I'm sure many of us have heard scriptural references to Daniel's experience in the lion's den, or of the time when Daniel with Shadrach, Mishael and Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace -- all important in understanding the Lord's purpose for each and every one of us -- but how many have searched the scriptures for the understanding which led Daniel to these moments in time. Remember, throughout Daniel knew in whom he served, having declared often, "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever; for wisdom and might are His." (Daniel 2:20) Similar to David the psalmist, the name of the Lord God was never far from their lips -- always praising the Lord for His goodness and grace.
"Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore." (Psalm 113:2)
"But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the Lord." (Psalm 115:18)
So, this day, the blog is intended to show the accuracy of the scriptures, in that there are confirming scriptures for each account. Also, it is an introduction into knowing the Daniel that we often hear about but have not understood the depth and breadth of his relationship with the Lord. Starting in Daniel 1"
"In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem and besieged it. " (Daniel 1:1)
This same account is confirmed in II Kings: "In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him. And the Lord sent against him bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the Word of the Lord, which He spake by His servants the prophets. Surely at the commandment of the Lord came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did; and also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the Lord would not pardon." (II Kings 24:1-4)
Moreover, if we investigate the account of Jehoiakim's reign, we learn that "the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father’s stead in Jerusalem. Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. And the king of Egypt put him down at Jerusalem, and condemned the land in an hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and turned his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.
Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God. Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar also carried of the vessels of the house of the Lord to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.
Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. And when the year was expired, king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of the Lord, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem. Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the Lord. And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the Lord God of Israel.
Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised His words, and misused His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy. Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand.
Zechariah 5 offers additional explanation: "Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a flying roll. And He said unto me, "What seest thou?" And I answered, "I see a flying roll; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits." Then said He unto me, "This is the curse that goes forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that swears shall be cut off as on that side according to it. I will bring it forth," saith the Lord of hosts, "and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that swears falsely by My name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof."
Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, "Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth." And I said, "What is it?" And he said, "This is an ephah that goes forth." He said moreover, "This is their resemblance through all the earth. And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sits in the midst of the ephah." And he said, "This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof."
"In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem and besieged it. " (Daniel 1:1)
This same account is confirmed in II Kings: "In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him. And the Lord sent against him bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the Word of the Lord, which He spake by His servants the prophets. Surely at the commandment of the Lord came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did; and also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the Lord would not pardon." (II Kings 24:1-4)
Note also that these two scriptures are inextricably intertwined, setting the stage for what the Lord would have us understand when it came time for Daniel to take a stand. By way of explanation, we see that 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." (Daniel 1:2)
Note that the land of Shinar was the place where (earlier) those who wanted to reach heaven built the tower of Babel, prior to the Lord confounding their language and scattering the peoples abroad. (Genesis 11:1-9)
Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God. Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar also carried of the vessels of the house of the Lord to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.
Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. And when the year was expired, king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of the Lord, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem. Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the Lord. And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the Lord God of Israel.
Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised His words, and misused His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy. Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand.
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 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. And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: to fulfil the Word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the Word of the Lord spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, "Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the Lord God of heaven given me; and He hath charged me to build Him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The Lord his God be with him, and let him go up." (II Chronicles 36:1-23)
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the Word of the Lord spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, "Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the Lord God of heaven given me; and He hath charged me to build Him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The Lord his God be with him, and let him go up." (II Chronicles 36:1-23)
Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, "Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth." And I said, "What is it?" And he said, "This is an ephah that goes forth." He said moreover, "This is their resemblance through all the earth. And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sits in the midst of the ephah." And he said, "This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof."
Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven. Then said I to the angel that talked with me, "Whither do these bear the ephah?" And he said unto me, "To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base." (Zechariah 5:1-11)
"At that time Merodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah: for he had heard that he had been sick, and was recovered. And Hezekiah was glad of them, and shewed them the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.
Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, "What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee?" And Hezekiah said, "They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon." Then said he, "What have they seen in thine house?" And Hezekiah answered, "All that is in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them."
Then said Isaiah 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." Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, "Good is the Word of the Lord which thou hast spoken." He said moreover, "For there shall be peace and truth in my days."( Isaiah 39:1-8)
So the king appointed the certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes -- those well-favoured and skilful in wisdom; and cunning in knowledge 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. Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Misheal, and Azariah -- unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Beleshazzar; and to Hananiah of Sharach; and to Mishael of Meschach, and to Azariah of Abednego. (Daniel 1:6-7 Ezekiel 14:14, 20; Daniel 2:40; Daniel 4:8; Daniel 5:12)
When determining the definition meaning of ephah, there were several scriptural references. First, the term ephah referred to a covering. The word of Egyptian origin can also refer to a grain measure which is an equivalent to the bath for liquids. (Exodus 16:36; I Samuel 17:17; Zechariah 5:6) A double ephah refers to two ephahs -- one being false and the other just. (Deuteronomy 25:14) We also see Ephah used as names -- one of the five sons of Midian, and a grandson of Abraham, a concubine of Caleb and a descendent of Judah. (Genesis 25:4; Isaiah 60:6-7; I Chronicles 2:46-47)
"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; children in whom was no blemish but well favoured, 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." (Daniel 1:3-4)
Later, in Daniel 5, we see this contrasted in Daniel 5:10-12 when the queen, by reason of the words of the kings and his lords, came into the banquet house, saying, "O king live forever; let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed; there is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the Spirit of the holy gods/God; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods/God was found in him: whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans and soothsayers; forasmuch as an excellent spirit and knowledge and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar; now let Daniel be called and he will show the interpretation." (Daniel 5:10-12)
Isaiah adds further context.
Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, "What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee?" And Hezekiah said, "They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon." Then said he, "What have they seen in thine house?" And Hezekiah answered, "All that is in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them."
Then said Isaiah 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." Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, "Good is the Word of the Lord which thou hast spoken." He said moreover, "For there shall be peace and truth in my days."( Isaiah 39:1-8)
So the king appointed the certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes -- those well-favoured and skilful in wisdom; and cunning in knowledge 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. Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Misheal, and Azariah -- unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Beleshazzar; and to Hananiah of Sharach; and to Mishael of Meschach, and to Azariah of Abednego. (Daniel 1:6-7 Ezekiel 14:14, 20; Daniel 2:40; Daniel 4:8; Daniel 5:12)
But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, not with the wine which he drank; therefore, he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs. (Daniel 1:8-9)
This might have been the beginning of Daniel gaining strength to oppose the king's commands that were yet to come. Simple steps but being assured in his faith toward the Lord nevertheless. Still, when the prince of eunochs understood that Daniel would not partake of the king's meat and drink, he 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? the shall ye make me endanger my head to the king." (Daniel 1:10)
How often as believers do we hear that statement -- that a believer's actions might endanger the head/reputation of another. How does Daniel respond to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azaiah?
"Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. 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 see, deal with thy servants."
So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days. And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat. Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat, and the wine that they should drink and gave them pulse. (Daniel 1:11-16; Exodus 23:25; Proverbs 10:22)
"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. 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. And the king communed with them; and among them all was found no one like Daniel, Hananiah, Misheal and Azariah; therefore stood they before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm. And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus." (Daniel 1:17-21; Daniel 2:23; James 1:5; Genesis 41:46; Daniel 1:5; Genesis 31:7; Genesis 41:8; Daniel 6:28; Daniel 10:1)
Imagine, ten times more wisdom and understanding than all the magicians and astrologers that were in the king's realm. Yes, there is definitely more to come on Daniel, but for now meditate on these particular scriptures -- the Word of the Lord that is not just intended for Daniel's time, but for these current times and seasons in which we live as well.
Stand in the offering plate.
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