DANIEL SIMPLIFIED
CHAPTER 1.1.INTRODUCTION
Gleanings
from the Book of Daniel:
A
Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series
DANIEL
Chapter
One
PART
1 – History Section (1-7)
Introductory
Matters
Preface
In studying
the End Times or eschatology, the relevancy of the Book of Daniel is antecedent
to, and the key to understanding the Book of Revelation. Daniel has a macro
view and presents world prophecy dealing with the events of historical empires
(i.e., from Babylonian) to the end of the world. On the other hand, having a
micro view, the majority of world incidents in Revelation are futuristic.
Daniel
is a book replete with miracles and marvels. The predictions and prophecies
which Daniel records up until this time has been meticulously and accurately
fulfilled in every detail. Juxtaposed is Daniel’s character which has immense
application for the man of God who follows and lives in the will of God during
times of crisis.
Truly,
studying Daniel will equip the reader with a deeper understanding of biblical
doctrine and discipline, prayer and practice, inspiration, and enlightenment, until
the glorious return of Jesus Christ.
Date
The
accepted date of writing attributed to Daniel is throughout the Babylonian Captivity
of the Jewish people in the 6th Century (between 605 B.C., to 537
B.C). Some critics try to discredit this time frame solely because they do not
accept its prophetic fulfillment, and God’s sovereignty.
His
Name
The
name Daniel means, God is my judge.
Authorship
As mentioned several times, the book ascribes Daniel as its author.
For
example:
Daniel 7:15 - I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.
Ezekiel,
Daniel’s contemporary, refers to him in his prophecies:
Ezekiel 28:3 - Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel (sarcastically said to the king of Tyre); there is no secret that they can hide from thee.
More
compelling is Jesus attesting to his prophecy:
Matthew 24:15 - When ye therefore shall see the Abomination of Desolation, spoken of by Daniel
the prophet, stand in the Holy Place, (whoso readeth, let him understand).
Interestingly, Daniel records
certain events in Israel’s history during the Captivity found nowhere else in
Scripture.
Prophet Daniel
PD: Reproduction of c. 1542 fresco painting by Michelangelo
Buonarroti: b. 1475. d. 1564. Master fresco painter of the Italian Renaissance
period. Whose fresco paintings adorn the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome,
Italy. [PG Reproductions. Copyright © 2021 FineArtAmerica.com]
The Themes of Daniel
The Rise and Fall of Kingdoms
The nations shall know that I
shall rule
The man of God amid difficult
times
The Historical Setting
Under the Law, the Jewish form of
government was a theocracy – The rule of God. As the nation of Israel became
great, they wanted to be governed by a king like the neighboring countries. In
the Monarchy Period, people slowly rebelled against God and His Law by
worshipping idols of surrounding nations.
After the death of King Solomon in
931 B.C., the nation of Israel became divided into two kingdoms:
1. The Northern Kingdom – Known as
the Ten Tribes of Israel
2. The Southern Kingdom – Embracing
Judah and Benjamin
Approximately 850 to 840 B.C.,
some 150 years before Isaiah, the Assyrian Empire had been expanding until it
became a world empire. At the time, a long line of bad kings tolerated and led
Israel into apostasy. They not only worshipped pagan gods but under King
Jeroboam’s reign, the golden calf returned and was worshipped as Israel’s
national god. And, as a consequence, God allowed Shalmaneser V, king of Assyria and Babylonia, to conquer and deport the Ten
Tribes – Israel.
Meanwhile, Egypt and Assyria
became bitter enemies. This forced Assyria to split their armies and fight on
two fronts: one to the west and one to the south. After capturing the northern
tribes about 722 B.C., the Assyrians enveloped the southern kingdom of Judah
but were unable to gain victory. God had temporarily spared them because they had
a good king, Hezekiah, who heeded the words of Isaiah the prophet.
Concurrently, Babylonia rose to
power organized by Nabopolassar, an Assyrian general. With the help of the
Medes, he overthrew the weaker Assyrians in 612 B.C. Next, his son Nebuchadnezzar
II defeated the Egyptian army under Pharaoh Necho at the infamous Battle of Carchemish
on the Euphrates River. He made Judah, Syria, and other countries subject to
Babylon, and henceforth they became the dominant power.
Point of Interest: Nebuchadnezzar
is mentioned more than any other king in the Old Testament.
The Chaldeans
The
Chaldeans were the inhabitants of Ur (of the Chaldees) at the time from whence
Abraham was told to relocate to Canaan (cf. Genesis 11:31). They migrated and settled
in Southern Mesopotamia, the Land of Shinar, but later assimilated into Assyria
and Babylonia along with their Semitic dialect. The Chaldeans embodied
astronomy, mathematics, architecture, and humanities along with the occultic
arts such as divination, magic, astrology, and mythology. It is believed
Nebuchadnezzar was of Chaldean heritage.
There
are two designations for the Chaldeans:
1. They
were known as Southern Babylonians (cf. 3:8; 5:30; 9:1).
2. They
were a special class of wise men, labeled as the brain trust of Babylon. (cf.
2:2, 4, 5, 10; 4:7; 5:7, 11). The Magi from the East in Matthew 2 is said to be
descendants of this group.
