OVERVIEW:
Daniel and his friends are taken captive in Babylon away from their families (Chapter 1); Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and Daniel’s interpretation (Chapter 2); The image of gold erected by Nebuchadnezzar and the refusal of Daniel’s three friends to bow down and worship it (Chapter 3).
HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:
Since the Jews had refused to repent and follow the Lord in obedience through the passionate preaching of the prophet Jeremiah, the Babylonian army came in and conquered their land just as Jeremiah had warned. In those days, when a nation would overtake another nation, it was customary that the very best and most promising of their youth would be taken to be trained in the king’s court. Since Daniel and his three teenage friends were all princes of the royal family (1:3), they were the ones who were snatched from their homes in Jerusalem, and taken to the king of Babylon’s palace. The king’s goal, of course, was to conform them to the ways of Babylon, that they might serve his purposes, in his kingdom, for the rest of their lives. As is detailed in 1:4b–7, this conforming process involved a new home, new knowledge, new diets, and new names. Obviously, Satan’s strategy today is no different than it was then! He is bent on conforming God’s people (and maybe we could say, especially young people!) to the kingdom of this present evil world’s system (Romans 12:1–2) that they might serve his purposes for the rest of their lives! (2nd Timothy 2:26)
Showing unbelievable courage and maturity, however, Daniel and his friends purposed in their hearts that they would not defile themselves with the king’s meat. (1:8) They dared to stand for what they believed to be true and right, even though it meant doing so at the risk of their own lives. Risking their own lives was one thing, but their decision also meant risking the life of Melzar, the one the king had appointed to control the diets of the Hebrew children.
Melzar understood that if it would become evident, by their physical appearance, that they were not following the king’s directions it would mean his neck, as well as theirs! (1:10) Daniel believed God would honor their refusal to eat the king’s meat, and asked Melzar, in whom he had found favor, for a 10-day trial of simply eating pulse (vegetables) and water to prove that God would step up on their behalf. God did, indeed, step up, as their countenance was much healthier looking after the 10-day trial period than the others who were eating according to the king’s prescribed diet. So often we talk about the law of sowing and reaping (Galatians 6:7–8) from a negative standpoint but this happens to be a positive example of the principle! Because of the great faith and trust these young men sowed at this point in their life, they reaped God’s promotion and protection in the worldly kingdom of Babylon throughout the remainder of their lives!
In chapter 2, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, has a dream and demands that the wise men in his court not only interpret it, but actually tell him what the dream was! None were up to the task, so Nebuchadnezzar ordered all of the so-called “wise men” to be slain. At the last minute, however, God reveals the dream and its interpretation to Daniel. He proceeds to tell the king the dream, sparing the lives of the wise men from certain death. Nebuchadnezzar is quite impressed and pleased with Daniel, and to show his appreciation, promotes Daniel, and his three friends, to key positions of authority in his kingdom. It should be noted that the dream that Daniel interpreted was actually a prophetic outline of world history. It describes the kingdoms and governments that would rule the world beginning with Babylon at that time all the way up to this present day! (2:28) In fact, without the revelation of the prophecies in the book of Daniel, it would be impossible to interpret the book of Revelation. The two books go hand in hand. (1st Corinthians 2:13)
- As THE STONE — Daniel 2:35, 45 (Jesus is the chief corner stone — Ephesians 2:20; 1st Peter 2:6–7; Romans 9:31–33)
- As the FOURTH MAN IN THE FIRE — Daniel 3:25