“Introducing Daniel”

-a Children’s Series

Fitchburg Nazarene Church

October 25, 2015

by

Rev. Charles W. Pendleton, Jr.

(These are the Pastor’s notes. He may have said more which is not noted here. He could have ignored certain portions of these notes in our actual service.)

We are going to have a BIG TEST during our message this morning.
I’m going to see how good you all are at listening to a story.
Of course, I’m also going to do some teaching while we go through the questions – just to help you remember the book of Daniel.
You can take notes if you’d like to – just remember – BIG TEST!
Let’s READ: Daniel 1:1-21
1In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.2And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babyloniaaand put in the treasure house of his god.
3Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility—4young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians.b5The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.
6Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.7The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
8But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.9Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel,10but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned yourcfood and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”
11Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah,12“Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink.13Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.”14So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.
15At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food.16So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.
17To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.
18At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar.19The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service.20In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.
21And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.

Okay, here comes the test.

  1. How many Gods are mentioned in Daniel, chapter 1?

ANSWER(Vs.2)

Two – the LORD God, and Nebuchadnezzar’s god.

  1. How many kings are mentioned in Daniel, chapter 1?

ANSWER(Vs. 1 & 21)

Three – Jehoiakim, Nebuchadnezzar, and Cyrus.

TEACHING

Daniel 1:1-2 talks about God’s Divine judgment upon Jerusalemwhich He had threatened for so long.

Nebuchadnezzar was chosen by God to execute His judgment on Israel for their disobedience.

More on this in a couple of minutes.

Three times Nebuchadnezzar came against Jerusalem. In 606 B.C. he appeared the first time. This is the visitation mentioned here.

In 598 he came again and carried away more captives, including Ezekiel. In 587 he burned the city and the temple.

  1. What were the qualifications that King Nebuchadnezzar gave his court official, Ashpenaz, about the young men he was to train to work in the palace?

ANSWER(Vs. 4)

  • young men without any physical defect,
  • handsome,
  • showing aptitude for every kind of learning,
  • well informed, quick to understand, and
  • qualified to serve in the king’s palace.

TEACHING

(Many notes are from

Gaebelein's Annotated Bible)

Daniel 1:3-5.

The young captives of the king’s seed and of the princes (both of Judah) was in fulfillment of prophecy.

They are called "children," and the word, together with the context, seems to imply that they were boys of the age of from twelve to fourteen.

The king personally handed them over to the care of Ashpenaz, the Rabsaris, or "master of the eunuchs," who held the position of lord high chamberlain.

It is probably implied that the boys were themselves made eunuchs, for the incident seems to be based on the rebuke given by Isaiah to the vain ostentation of Hezekiah in showing the treasures of his temple and palace to Merodach-baladan:

"Behold the days come, that all that is in thine house 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.". {Isaiah 39:6-7}

They were to be added to the king’s court and to receive special royal favors, instructions in the wisdom and language of the Chaldeans and have the privileges of the king’s table.

  1. Which of these young men had their names changed?

ANSWER (Vs. 6)

All four. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

TEACHING

Daniel 1:6-21.

Daniel means, “God is my judge”;

Hananiah, “Jehovah is gracious”;

Mishael, “Who is equal to God”;

Azariah, “The Lord is my help.”

These beautiful names were soon changed into names of heathen meaning, to blot out the very memory of Jehovah.

(For the Babylonian’s to constantly be hearing their Hebrew names, would have been a constant insult to their own gods.”

Daniel becomes Belteshazzar (Bel’s prince);

Hananiah is named Shadrach (illumined by the sun-god);

Mishael is called Meshach (who is like Shach-- Venus); and

Azariah is changed to Abednego (the servant of Nego).

  1. What was the reason Daniel and his friends gave for asking Ashpenaz, the court official to allow them to go through the 10 day dietary challenge?

ANSWER (Vs. 8)

They didn’t want to defile themselves with the royal food and wine.

TEACHING

The Hebrews were not the only people to use sacrifices of animals in their worship.

The diet of the vast majority of people was one of water, and what was generally called "seeds" or "pulse." -i.e.vegetables, dates, raisins, and other fruits,

The addition of meat to the diet was typically a delicacy, and often was the ritual eating of a portion of an animal sacrificed to Jehovah God (in the case of the Hebrews), or in the case of other peoples – animals sacrificed to their pagan gods.

Therefore, to eat the meat from Nebuchadnezzar’s table, would have meant they were eating meat sacrificed to “false gods.” This would have been repulsive to the Hebrew people – and even a sign of apostasy to their God.

The purpose of the four expressed their loyalty to the God of their fathers and their obedience to His law, resulted in the Lord rewarding them for their loyalty and faithfulness, - God made certain that they were in far better shape than all the other young men.

God is still the rewarder of all who trust in Him and walk lives that are separated to Him.

Last question;

  1. What other rewards did God give to Daniel and his friends besides being allowed to eat their customary diet?

ANSWER (Vs. 17)

To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.

But the grand lesson of the picture is meant to be that the fair Jewish boys were kept safe in the midst of every temptation to self-indulgence, because they lived as if they were in God’s sight:

Do we live as if we were constantly in God’s sight???

The domestic anecdote of this chapter, like the other more splendid narratives which succeed it, has a value far beyond the circumstances in which it may have originated. It is a beautiful moral illustration of the blessings which attend on faithfulness and on temperance, and whether it be a Haggada or a historic tradition, it equally enshrines the same noble lesson as that which was taught to all time by the early stories of the Books of Genesis and Exodus. {Comp.Genesis 39:211 Kings 8:50Nehemiah 1:1Psalm 106:46}
It teaches the crown and blessing of faithfulness. and "he that holds himself in reverence and due esteem for the dignity of God’s image upon him, accounts himself both a fit person to do the noblest and godliest deeds, and much better worth than to deject and defile, with such debasement and pollution as sin is, himself so highly ransomed and ennobled to a new friendship and filial relation with God."