(The Book of Daniel was the fifth and final book that made up the major prophet section of the Old Testament. This book was hard to categorize because in addition to prophecy, it contained history, miracles, doctrine, visions, and great stories. It was a "New Testament Book" that was in the Old Testament. In Matthew 24:15, Jesus referred to Daniel as a prophet. However, some Jewish scholars do not consider Daniel to be a prophet and do not consider the events in the Book of Daniel to be factual. However, God Himself mentioned Daniel in Ezekiel 14 as one of the three people of the Old Testament (along with Noah and Job) as having a tremendous amount of spiritual value. We will see that like Noah and Job, Daniel handled suffering well. The Book of Daniel can be seen as consisting of two parts. Part I (Daniel 1-6) covered the interactions with the kings of Babylon. Part II (Daniel 7-12) covered prophecies.)
Daniel 1
1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.
(Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, went to Jerusalem and besieged it on behalf of his father Nabopolassar. Nebuchadnezzar became king when his father died during the time of this siege. This took place about 600 B.C. Israel had been taken captive 100 years earlier, so at this time, all of God's people (Judah and Israel) were under a heathen king.)
2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God; and he carried them into the land of Shinar to the house of his god: and he brought the vessels into the treasure-house of his god.
(God gave Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. This occurred in the fourth year of Jehoaikim because Nebuchadnezzar was delayed in his war with Egypt.)
3 And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring in certain of the children of Israel, even of the seed royal and of the nobles;
(The king told Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring certain children of Israel to Babylon. Notice, these children were of royal blood. This fulfilled Isaiah 39:1-8.)
4 youths in whom was no blemish, but well-favored, and skilful in all wisdom, and endued with knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability to stand in the king's palace; and that he should teach them the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.
(Children who have no blemish, well-favored, skillful in all wisdom, endued with (cunning in) knowledge, and understanding science.
-In this verse understanding was Strong's #995 biyn - "to discern, understand, consider."
-In this verse science was Strong's #4093 madda - "intelligence or consciousness."
In 2 Chronicles 1 Solomon requested, and was given by God, this same madda. From that application and this verse, we see these youths had the ability to understand intelligence, to understand the process of thinking.)
5 And the king appointed for them a daily portion of the king's dainties, and of the wine which he drank, and that they should be nourished three years; that at the end thereof they should stand before the king.
6 Now among these were, of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
7 And the prince of the eunuchs gave names unto them: unto Daniel he gave the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abed-nego.
(The program to train these children would last for three years. The children of Judah who Melzar (the prince of the eunuchs) gave new names to were:
-Daniel (Belteshazzar),
-Hananiah (Shadrach),
-Mishael (Meshach), and
-Azariah (Abed-nego).
The four of them, who had names of God (ending in 'el' or 'ah' for Elohim or Jehovah) were given names according to Nebuchadnezzar's gods. Daniel was named according to their chief god: Bel. Hananiah and Mishael were named according to their moon god: Aku. Azariah was named according to Nego.)
8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king's dainties, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
(Daniel truly committed himself to not defiling himself.)
9 Now God made Daniel to find kindness and compassion in the sight of the prince of the eunuchs.
(Similar to what Joseph experienced with his jailers (Genesis 39:21). There were many similarities between Joseph and Daniel. For now, we see Joseph and Daniel both lived in heathen kingdoms.)
10 And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your food and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse looking than the youths that are of your own age? so would ye endanger my head with the king.
11 Then said Daniel to the steward whom the prince of the eunuchs had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:
12 Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.
13 Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the youths that eat of the king's dainties; and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.
(Daniel started a science experiment. Daniel put Melzar's life on the line with this test. Daniel and his three friends would be vegetarians for ten days and after would have their countenances checked.)
14 So he hearkened unto them in this matter, and proved them ten days.
(Melzar (prince of the eunuchs) agreed to the experiment.)
15 And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer, and they were fatter in flesh, than all the youths that did eat of the king's dainties.
(Daniel was right.)
16 So the steward took away their dainties, and the wine that they should drink, and gave them pulse.
(Melzar continued to help Daniel and his three friends remain undefiled.)
17 Now as for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.
(In this verse, "knowledge" was madda. Notice, God gave this madda to Daniel and his three friends just as God gave madda to Solomon. Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams, he knew the why.)
18 And at the end of the days which the king had appointed for bringing them in, the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.
19 And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king.
20 And in every matter of wisdom and understanding, concerning which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his realm.
