DANIEL - CHAPTER 1
A Bible Study - Commentary by Jim
Melough
Copyright
2000 James Melough
1:1.
“In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.”
The apparent
contradiction between the “third year” mentioned here, and the “fourth year”
recorded in Jer 25:1, is explained by the fact that the Jews had two calendars, one
religious beginning in Nisan (April/May), and the other civil beginning with Tishri
(October). Jeremiah, using the religious
calendar, called it the fourth year
because it occurred after Nisan; Daniel, using the civil calendar, called it the
third year because it occurred before Tishri.
Relative to
Nebuchadnezzar’s being called king of Babylon, though he didn’t actually become
king until several months later, the explanation is that this was simply “a
prolepsis or anticipation whereby a title is applied in speaking of a period even
before it was actually conferred” (Keil).
The fact that the book
of Daniel is mostly prophetic has resulted in our forgetting that it also yields much
practical instruction, and an example of that practical teaching is found in the very
first chapter.
Jerusalem, meaning dual
peace shall be taught: lay (set) ye double peace, is a picture of the human
heart. As there will be peace in
Jerusalem only when the Prince of peace reigns there, so is there peace only in the
life of the man in whose heart Christ reigns. And as the enemy has often besieged Jerusalem, so does Satan
frequently besiege the believer’s heart.
Since Jerusalem
represents the human heart, Jehoiakim, meaning Jehovah will set up, represents
the man to whom the heart belongs, and since he was an Israelite, he represents a
believer. In 2 Ki 23:37 we read, “And
he (Jehoiakim) did ... evil in the sight of the Lord.”
It was for Israel’s sin that God permitted Jerusalem to be besieged and
conquered, and it is for the same reason that He permits the enemy of souls to take
away peace from the heart of the disobedient believer.
The siege came in the
third year of Jehoiakim’s reign, and since three is the Biblical number of
resurrection, it tells us that even though the believer is spiritually on
resurrection ground, he too, will lose his peace if he fails to “walk worthy of the
vocation wherewith ye are called” (Eph 4:1).
He was king of Judah
which means he shall be praised, and in this we are being shown what should be
characteristic of the believer: he should be a thankful, praising man, expressing his
worship in an obedient life. If we find
that praise has but little part in our lives, we should perhaps examine ourselves as
to the cause. It may be a warning sign
that our peace is about to be taken away.
Keeping in mind that
Jehoiakim means Jehovah will set up, it is to be remembered also relative to
the promotion implied in the meaning of the name, that it comes only to those who are
obedient. Had Jehoiakim been obedient,
he would have been set up, and his throne established, but he was disobedient, with
the result that he lost his crown. In Re
3:11 the believer is warned, “Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy
crown.” (The crown referred to here is
not to be confused with salvation, which once received, can never be lost. This
crown is the believer’s reward, not his salvation).
Nebuchadnezzar,
meaning confusing the lord of treasure: prophesy, the earthen vessel is preserved,
is a type of Satan. It is the believer
who is the lord of treasure, and we are earthen vessels, Paul reminding us
that, “We have this treasure in earthen vessels” (2 Co 4:7), the Lord Himself
assuring us that the earthen vessel is preserved,
“...they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my
hand. My Father, which gave them me, is
greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
I and my Father are one” (Jn 10:28-30).
That Babylon
represents the realm of false religion is confirmed, not only by Scripture, but by
the fact that every false religious system can be traced back to that evil city, and
Nebuchadnezzar’s being its king is God’s symbolic way of telling us that it is
Satan who rules that realm of false religion. Since
therefore this attack comes from Babylon, the spiritual lesson being taught is that
the disobedient believer makes himself vulnerable to attack from what Babylon
represents, false religion. Disobedience
is simply rebellion against the Word which is the Truth, and the result is that the
believer “the lord of treasure” is “confused.”
