DANIEL SIMPLIFIED
CHAPTER 1.1
Gleanings
from the Book of Daniel:
A
Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series
DANIEL
Chapter
One
The Early Life of Daniel in Babylon
The Outline of Daniel Chapter One
1. The Deportation of Judah (Vv. 1-2)
2. The Design of Nebuchadnezzar (Vv. 3-7)
3. The Deportment of Daniel (Vv. 8-16)
4. The Development of Daniel (Vv. 17-21)
1.
The Deportation of Judah
(Verse 1)
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim
king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged
it.
Three
years into the reign of Judah's King Jehoiakim, the invading army of Babylon
under Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem.
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim
king of Judah
Hebrew
Dating versus Babylonian Dating
A
discrepancy exists between Daniel’s dating and Jeremiah’s account.
Jeremiah
reads:
Jeremiah 25:1 - The word that came to Jeremiah
concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of
Judah, that was the first year of
Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon.
Hebrew
reckoning for the dating of kingship began in the first year of a king’s reign.
However, in Babylonian dating, the reign of a king started counting at the end
of the first year he became a monarch.
King
Jehoiakim
Jehoiakim
(Jehovah will establish) was a vassal king, appointed to the throne by Egypt.
He remained in power for eleven years. Unlike his father, Josiah (Jehovah
supports) was the best king of Judah and enjoyed the throne for 31 years.
Jehoiakim, differently, was a godless tyrant and one of Judah's wicked kings.
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon [came] unto Jerusalem,
and besieged it [Jerusalem]
Son
of Nabopolassar
(the founder of the Neo-Babylonian Empire), Nebuchadnezzar (Nebo protects) invaded Judah in 606 B.C. German archaeologist Robert J. Koldewey
excavated the ruins of Babylon and discovered a cuneiform tablet, The Babylonian Chronicle. Displayed in London’s
British Museum, the tablet explains why Nebuchadnezzar did not destroy the
Temple in 606 B.C. Instead, he was forced to return to Babylon to assume the
throne after the death of his father.
(Verse 2)
And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into
his hand, with part of the vessels of the House of God: which he carried into
the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the
treasure house of his god.
The key to understanding the Book of
Daniel is the first words of verse 2…
And the Lord gave
Dominant in this
phrase is the Lord’s sovereignty. The Hebrew word for Lord is ʼĂdônây (Hebrew, אֲדֹנָי). This divine title is used 290
times and once in Daniel. It emphatically defines God as the supreme Lord or Master.
The reverential significance is
that it was not by Nebuchadnezzar’s power and might that Judah was captured,
but by the providence and permission of God. God had total control of the
situation. It was the Lord Who allowed Judah to go into captivity as punishment
for their disobedience.
Old Testament
The principle of God’s sovereign
provision is often understated or overlooked; however, it is peppered
throughout Scripture. Namely:
Job 12:18 – He looseth the bond of kings, and girdeth their loins with a girdle.
Psalm 75:5 - But God is the
Judge: He putteth down one, and setteth up
another.
Daniel 2:21 - And He changeth the times and the seasons: He removeth kings, and setteth up kings: He
giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding.
Some other examples of God’s
provision are found in Daniel, such as:
1. God brought Daniel into favor with
Ashpenaz (1:9)
2. God gave Judah’s children
knowledge and skill (1:17)
3. God revealed a secret to Daniel
(2:19)
New Testament
A parallel passage in the New
Testament is found in Romans:
Romans 13:1 -
Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities.
For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities
that exist are appointed (ordained) by God (NKJV).
Hence, no governmental world power
exists without the institution of God’s sovereign will.
And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into
his (Nebuchadnezzar’s) hand
Simply stated, Adonay permitted Judah to be delivered
into the hands of the Babylonians. So, according to this verse, even godless
rulers are ordained by Him. They are part of His plan, perhaps even to hasten
the Antichrist and his one-world government, only to be destroyed at the
Battle of Armageddon.
With part of the vessels of the house of God
The accouterments or
artifacts God allowed to be confiscated by Nebuchadnezzar were mainly the sacred
vessels of Solomon’s Temple. Other spoils and important treasures were burned by fire.
It is documented as such:
2 Chronicles 36:18-19 - And all the vessels of the House of God,
great and small, and the treasures of the House of the LORD, and the treasures of
the king, and of his princes; all these he (Nebuchadnezzar) brought to Babylon.
And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof
with fire, and destroyed all the goodly
vessels thereof.
