Chapter Eighteen

The week of May 20


Daniel in Exile

Daniel and three men were expatriates who had been exiled to Babylon from Judah with many others. They were chosen to be acculturated into the Babylonian ways in order to serve the king. These men went through an amazing journey of made decisions.

Pp 249-50  The foursome of young Judeans were being made to serve the Babylonians. This was not dissimilar to Joseph and the Egyptians. Part of their regimen was to eat and drink to be healthy. Daniel wanted a vegetarian regimen and offered to have a comparison of complexion after ten days. Daniel and the three showed themselves healthier and had more understanding with wisdom, so they entered the king's service after three years.

Put yourself in the shoes of these men. Everything was taken away and they were now living after another’s whim, not their own dreams. Have you been put into a regimen with which you disagreed? How was it resolved?

Pp 250-3  King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream he wanted interpreted. But his wise men needed to know the dream first so they could attempt to tell him what it meant. The king could not remember the dream and, in frustration, said that all wise men would die without the telling of the dream and its meaning. Daniel and the three were also slated for death. Following a vision in which God showed the dream, Daniel first praised God, then asked to be brought to the King. Daniel gave credit that only God (the Hebrew God) could reveal these mysteries. How would you respond under the threat of death? Clinging to God in difficult times is a major theme of the Scripture.

Pp 253-4  Daniel later spoke that the King's dream was about a large statue consisting of four sections of different qualities and material. The most precious was a golden head that represented the king. Three other parts represented successive kingdoms that would conquer each previous kingdom. We now know that these represented the Medo-Persians, the Greek empire under Alexander the Great, and the Roman empire. It is amazing that God used Daniel's deciphering of a pagan king's dream to predict future history. Daniel and the three (like Joseph) were well rewarded with more responsibility for their prowess.

Pp 254-6  The King built a ninety foot image and demanded obeisance of his subjects to bow to the image. The Three knew this violated Ten Commandment number two and would not do it. Their answer to the king was classic: Our God is able to save us, but even if he doesn't we will not serve your gods (Daniel 3:16-18). The king defied their defiance and threw them in a burning furnace. Others were burned up handling the furnace but the Three survived the ordeal without a burn or even smoky clothes. The king realized the viability of their God and ordered Him to be honored.

Pp 256-60  Daniel interpreted another dream about the king's becoming like a animal and a further one with a body-less hand writing doom on a wall. Daniel was later thrown into a lion's den for violating another king's edict of not worshipping any god but the king. In accepting the consequences he accepted God's protection and remained unscathed. This was unlike his accusers who were thrown to these same lions. Reflect on how God uses all things in our lives, including dreams, to work together for good.

The themes of a few people stepping up to serve God and the consequences of serving him in a hostile environment keep coming up. How is this true in our own world?

Pp 260-1  Amidst the travail of seventy years of exile (would it become 400 years like in Egypt?), the Israelites heard the message from Jeremiah: plant your trees, trust in God, He will return your people…I know the plans I have for you; plans for good, not evil. Though many from Judah died in captivity, how was this prediction a solace to those who remained?