He finds that “Jerusalem (peace)” is besieged by the enemy, and is in
danger of being lost. The disobedient
believer knows little of God’s peace.
1:2.
“And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the
vessels of the house of God; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of
his god.”
When a man takes
himself out of God’s hand he places himself in Satan’s.
Those vessels seized by Nebuchadnezzar, played an essential part in the
presentation of Israel’s worship, so that their loss speaks of the disobedient
believer’s losing his capacity to worship. God
is thus dishonored, and robbed of the worship that is His due.
Man’s peace and God’s honor stand or fall together.
1:3.
“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;”
1:4.
“Children in whom was no blemish, but well favored, and skilful in all
wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability
in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and
the tongue of the Chaldeans.”
Ashpenaz, meaning I
will make prominent the sprinkled, appears to represent the principle of testing
which manifests not only the difference between faith (the sprinkled) and unbelief,
but also the difference between the carnal and the spiritual believer.
That the testing
symbolically portrayed here is that of believers rather than unbelievers, is declared
in that they were “of the children of Israel,”
Israel means he shall be prince of God, and as the new name given to
Jacob, speaks always of faith in contrast with unbelief and all that is connected
with the flesh. (A careful study of the Scriptural use of the names Jacob and
Israel, reveals that the interchange is not capricious.
Every use of the name Jacob is designed to teach truth relative to the man as
a creature of flesh and blood; every use of the name Israel, truth relative to the
believer as a spiritual creature).
Their being “of the
king’s seed” further emphasizes that they represent believers.
Royal blood flowed in their veins, and as believers we should never forget
that we too are “of the king’s seed.” The
spiritual life within us is the life of God Himself.
And they were “of
the princes.” This speaks of a fitness
to rule, and of believers it is written, “Thou hast made us unto our God kings and
priests: and we shall reign on (over) the earth” (Re 5:10); “If we suffer
(endure), we shall also reign with Him” (2 Tim 2:12).
“Children in whom
was no blemish.” We can see lots of
blemishes in ourselves, and in other believers, but God sees none.
He sees us as we are in Christ, “children in whom is no blemish.”
The remembrance of that fact should curb the natural tendency to be critical
of other believers.
“Skillful in all
wisdom (intelligence), and cunning in knowledge (educated).”
Believers are the only people on earth with wisdom and knowledge of eternal
value, for they have learned to fear God, His Word assuring us that, “The fear of
the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do His
commandments” (Ps 111:10).
“And such as had
ability in them to stand in the king’s palace.” The physical and mental qualities of these royal princes represent
the spiritual qualities that belong to every believer.
Through faith in Christ we are endowed with the ability to stand in the palace
of the King of kings.
“Whom they might
teach the learning and tongue of the Chaldeans.” In this is disclosed the strategy of Satan.
When he fails to keep a sinner from Christ, his second expedient is to spoil
that man’s testimony.
Chaldeans means as
clod breakers, a literal clod breaker being intellectually capable of little more
than digging in the earth. They
represent the natural
man foolishly occupied
only with earthly things. Nebu-
chadnezzar would have these Jewish princes imbibe the learning of Babylon, and he
would have them taught to speak Chaldean instead of Hebrew.
Satan would have the young believer learn the ways of the world, and speak its
language, but God would have believers, “Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pe 3:18), and He would have their tongues employed
in spreading that knowledge, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them
to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway,
even unto the end of the world (age)” (Mt 28:19-20).
1:5.
“And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat, and of
the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they
might stand before the king.”
Part of the testing of
these young men was that they were to be given “a daily portion of the king’s
meat, and of the wine which he drank.” This food provided by Nebuchadnezzar is a symbol of the spiritual
“food” provided by Satan. God would
have the believer feed on the “fine wheat” of the Word, so that he will become
spiritually mature, but since Satan’s objective is to prevent spiritual growth, he
seeks to entice us to exchange the wheat of the Word for the palate-tickling fare of
earth. The success of his efforts is
attested by the general ignorance of Scripture among Christians, and a corresponding
immature spiritual state. The words of
Paul were never more applicable than they are today, “And I, brethren, could not
speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to
bear it, neither yet now are ye able” (1 Co 3:1-2).