The vessels of the House of God: which he
carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god
The Land of Shinar
The land area between the Tigris
and Euphrates Rivers was known as southern Mesopotamia, or the Land of Shinar
(cf. Genesis 10:10). It was the area where Nimrod had the Tower of Babel
erected (cf. Genesis 11:2), and the birthplace of false religions.
The Temple of Marduk
Esagila was a temple complex where
Marduk’s temple was located. It is
here where the practice of child sacrifices was implemented for the gain of
prosperity and sexual pleasure. Also, in the multiplex was the shrine of Marduk
atop a ziggurat called Etemenanki.
And he
(Nebuchadnezzar) brought the vessels into the treasure
house of his god
Also customary at this time was to
seize the most important vessels of the defeated nation’s temples to
demonstrate that the victor’s god was superior to that of their enemy. The
rationale: If the enemy’s god could not defend his or her temple, then it
would affirm one’s power over a foreign nation and its god.
Nebuchadnezzar’s army thence carried
the vessels of the Temple across some 800 miles of rugged terrain from
Jerusalem east to Babylon. Afterward, they were then placed in the temple of
Marduk (cf. 2 Chronicles 36:7).
1.
The Deportation of Judah (Vv. 1-2)
2.
The Design of Nebuchadnezzar (Vv. 3-7)
(Verse 3)
And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of
his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of
the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes;
(Verse 4)
young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all
wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who could serve in the king's palace, and
whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans.
As a fulfillment of
Isaiah’s prophecy of King Hezekiah 100 years earlier (cf. Isaiah 39:5-7), Nebuchadnezzar
spake (commanded) to Asphenaz, the master or prince of his eunuchs, and ordered
him to indoctrinate (1:4) the hostages of Israel by undergoing a rigorous
three-year training program into the Babylonian ways and customs.
Nebuchadnezzar’s
Rationale
There were several
reasons why it was important to utilize and invest in the finest prisoners;
1. To curtail the royal
family from retaliation
2. To boast them as
trophies of his conquest
3. To employ them as
emissaries to the captured nation
The consensus among
historians and Bible scholars is that the Jewish youth ages were between
fourteen and eighteen. Many authorities also believe Daniel was seventeen when
he was taken captive.
Eunuch
Theologians are
divided on the term eunuch. The word
for eunuch in Hebrew may be
translated in two ways:
1. The primary definition of eunuch means one that is castrated
a. Reasons why the children of Israel
would be emasculated:
i. The descendants of Hezekiah were
prophesied to be eunuchs over a century earlier:
Isaiah 39:7 - 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.
ii. The prophet Isaiah speaks of a eunuch
as a dry tree (cf. Isaiah 56:3)
iii. It would be sensible for a king to
allow this to be done so that one would be more loyal to the king, and not be a
threat to his harem
iv. Also, in doing so, it would serve as a
preventative, i.e., they would not be able to propagate so their seed would not
later overthrow the throne
2. The alternative translation of eunuch signifies an important official
of the king’s court
a. Reasons why the children of Israel
would not be emasculated:
i. Other designations for their servitude
included:
1. Chamberlain
2. Courtier
3. Magistrate
Eunuchs held positions of great
authority, especially amongst royalty.
For example:
Acts 8:27b - Behold, a
man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the
Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure,
and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,
ii. Josephus assumes Daniel to rather have
an aristocratic position and title
iii. By comparison, the fact that Joseph’s
master Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard (cf. Genesis
37:36) was married. We read of Potiphar’s wife trying to seduce Joseph (cf.
Genesis 39:7-12).
iv. Additionally, Joseph was married
to Asenath and who bore two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim (cf. Genesis 39:1-12;
41:45)
Ashpenaz…that he should bring certain of the children of
Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes
Three groups of
hostages were taken into Babylonian captivity during the first deportation:
1. Certain children of Israel
The phrase children of Israel is used in a general sense to label the
descendants of Jacob
2. Certain children of the king’s royal seed
Children of King Jehoiakim are in view
3. Certain children of the princes
Children of noblemen, i.e., chief
officials of the government, military, or the priestly order are meant
Continuing Nebuchadnezzar’s devious
design and indoctrination program will be disclosed in Daniel Study 1.4.
QUESTIONS:
1. Why did Judah go into Babylonian
captivity?
2. Who was Nebuchadnezzar?
3. How did Nebuchadnezzar come into power?
4. Why were there three stages of
deportation?
5. Why were the Temple’s vessels important
to confiscate?
6. Explain God’s sovereignty.
7. What was the position of eunuchs in
Babylon?
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