1. By Deacon Corey Tolbert
Dare To Be A Daniel
By Deacon Corey Tolbert

2. A Brief History
The book of Daniel takes place during the Jewish Exile in Babylon in the 6th century, BCE. To back up a bit in history . . .
The people of God (Israelites) became a divided kingdom after the death of King Solomon in 931 BCE: the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. While there were brief periods of faithfulness among the people and the kings of Judah and Israel, these centuries were predominantly a period of decline into various forms of idolatry and injustice. Despite God’s warnings over many generations through the prophets, the people of Judah and Israel continued to worship other gods, commit violence, and treat their neighbors unjustly.
In 722 BCE, the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom of Israel, deporting its people to Assyria. The Assyrians imported people into various areas, with the aim of separating people from their culture of origin so that they would lose their identity as a people. The goal was to have them absorbed into Assyrian society. Tragically, this process worked and the 10 northern tribes of Israel lost their identities. They are called the “10 lost tribes”; they never came back to re-settle the land that they had lost.
By the 7th century, the Babylonians had conquered the Assyrians. Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon from BCE. In 597/8 BCE, Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem, deported Judah’s king Jehoiakim as well as the prominent citizens of Judah (the best and the brightest) to Babylon, and stripped the Temple. Daniel was most likely among the Jews deported in this group (Daniel 1:1). Then in 586 BCE, King Nebuchadnezzar systematically destroyed Jerusalem, deporting over 10,000 Jews into exile, dismantling the Temple, and destroying the city.

3. DID YOU KNOW DANIEL WAS…
Anywhere from years old?
One of the best and brightest in his class
A straight “a” Student (Daniel 1:4)
Extremely Good Looking
Very Fit
Comes From a Very Good Home with Good Parents

4. Daniel is Taken by Babylonian soldiers
Why Did they take Daniel and the others?
Was it to enslave them?
was it to take them for ransom?
It was for none of these reasons. It was to offer them superior education and opportunity.
They were to be fast tracked into the king’s service.

5. Takeaways for this session
What pressures did Daniel face upon being taken by the Babylonians? – What similar pressures do we face?
What strategies did Daniel adopt to overcome the pressures? – Will the same strategies work for us?
What outcomes did Daniel enjoy as a result of his faithfulness? – are we eligible to receive the same outcomes?

6. Question 1: what pressures might Daniel and his friends experienced as a result to being taken to a new and unfamiliar place?

7. Question 1: What pressures might Daniel and his friends have experienced?
Change of Location
No longer under the influence of his parents, or familiar people. He has to make his own decisions. A new freedom and a new anonymity.

8. Question 1: What pressures might Daniel and his friends have experienced?
Change of education
Daniel 1:4. The tutor was to teach the students the language and the literature of the Babylonians.
Daniel would have gone from learning the bible and ancient Hebrew stories to learning about the mythical Babylonian gods.
“how could these Jewish boys who are supposed to be so smart believe that there god is the only god in the world?”
“that’s the Jewish way of expressing faith, not the real truth!”

9. Question 1: What pressures might Daniel and his friends have experienced?
Change of Name
The college tutor gave them “new” Babylonian names.
Daniel’s name goes from meaning “God is my Judge” to Belteshazzar which means “keeper of the hidden mysteries of baal.”
The are changing what makes them distinct.

10. Two types of control type 1: ruthless oppression
Perpetrated by: pharaoh
Methodology: using slavery, violence, and intimidation to immediately and severely crush the will of god’s people.
Outcome: god’s people multiplied, rose up, and overthrew pharaoh.

11. Two types of control type 2: gradual assimilation and persuasion
Perpetrated by: Nebuchadnezzar
Methodology: entice the people of god with all of the pleasures of the world in order to make the people of god forget about their calling, their mission, and their truth.
Outcome: ?

12. Question 2: what strategies might Daniel have adopted in order to overcome these pressures?

13. What strategies did David adopt to overcome?
Daniel employed the 4 “r”s
Daniel was realistic
Daniel was Resolute
Daniel was responsible
Daniel was relentless

14. Daniel was realistic Read Daniel 1:5
These are high schoolers being offered food from the king’s table. This is the high life. Whatever the king was eating, Daniel and his friends would be served. By waiters.
Once you get a taste for the high life, no one wants to settle for anything else.
but Daniel knew that if he consumed everything around him, everything around him would consume him, and his faith.
He was realistic about the erosive effect accepting everything the world has to offer.
His discipline would keep the secular from overtaking the spiritual.

15. Daniel was resolute Read Daniel 1:8
Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself.
He made a decision and a commitment to not become compromised.
He would keep god close to him so that he could remain set apart.
Daniel could not have stood with strength in the day of persecution in chapter 6 if he had not first stood with resolution on the day of opportunity.

16. Daniel was responsible
When Daniel decided not to eat from the king’s table, his friends decided not to do it to.
Daniel knew that his decisions would impact not only his own personal faith walk but the faith walk of those around him.
Daniel knew that every spiritual decision he made could potentially impact the discipline or the disobedience of those around him.
Daniel was a responsible boy who knew the potential gravity of his decisions.

17. Daniel was relentless Daniel epitomized Hebrews 11:6b
Daniel prayed all the time.
Daniel remained faithful in his reading of god’s word.
Daniel was very disciplined in his conduct even in the midst of being in a foreign land.
Daniel set things in place that were a constant reminder that though he lived “in” this world but he was not “of” this world.

18. Question 3: what outcomes did Daniel enjoy?

19. God gave them success in their school work
Daniel 1:17
God gave them straight a’s. he allowed them to gain even greater understanding, knowledge, and wisdom because they remembered god.
Their gifts blossomed and flourished. They received talents that they have never otherwise gotten.
He who honors me, I will honor. – 1 Samuel 2:30
They pass their final oral exam with the king with flying colors.
Daniel gets a premiere position of influence with the king and within the most powerful empire of the day.

20. How Does This Point TO Christ?
Similar to Daniel, Christ was sent to a place, surrounded by people that were not like him.
Christ is confronted by the enemy who wanted him to channel all his energy into benefitting himself instead of benefitting god.
Jesus says I will not embrace what you offer me. “My food is to do the will of him who sent me.”
The whole agenda of Christ’s life was to live the will of god by the word of god. At first, it apparently costs him everything, but god exalted him such that the name of jesus is above every other name.
Christ, like Daniel, knew from where he came, and to where he was going.
John 13:2-3