022: HP Mansfield - The Unpublished Diary of Daniel

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:00

   Welcome to the Good Christadelphian Talks podcast. I'm Levi. And I'm Chris. Thank you so much for joining us this week. On this podcast, we select one talk a week to help each one of us get the Bible in our daily news feed. We post at the start of each week for you to listen with a short intro beforehand to kind of set the stage for the talk you're about to hear.

2. 0:33

   And now, let's hear more about this week's talk. Our talk this week comes from our brother H.P. Mansfield, which was given in 1975. This class is class one from his series on the overall subject of Daniel, talking about the unpublished diary of Daniel. Talks like this are one of the reasons I was really excited to start doing this podcast with Levi and to share it with everyone, as I feel like these classes sometimes get forgotten as they were from a while ago, and they're fantastic still to listen to even to this day.

3. 1:12

   And brother H.P. is really exciting to listen to. If you happen to know of any classes that are from a little ways back, feel free to send it to us, either email it to us or send it to us on social media. I know they might not be new for everybody, but I still think there's a lot of value in sharing them with everyone to be able to hear them and to get exposed to some of the work that was done by our brothers of old.

4. 1:35

   In this class, brother H.P. does a great job of breaking down the themes in each chapter, and he's sort of laying the groundwork and the context for the rest of his study. There's five classes in this whole study, and this is the first part where he's sort of laying the foundation for everything he's going to do.

5. 1:52

   He gives a theme for each chapter, which I found really interesting. I'm going to go back and listen to it to take some notes myself. And then also suggest what might have been the age of Daniel when each of these chapters happened, which I found really interesting. And it gave some different depth to some of those Bible stories that we all hear as we're growing up in Sunday school.

6. 2:11

   One in particular that really struck me was the story of Daniel in the lion's den, where Brother Mansfield talks about that there's a pretty compelling argument that Daniel would have been between 90 and 91 years old when that story took place, which, when you think about it, puts a whole different perspective on the faith that Daniel showed when he was placed there and how he lived his life.

7. 2:30

   One other little disclaimer near the end. Brother HP was very cognizant of his time restrictions. So when he was giving the talk, he ran out of time and he just stops. Doesn't really give a real wrap up, just kind of ends it. So to the surprise of both myself and Levi, when we were listening to us, and as you can tell in the recording, we left in the presider at the end.

8. 2:53

   Shocked the presider as well. But the presider kind of rebounds and gives a nice little summary to tie up the class. So that's why we left it in. I felt like it kind of tied things in very well. So we're excited to share this with you. It's a really good kind of just foundational class on Daniel.

9. 3:09

   If you want to listen to the rest of the series, we'll be posting it soon on the Extended podcast, which you can find by just searching for Good Christadelphian Talks Extended. And we'll have the rest of them posted there if you would like to listen to them. So with that, we'll turn it over to our brother, H.P. Mansfield, for his class titled The Unpublished Diary of Daniel, again given in 1975.

10. 3:30

    My dear brethren and sisters in Christ Jesus, before we consider The Unpublished Diary of Daniel, I want to first of all introduce to you the man and the book that he wrote. There are two books of the Bible that are specifically represented to us as conveying a blessing. One is the book of Daniel, the other is the book of Revelation.

11. 3:56

    The divine encouragement is given to those two books. In Daniel chapter 12, we read concerning the Revelation that was given unto Daniel in verse 10. Many shall be purified and made white and tried, but the wicked shall do wickedly, and none of the wicked shall understand. But the wise shall understand. And so here we are told that the wise shall seek out to understand this book of Daniel.

12. 4:26

    That is why the Lord Jesus Christ said in that reference we quoted earlier, that him that readeth understand. When we come to the book of Revelation, which is closely linked with the book of Daniel, we read these words in verse 3 of chapter 1. Blessed is he that readeth, therefore, accurately, the words of this prophecy and keep those things that are written therein for the time is at hand.

13. 5:09

    They are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. Those words should encourage us to study these books. They are difficult books to understand and that is the challenge that faces us. But if we love the Lord Jesus Christ, if we treasure his word, we will go out of our way to endeavour to understand these books upon which there is the divine encouragement that we should study them.

14. 5:37

    Very often you hear brethren and sisters say that they are difficult books to understand and they are inclined to set them aside. But those books can be understood simply and you can extend your knowledge of them until you understand them in their depth. The great thing is that we attempt to understand them and so respond to the words of the Lord Jesus Christ and remember these were the last words of Jesus Christ to his ecclesia.

