350 watchtowers which stood 100 feet tall.
• Nimrod was an important figure in this area.  (Genesis 10:8-11).
• The Tower of Babel was built in Babylon.   (Genesis 11:1-8)
• Babylon has been the roots of many evil spiritual overtones.
• Aramaic was the primary language of Babylon.
• Aramaic and Hebrew are the two languages used in Daniel.  Hebrew is used in Daniel 1:1 to Daniel 2:4a and Chapters 8 through 12, Aramaic is used from Daniel 2:4a to 7:28. The Aramaic language was the common language used in Assyrian, Babylonian and Persian communication.  Aramaic is found also in the Ezra 4:8-6:18, 7:12-26 and Jeremiah 10:11
• Daniel and his 3 friends: Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
• Daniel is estimated to be between the ages of 12 and 17 when he was taken captive in the 1st attack.
• Daniel and his friends were possibly Eunuchs for the King.   (Isaiah 39:6-7)
• A eunuch is a man who may have been castrated, typically early enough in his life for this change to have major hormonal consequences.
• Daniel (God is my Judge) is renamed by Nebuchadnezzar to Belteshazzar (the Treasures of Baal).
• Hananiah (God is Gracious) is renamed Shadrach (Illuminated by the Sun God).
• Mishael (Who is the LORD) is renamed Meshach (Who is Venus).
• Azariah (The LORD is my Help and Strength) is renamed Abednego (the Servant of the Fire God).
• Daniel served in the Government in Babylon for about 60 years during the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius, and Cyrus.
• Daniel was an important influence to the Babylonian and Medo-Persian Kings during his service in Babylon.
• Timeline
• 606 BC - God allowed Nebuchadnezzar to take the first group of Israelites captive to Babylon.   Daniel was part of this group.   Nebuchadnezzar also took some of the gold and silver vessels from Solomon’s Temple.
• 602 BC - Nebuchadnezzar has his dream about a large statue.
• 598 BC - The prophet Ezekiel is taken captive with 10,000 other Israelites.
• 593 BC - Ezekiel becomes a Prophet.
• 588 BC - Habakkuk ends his ministry as a Prophet
• 587 BC - The Babylonian army breaks through the wall s of Israel.   The Temple of Solomon was destroyed on the 9th day of the month of Ar.
• This also happens to be the same day in 70 AD when Herod’s Temple is destroyed by the Romans.
• 586 BC - Jeremiah ends his ministry as a Prophet.
• 553 BC - Daniel has his first vision in Chapter 7, the vision of the 4 Beasts.
• 539 BC - Babylon falls to the Medes and Persians.  Daniel is thrown into the lion’s den.
• 538 BC - Daniel has his vision of the ‘70 weeks’.   The first exiles return to Judah with Nehemiah.
• 536 BC - Daniel ends his ministry as a Prophet.
• Setting
• God had warned the Israelites many times that if they strayed from God’s word that they would be captured.   The Hebrews would sing the Song of Moses (Deuteronomy 32:1-43) which warned them about straying from God’s word.   The people of Israel had become just as evil and possibly more evil then the neighbors around her.
• Related Prophecies about Babylon (Isaiah 13:1-4, 39:1-8, Micah 4:10)
• The Israelites began to worship the god Baal after the kingdoms had split into the Northern and Southern Kingdoms.
• The Israelites were held captive for 70 years as a punishment for how they treated the land, which was sacred in God’s eyes.  They were to plant and harvest for 6 years and then let the fields rest the 7th year.  After the 7th cycle, the year of Jubilee was declared.  Here the slaves and prisoners would be freed, debts would be forgiven and the mercies of God would be manifested. (Leviticus 25:8-13)   Approximately 490 years had passed since God’s decree, which would equal 70 Sabbath years.   (2 Chronicles 36:15-21).
• God was very patient with his people and warned them through the Prophets.
• The Jewish people had become comfortable with the Babylonian lifestyle there as only 50,000 returned with Nehemiah and Ezra later.
• Overview
• The main message of the Book of Daniel: GOD is sovereign over all human history: Past, Present, and Future.
• The Importance of the Book of Daniel: We should spend less time wondering when future events will occur and more time learning how we should live now.   
• Verses 1:1-4    History of the Attack and Capture..
• It was typical for Babylon to take the young, powerful, wealthy, and well educated and train them.  The most promising trainees would become officials and mentors to the King.   This included a 3 year training period where they learn the Babylonian literature, language, customs, and philosophy.
• God gave them knowledge and skills in literature and wisdom.
• Nebuchadnezzar would also brainwash his captives to change their ways of thinking.  This is the same ploy that Satan and his demons can use on us as well.
• Jehoiakim was King of Judah during the besiege by Nebuchadnezzar.   (2 Kings 24:1-4, 2 Chronicle 36:5-8)
• Verses 1:5-10   The Training of Daniel and his 3 friends.
• In verse 8 we see that Daniel did not compromise himself to the Babylonian lifestyle.   Later in verse 12 he offered a solution as a test.
• The Chaldean diet was not kosher according to the Jewish law.   Meat and wine were both offered to the pagan gods of Babylon.
• To resolve means to be devoted to principle and committed to a course of action.   Daniel was resolved not to defile himself, he was being true to a lifelong determination to do what was right and not give in to the pressures around him.   Daniel and his friends made their decisions to be faithful to the laws of GOD before they were faced with the King’s decrees.   They stuck with their convictions.
• In verse 9, GOD moved with an unseen hand to change the heart of the Babylonian official.
• In verse 10, by disobeying the King, the official could had been executed.   Even though this seems to be a small matter, the official feared for his life.
• Countenance is defined as ‘appearance’.
• Verses 1:11-17   Daniel’s Compromise.
• Daniel negotiated with the official so that he did not compromise on living by GOD’s standard.   Daniel negotiated an experiment or test instead.   Even though Daniel and his friends were being schooled on the Babylonian ways, they all remained loyal to GOD.
• Verses 1:18-21   The Appointment of Daniel and his Friends to Serve King.
• Nebuchadnezzar put Daniel and his friends on his staff as advisors.   This staff also included magicians and enchanters.   These were astrologers who claimed to be able to tell the future.   There messages were made authoritative to make it sound like it came from the God’s.   
• GOD blessed Daniel and his friends with wisdom and understanding, helping them to be accepted by the King.
• Daniel was a spokesman for GOD to the Babylonians as Babylon was a wicked nation.   Daniel was an influence upon the Babylonian Empire during his time.
• Conclusion
• Daniel and his friends refused to live it up as the Babylonians did.  This is a good example for us today, and especially for our children.
• Daniel had wisdom, which Solomon had also prayed for as well.
• There's a difference between Knowledge and Wisdom.
• Definition of Knowledge: information, understanding, or skill that you get from experience or education; awareness of something : the state of being aware of something
• Definition of Wisdom:  knowledge that is gained by having many experiences in life, the natural ability to understand things that most other people cannot understand, knowledge of what is proper or reasonable, good sense or judgment
• Wisdom is a gift from GOD which we should be thankful for.   We will be held accountable for the gifts God has given us.   (Acts 17:26)
• If you were in Daniel’s shoes, do you think you would deny the King's decree for diet?
• Daniel used a diplomatic approach when denying the King’s request.   How do we tend to respond to others when we disagree with them?
• Do we conform to the ways of the world?
• What 1 or 2 things did you learn from this lesson from Daniel 1?