DANIEL CHAPTER ONE

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Looking for Daniel





Daniel 1


Now among them are some from the tribe of Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. And the principal court official assigns names to them; he gave to Daniel the name Beleshazzar, to Hananiah the name Shadrach, to mishael the name Meshch, and to Azariah the name Abednego.

- Imagine the situation: you are young and you go to live in a foreign country with different traditions and a different religion!

- Well, the four young men can count on each other but they must live among Babylonian so it is quite easy to be influenced!

- A strong will is necessary if you don’t want to be influence and keep your own traditions!

 

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Looking for Daniel

Daniel 1
So he agrees to their proposal and tests them for ten days. At the end of ten days their appearance is better and healthier than all the youths who are eating the king’s delicacies. So the guardian takes away their delicacies and their wine and gives them vegetables.

- So Daniel is right!

- They look better!

- Practical knowledge is efficient!

- Don’t forget it!

- It is not because the majority does it that it is the best!

- On the contrary!

- It is never good to follow the trend or fashion!

- You may become a modern slave!

 

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Looking for Daniel

Daniel 2
When the order is issued and the wise men are about to be killed, they also look for Daniel and his companions to put them to death. At that time Daniel discreetly and cautiously speaks to Arioch the chief of the king’s bodyguard, who has gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon.

- “discreetly and cautiously”: Daniel is young but he is careful!

- He knows how to behave!

- And he is not afraid: he knows who he serves that is God who protects him!

- As usual he takes the lead of his companions!

 

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Looking for Daniel

Daniel 2
Daniel declares: “Let the name of God be praised for all eternity,
For wisdom and mightiness are his alone.
He changes times and seasons,
Removes kings and sets up kings,
Gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those with discernment.
He reveals the deep things and the hidden
things,
He knows what is in the darkness,
And with him the light dwells.
To you, O God of my forefathers, I offer thanks
and praise,
Because you have given me wisdom and
power.
And now you have made known to me what
we requested of you;
You have made known to us the concern of
the king.”

- As soon as Daniel is told about the king’s vision and its interpretation he prays God to thank him!

- He knows everything he has it is because of God!

- He speaks about God’s wisdom and mightiness!

- He also mentions his companions!

- He never forgets anybody!

- He is precise!

- Every detail has its importance!

- He leaves nothing to chance!

 

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Looking for Daniel

Daniel 2

The king then elevates Daniel and gives him many fine gifts, and he makes him the ruler over all the province of Babylon and the chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. And at Daniel’s request, the king appoints Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the administration of the province of Babylon, but Daniel serves in the king’s court.

- Daniel is blessed as he serves God faithfully!

- And he is, not selfish because he asks the king for a position for his three companions!

- For him details are important!

- And he doesn’t neglect anything or anyone!

- Imagine a foreigner becoming one of the most important characters in Babylon!

- Of course, we Remember Joseph in Egypt!

- It is a similar case!

 

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Looking for Daniel

Daniel 6
As soon as the decree is signed, he prays God and everybody can see him. Then men arrive and take hold of him and bring him to the king. He doesn’t want Daniel to be thrown into the pit of lions but it is the law he has signed. He hopes that Daniel’s God will save him. Then he is thrown into the pit of lions. The king couldn’t sleep at night. Early in the morning he goes to the lions’ pit and he calls for Daniel who answers him. So he gives order to free Daniel and to put his accusers into the pit. When they reach the bottom of the pit, they are eaten by the lions. And Daniel keeps prospering in the kingdom of Darius.

- Nothing is more important for Daniel than his relationship to God!

- So as soon as he is told about the decree, he prays God!

- What an example of faith!

- Here we have an other opportunity to see the nature of his relationship with God!

- Completely different from the one the Israelites have with God!

- Let the one having ears and eyes listen and read carefully!

- God is looking for such people, not for those who are spiritually deaf and blind!

 

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Looking for Daniel

Daniel 12
In Daniel’s vision we are told about a time of distress such as has not occurred since there came to be a nation until that time. And during that time your people will escape, everyone who is found written down in the book. And many of those asleep in the dust of the earth will wake up, some to everlasting life and others to reproach and to everlasting contempt. “And those having insight will shine as brightly as the expanse of heaven, and those bringing the many to righteousness like the stars, forever and ever… Many will cleanse themselves and whiten themselves and will be refined. And the wicked ones will act wickedly, and none of the wicked will understand; but those having insight will understand.

- yes, DISTRESS!

- The possibility to wake up!

- The possibility to cleanse and whiten oneself and be refined!

- But it is necessary to make efforts!

- NO EFFORT, NO REFINING!

- And the wicked one won’t understand!

- He will keep doing his business!