15. 6:09

    Many years ago when I was about 13 years of age my father brought me a brand new Bible. We were going to study a part of it together and so he brought me this Bible, he purchased this Bible and he gave it to me that evening. And we were to start our studies together of the Bible.

16. 6:32

    And the book that he had selected for me, a 13 year old boy, was the book of Revelation. The book was brand new, the Bible, and this was the book that we were to read. And to open the studies, my father said to me, I want you to turn to Revelation chapter 1 and I want you to read to me verse 3.

17. 6:51

    And I read those words to him, Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things that are written therein for the time is at hand. And he said to me, My son, that's the reason why we're going to study. That's the voice of Jesus Christ.

18. 7:11

    And Jesus Christ has promised a blessing upon those that study this part of the word. Now I said, I want you to learn to mark up your Bible. Here's a pen. He says, You underline those words. I didn't want to do it. It was a brand new Bible. I didn't want to spoil that brand new Bible.

19. 7:31

    And I very hesitantly took the pen and I didn't do it. He said, Come on, you underline those words. Blessed is he that readeth. So I got the pen and I put a very light line underneath the word. Blessed is he that readeth. He said, That's no good. Give me your Bible. I gave my Bible to the father.

20. 7:49

    He got a pen out and underlined them. He scored them underline and ruined my brand new Bible. But he impressed the lesson upon me. And you know, ever since then when I have purchased a Bible, because I remember what my father did when I was a 13 year old boy. And he taught me something about loving the word of God.

21. 8:09

    And the blessing that has come to me over the years, because of that, I cannot express a word. This book has helped me in moments of the greatest trouble. It has helped me in moments of tremendous depression. And I've been able to lift myself out of it by the power of that book.

22. 8:28

    And therefore, every new Bible I get, though I know those words are there and I don't even need to turn up to Revelation 1 to know what they read, I take out a pen and I underline those words. In this Bible here, they are underlined in red. And I do it because of that.

23. 8:44

    And I believe that there is a blessing there. And there is a blessing in understanding the book of Daniel as well. Because it makes the future a reality. We can see the hand of God in world events as they are taking place at this time. And we are lifted up whatever the circumstances of our life might be.

24. 9:02

    And we are greatly encouraged thereby. So here are two important books that we should attempt to understand. And two important books that can convey to us a blessing if we endeavour to do so. Coming back then to the book of Daniel, let me give you the basic message of this book. The main reference, I think, that you will find in the book of Daniel.

25. 9:26

    So we turn to Daniel chapter 4 and we read verse 17. I suppose words that have been frequently quoted from the platform as we have expounded the truth to our friends. In Daniel chapter 4 and verse 17, we read the words of Daniel to King Nebuchadnezzar. This matter is by the decree of the watchers and the demand by the word of the Holy One to the intent that the living may know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men and giveth it to whosoever he will and setteth up over it the basis of men.

26. 10:04

    And that is the basic message of the book of Daniel. This matter is by the decree of the watchers. And there you have a title for the angels. They are watching over the events that are taking place. And this decree came from the angels because God had put it into their hands to look after the events that were taking place.

27. 10:29

    And the demand by the word of the Holy One to the intent and this is what Yahweh desires that the living may know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men and giveth it to whosoever he will and now I'm going to render the rest of that verse as it is in the Hebrew and will set up over it him that hath set it north of men.

28. 10:54

    And that's what Daniel was telling us. The Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men. You see it in all the earth today. Okay. You see it in the events that are taking place in the Middle East. The events that are taking place in Europe. Wherever you look you see that. That the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men and he giveth it into whomsoever he will.

29. 11:16

    But the rest of that verse is couched in the future tense and will set up over it him that hath set it north of men. And that's the Lord Jesus Christ. And the prophecy is stating what is going to come to pass as far as the Lord is concerned. And the whole of the prophecy of Daniel tends to reveal to us events leading to that end.

30. 11:41

    There's something unique about the prophecy of Daniel that you find nowhere else. You have the future displayed in the book of Isaiah, in Jeremiah, in Zechariah, and so forth. But in addition to that, in the prophecy of Daniel, he not only reveals the future, but he gives us a time limit as to its fulfillment.

31. 12:04

    He not only reveals the future, but he makes a time limit as to the fulfillment of it. You know, when you sign a contract, when you enter into a covenant, and you sign a contract, you have to give a time limit to that. No contract is valid without a time limit. So you purchase a house, and you might take out a mortgage, and you might sign for that mortgage.

