Dei Break
Daniel 1:1 – 4
Daniel began his exile in Babylon the same year that Nebuchadnezzar assumed power after his father died in 605 B.C. In fact, Nebuchadnezzar rushed home from his campaign in Judah in order to assume the throne. This was not at the final destruction of Jerusalem. That would not occur for almost two decades, in 586 B.C. Though the Babylonians were the outright dominant power in the region, Jerusalem would continue to fight God's judgment long after Daniel left the area.
Daniel 10:1 says that God granted Daniel a vision in the third year of Cyrus. That was 536 B.C. Though the Bible doesn't give Daniel's age at his deportation, one commentator says that if we assume that the lad was 16 years old when exiled, then we can guess that he lived at least until age 85. He outlived Nebuchadnezzar—who died in 562 B .C.—by many years.
Daniel and some of his friends of royal blood did not travel in chains. At the king's order, a chief official searched out a number of young men who showed superior intelligence and wisdom to train as servants and advisors to the king. Among them were Daniel and three others who were to have a special place in God's plan.
Daniel's writing is sometimes symbolic and therefore debated by many who try to figure out just what his primary messages sometimes were.
Next time: Obeying the Law and God at the Same Time
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