Almighty God, the Revealer of Secrets!

from Google Images

From my previous studies, it is understood that Arioch, the captain of the guard, was appointed by Nebuchadnezzar to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. However, it also seems obvious that there was a brief grace period in place, before the executions would take place, while a search could be made of the other wise men of Babylon, in an effort to find anyone who might step forward with an explanation of the matter that troubled the king. Daniel did come forward and requested time (Daniel 2:16), probably a single night, whereby he could request an answer from the Lord God of heaven, which the Lord gave Daniel in a dream (Daniel 2:19). Upon receiving an answer from God, Daniel then went to Arioch and asked him to bring him before the king, and he would show him the interpretation. Therefore, the other wise men should not be executed (Daniel 2:24).

 

Daniel’s Faithfulness to God

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We are told in the text that Daniel had proposed in his heart that he wouldn’t defile himself with the king’s food or wine from his table (Daniel 1:8). What does this mean in the context of Daniel being brought to Babylon through the judgment of God? It was because of national disobedience that this thing occurred (Isaiah 39:5-6), so was Daniel faithful while yet in the land, or did he repent, when he was brought to Babylon (cp. 1Kings 8:33-34)? We cannot tell for certain which is correct, but most scholars agree that Daniel’s faith was something he had prior to his being brought to Babylon. Nevertheless, whether Daniel was faithful from his youth, as Joseph was, when he was brought into Egypt as a slave, or whether he remembered the covenant he made with the Lord and confessed his sin and repented (cp. Daniel 9:5-11), he went boldly to the prince of the eunuchs and asked him to permit him not to defile himself with the portion of the king’s food and wine that was given him.

 

How Did Judah Lose Its Sovereignty?

from Google Images

Before we come to the study of the Book of Daniel and how Judah went down to Babylon in captivity, we need to understand how it lost its sovereignty and became a tributary nation, first to Egypt and then to the four succeeding empires, beginning with Babylon. In the days of Josiah, king of Judah, Pharoah-nechoh went out against the King of Assyria and had come to the Euphrates River. At that time, Assyria and Babylon were one empire (2Kings 19:36; 2Chronicles 33:11). Pharoah-nechoh came up against the new king, Nabopolassar, seeking to take the lands away from him, which extend from the Euphrates River to Egypt (2Kings 23:29). King Josiah, who preferred good relations with Assyria or Babylon, came out against Pharoah-nechoh at Meggiddo and was slain in battle.