“They could find no fault with Daniel, because he was faithful” (6:4)

“Isaiah then told the king, ‘The LORD Almighty says that a time is coming when everything in your palace, everything that your ancestors have stored up to this day, will be carried off to Babylonia. Nothing will be left. Some of your own direct descendants will be taken away and made eunuchs to serve in the palace of the king of Babylonia.’” (Isaiah 39:5-7) – 703-701 BC

Chronology King Prophet 650 Manasseh Amon Nahum Josiah Jeremiah, Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Ezekiel Joahaz 600 Jehoiakim 605 – 1st invasion (Daniel) Jehoiachin 597 – 2nd invasion (Ezekiel) 586 Zedekiah 586 – 3rd invasion (Jeremiah) 538 *Cyrus conquers Babylon*

“In the third year that Jehoiakim was king of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia attacked Jerusalem and surrounded the city. The Lord let him capture King Jehoiakim and seize some of the Temple treasures. He took some prisoners back with him to the temple of his gods in Babylon, and put the captured treasures in the temple storerooms. The king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief official, to select from among the Israelite exiles some young men of the royal family and of the noble families. They had to be handsome, intelligent, well-trained, quick to learn, and free from physical defects, so that they would be qualified to serve in the royal court.

Ashpenaz was to teach them to read and write the Babylonian language Ashpenaz was to teach them to read and write the Babylonian language. The king also gave orders that every day they were to be given the same food and wine as the members of the royal court. After three years of this training they were to appear before the king. Among those chosen were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, all of whom were from the tribe of Judah.” (Daniel 1:1-6)

Daniel (‘God is my Judge’) to Belteshazzar (‘Bel protect the king’), Hananiah (‘God has been gracious’) to Shadrach (‘I am very fearful [of god]’), Mishael (‘Who is what God is?’) to Meshach (‘I am of little account’) Azariah (‘The Lord has helped’) to Abed-Nego (‘Servant of the shining one’ [i.e. Nebo])

“Daniel made up his mind not to let himself become ritually unclean by eating the food and drinking the wine of the royal court, so he asked Ashpenaz to help him, and God made Ashpenaz sympathetic to Daniel. Ashpenaz, however, was afraid of the king, so he said to Daniel, ‘The king has decided what you are to eat and drink, and if you don’t look as fit as the other young men, he may kill me.’ So Daniel went to the guard whom Ashpenaz had placed in charge of him and his three friends. ‘Test us for ten days,’ he said. ‘Give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare us with the young men who are eating the food of the royal court, and base your decision on how we look.’ He agreed to let them try it for ten days. When the time was up, they looked healthier and stronger than all those who had been eating the royal food.

“So from then on the guard let them continue to eat vegetables instead of what the king provided. God gave the four young men knowledge and skill in literature and philosophy. In addition, he gave Daniel skill in interpreting visions and dreams. At the end of the three years set by the king, Ashpenaz took all the young men to Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them all, and Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah impressed him more than any of the others. So they became members of the king's court. No matter what question the king asked or what problem he raised, these four knew ten times more than any fortuneteller or magician in his whole kingdom. Daniel remained at the royal court until Cyrus, the emperor of Persia, conquered Babylonia.” (Daniel 1:8-21)

“So then, about eating the food offered to idols: we know that an idol stands for something that does not really exist; we know that there is only the one God. Even if there are so-called "gods," whether in heaven or on earth, and even though there are many of these "gods" and "lords," yet there is for us only one God, the Father, who is the Creator of all things and for whom we live; and there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created and through whom we live. But not everyone knows this truth. Some people have been so used to idols that to this day when they eat such food they still think of it as food that belongs to an idol; their conscience is weak, and they feel they are defiled by the food. Food, however, will not improve our relation with God; we shall not lose anything if we do not eat, nor shall we gain anything if we do eat.” (1 Corinthians 8:1-11)

