BIBLE STUDY LESSON 14

SERIES P --- YHVH’S PROPHETS

DANIEL REFUSES THE KING’S FOOD

From Daniel 1

The story of Daniel begins a number of years before King Zedekiah ruled in Jerusalem, back in the third year of King Jehoiakim’s reign. At that time King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and laid siege against it. Adonai permitted Nebuchadnezzar to defeat Jehoiakim and occupy the city. He returned triumphantly to Babylon, taking with him some of the temple vessels and placing them in the treasury of his god in the land of Shinar. Then Nebuchadnezzar ordered his chief eunuch Ashpenaz to select from among the Israelite hostages he had taken to Babylon some choice young men of the royal family and the nobility of Judah. They should be handsome, wise, well educated, and well read, able to learn the Chaldean language and literature. The king set aside for them a daily portion of the same food and wine which he himself used. After three years of an intensive educational program, they were to be brought before the king for an examination. Among the young men who were chosen, four stood out -- Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. They were all from the tribe of Judah, and all were given new names. Daniel was named Belteshazzar, Hananiah was named Shadrach, Mishael was named Meshach, and Azariah was named Abednego. Daniel was determined not to defile himself with the king’s rich food and wine. He asked Ashpenaz, the chief of the eunuchs, to let him and his friends eat other food which would not defile them. YHVH had given Daniel great favour in the eyes of Ashpenaz, but the man was upset by Daniel’s request. [I’m afraid that the king will cut off my head if he sees that you are not as healthy as the other young men, the ones who eat his food and drink his wine,] he protested. But Daniel made a reasonable offer. [Let us try my diet for ten days,] said Daniel. [Give us a diet of vegetables and water for ten days. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the king’s food and drink his wine. At that time, you shall decide what we shall eat.] The steward accepted Daniel’s proposal. He let him and his companions eat only vegetables and drink only water as he requested. At the end of the ten days, it was obvious that Daniel and his three friends were healthier and stronger than the other young men who had been eating the king’s rich food. From that time on the steward let them have vegetables and water as they had requested instead of the king’s food and wine. YHVH gave these four young men the wisdom and understanding they needed to learn the literature and science of the land. To Daniel He gave unusual ability to understand the meanings of dreams and visions. At the end of the three years of training, Ashpenaz brought the young men before King Nebuchadnezzar. The king interviewed them and asked them questions to learn how thorough their education had been. None of the other young men impressed the king so much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, so the king appointed them to his own personal staff of advisers. Whenever the king questioned them concerning something that required knowledge and understanding, he found them ten times better than all his magicians and astrologers. Daniel was the king’s personal counsellor until the first year of the reign of King Cyrus.

COMMENTARY

COURTIERS -- A KING’S HELPERS

Both the Assyrians and the Babylonians who conquered them believed their kings were appointed by the gods to pray for the people and to perform the gods’ wishes. To the Babylonians, a person who disobeyed the king was disobeying the gods too; he was guilty for two reasons, and his punishment would be all the greater. The great power of these kings could be seen in the life of the royal court. In those days, a king’s palace and its grounds were almost like a small city. Governors, nobles, soldiers and officers, servants and slaves all slept and ate in palace buildings. These helpers staffed the royal workshops, orchestras, stables, kitchens, and filled the harems, and performed the business of the government. The king’s attendants, or courtiers [KOR-tee-urs], came from many levels of the society. The amount each was paid depended on the power and responsibility of the job. Payment usually took the form of food, clothing and silver. One of the most important courtiers was the grand vizier [vi-ZIR]. He supervised the court treasury, the collection of taxes and the use of forced labour on the grounds; he was paid well. The commander-in-chief of the Babylonian army was paid well too. [In Assyria, the king himself was the commander.] But the chief judge received less than the chief cupbearer. Almost every moment of the king’s day involved his court members. Like his subjects, the king started the day early to take advantage of the cool morning hours. A group of servants, hairdressers and barbers brought him clothes, perfume and water, then dressed him in his fine clothing and groomed his hair and beard. Much of the day was spent receiving ambassadors and their tribute. Surrounded by secretaries and bodyguards, the king met with his counsellors and diviners for advice about matters ranging from the military to problems of irrigation. When the king travelled in one of his royal chariots, some courtiers pushed the wheels with their hands to show their eagerness. Other attendants carried the king’s weapons, while some fanned him continually. The king ate his meals wherever he chose. Servants brought a table and a footstool to him, carried water for washing, and then served goblets of wine and elaborate plates of food. During feasts, dancers and musicians entertained the king and his company. The king’s harem contained a group of women, all married to the king, living in a separate building. They often cooperated with power-hungry courtiers in plots to assassinate the king. For this reason, the king was careful to reward generously those who remained loyal and revealed the plots to him. Even so, courtiers often succeeded in assassinating their kings.