For a moment, place yourself in the shoes of someone else. You have suddenly been ripped from your home by a vicious ruler. You are forced to march from your homeland to an area you have never seen. You are separated from your family and many of your friends, possibly never to see them again. The people of this new land speak a language you have never heard. Furthermore, your name is changed to reflect the idol gods of this nation. While, we can only imagine this type of situation, there was someone we can read about in the Bible who went through this very ordeal. We can read of life in the book of Daniel. We first read of this young man as we find out that: “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it” (Daniel 1:1). Nebuchadnezzar makes a special decree concerning certain of the youth in Israel (Daniel 1:3-5). “Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah…” (Daniel 1:6). When reading the book of Daniel, there are many great lessons one can learn from his life. As we study through his life, let us notice Daniel’s: Profile, Purpose, Partners, Personality, and Prayers.
DANIEL’S PROFILE
If we are to study Daniel, it would help for us to know some things about this young man. His name means, “God is My Judge.” The Chaldeans changed his name to Belteshazzar which means, “Bel’s Prince or Protector.” There is a chance that Daniel may have been from royal lineage. “And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes… Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah…” (Daniel 1:3, 6). One would also notice that the man in charge of these four was Ashpenaz, the master of the eunuchs. All things considered, there is a great possibility that these young men were eunuchs. Is they were, it was a fulfillment of Isaiah 39:3-7. At the start of the book Daniel is probably fifteen to eighteen years old. He was carried away by the Babylonians around 605 B.C. We notice in the first verse that the Babylonians came into power the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim (Daniel 1:1). Jehoiakim first began his reign in 608 B.C., therefore Daniel would have been carried away around 605 B.C.
Daniel was a prophet of God. There is prophecy found within the book of Daniel. Two of his best known prophecies are that of the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and the Prophecy of the 70 Weeks. He was also taught by men who were thought to be the wisest in all of Babylon. “Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans” (Daniel 1:4). This gives us a little information about Daniel both physically and mentally. Daniel was more than likely a very handsome young man. He was also bright as he was taught what the Babylonians thought was important at the time. He was taught cuneiform, a new language, and other skills thought to be important by the Babylonians.
Daniel lived to be an old man. It is thought that Daniel lived to be in his eighties. During that time he was able to see many rulers come and go. He also had an opportunity to see power shift from the Babylonians to the Persians. While we do not specifically know, it is thought that Daniel passed from this earth during the reign of Cyrus, the Medo-Persian king.
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