What are some of the
things corresponding to the “provision of the king’s meat” given Daniel and his
companions? They are many, for Satan has
a variety of the “king’s meat” to suit every taste and please every palate.
With one it may be an interest in keeping up with current events, requiring
countless precious hours to be given to reading newspapers, business periodicals,
political reports, etc. With another it
may be the desire to keep abreast of the latest developments in his own field:
business, law, engineering, medicine, education, art....
It doesn’t require much spiritual intelligence to recognize the “king’s
meat,” but it does require much spiritual intelligence to recognize the harm that
comes from eating it. And it requires
exactly the same courage to refuse it as was displayed by the four faithful young
Israelites when they refused to eat the “king’s meat.”
The rewards, however
are also exactly the same, the only difference being that whereas they had to wait
three years for their reward (since three is the Biblical number of
resurrection, these three years point symbolically to the resurrection of life), we
have to wait till we appear at the judgment seat of Christ.
But the reward is worth waiting for, as is declared by Paul, “Eye hath not
seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things that God
hath prepared for them that love Him” (1 Co 2:9).
We might note also
that it was a daily provision. As
we nourish our bodies by a daily intake of food, so must we nourish our souls with a
daily intake of the Word. Satan, in this
as in all things, mimics the Divine pattern. A
daily intake of the “king’s meat” will produce a quicker, as well as a more
vigorous conformity to the world’s standards, which will produce in turn a
correspondingly weaker spiritual state.
But they were
appointed also a daily provision “of the wine which he drank.”
In Scripture, wine is the symbol of joy, “And wine that maketh glad the
heart of man” (Ps 104:15). Nebuchadnezzar’s wine therefore is the symbol of worldly
pleasure, and few will deny the success Satan has had in persuading Christians to
drink it. The arch deceiver’s wine
cellar is as well stocked with the “king’s wine” as is his larder with the
“king’s meat”: he has something to suit every taste.
His “wine list” is long and tantalizingly varied.
It includes sports, music, theater, books, and a thousand other “harmless”
things, and the extent to which his “wine” is consumed by Christians is easily
measured. Compare, for example, the
attendance at the Sunday evening church service when the “program” consists of a
supper and a film or musical concert, and when it is simply for the ministry of
God’s Word, or the preaching of the gospel.
Christians think it
too far to travel five miles to a meeting, yet think nothing of traveling fifty miles
to a sports event. There are those who
complain that the church building isn’t air conditioned, and that the seats are
uncomfortable, but who don’t complain about having to stand, or sit on a hard
bench, in hot sun or frigid cold, to watch a sports event.
The sorry truth is
that for every empty seat at the meeting, there is an occupied seat in front of a
television set at home, at a ball game, or theater. The “king’s wine” is gulped down greedily, and a
“drunken” Christianity staggers along the road of life with spiritual senses
befuddled and numb, better informed of the achievements of an athletic hero than of
the facts concerning the birth and death of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And a mocking world that needs to hear the truth is treated instead to the
sorry spectacle of a drunken Christianity pleading for more of the “king’s
wine.”
The Bible abounds with
warnings against drunkenness, and surely we can’t miss the significance of those
warnings when we remember what wine, in its bad sense, symbolizes.
It represents the pleasures of this world, and few things are more destructive
of Christian vitality than the pursuit of just such pleasures.
The prayer of every Christian should be for that same courage to refuse the
world’s pleasures, as enabled those four young Hebrew princes to refuse the
“portion of the king’s wine.”
The practical reason
for their refusal was that the food and drink may have been used in connection with
the worship of some Chaldean god, reminding us that the things represented by that
food and drink are what the world offers in sacrifice to Satan, the god of this
world. As we “eat the king’s meat
and drink his wine” we associate ourselves with that worship.