(Daniel's deal worked and brought them to the attention of a heathen king (like Pharaoh with Joseph). In all matters of wisdom and understanding, the king found Daniel and his friends ten times better than the magicians and astrologers.)
21 And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus.
(Daniel continued in this office for the rest of the seventy years of captivity unto the time of Cyrus. This book was written at that time, so Daniel could have actually continued even longer.)
Daniel 2
1 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams; and his spirit was troubled, and his sleep went from him.
2 Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the enchanters, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king.
(This story occurred about a year after Daniel was taken captive and before his three year training was completed. Again, this was a lot like Pharaoh's dream: Genesis 41:8.)
3 And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.
(Nebuchadnezzar had a dream and his spirit was troubled to know the dream.)
4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in the Syrian language, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.
(This verse began the Aramaic portion of the Book of Daniel. This showed that Daniel also adopted the Aramaic language which was what was spoken by the Chaldeans/Babylonians.)
5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye make not known unto me the dream and the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.
(The king could not remember the facts of the dream, he only knew that he did have a dream because he felt the emotion of it: troubling.)
6 But if ye show the dream and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honor: therefore show me the dream and the interpretation thereof.
7 They answered the second time and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.
8 The king answered and said, I know of a certainty that ye would gain time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.
9 But if ye make not known unto me the dream, there is but one law for you; for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can show me the interpretation thereof.
10 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can show the king's matter, forasmuch as no king, lord, or ruler, hath asked such a thing of any magician, or enchanter, or Chaldean.
11 And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is no other that can show it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.
(The king wanted two things: the facts of the dream and the interpretation (what the dream meant). Even the king's "wise men" could not do this and they stated that no man on earth could. This request could only be interpreted by God.)
12 For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
(Nebuchadnezzar saw himself above God so the thought of the interpretation only being done by God made him angry because he did not know the facts of the dream or the interpretation. He acted out of anger and commanded the wise men to be slain. He could have been thinking, "If the wise cannot do their job then why have the wise men at all?")
13 So the decree went forth, and the wise men were to be slain; and they sought Daniel and his companions to be slain.
14 Then Daniel returned answer with counsel and prudence to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, who was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon;
15 he answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, Wherefore is the decree so urgent from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.
(Daniel asked the king's captain why the command was made so quickly. Daniel was focused on the why of the timing.)
16 And Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would appoint him a time, and he would show the king the interpretation.
(Daniel wanted an appointment with the king to give him the interpretation.)
17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:
18 that they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his companions should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
(Daniel told his friends. The four of them prayed that Daniel would receive the dream and interpretation so that they would not die with "the rest of the wise men." It appeared that some wise men were already being killed.)
19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever; for wisdom and might are his.
21 And he changeth the times and the seasons; he removeth kings, and setteth up kings; he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that have understanding;
22 he revealeth the deep and secret things; he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.
23 I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast now made known unto me what we desired of thee; for thou hast made known unto us the king's matter.
(God gave Daniel the dream and the interpretation in a dream and Daniel blessed God. Daniel made doctrinal statements about God's character. The easiest person for God to control was a king because kings always responded to circumstances in a manner that maintained their kingdom in the short term. Clearly, Daniel had sound Doctrine.)
24 Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon; he went and said thus unto him: Destroy not the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show unto the king the interpretation.
(Daniel told the man in charge of killing the wise men that he had the answer.)
25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the children of the captivity of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation.
(Arioch told the king that he found a man with the interpretation.)
26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?
27 Daniel answered before the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded can neither wise men, enchanters, magicians, nor soothsayers, show unto the king;
28 but there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and he hath made known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these:
(Daniel gave the credit to God, just like Joseph did in Genesis 41:16.)
29 as for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter; and he that revealeth secrets hath made known to thee what shall come to pass.
(Daniel said he was nothing. Daniel stated the reason he heard from God was because of the king. Daniel told the king that God spoke to the king. Rather than feeling threatened by Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar would be able to rationalize that God was endorsing Nebuchadnezzar.)
30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but to the intent that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that thou mayest know the thoughts of thy heart.
31 Thou, O king, sawest, and, behold, a great image. This image, which was mighty, and whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the aspect thereof was terrible.
(Verses 32-35 covered the Dream: The Golden Head (Nebuchadnezzar), Silver (Medo-Persians), Bronze (Alexander the Great), Iron (Rome)...all of which eventually did occur.)
32 As for this image, its head was of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of brass,
33 its legs of iron, its feet part of iron, and part of clay.
(The phrase "its feet (toes)" was the ten kings in Revelation 17:12-13 that give power to the beast.)
34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon its feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them in pieces.