 

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God and Daniel / Daniel and God

Daniel 2:

At this the king flies into a violent rage and gives the order to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. When the order is issued and the wise men are about to be killed, they also look for Daniel and his companions to put them to death. At that time Daniel discreetly and cautiously speaks to Arioch the chief of the king’s bodyguard, who has gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon. He asked Arioch the officer of the king: “Why is there such a harsh order from the king?” Then Arioch informs Daniel about the matter. So goes in and asks the king to grant him time to tell the interpretation to the king.

- All the wise men of Babylon are going to be killed!

- And Daniel and his companions!

- When Daniel hears about that, he acts discreetly and cautiously!

- That’s interesting!

- Daniel has a special relationship with God but we can be sure that he acts discreetly and cautiously with God!

- Thus if he is used to communicating with God, he is used to communicating with important human beings who are nothing compared to God!

- So this special relationship is very helpful!

- He is ready to communicate in any situation!

- We must remember that!

- And he does everything in the right order!

- And he stays calm!

- We need to follow his example!

 

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- Get away from this old world of Chaos and prepare for the New World!

- don’t do like the Israelites who stayed in the old world and died!
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God and Daniel / Daniel and God

Daniel 6:

- Daniel is chosen to be part of the three high officials of Darius’ administration.

- Thanks to his special relationship with God, he distinguishes himself over the administration!

- As a consequence, the king intends to elevate him over the entire kingdom!

- Because of that, some high officials and satraps are jealous of him and try to find an accusation!

- But Daniel is not corrupted!

- As a matter of fact, the conclusion is clear: they must find something in the law of his God!

- They tell the king to establish a royal decree and to enforce a ban to prevent people from making a petition to any god or man except to the king for 30 days!

- There is no law!

- They make the king have a law especially against Daniel!

- And it attacks the relationship Daniel has with his God!

- And what does Daniel do as soon as he hears about the law?

- He openly prays his God!

- He won’t change anything to his relationship to his God because of men!

- His relationship to God is his top priority!

- And he does everything to keep it!

- The men who accuse him can’t prevent God from saving him!

- On the contrary, the king has them thrown into the lions’ pit !

 

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____________________________________________________________________
- Get away from this old world of Chaos and prepare for the New World!
- don’t do like the Israelites who stayed in the old world and died
____________________________________________________________________

A very precious man and a top official

Daniel 1: But Daniel resolves in his heart that he doesn’t want to defile himself with the king’s delicacies or with the wine he drinks.

- Resolute: admirably purposeful, determined and unwavering!

- Daniel is definitely resolute or determined!

- He wants to keep his traditions, his faith, he doesn’t want to contaminate himself mentally and physically!

- Thus he always knows where he goes!

- He will keep his direction whatever may happens!

- Thus he can stay strong!

- He has deep roots!

- He won’t be destabilized by a big storm or a tsunami!

 

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____________________________________________________________________
- Get away from this old world of Chaos and prepare for the New World!
- don’t do like the Israelites who stayed in the old world and died
____________________________________________________________________
A very precious man and a top official

Daniel 2:

- King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream!

- He wants the wise men of Babylon to tell him the dream and its interpretation!

- But nobody is able to do it!

- As a consequence, the king orders all the wise men of Babylon to be killed!

- When Daniel hears about it, he discreetly and cautiously speaks to Arioch the chief of the king’s bodyguard, who has gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon!

- Here we get two qualities: Daniel is discreet and cautious!

- Discreet: careful and prudent in one's speech or actions, especially in order to keep something confidential or to avoid embarrassment !

- Cautious: careful to avoid potential problems or dangers !

- Discreet is respectful of privacy or secrecy; quiet; diplomatic while cautious is careful; using or exercising caution; tentative.

- RESOLUTE / FAITHFUL / GOOD LISTENER / PROACTIVE / FAITHFUL / FAITHFUL / DISCREET AND CAUTIOUS

 

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____________________________________________________________________
- Get away from this old world of Chaos and prepare for the New World!
- don’t do like the Israelites who stayed in the old world and died
____________________________________________________________________
A very precious man and a top official

Daniel 2:

As for me, this secret was not revealed to me because I have greater wisdom than anyone living; rather, it was to make the interpretation known to the king so that you may know the thoughts in your heart.

- When Daniel has to tell a vision or a dream and its interpretation, he always explains that he doesn’t come from him!

- Or that he doesn’t have greater wisdom!

- He never forgets to tell he gets the information from God!

- So once again Daniel shows how humble he is!

- And it is even truer because he is a top official in Babylon!

- And he has to work with people who are proud!