Nebuchadnezzar’s
purpose was that these young Hebrew princes might enter into the royal service, after
having been indoctrinated for three years with the learning, language and customs of
the Chaldeans. Since it is unlikely that
there was any scarcity of young Chaldean princes, there can be little doubt that the
king’s intention was to use these young Hebrew princes to lead their countrymen to
abandon the order appointed by God, and adopt instead the Chaldean lifestyle.
The incentive was that they would have positions of honor in the Babylonian
realm, and compared to the prospect of being simply captives in a strange land, it
must have been a very tempting offer. Satan
holds out the same incentive today. It
is for the prospect of promotion in this world - a little wealth, a little worldly
glory, a little earthly fame, a little pleasure - that many a young Christian has
compromised with the world, eating the “king’s meat” and drinking his
“wine,” finding favor with men, but at the cost of displeasing God, for as it
seems to have been Nebuchadnezzar’s plan to have these young princes lead their
fellows away from God, so is it Satan’s plan to have other believers stumbled and
led astray by our compromising with an ungodly world.
These faithful young
men, however, remembered that it was far more necessary to be fit to stand in the
presence of God than in the presence of the king of Babylon.
We would do well to also remember.
He who fears God will have little fear of man, and he who values the
commendation of Christ will set little value on the commendation of men.
1:6.
“Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael,
and Azariah,”
How many were chosen
to receive this Chaldean indoctrination we aren’t told, but only four of that
number determined that no matter what the cost they would be faithful to God, and
something of the character that produced that resolve may be discovered in the
meanings of their names.
Daniel means My
judge is God. He was obviously
worthy of his name, for the realization that God was his Judge had taught him to
place a proper value on the judgment of men, even though one of those men was the
king of Babylon who held the power of life and death over him.
Paul was a man of
similar character, for in 1 Co 4:3-4 he declares, “But with me it is a very small
thing that I be judged of you, or of man’s judgment.... He that judgeth me is the
Lord.” It is this knowledge that
steels the heart to faithfulness, and produces spiritual “Daniels” and “Pauls.”
It is lack of that knowledge that has flawed many a Christian life, resulting
in the fear of man that produces disobedience of God.
“The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord
shall be safe” (Pr 29:25). The
language of the spiritual “Daniels” and “Pauls” is, “The Lord is my helper,
and I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (He 13:6).
Hananiah means the
grace of God, and in regard to that same grace, one has written:
O
to grace how great a debtor,
Daily
I’m constrained to be.
Let
that grace, Lord, like a fetter,
Bind
my wandering heart to Thee.
It was apparently the
consciousness of the extent of his indebtedness to Divine grace that led that second
young Hebrew prince to be numbered amongst the small minority that would be faithful
to God. His consciousness of
indebtedness is the more remarkable when we remember that he was a captive in an
alien land. That same circumstance had
led many of his companions to lose sight of their indebtedness to grace, and the sad
truth being demonstrated in their forgetting, is that many believers allow outward
circumstances to rob them also of that same realization.
The loss of that sense of indebtedness to grace produces an unthankful heart,
which in turn produces a spirit of compromise such as led the other Hebrew princes
into compliance with the will of Nebuchadnezzar, which was disobedience of God.
God’s blessings are
not to be measured either in material things or in outward circumstances, and another
who appears to have grasped that truth was Job.
He was tested as few men have ever been.
Having lost his children, his
health, and his possessions, he might well have forgotten that he was still a debtor
to God’s grace, but he didn’t forget, and his remembrance was expressed in the
reply given his wife when she urged him to curse God, “What? shall we receive good
at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10), and in his reply to
his friends, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him” (Job 13:15).
Circumstances are but
the elements through which a gracious God makes “All things work together for good
to them that love God” (Ro 8:28).
