The book of Daniel

I got a chuckle in the beginning part of Daniel.  Daniel was being served royal food and wine. This menu was not at all what he wanted.  All he wanted was vegetables.  He explained to those serving him that with a simple change of menu the guards and other kings men would be healthier and stronger.  They agreed to try it for 10 days.  After the 10 days of eating veggies the guards were healthier.  The guards decided to no longer eat the royal food and stick to vegetables.  I LOVE that the Bible has EVERYTHING in it!

Daniel became the go to guy for the king.  He had many strange dreams and was unable to find anyone to interpret them for him.  After exhausting his other ideas he would call in one of the Lord's faithful servants, Daniel, and he would tell him what the dreams were and what the Lord intended them to mean.  Each dream Daniel interpreted came true.

Daniel had reached a high position within the kings court.  He also requested 3 other fellow Jews Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego become administrators for the king.  Soon after King Nebuchadnezzar made a large gold statue in his image.  His people were instructed to drop to their knees to worship this statue when they heard loud music.

The loud music played but the Jewish men did not drop to their knees to worship the statue.  King N was very angry.  They were sentenced to be thrown in the hot fiery furnace.  The three men where thrown in but not harmed.  King N immediately praised the Lord and ordered nobody to say a bad word about the King of the Jews.

Before the end of his reign King N was driven away (just as he had dreamt) and lost his mind.  He hit rock bottom, professed his sins and turned his heart towards God.  He was restored.

King Darius was another King.  There was a group the king's men who decided that anyone who does not worship the King Darius was to be thrown into a lions den.  They ruled that there would not be worship of any other god.  Daniel knew of the new law, but still continued to pray to the Lord 3 times a day.  It was discovered that Daniel was praying and he was sentenced to death by the Lion Den.  The king did not want to see Daniel die and he made every attempt to save him.  He was unsuccessful.

Daniel was thrown into the lion's den and the den was sealed off.  The next day the king rushed to see if Daniel's Lord has saved him.  He discovered that an angel was sent to Daniel to shut the lion's mouths.  Daniel came out of the den unharmed.

The King wrote a new decree that everyone was to worship the Lord.  He said:

For he is the living God
and he endures forever;
his kingdom will not be destroyed,
his dominion will never end.
He rescues and he saves;
he performs signs and wonders
in the heavens and on the earth.
He has rescued Daniel
from the power of the lions."
Daniel 6:26-27

In the last few chapters Daniel has a vision of the End Times.  I want to make sure I come back and study this section after finishing Revelations.  I'm interested in the End Times....but I feel like I know very little.  This will be a section I revisit in the future.

Daniel was a very faithful servant.