- RESOLUTE / FAITHFUL / GOOD LISTENER / PROACTIVE / FAITHFUL / FAITHFUL / DISCREET AND CAUTIOUS / RESOLUTE AND PROACTIVE / TEAM PLAYER AND HUMBLE / HUMBLE / RESOLUTE AND PROACTIVE / HUMBLE / HUMBLE

- Humble (4)
- Faithful (3)
- Resolute (3)
- Proactive (3)
- Good listener (1)
- Discreet and cautious (1)
- Team player (1)

 

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Where does it come from?
How does it grow?

Daniel 1

Then the king orders Ashpenaz his chief court official to bring some of the Israelites, including those of royal and noble descent. They are to be youths without any defect, of good appearance, endowed with wisdom, knowledge, and discernment, and capable of serving in the king’s palace. He is to teach them the writing and the language of the Chaldeans.

But Daniel resolves in his heart that he will not defile himself with the king’s delicacies or with the wine he drinks.

- Daniel had a good education!

- He was taught God’s word when he was young!

- It could penetrate his heart and mind!

- When he was exiled to Babylon in a foreign land with a different tradition and religion, Daniel would stick to his faith and his way of living!

- It shows the importance to be taught about God’s word when being a child!

- It is important to study the Bible daily!

- Children must learn how to know personally the faithful characters!

- They must become their friends!

- Thus they will gradually learn how to become faithful to God and develop a special relationship with him!

- They will learn how to pray to God and open their hearts to him!

- It is never too late but it is more difficult when it is necessary to do it when an adult or even later!

- So it is better to start as early as possible!

- Remember Jesus when he was in the temple at the age of 12 speaking with the priests who were astounded of his knowledge!

- This old world only offers superficiality but it leads nowhere certainly not to God!

- With the Bible we have everything but we need to open the doors and there are many!

- But many let the doors closed and they go to religious meetings and they do it as if they were watching TV passively!

- They only hear noise but nothing penetrate their hearts and mind!

- How do you want to get closer to God in such a way!

- What do you think God will think of you?

- Will you be a stranger or a friend of his?

- It’s up to you!

 

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If Daniel had had children, how would he have educated them?

Daniel 1:

- Daniel was sent to Babylon because he had a good education in term of wisdom, knowledge and discernment, and thus he could serve in the king’s palace!

- It seems thus logical that he would transmit what he had learned to his children!

- Moreover, he wanted to keep eating vegetables and water as he was used to. So he showed the importance for him to have a balanced life away from any kind of excess!

- He would be careful to offer the same conditions to his children!

- As a consequence, there was no one like him in Babylon regarding knowledge and insight into every kind of writing and wisdom!

- He would also transmit all that knowledge to them!

- But as he had important responsibilities, he would have to spend a lot of time working!

- So to be able to transmit such a knowledge to them, he would have to find enough time to spend with them and take advantage of any situation to teach them!

- He would understand that having people to educate his children wouldn’t be enough!

- He should do his part reserving time to that every day!

 

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If Daniel had friends...

Daniel 1:

- He had a good education in term of wisdom, knowledge and discernment, we can then imagine he would look for people with the same depth of the mind to investigate his own depth of the mind again and again!

- It would be like an inward travel!

- For a better knowledge and understanding of oneself!

- No need to go away!

- On the contrary!

- Just staying calm, without moving physically, but flying mentally, through the universe, like when you dream for a very short time and all your neurons explode in a total firework and you get up exhausted!

- They would share the same experiences through healthy food and water and a balanced life without excess!

- A free mind based on a simple life excellent to develop mental abilities!

- Thus they would increase their knowledge in all directions!

- It would mean spending time together on a regular basis in mental sessions by renewing personal experience!

- Same goal, full mental action, no waste of time, constructive action, positive view, always waiting for the next session to be continued to constant writing to maintain the discussion!





- 100% active!

 

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If Daniel had friends…

Daniel 9:

- Through Chapter 9, they could remember Israel’s wickedness and rebellion and deviations from God’s commandments and disobedience and the price they kept paying and the reconstruction and final destruction of Jerusalem!

- They would understand that God had enough of Israel!

- Even with the reconstruction of Jerusalem, they would never understand!

- Rebellion is written in their hearts!

- They could understand it was better to forget about Israel and Jerusalem!

- Go away from such a stubborn nation!

- Stay in Babylon or wherever!

- But never have a share with such a stubborn nation which could only lead to destruction!

- Thus it should also be a warning for us if we don’t want to have a share with those who say they follow God but do the reverse!

- We must take care of ourselves!

- Remember the destruction of Jerusalem!

- Those who escaped were those who listened to Jesus and went away!

- Those who stayed died or became slaves!

 

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https://www.britannica.com/event/Siege-of-Jerusalem-70

Siege of Jerusalem, (70 ce), Roman military blockade of Jerusalem during the First Jewish Revolt. The fall of the city marked the effective conclusion of a four-year campaign against the Jewish insurgency in Judaea. The Romans destroyed much of the city, including the Second Temple. The majority of information on the siege comes from the copious notes of the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus.