Mishael means Who
is what God is? The character of
this third faithful young Hebrew was apparently accurately reflected in his name.
There seems to have been present with him always that reverential awe of God
which enabled him to contemplate the majesty of Nebuchadnezzar, and realize that it
was as nothing compared with the Divine majesty.
The vision of the
majority of his companions seems to have extended no further than that day three
years
hence when they would
stand in the presence of the Babylonian sovereign.
Mishael had his eye fixed on the day - he knew not how near - when he would
stand in the presence of God. That
contemplation reduced the glory and power of Nebuchadnezzar to proper perspective.
Another man who had
the wisdom to view the transient in its right relationship to the eternal was
Abraham, “By faith he sojourned in the
land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles (tents) ... for he
looked for a (the) city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God”
(Heb 11:9-10).
As the Hebrews, during
their seventy years in Babylon, were constantly reminded of the might and power of
the king in whose land they sojourned, so are believers today reminded constantly of
the might and power of that king who is typified by Nebuchadnezzar:
Satan, the prince of this world. In
Mishael, however, God would show us how to conduct ourselves during the “seventy
years” of our sojourn here in the domain of the prince of darkness. The man who
contemplates the majesty of God will be little impressed with any other.
The fourth Hebrew
prince was Azariah, whose name means helped of Jehovah.
Like his three faithful friends, he too had his eye on God rather than on
himself and on all that surrounded him in Babylon.
Without that vision he would have seen only himself, a weak helpless young man
confronted with the might and splendor of “great Babylon” (Dan 4:30).
There was nothing in himself to inspire the confidence necessary to defy the
king of Babylon, but the knowledge that he was “helped of Jehovah” gave the
courage to defy a thousand Nebuchadnezzars.
A man of similar
character was Gideon, who looking at himself, could only ask the angel, “O my Lord,
wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the
least of my father’s house” (Jg 6:15). But that same Gideon, helped by the same Jehovah Who helped
Azariah, slew the Midianites and did deliver Israel. That same Jehovah helps those who acknowledge their own weakness,
and put their trust in Him, as it is written, “My strength is made perfect in
weakness (2 Co 12:9). That knowledge
should inspire every believer with the same courage that enabled Azariah to defy the
prince of Babylon, and honor God with obedience, even though that obedience could
have cost him his life.
1:7.
“Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the
name of Belteshaz-zar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and
to Azariah, of Abednego.”
Before looking at the
meanings of these names, it is necessary to say that while some writer’s have
suggested other meanings related to the names of Babylonian gods, those used here are
according to the very reliable Dictionary of Scripture Proper Names, by J.B.
Jackson.
Before looking at the
names as given by Jackson, however, we shall note the commonly accepted other meanings.
Belteshazzar means Bel’s treasure: Bel protects the king;
Shadrach means enlightened by the sun goddess, or by the moon god;
Meshach servant of Venus: who is what the moon god is?; and Abed-nego servant
of Nego. Very obviously these
Babylonian names were intended to imply a close association of the four young Hebrews
with the Babylonian deities.
Inasmuch as there is
much conjecture relative to the accuracy of these meanings, we must look also at the
meanings as given by Jackson. Belteshazzar
means Lord of the straitened’s treasure: the Lord’s leader.
Straitened here has the sense of being confined, restricted, hemmed in: it is
descriptive of believers in general, for they are those who have treasure, “... we
have this treasure in earthen vessels” (2 Co 4:7), but their earthly condition
restricts their full enjoyment of it. They
are “straitened” and must wait till they get to heaven before they can enjoy
their treasure fully.
Belteshazzar is the
name of one who is lord or ruler of such treasure.
It refers to one who is a leader, for control of that inward treasure is
linked with obedience to God, and the man who yields that obedience is “the
Lord’s leader.” He is an example for others to follow.
