INTRODUCTION TO DANIEL

God's people did not keep his laws, and as he promised in Deuteronomy, he removed them from the land and sent them into exile (Dt 4). Babylon was God's instrument of judgment. Daniel was a young teenager when Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem, and he was taken into captivity with the first group of captives (2Ch 36:5-8). The Babylonian Empire was the super-power of Daniel's day, and Daniel lived in Babylon from the first year of Nebuchadnezzar through the reigns of five succeeding kings. He witnessed the fall of Babylon at the hands of Cyrus of Persia. His life spanned the entire 70-year period of Jewish Captivity.

Daniel received the finest education of his day and served in the courts of kings, but he was a man of prayer, and he put obedience to God as the top priority in his personal and public life. He was one who sought the Lord with all his heart (Dt 4:29).

Daniel was a layman, but he was a prophet through whom God spoke, and the shepherd of his people. He lived in the darkest period of Israel's history, but he planted in men's hearts the bright hope of the coming Messiah, and the hope of a righteous kingdom that would endure forever. The book of Daniel proclaims the sovereignty of God. Though God's people are in bondage to a godless nation, God is the ruler of heaven and earth, and he is the one who has ultimate control of the destinies of men and nations.

1. The Babylonian captivity (1-7)

When Jerusalem fell, Nebuchadnezzar took the temple treasures and some of the most promising young people to Babylon. Daniel and three of his friends were among these. They were selected to be trained for the king's service. They were given full scholarships, including room and board, to study in the best university of Babylon. The Babylonian captivity was a national tragedy, but it became a time of great personal opportunity for these young men.

2. Daniel's decision (8-21)

Daniel made a decision before God (8). It was a decision not to eat the royal food, but to eat simple food according to God's laws. It looked like a small decision, but it was a decision to live as a man of God, and not be melted into the Babylonian culture. Immediately problems arose. But God helped Daniel to stick to his decision. Then God blessed his school studies (17-21), and, through Daniel, blessed his people.

Application: Lord, help me to make a small decision of faith, and help me to keep it.
One Word: Daniel resolved not to defile himself