(The "stone" was Jesus Christ.)
35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken in pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried them away, so that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
(Verses 36-45: the interpretation of the dream.)
36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.
37 Thou, O king, art king of kings, unto whom the God of heaven hath given the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the glory;
38 and wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens hath he given into thy hand, and hath made thee to rule over them all: thou art the head of gold.
(Nebuchadnezzar was the head of gold. Again, Nebuchadnezzar could see this was an endorsement of his superiority.)
39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee; and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron, forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things; and as iron that crusheth all these, shall it break in pieces and crush.
41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
43 And whereas thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men; but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron doth not mingle with clay.
44 And in the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty thereof be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
(This happens at the end of the Book of Revelation.)
45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
(Daniel reinforced that God chose to tell this to Nebuchadnezzar.)
46 Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odors unto him.
(The king worshipped Daniel. This was probably out of relief that the dream which troubled Nebuchadnezzar emotionally turned out to affirm him.)
47 The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou hast been able to reveal this secret.
(Notice, Nebuchadnezzar promoted God. Nebuchadnezzar saw himself above God because he believed he was able to promote Jehovah above all the other gods.)
48 Then the king made Daniel great, and gave him many great gifts, and made him to rule over the whole province of Babylon, and to be chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon.
49 And Daniel requested of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel was in the gate of the king.
(Daniel risked his life and got promoted. He made sure his three friends were rewarded.)
Daniel 3
1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the satraps, the deputies, and the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
3 Then the satraps, the deputies, and the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
(Nebuchadnezzar made a god. Everyone was sent for and must bow down. In the previous chapter we saw Nebuchadnezzar saw himself above the gods, so he could believe he was able to make his own god and promote it above Jehovah.)
4 Then the herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages,
5 that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up;
6 and whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
(Whoever did not bow down would be cast into a fiery furnace.)
7 Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the peoples, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
8 Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and brought accusation against the Jews.
9 They answered and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king, O king, live for ever.
10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image;
11 and whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
(The leaders pointed out Daniel's three friends. Where was Daniel? Could it be that he would not even put himself in that position? Remember, Daniel was truly committed to not defiling himself (1:8). Daniel purposed in his heart not to be defiled.)
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these men before the king.
14 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said unto them, Is it of purpose, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, that ye serve not my god, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made, well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that god that shall deliver you out of my hands?
(In his rage and fury, Nebuchadnezzar was acting hasty again. Nebuchadnezzar saw himself above God.)
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer thee in this matter.
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of thy hand, O king.
18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
(Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego had great faith. They were about the causes regardless of the effects (Biblical definition of a man). They decided not to worship the king's gods or images regardless of what happened.)
19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
(Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, so he heated the furnace seven times more than usual.)
20 And he commanded certain mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
21 Then these men were bound in their hosen, their tunics, and their mantles, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
22 Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.
(The king continued to act hasty. This verse proved that the furnace was able to kill.)
23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
(The three friends came in contact with the heat.)
(***The Prayer of Azariah (Abed-nego), a book in the Apocrypha, took place in between 3:23 and 3:24 while the three were in the furnace.***)
24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste: he spake and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
(The king was still acting hasty. He was acting and thinking like an animal.)
25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the aspect of the fourth is like a son of the gods.
(The king saw four men walking in the midst of the fire. The fourth was like a son of the gods (an angel). Nebuchadnezzar had fulfilled his law by actually throwing them in the fire...)
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace: he spake and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of the Most High God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego came forth out of the midst of the fire.
(Nebuchadnezzar declared the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego to be "the Most High God.")
27 And the satraps, the deputies, and the governors, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, that the fire had no power upon their bodies, nor was the hair of their head singed, neither were their hosen changed, nor had the smell of fire passed on them.
(The three friends must have converted to something beyond the flesh or they had a hedge about them. Regardless, clearly this was a supernatural effect that occurred not because the three friends wanted it to happen, but because they did the following cause: they stated they would follow God no matter what happened.)
28 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and have yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
29 Therefore I make a decree, that every people, nation, and language, which speak anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill; because there is no other god that is able to deliver after this sort.
(Nebuchadnezzar promoted God again: declared Him Most High and offered protection from His enemies. He added to the law but it seemed like he still thought he needed to protect God.)
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in the province of Babylon.
(The king promoted the three friends but still called them by their ungodly names.)
(This post covered Nebuchadnezzar's growth to the point he declared God the Most High above other gods...however, Nebuchadnezzar still saw himself above God.)
Day 258
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