While the purpose of
Nebuchadnezzar was undoubtedly to give these four young men names which would
identify them with the false gods of Babylon, the overruling of God is seen in that
those same names have, as already noted, additional meanings, which we shall now
examine.
Daniel was a young man
who was “straitened” (he was a captive), but he had an inward “treasure”
(peace with himself and with God), and his obedience to God made him lord over that
treasure, so that nothing - not even captivity in Babylon - could take that treasure
from him. There is in fact a very close
link between Daniel’s Hebrew name, My judge is God, and his Chaldean name, Lord
of the straitened’s treasure: the Lord’s leader.
He who lives in the consciousness that God is his Judge, will be seen by men
as one who is fit to lead others, because he himself is led by God.
Hananiah the grace
of God, was given the Chaldean name of Shadrach, meaning The breast (heart)
was tender. The assurance of being
indebted to God’s grace will always produce a tender heart that is ready to bestow
grace on others. It isn’t unreasonable
to presume that his captors saw in this young Hebrew one who demonstrated in his life
that he was a debtor to Divine grace, and the result was that he had a tender heart.
Mishael, meaning Who
is what God is, was given the Chaldean name of Meshach, meaning waters of
quiet: who is what thou art? Can
there be any doubt that as the Chaldeans observed his life, they saw one, who because
he set God above all others, was himself seen by them as standing above other men?
The knowledge that God is above all, lusters a man’s life with a quiet
dignity that sets him apart from others, because his life is the witness to the truth
that he who puts God first, can say, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still
waters” (Ps 23:1-2). Outward circumstances won’t ruffle the “quiet waters” of his
life.
Abednego, Servant
of brightness, was the Chaldean name given to Azariah, Helped of Jehovah.
“God is light (brightness)” (1 Jn 1:5), and it may well be that Azariah
was seen by the Chaldeans as one who was a servant of God (brightness), that
knowledge affecting his life, as it should ours.
Who can doubt that such a man would perform willingly and to the best of his
ability, the tasks assigned by his captors, because he recognized that his real
Master was God, and that the Chaldeans were simply His agents?
Believers are to
display the same character, “Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters
according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto
Christ; not with eyeservice, as men pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing
the will of God from the heart; with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not
to men” (Eph 6:5-7).
1:8.
“But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the
portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he
requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.”
It is in the heart
that spiritual battles are lost or won, for God declares in regard to man that,
“... as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Pr 23:7).
In Pr 23:1-3 it is
written, “When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before
thee.... Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.”
Since the Proverbs are believed to have been compiled in the tenth century
B.C., it may be that Daniel was being guided at least partly by these words when he
resolved not to eat Nebuchadnezzar’s food, or drink his wine.
Young or old, he is a wise man who takes the Scriptures as his guide in all
things, believing what the Psalmist has written, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,
and a light unto my path” (Ps 119:105); “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse
his way? by taking heed thereto according to Thy word” (Ps 119:9). It isn’t what a man is outwardly that matters: it is what he is
in his heart that counts with God, for “... man looketh on the outward appearance,
but the Lord looketh on the heart” (1 Sa.16:7).
Daniel’s heart was
right. The outward integrity of his life
simply reflected his inward state. The
Psalmist could say, “Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against
Thee” (Ps 119:11), and apparently this was true of Daniel, as it must be of all who
would display the same integrity. Daniel
is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore a model for us to follow.
1:9.
“Now God had brought Daniel into favor and tender love with the prince of
the eunuchs.”
In this we learn the
truth that God works for the man who walks obediently.
Obedience is the secret of power.
The skepticism of the
prince of the eunuchs reflects the thinking of the natural man: he can’t see
success apart from the use of the world’s methods - “the king’s meat,” and
“the king’s wine,” the world’s wisdom and the world’s pleasure.
But Daniel walked on a higher plane. He
would leave the things of the world for those who were of the world, and such was his
confidence in God that he wasn’t afraid to be tested.
1:10.