The Locations
Significantly,
there are two contrasting locales in which the historical events of Daniel take
place:
A. Judah
– The land of blessings to God’s people
B. Babylon
– The land of an evil society
A. Judah
- The seat of God’s throne on earth, Judah (cf. Genesis 49:10)
B. Babylon
- The seat of false religions of the world (cf. Genesis 9:4; Revelation 17)
The Languages
Uniquely,
Daniel is written for two different peoples and locations, and in two different
languages:
1. Hebrew
– The language of God’s covenant people
a. From
Daniel 1:1 – 2:3 and 8:1 to 12:13
2. Aramaic
– The language of the mid-eastern Gentile nations
a. Also
known as Chaldean or Syriac
b. For
citizens of the Babylonian and Persian empires
c. From
Daniel 2:4 to 7:28
The
Deportations of Judah
Because
of their disobedience to His Law, God had chosen Nebuchadnezzar as a rod of
chastisement against Judah and Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar’s capture of Judah
marked the beginning of 70 years of Babylonian Captivity. However, the destruction
of Jerusalem took place within three extraditions:
1. Stage
One (606-605 B.C.)
In
the third year of King Jehoiakim, Nebuchadnezzar marched against Judah and took
a few hostages into exile, among who were Daniel and his three young friends. Also
confiscated was an enormous amount of treasure, but the city was not destroyed.
2. Stage
Two (597 B.C.)
Under
the reign of Jehoiachin, son of deceased King Jehoiakim, the King, and his
mother is deported along with 10,000 people. Additionally, more treasure,
mainly from the Temple, was seized and the prophet Ezekiel is taken (cf. 2
Chronicles 36:10). Once again, the city was not destroyed.
Jehoiakim
was eventually put to death by Nebuchadnezzar. His body was buried outside the
gates of Jerusalem like a donkey (cf. Jeremiah 22:18-19). Additionally, his
name was blotted out from the Book of Generations and does not appear in the
Genealogy chart of Matthew (See Matthew verse 1:11).
3. Stage
Three (586 B.C.)
It
is during this expulsion, Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem by fire. Built by
Solomon, its Temple was devastated, and almost all the Jews were forced into
captivity. Zedekiah, Judah’s final king was also taken captive.
As
a result and according to custom, the Babylonians slaughtered all the king’s
children, and secondly, they took a hot sword and burned out his eyes so that
it would be the last thing he would remember (cf. 2 Kings 25:1-7).
Note:
Warnings to God’s people are foretold and recorded in Jeremiah 7:1-34; 25:1-14
and 39:1-7.
The
Life of Daniel
Although
nothing is known about his birth and lineage, more information regarding
Daniel’s life is documented than any other prophet. However, Daniel suddenly
emerges in the Scripture as an unknown. But from the text, we ascertain he was
young and studied the Law.
He
appears as one of the young noble hostages of Judah (1:3) in the third year of
Jehoiakim's reign; the beginning of the seventy-year captivity (1:1) in 605
B.C., and “the times of the Gentiles”
– [A period from the Babylonian Captivity, when Gentiles are to be converted,
up until the Second Coming of Christ (cf. Luke 21:24)].
Daniel
serves as a model figure of how God’s people should live in Captivity while
remaining faithful to Him and His statutes. As a man of prayer and prophecy,
Daniel’s uncompromised character was an avid testimony to God for the duration
of Captivity. And like his birth, Daniel’s death (at least in the third year of
King Cyrus) is also unrecorded.
The
Prophecy of Captivity
One
hundred and twenty years before Babylonian Captivity, Isaiah foretold this
prophecy to Hezekiah:
Isaiah 39:5-7 – Then Isaiah said to
Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid
up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be
left, saith the LORD.
And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be
eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. [See also 2 Kings
20:16-19; Jeremiah 25:1-15].
Isaiah’s prophecy is
fulfilled in Daniel chapters 1:1-3.
Babylon, the Place of Captivity
Babylon was the largest,
wealthiest, and most fortified modern city of the ancient world. Known as present-day
Iraq, it was formerly the capital of the Babylonian Empire bounded by the
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
Known for its exclusive luxury and
wickedness, Abram began his journey from one of its major cities, Ur of the
Chaldees (cf. Genesis 11:31). Because of its importance, Babylon is mentioned
in Scripture some 300 times.
Babylon is especially known for
its Hanging Gardens which were,
unprecedented at the time, hydraulically watered. Built by Nebuchadnezzar II
for his wife Amytas, the Hanging Gardens are one of the Seven Wonders of the
ancient world.
The
Purpose of Daniel
The
book of Daniel assures Jewish and Gentile nations that God authoritatively will
fulfill His sovereign purposes in time and eternity.
The
Structure of Daniel
A. The
first half of Daniel is historical (1:1 – 7:28) where he records his life and
works in chronological sequence
B. The
second half is prophetical (8:1 – 12:13) where he records his dreams and
visions, not in order, but as he receives them
The Outline of Daniel
A. Historical
Chapter
One – The Early Life
of Daniel in Babylon
Chapter
Two – The Dream of
Nebuchadnezzar
Chapter
Three – The Fiery
Furnace Ordeal
Chapter
Four – The Humbling of
Nebuchadnezzar
Chapter
Five – The Feast of
Belshazzar
Chapter Six - The Lions in Daniel’s Den
B. Prophetical
Chapter
Seven – The Vision of
the Four Beasts
Chapter
Eight – The Vision of
the Ram and Goat
Chapter
Nine – The Vision of
the Seventy Weeks
Chapter
Ten – The Prayer of
Daniel and Response
Chapter
Eleven – The Historic
and Prophetic Little Horn
Chapter
Twelve – The Events of
the End Times
In the next lesson, an understanding of Nebuchadnezzar’s role in the deportation of Judah into Babylonian captivity is presented.
QUESTIONS:
1. Why is Daniel important in
understanding Revelation?
2. What are the two division titles of
Daniel?
3. Why are two different languages used in
writing Daniel?
4. What happened to the Northern Kingdom?
5. Why were there three stages of
deportations?
6. Why is Daniel applicable to Scripture?
7. Why was captivity necessary?
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