Context

In 63 bce the Roman general Pompey captured Jerusalem. The Romans ruled through a local client king and largely allowed free religious practice in Judaea. At times, the divide between monotheistic and polytheistic religious views caused clashes between Jews and Gentiles. This friction, combined with oppressive taxation and unwanted imperialism, culminated in 66 ce in the First Jewish Revolt. The revolt was successful at first: Jewish forces quickly expelled the Romans from Jerusalem, and a revolutionary government was formed that extended its influence into the surrounding area. In response, the Roman emperor Nero sent the general Vespasian to meet the Jewish forces, an endeavour that pushed the majority of the rebels into Jerusalem by the time Vespasian was proclaimed emperor in 69 ce.

The fall of Jerusalem

In April 70 ce, about the time of Passover, the Roman general Titus besieged Jerusalem. Since that action coincided with Passover, the Romans allowed pilgrims to enter the city but refused to let them leave—thus strategically depleting food and water supplies within Jerusalem. Within the walls, the Zealots, a militant anti-Roman party, struggled with other Jewish factions that had emerged, which weakened the resistance even more. Josephus, a Jew who had commanded rebel forces but then defected to the Roman cause, attempted to negotiate a settlement, but, because he was not trusted by the Romans and was despised by the rebels, the talks went nowhere. The Romans encircled the city with a wall to cut off supplies to the city completely and thereby drive the Jews to starvation.

By August 70 ce the Romans had breached the final defenses and massacred much of the remaining population. They also destroyed the Second Temple. The Western Wall, the only extant trace of the Second Temple, remains a site of prayer and pilgrimage. The loss of the Temple for a second time is still mourned by Jews during the fast of Tisha be-Av. Rome celebrated the fall of Jerusalem by erecting the triumphal Arch of Titus.

 

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If Daniel had a wife…

Unconditional Rejection of Wifebeating

A major source of medieval responsa that reject wifebeating unconditionally is Binyamin Ze’ev b. Mattathias of Arta, Greece (rabbi of the Corfu congregation in the sixteenth century). He quotes the entire responsum of R. Simhah (attributed above as being R. Meir’s) to support his own point of view. Binyamin Ze’ev recognizes that the perpetrator agrees in the end to divorce her “of his own free will” (ad she-yomar rozeh ani) as a result of the force of the court. But he interprets this to mean that, by his saying “It is my will,” his free consent is assumed at that point. Binyamin Ze’ev quotes several sages (Samuel of Evreux, first half of thirteenth century, talmudist and tosafist of Normandy; Elijah ben Judah of Paris, first half of the twelfth century, French talmudist, commentator, and halakhist; and Meshullam ben Nathan of Melun, twelfth century, talmudist in northern France) who were in favor of denying all the privileges of the community to the perpetrator who refused to give his wife a divorce. This would include denying his right to circumcise and educate his son and even the right to be interred (in a Jewish cemetery). Binyamin Ze’ev does not view these extraordinary means as coercion—they are to be considered as aids to help the husband to do what is right.

He also was in favor of the herem suggested by Perez (see above) and quotes his entire takkanah. Binyamin Ze’ev’s views are considered to be controversial and certainly unusual for the sixteenth century. Most rabbis base themselves on the Mishnah, which says that, when a woman knows prior to her marriage that something is wrong with her husband, she is more or less held captive in the marriage. He writes, however: “If we cannot find another solution for the situation, we compel him to divorce her and give her the marriage settlement payment even if she had accepted the situation knowingly” (Responsa #88). But even Binyamin Ze’ev is aware of the dangers of a forced divorce and so himself hedges at the end of his very long responsum.

 

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- First of all, I want to say that I will only write from time to time!

- This site has locked my pages about Job!

- So time has come for me to concentrate on other Christian sites!

- For those who are interested, I write on Forocristiano in Spanish!

- At the moment, it's only about Job, Daniel and Samuel but I will gradually increase my activity!

- If anybody knows interesting Christian sites in different languages to communicate, you are welcome!

- So I will write about Daniel and Job on my pages about Daniel!

 

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1) If Daniel had children what type of school would he promote?

Daniel 1:
Then the king ordered Ashpenaz his chief court official to bring some of the Israelites, including those of royal and noble descent. They were to be youths without any defect, of good appearance, endowed with wisdom, knowledge, and discernment, and capable of serving in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the writing and the language of the Chaldeans.

- Wisdom!

- Knowledge!

- Discernment!

- Capable of serving!

- Being able to be taught the writing and the language!

- Seeing how people behave in the cities today, it seems that we live in Prehistoric times!

- Children should have the opportunity to learn about the Bible as early as possible to get values!

- This society has no values!

- I should say it doesn’t have the least idea of what means values!