“And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king,
who hath appointed your meat and your drink; for why should he see your faces worse
liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my
head to the king.”
The ways of God are
inexplicable to the men of the world.
1:11.
“Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,”
1:12.
“Prove they servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse
to eat, and water to drink.”
1:13.
Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of
the children that eat of the portion of the king’s meat: and as thou seest, deal
with thy servants.”
It is frequently
overlooked that Daniel didn’t agree to eat the king’s meat and drink his wine in
the event that the ten days should result in their appearing to have suffered as a
consequence of their abstinence. What is
recorded of these four young Hebrews leaves no doubt that they trusted God to
preserve their health, but were prepared to suffer the consequences if He chose not
to. See, for example, 3:17-18.
Melzar means the
circumcised, he straitened, but inasmuch as circumcision speaks symbolically of
the cutting off of the deeds of the flesh; and straitened, of that which is hemmed in
or restricted, this Melzar, under whose control Daniel and his three friends were
placed, may represent the principle of moral restraint which is to govern the lives
of those who belong to Christ.
Since four is
the Biblical number of testing, it would seem that the number of days should have
been four rather than ten, but there is no mistake.
It was a test only in the eyes of Ashpenaz and Melzar.
Daniel and his friends had no doubt of the result.
To them it wasn’t a test, but rather an opportunity to secure blessing by
submission to God’s government of their lives - for ten is the number of God
as the Supreme Governor, just as twelve is the number of that government on
display, the twelve tribes of Israel, for example, demonstrating that obedience
brought blessing; and disobedience, chastisement.
The Church, built upon the foundation of doctrine of the twelve Apostles (Eph
2:20), demonstrates the same truth today. Those ten days were to reveal that when God governs a
man’s life nothing can be against that man. They
were to disclose also God’s ability to supply more nourishment from pulse and water
than from the rich food and wine of the Babylonian king.
Pulse is literally
“seeds,” and refers to grain or vegetables grown from seed.
Here, as throughout Scripture, literal food is the symbol of spiritual food
good or bad, and here it represents the Word as that which nourishes the life of
faith; while water represents the Word, ministered by the Holy Spirit, in its ability
to refresh and cleanse. Believers are
not built up spiritually by “the king’s meat,” (the world’s wisdom), nor are
they refreshed or cleansed by “the king’s wine,” (the world’s pleasures).
1:14.
“So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days.”
1:15.
“And at the end of ten days their countenances
appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat of the
portion of the king’s meat.”
Time hasn’t changed
anything: a man’s face still reflects his fare.
Our lives reveal whether we are feeding on the “meat and drink” of the
“Babylonian king,” or on the “pulse and water,” - the Word of God.
1:16.
“Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat, and the wine that they
should drink: and gave them pulse.”
Resolve must be
followed by action. The prodigal would
have died in the far country had he not acted on his resolve to return to his father.
Good intentions must be carried out. The
believer who would be blessed must not eat “the king’s meat” or drink “the
king’s wine.” The pure Word of God
must be his food and drink.
1:17.
“As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all
learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.”
God repaid their
obedience with blessing. As they were
willing to honor Him, He honored them, as it is written, “Them that honor Me I will
honor” (1 Sa 2:30). “But seek ye
first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added
unto you” (Mt 6:33). He who seeks
first the kingdom of God will lack no necessary thing in this world.
What may seem like lack, is the result of our failure to distinguish
between our wants and our needs.
It isn’t in the
number of days that we find the number of testing, but in the number of the young
men: there were four of them. It isn’t
in the things that test us, but in us that the results of God’s testing are seen!
1:18.
“Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in,
then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.”
1:19. “And
the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king.”