“Be careful, however, not to let your freedom of action make those who are weak in the faith fall into sin. Suppose a person whose conscience is weak in this matter sees you, who have so-called "knowledge," eating in the temple of an idol; will not this encourage him to eat food offered to idols? And so this weak person, your brother for whom Christ died, will perish because of your "knowledge"! And in this way you will be sinning against Christ by sinning against other Christians and wounding their weak conscience. So then, if food makes a believer sin, I will never eat meat again, so as not to make a believer fall into sin.” (1Corinthians 8:9-13)

“None of you should be looking out for your own interests, but for the interests of others. You are free to eat anything sold in the meat market, without asking any questions because of your conscience. For, as the scripture says, ‘The earth and everything in it belong to the Lord.’ If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you decide to go, eat what is set before you, without asking any questions because of your conscience. But if someone tells you, ‘This food was offered to idols,’ then do not eat that food, for the sake of the one who told you and for conscience' sake--- that is, not your own conscience, but the other person's conscience.

‘Well, then,’ someone asks, ‘why should my freedom to act be limited by another person's conscience? If I thank God for my food, why should anyone criticize me about food for which I give thanks?’ Well, whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do it all for God’s glory. Live in such a way as to cause no trouble either to Jews or Gentiles or to the church of God. Just do as I do; I try to please everyone in all that I do, not thinking of my own good, but of the good of all, so that they might be saved.” (1 Corinthians 10:24-33)

The Bible is an inspired book that instills principles of living

“In the second year that Nebuchadnezzar was king, he had a dream “In the second year that Nebuchadnezzar was king, he had a dream. It worried him so much that he couldn't sleep, so he sent for his fortunetellers, magicians, sorcerers, and wizards to come and explain the dream to him. When they came and stood before the king, he said to them, ‘I’m worried about a dream I’ve had. I want to know what it means.’ They answered the king in Aramaic, ‘May Your Majesty live forever! Tell us your dream, and we will explain it to you.’ The king said to them, ‘I have made up my mind that you must tell me the dream and then tell me what it means. If you can’t, I’ll have you torn limb from limb and make your houses a pile of ruins.” (Daniel 2:1-5)

“What Your Majesty is asking for is so difficult that no one can do it for you except the gods, and they do not live among human beings.” (Daniel 2:11)

“The king said to Daniel (who was also called Belteshazzar), ‘Can you tell me what I dreamed and what it means?’ Daniel replied, ‘Your Majesty, there is no wizard, magician, fortuneteller, or astrologer who can tell you that. But there is a God in heaven, who reveals mysteries. He has informed Your Majesty what will happen in the future. Now I will tell you the dream, the vision you had while you were asleep. While Your Majesty was sleeping, you dreamed about the future; and God, who reveals mysteries, showed you what is going to happen.’” (Daniel 2:26-30)

Authorship of Daniel? “The repeated allusions to the desecration of the Jerusalem Temple suggest the time of persecution…175-164 – B.C.” – Good News Bible “The ram you saw that had two horns represents the kingdoms of Media and Persia. The goat represents the kingdom of Greece, and the prominent horn between his eyes is the first king.” (Daniel 8:20-21)

Specific names, dates & details “In the first year that Belshazzar was king of Babylonia, I had a dream….” (Daniel 7:1) “In the third year that Belshazzar was king, I saw a second vision.” (Daniel 8:1) “Darius the Mede, who was the son of Xerxes, ruled over the kingdom of Babylonia. In the first year of his reign I was studying the sacred books and thinking about the seventy years that Jerusalem would be in ruins, according to what the LORD had told the prophet Jeremiah. (Daniel 9:1-2)

Specific names, dates & details “The LORD says, ‘When Babylonia's seventy years are over, I will show my concern for you and keep my promise to bring you back home.’” (Jeremiah 29:10) “In the third year that Jehoiakim was king of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia attacked Jerusalem and surrounded the city.” (Daniel 1:1) - - - 606 BC “Daniel remained at the royal court until Cyrus, the emperor of Persia, conquered Babylonia.” (Daniel 1:21) - - 538 BC

“Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Almighty LORD says…You think that you are wiser than Daniel and that no secret can be hidden from you.” (Ezekiel 28:2-3)

