Bio – Daniel

7^th–6^th century BC

Born in Jerusalem, Daniel was one of the exiles taken from the city when it fell to Nebuchadnezzar’s forces in about 605 BC. He was only a teenager when he arrived in Babylon, and as the son of noble parents he was trained in the king’s court and taught the language and customs of the kingdom. There, he and his Hebrew friends risked the wrath of the king by rejecting his rich food and requesting the simple food that God had told them to eat. When they became fitter and healthier than those around them, they were permitted to continue with their chosen diet.

From the start, Daniel showed great promise. He was intelligent and hardworking, finding favor with the king, and was made one of the king’s advisors. But not only did Daniel show administrative skills and loyalty, he also had a special gift—with God’s help he was able to interpret dreams and visions. When Nebuchadnezzar’s other advisors were unable to explain one strange dream that the king had, Daniel interpreted the dream, and passed on God’s message to the king.

Daniel’s wisdom and skills were such that he served in the court of four different kings in Babylon. When King Darius showed great favor towards Daniel, planning to put him in charge of the entire kingdom, the other officials conspired against the Hebrew, persuading the king to sign a royal decree that for thirty days the people of the kingdom could pray only to the king. Daniel refused to stop praying—despite his loyalty to the king, he would never compromise his faith in the one true God. The king—unable to rescind a law he had signed—was regretfully forced to throw his favorite advisor to the lions. Yet even though the lions were starving, Daniel passed the night unscathed, for God protected his faithful servant. A jubilant and relieved Darius declared before all his kingdom that Daniel’s God was the living God who would endure forever.

Daniel is also well known for the prophetic dreams and visions that he himself had.

Daniel always did the right thing, whether it was by refusing the king’s rich food, by interpreting dreams without softening God’s message, or even by insisting on praying when it had been banned. Each time he must have known that the consequences could have been dreadful. Each time his actions could have brought upon him the wrath of the king and he could have lost his life. Yet still he stayed steadfast, honest and diligent, acting with integrity and courage. Daniel never lost faith in God—his love and commitment to God were without measure, and he refused to hide them. Though he lived in a strange land with different customs, he stayed true to God and kept his own values and integrity.

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