Three years had passed, bringing the appointed day of examination, and as noted
already three is the Biblical number of resurrection, reminding us that for us
also there has been appointed a day of examination, as it is written, “We shall all
stand before the judgment seat of Christ” (Ro 14:10), that examination taking place
after the rapture of the Church at the second stage of the resurrection of life (Jn
5:29). (The third and final stage of the
resurrection of life will occur at the Lord’s return to end the Tribulation and
establish His millennial kingdom, when He will raise the saints of the OT and
Tribulation eras, the seven years of the Tribulation being the seventh and final
“week” of the seventy weeks of years that will conclude God’s program for the
conversion and blessing of Israel).
The certainty of that day of examination ought to impel the prayer for wisdom
and grace to live here on earth for the equivalent of the “three years,” so that
we too may emerge from that interview with the King’s commendation.
1:20. “And in all matters of wisdom
and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better
than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.”
Three years was a long time to eat only pulse and water, but patient
endurance in honoring God by living in submission to His government, brought “an
exceeding great reward.” They were
“ten times” better than all others in the realm, and as noted already, ten is the
number of God in government. Those who honor Him by obedience on earth, He will honor
in eternity.
The folly of compromise on the part of Christians, is declared in that we are
told nothing of the other young Hebrews who had eaten the king’s meat, and
drunk his wine. Not even their names are
given. And as for the world’s wisdom,
its ultimate worth is announced in the fact that Daniel and his three companions were
ten times better than “all the magicians and astrologers (i.e., all the wise men)
that were in all his realm.”
“The fear of the
Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding”
(Pr 9:10).
1:21.
“And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus.”
This Cyrus is
mentioned in Isa 44:28 where he is described as God’s shepherd; and in 45:1-7 as
God’s anointed. See also Ezra
1:1,2,7,8; 3:7; 4:3,5; 5:13,14,17; 6:3,14; and Dan 6:28; 10:1.
He is very clearly a type of Christ, a fact which lends significance to the
statement that “Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus.”
That Daniel continued beyond the first year of Cyrus is clear from Dan 10:1,
“In the third year of Cyrus ... a thing was revealed unto Daniel....”
Daniel not only lived to see Cyrus, the Lord’s shepherd, the Lord’s
anointed, he “prospered in the reign of ... Cyrus” (Dan 6:28).
This tells us that all
“that have obtained like precious faith” (2 Pe.1:1), will enjoy the experience
typically portrayed in Daniel’s seeing Cyrus: we shall see God’s Shepherd,
God’s Anointed; we, “shall see the King in His beauty” (Isa 33:17); and for
faith there is no higher experience. “As
for me, I will behold Thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake,
with Thy likeness” (Ps 17:15). Simeon,
having seen the King, though only as a child in Mary’s arms, “... took Him up in
his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in
peace, according to Thy word: for mine eyes have seen thy salvation” (Lk 2:28-30).
That joyous satisfaction is typically foreshown in Ge 46:30 when Israel said
unto Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen thy face.”
Daniel, however,
didn’t die after seeing Cyrus: he “prospered in the reign of ... Cyrus.”
Nor will we die upon seeing Christ. We
too will “prosper.” “We shall reign with Him” (2 Tim 2:12), our positions in
His government being determined by the measure of our faithfulness in the things he
has committed to our stewardship while we are here on earth.
While on the surface
it may appear that there is nothing prophetic in this first chapter, it should be
noted that it does in fact furnish a symbolic preview of what will be in the coming
Tribulation era. The attempt of
Nebuchadnezzar to have the Hebrew captives submit to his will and conform to the
Babylonian lifestyle, very clearly foreshadows the activity of the beast.
He too will attempt to compel the Jews to abandon their belief in God, and to
worship him as God. Like the others
carried captive into Babylon with Daniel and his three friends, who did obey
Nebuchadnezzar, many of the Jews in the Tribulation will bow to the will of the
beast, but in doing so damn their own souls. As
Daniel and his three faithful companions refused to obey the Babylonian king, so will
there also be in the Tribulation a small faithful remnant who will be willing to die
rather than disobey God.
[Daniel 2]
