Day
6: Daniel in Babylon
Read Daniel 2
Numbers 24:17 - I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star
shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush
the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.
When the Jews were conquered by Babylon, about five hundred years before Jesus
was born, they were removed from their homes and moved to this unfamiliar land
they had never seen. They were removed from the temple which had become the
center of their identity.
Of the royal family, one of the young men who was taken was Daniel. While many
of the other people just complained about their captivity, Daniel determined
not to forsake all he had been taught about God. Against threat of punishment
and even death, he stayed true to the Lord. God blessed him by giving him the
wisdom to interpret the king’s nightmare-dreams, and the king honored Daniel by
giving him an amazing job – Daniel became the leader of all the wise men of
this country. And because Babylon was the greatest country in the world at this
time, the wise men of other countries also came to Babylon to learn – from
Daniel.
Because Daniel had studied the Scriptures, he knew the prophecy God had given
in our verse above. To these wise men who studied the stars to understand what
was written there, Daniel would have given these words so they could be looking
for the King who would be coming.
*What have you learned from the Bible that you have been able to teach to
someone else?