24 Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Those who abstained were more healthful, more beautiful, more vigorous than the others. The People Complain. בּשׂר בּריאי, fat, well nourished in flesh, is grammatically united to the suffix of מראיהם, from which the pronoun is easily supplied in thought. 1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. Esther assimilates (at least outwardly) because her life is threatened, but at the critical moment she reveals her identity and intercedes for her brethren. This was an eye opener for all of these people. While Jehoiachin ate the king’s food, Daniel refused. But your comparison to Esther is fair, since in her case she was willing to become part of the harem of the Persian king (and accept all that comes with being part of the harem) rather than refuse these honors and accept death. It is demonstrated, as in the case of Daniel, that "more" will be secured of what men are so anxious usually to obtain, and of what it is desirable to obtain, than can be by indulgence. https: / ... admits of two explanations. Let it be remembered, also, that the intoxicating principle is the same in wine as in any other drink that produces intemperance. (4) the full force of these remarks about temperance in general, applies to the use of "wine." According to 2 Kings 25:29, King Jehoiachin was also ate the King’s food when in exile. It was worth one such trial, and it was desirable to have one such illustration of the effect of temperance recorded. While I do think that the food itself had nothing wrong with it—it was probably very fancy and very delicious, it was what eating it meant and symbolized for Daniel and the others. Whatever the food was, Daniel chose not to eat the king’s food. The Fallen Angels – 1 Enoch 6-8; Main Themes in Romans; Who Are the Seven Angels in Revelation 8:2? He was allowed only vinegar and water, and his extraordinary vigour was the result of the most abstemious fare. If eating were merely a recreational activity, then the Pharisees would of had nothing to complain about. I think the point about food indicating an acceptance of a particular relationship is very telling. The invitation to go “out to eat” actually carries a lot of weight. Daniel also refused the wine of the king, although wine is never forbidden as unclean in the Law. Interestingly I saw a parallel with Genesis 1:17 ‘but of the Tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die’. Daniel does not refuse the training of the king or the use of a new name, but he draws the line at the eating the king’s food because it is a public declaration of dependency on the king. Now I do not think that anything was wrong with the King’s food, but I think Daniel wanted to make it a point that His God is mighty and powerful, and can sustain even the craziest of ideas. It will demand a penalty in the exhausted energies, and in the incapacity for even its usual efforts, and unless the exhausting stimulus be again applied, it cannot rise even to its usual level, and when often applied the mind is divested of "all" its elasticity and vigour; the physical frame loses its power to endure the excitement; and the light of genius is put out, and the body sinks to the grave. Something that I have seen a lot of churches do—and have even participated, myself—is the Daniel fast. Daniel was written to encourage the exiled Jews through revealing God’s sovereign plan for Israel during and after the period of domination by the Gentile world powers. These youths scrupled concerning the meat, lest it should be sinful. But we need to be strong because we know that it is unhealthy for us to eat even though it is instant gratification. Why does he think this? When we obey God He blesses our obedience. No one can hope to retain beauty of complexion or countenance who indulges freely in the use of intoxicating drinks. See the notes at Daniel 1:15. Distilled spirits were then unknown, but it was of importance that a fair experiment should be made of the effect of abstinence from wine. Pig and horse was commonly eaten in Babylon (Baldwin, Daniel, 83), both would violate Jewish food taboos. Daniel was still firm to his religion. Good catch. 2, Others believe that the main reason Daniel and his 3 friends refused the food because the food that was being served to them was the meat of animals that had been sacrificed to Babylon gods, and knowing this, they did not want to be part of their acts. That's good enough for me! (a) It was complete and satisfactory. Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. when Nebuchadnezzar forced Jehoiakim to submit to the new Babylonian kingdom. (2) "More" clearness of mind and intellectual vigour can be secured by abstinence than by indulgence. Daniel was of noble birth, if not one of the royal family of Judah. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. If so, that underscores the contrast with Daniel who was also in the palace but didn’t try to conceal his identity. DANIEL, that is, "God is my judge"; probably of the blood royal (compare Daniel 1:3 a son of David is named so). Whatever they called him, he still held fast the spirit of an Israelite. It is unlikely that Jesus delivered all of these teachings at one sitting. The confidence of living faith which hopes in the presence and help of God is fundamentally different from the eager expectation of miraculous interference of a Maccabean Jew, which C. v. Lengerke and other deists and atheists wish to find here in Daniel.). ii. The Stones in the Throne Room in Revelation 4. II Kings 1:8-16 relates that an Israelite king sent three separate military contingents of soldiers to seize Elijah. It is not simply a recreational activity that we would do for fun–although that is of course partially true–it is rather a symbol that identifies us as officially “dating”. - Matthew 9:16-17 By eating the King’s food, it showed that they were now fully depending on him and using his means to sustain themselves. Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window). Daniel 11:36-39 These verses provide a clear description of the future Antichrist. But that wasn't how Daniel approached the opportunity to state his convictions. He was carried captive to Babylon in the fourth year of Jehoiachin, B. C. 606, when a youth. Daniel 1:16. I will start by saying that all of these possibilities are very strong and that it could even be a combination of them that resulted in Daniel, Shad not eating the king’s food. Eating meat sacrificed to idols is always a problem for Jews living in the diaspora and is a serious controversy in some of Paul’s churches (Romans 14-15, for example). He supernaturally controls all details so that His power is unmistakable and there is no other explanation. The great danger of intemperance, taking the world at large, has been, and is still, from the use of wine. Faithful Diaspora Jews – Daniel, Joseph and Tobit. Daniel told Ashphenaz that he could not eat the food the king was giving them to eat. There was every inducement to indulgence which is ever likely to occur; there was as much to make it a mere matter of "principle" to abstain from it as can be found now in any circumstances, and the experiment was as triumphant and satisfactory as could be desired. Daniel did not want to give full authority to Nebuchadnezzar and his Kingdom. Whatever it was, the food was the best quality, not only fit for a king, it was literally eaten by a king. Perhaps that is a bit crude to compare this example to the text about Daniel refusing the King’s food, but I think it clarifies my point. It states in the Bible, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”(2 Peter 1:3) This analogy is not only about food but in other areas too. It was in the use of wine that the principal danger of intemperance then lay; and it may be added, that in reference to a very large class of persons of both sexes, it is in the use of wine that the principal danger always lies. The Daniel Fast is meant for you to learn how to trust that God will provide you with everything that you need and He will not leave you in the dust. Daniel is definitely one to model after. Daniel probably knew these passages from Word of God, as he had learned them from the time he was young. 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