“You will see ‘The Awful Horror’ of which the prophet Daniel spoke “You will see ‘The Awful Horror’ of which the prophet Daniel spoke.” (Matthew 24:15) Textual analysis*

The faithfulness of Daniel “Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods.” (Daniel 1:8)

Selfless “Now I have heard that you can find hidden meanings and explain mysteries. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be dressed in robes of royal purple, wear a gold chain of honor around your neck, and be the third in power in the kingdom.’ Daniel replied, ‘Keep your gifts for yourself or give them to someone else. I will read for Your Majesty what has been written and tell you what it means.’” (Daniel 5:16-17)

Reliable, honest…blameless “Then the other supervisors and the governors tried to find something wrong with the way Daniel administered the empire, but they couldn't, because Daniel was reliable and did not do anything wrong or dishonest. They said to each other, ‘We are not going to find anything of which to accuse Daniel unless it is something in connection with his religion.’” (Daniel 6:4-5) But they couldn't find anything wrong because he was trustworthy (GW); faithful (NRSV) They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. (NIV); He could always be trusted (NIRV)

“Connected” to God; complete trust in God “When Daniel learned that the order had been signed, he went home. In an upstairs room of his house there were windows that faced toward Jerusalem. There, just as he had always done, he knelt down at the open windows and prayed to God three times a day.” (Daniel 6:10) “The king was overjoyed and gave orders for Daniel to be pulled up out of the pit. So they pulled him up and saw that he had not been hurt at all, for he trusted God.” (Daniel 6:23)

Humility “Now, this mystery was revealed to me, not because I am wiser than anyone else, but so that Your Majesty may learn the meaning of your dream and understand the thoughts that have come to you.“ (Daniel 2:30)

Humility “We have sinned, we have been evil, we have done wrong. We have rejected what you commanded us to do and have turned away from what you showed us was right. We have not listened to your servants the prophets…You are merciful and forgiving, although we have rebelled against you. We did not listen to you, O LORD our God, when you told us to live according to the laws which you gave us through your servants the prophets…We sinned against you…But even now, O LORD our God, we have not tried to please you by turning from our sins or by following your truth…we did not listen to you…we have sinned; we have done wrong…we are praying to you because you are merciful, not because we have done right.” (Daniel 9:5-18)

“I am meek and humble of heart.” (Matthew 11:29) “(Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on earth.)” (Numbers 12:3) “Blessed are those who are humble; they will receive what God has promised!” (Matthew 5:5) “But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

Biblical humility is where the good of the others is placed over that of the individual. The opposite of humility: Attempts to better oneself at the expense of others (money, power, honor) – pride, selfishness

“It is Pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began...As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.”  C.S. Lewis

“I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.” (Albert Schweitzer)

The Results? “The king said, ‘Your God is the greatest of all gods, the Lord over kings, and the one who reveals mysteries. I know this because you have been able to explain this mystery.’” (Daniel 2:47)

The Results? “The king said, ‘Praise the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel and rescued these men who serve and trust him. They disobeyed my orders and risked their lives rather than bow down and worship any god except their own. And now I command that if anyone of any nation, race, or language speaks disrespectfully of the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, he is to be torn limb from limb, and his house is to be made a pile of ruins. There is no other god who can rescue like this.” (Daniel 3:28-29)

The Results? “And now, I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, honor, and glorify the King of Heaven. Everything he does is right and just, and he can humble anyone who acts proudly.” (Daniel 4:37)

The Results? “Then King Darius wrote to the people of all nations, races, and languages on earth: ‘Greetings! I command that throughout my empire everyone should fear and respect Daniel's God. "He is a living God, and he will rule forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his power will never come to an end. He saves and rescues; he performs wonders and miracles in heaven and on earth. He saved Daniel from being killed by the lions.’ Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian. ” (Daniel 6:25-28)

Today? “Do to us what you will and we will still love you...But be assured that we'll wear you down by our capacity to suffer, and one day we will win our freedom. We will not only win freedom for ourselves; we will appeal to your heart and conscience that we will win you in the process; and our victory will be a double victory.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.