After having done A Biblical Overview Of Revelation, it’s time to turn to Daniel who adds a lot of detail to our understanding of what the Apostle John wrote. Of course, Daniel speaks of other things as well, and we will talk about those. Our goal will be to see the Book of Daniel clearly, without the unBiblical and foolish notions that ‘scholars’ inserted into our view of this book.
We have chosen man-centered logic over the gentle guidance of the Holy Spirit for far too long. We forgot that the Bible is the precious words of God, and that God is not amused by our corruption of what He said.
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A Biblical Overview Of Daniel – Part 1
There is a personal tragedy at the beginning of this book that no one talks about, and only a few of us seem to recognize. And, I must confess that I didn’t see it myself until a few months ago. Furthermore, this tragedy is also a fulfillment of prophecy, but it’s hard to think of this happening to one so good and Godly.
The prophecy that I speak of is from Isaiah who spoke to King Hezekiah after his foolishness in showing the Babylonian delegation all that he had, after he had been sick:
5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: 6 ‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,’ says the Lord. 7 ‘And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’ ”
– Isaiah 39:5-7 (NKJV)
Now, to those who say that this was a condemnation of Hezekiah, remember that Hezekiah was a good king who sought the Lord and was righteous. And, I personally believe that the turning of Hezekiah’s descendants into eunuchs was unavoidable – since that is how Babylonian bureaucracy worked. And, Nebuchadnezzar was always on the lookout for those who would help run his empire.
We also see this way of running an imperial bureaucracy in China and elsewhere, to ensure that the bureaucrats running the empire wouldn’t try to take it for themselves and their children. Lots of empires have fallen due to coups from within.
Anyway, it seems to me that when Hezekiah got a bit prideful in all that he had, so God took him down a notch, to let him know that none of what he had acquired was going to last. And, Hezekiah had the humility to accept that, here:
8 So Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good!” For he said, “At least there will be peace and truth in my days.”
– Isaiah 39:8 (NKJV)
A bad king would have had Isaiah killed, or at least thrown out, for saying what he had said. But, to Hezekiah’s credit, he did not.
There is also an interesting note about this event in 2 Chronicles:
However, regarding the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, whom they sent to him to inquire about the wonder that was done in the land, God withdrew from him, in order to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart.
– 2 Chronicles 32:31 (NKJV)
So, this was a test. And, Hezekiah failed it. I’ve failed a few of my own, so I can’t criticize Hezekiah too much for this one. And, King David did far worse, and God still forgave him. But, let’s get back to Daniel.
When Nebuchadnezzar came down the first time, to capture Jerusalem, Jehoiakim king of Judah surrendered, which kept Jerusalem from being destroyed.
Here’s where we see Daniel’s personal tragedy, and that of his friends:
3 Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles, 4 young men 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 whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans. 5 And 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 serve before the king. 6 Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 7 To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names: he gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abed-Nego.
– Daniel 1:3-7 (NKJV)
So, Daniel was forced to become a eunuch. Now, we don’t have all the details about how much choice he had in the matter.
Was this an issue of do or die?
Was the alternative worse, but maybe less than death?
We don’t know. But, the idea of never being able to have a family. No wife. No children. No grandchildren. That would have been a truly terrible blow. The fact that God blessed him in ways that few could ever have imagined, the cost still would have been truly terrible for him personally.
God never promised that we would not suffer in this life. But, He did promise to walk with us in our times of trial and that He would lift us up when we fall. When we get to eternity, we will truly understand how good God has been to us. And, this would have been doubly true about Daniel.
Furthermore, in the second half of chapter 1, Daniel commits his way to the Lord. He follows the dietary laws that God had given, and God blessed him and his friends with wisdom and knowledge above everyone else. Thankfully, we are no longer under such Torah restrictions, but Daniel is an example of being blessed for submission and obedience to God.
May we all learn from Daniel, the need to submit to God’s words, that we would be counted as good servants when we stand before the Lord in the day of reward.
Lord willing, next week, we will look at one of the most important prophecies in the Bible, a prophecy that is still in effect as we speak.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
שאלו שלום ירושלים
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My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you… Hosea 4:6
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Keep this ministry alive with a donation.
Subscribe for free to Revelation Six and receive my articles in your inbox:
https://revelationsix.substack.com/subscribe
And, read my two books:
I created five Android Apps that will help you read through the Bible in a Year. You can find them here:
https://revelationsix.com/android-apps/
If you miss my rantings about geopolitics, idiocy, resource collapse and incompetent globalism, follow me on Twitter.
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