Daniel: Faithfulness In Exile - Week 1
Daniel 1:1-21
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God's Faithfulness In Exile
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Daniel 1:1-21 〰️ God's Faithfulness In Exile 〰️
Summary of Daniel
This week, we get to jump into something new and fun! We've been in the Psalms in the last few weeks, taking the verses incredibly slowly. Over the next six weeks, however, we'll be moving a little bit faster, taking on one chapter of Daniel each week! So this week, we kick it off with Daniel 1:1-21.
The book of Daniel is generally split up into two portions, the first being the narrative of Daniel in exile in chapters 1-6. This is where we find most of our favorite Sunday school stories: Daniel's refusal to eat the king's food, Nebuchadnezzar's dream, the four in the fiery furnace, and the lion's den. There's a wealth of knowledge, wisdom, and gospel imagery in this portion of the book, where we'll reside for the next six weeks. The second portion of Daniel is chapters 7-12, which contains prophecy and visions, can be hard for us to wrap our heads around in such a short period.
The theme we will be exploring and honing in on during this series is remaining faithful to Jesus in a pluralistic society (exile). One of the cardinal rules when reading and interpreting Scripture is to ask the question: what was the context for the audience? Daniel and his people, exiled to Babylon, are now thrust into a polytheistic (believing and worshiping more than one god) society. Living in the West, we can easily relate this to our culture and context, as the world around us has idols in many forms and holds truth as subjective and individualized. Our culture celebrates and worships many things, whether the "American dream," wealth, politics, security, comfort, or careers. Christ calls us to live differently and counter-culturally, not being swayed by the things of this world. This can be especially true in a presidential election year, where the church can be at its most divided. Still, Christ calls us to stand together in discipleship under Him rather than in discipleship of the world. We bow to God alone and will not be formed or discipled by anything or anyone in this world. So, with that in mind, let's dive into Daniel 1!
Daniel 1
As we jump into the text, the scene is set: Jerusalem is under siege, and king Nebuchadnezzar has begun to carry off the people as well as some of the vessels from the temple, as was prophesied nearly a century prior, as written in Isaiah 39:2 and v6. We see the orders given by the king to round up capable men to be trained and assimilated into the local culture to serve in his palace. These gentlemen were likely the "best of the best" in that they were physically capable (without defect), intelligent (suitable for instruction), and likely personable and relational. Their God-given giftings were what qualified them for the Babylonians to be indoctrinated and serve in the king’s palace. The king's palace sought to mold the men for their own use and conform them to their culture. Had Daniel and his associates given in, fully assimilating, it wouldn't have been the first time, as the Hebrew people had a track record of intertwining themselves with pagan cultures and being swayed by them (Numbers 12:1, 1 Kings 11:1-6). In Deuteronomy 7:3-4, the Law prohibits the intermarrying (intertwining) with pagan cultures for the very reason we read in 1 Kings 11: giving your life to another in marriage and adopting their culture can lead to abandoning faith in and loyalty to the LORD.
But here, we see Daniel actively pushing back against the new culture he has been brought into. In v8, Daniel had resolved to "not defile himself with the king's food," asking for permission to eat vegetables and water instead. The four in this passage are actively living in the culture but aren't of the culture. This is an example of what Jesus meant when he said, "If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you" (John 15:19). This is the theme of being in the world but not of the world is played out. So much of Scripture (particularly the epistles) writes of being set apart in a culture that is hostile toward, opposed, or counter to what we believe as followers of Jesus (Romans 12:2; 1 Peter 2:9, 4:12; 1 John 2:15).
In v15 we read that, "At the end of ten days they looked better and healthier than all the young men who were eating the king's food.” While this is not necessarily a biblical endorsement or mandate for vegetarianism, it is certainly a testament to the LORD's goodness in sustaining them for ten days. God's faithfulness is on full display here in Daniel 1, as He sustained them during their diet of veggies and water.
This chapter closes with God rewarding Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah with "knowledge and understanding in every kind of literature and wisdom" (v17). God specifically grants Daniel the wisdom to understand dreams and visions "of every kind," as we'll read shortly (v17). Along with this, God gave Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah favor in the king's court, as "no one was found equal," and the king found them to be "ten times better than all the magicians and mediums in his entire kingdom" (v19-20).
As we jump into discussion, we'll bounce around on what it means to remain faithful to Christ in our current cultural climate and how to stay faithful to our Savior. What sets us apart from the world? What are some things that the world has that lure us in? What pitfalls ensnare us and cause us to trip in our walk with Jesus? We pray that this six-week series in Daniel will prove to be a blessing to you and your group as we navigate how we can remain faithful to Jesus in a pluralistic society.
Discussion Questions
What stood out to you from the passage?
Does anything in this passage remind you of another part of Scripture?
Do you have any questions?
How do you see Jesus in this passage?
Where were Hebrew people at the beginning of this book? What do you think it was like to have experienced this?
Reread v3-7. What were the Babylonians trying to do to the Hebrew people here?
In what ways do you find yourself making compromises to fit in with the culture around you?
What physical, mental, and spiritual blessings has the LORD given to you? How can you use them to bring glory and honor to Him the way Daniel and his friends did?¹
What does it look like to be set apart from this world? How did the four embody this in this passage?
1. Question adapted from Akin's Exalting Jesus in Daniel (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2017), 16.