32. 12:28

    But time is the essence of the contract. So it is with Yahweh. Time is the essence of the contract with him. He's made a contract, he made it with Abraham in the beginning, and he has set a time limit to that. And we are told in Hebrews chapter 11, that the times are thoroughly adjusted to God's command.

33. 12:49

    We hope, perhaps later on in this week, to give some attention to that. But the things that you see are happening in the earth today, are not by chance of caprice. It wasn't by chance that Israel is back in the land at the time they are. It's not a matter of chance that things are taking place as they are in the earth.

34. 13:09

    There is a specific time for these things to happen. You consider what has happened just in the last few months, the suddenness with which it has occurred, the revolution rather, in Iran, and things like that. Overnight, things happen, and they are in accordance with the will and the purpose of Almighty God. So there is a time limit set on these things, and it reminds us of the words that you find in the last verse of the book of Daniel.

35. 13:39

    Go thy way till the end be, Daniel, for thou shalt rest and stand in thy life at the end of the day. and there was a specific time he set forth for the time when Daniel shall stand in his lot once again as God hath promised. Now we take the book as a whole.

36. 14:03

    We give a brief outline of the book. The name Daniel means the judgment of ale or the judgment of God, and you find that every chapter is dealing with judgment. There are twelve chapters in the book of Daniel. They can be set out in two sections of six chapters each. The first six chapters are historical and personal.

37. 14:29

    They tell of the man himself, the times and circumstances in which he lived, and some of the amazing incidents he experienced. The last six chapters are prophetical and visionary, and they outline the amazing visions and prophecies that he received from Almighty God. The first section, the section that deals with him personally, the section which tells of his faith and his courage and his piety, that is couched in the third person.

38. 15:02

    It's recorded as though it's writing about somebody else. So it's all in the third person. But the last six chapters that speak of the visions of the prophecies that were given unto Daniel, they are in the first person. For example, if you turn to the seventh chapter of Daniel, you find in verse 2, Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night.

39. 15:30

    I saw, you see. It's in the first person. Again in the eighth chapter, in the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar, a vision appeared unto me, even unto me, Daniel. Daniel, again in the ninth chapter, in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood by book. So you see, in the first six chapters, we have the personal aspect of the book, and in the last six chapters, we have the prophetic aspect of the book.

40. 16:04

    I said that his name means the judgment of God, and every chapter deals with judgment. In chapter one, you find that human knowledge is judged. Human learning is judged, and they're wanting. And the king finds Daniel ten times better than all the magicians. In chapter two, you find that human philosophy is judged, because Daniel proves to be greater than the wise men when they are brought to interpret the vision.

41. 16:39

    In chapter three, human worship is judged, because the king sets up his golden image, and commands that people should bow down to it. But of course, ultimately, he learns his mistake. In chapter four, you have human pride judged, because there is King Nebuchadnezzar saying, is not this great Babylon that I was built for my glory?

42. 17:04

    And the vision comes to him, and he is driven as a madman away from the throne, and so human pride was judged. In chapter five, you have human impiety judged, because there we have the record of Belshazzar and his impious beast, and of the hand and the writing upon the wall. In chapter six, human oppresses a judge, because Daniel in that chapter is put into the prison with the lions, and of course, faith finds a way to escape.

43. 17:39

    And so every chapter is dealing with judgment, even when you come to the second portion of the book. When you come to the prophecies of chapter seven onward, you find in chapter seven that the western dominion of Rome is judged. In chapter eight, the eastern dominion is judged. In chapter nine, Israel after the flesh is judged.

44. 18:02

    In chapter ten, Israel after the spirit is judged. In chapter eleven, there's judgment on the oppressors of the land. And in chapter twelve, there is judgment on the oppressors of the people. Judgment in every chapter of that book. And with the judgment, the majesty of Yahweh is revealed in the form of judgment that overcomes the particular people or person referred to.

45. 18:32

    We have prepared for you some outline of the whole book, a skeleton of the whole book, setting this principle out, and also setting out a skeleton of every chapter of the book of Daniel. And afterwards you will be able to get a copy of this, I hope, should it be sufficient for you all to get a copy.

46. 18:52

    If not, will you wait to get your copy? But we have prepared them there anyway. Now let us have a look at the man himself,

47. 19:02

    Daniel, the individual. He lived through a crucial period in history. He saw the judgment of Almighty God fall upon the people that he loved so much, and therefore he saw the tragedy of the judgment upon the people of Israel. He was about the same age as Ezekiel the prophet, but he went into captivity much earlier than did Ezekiel.

48. 19:31

    He was taken into captivity at the first deportation of Jews from the land. Before then, Daniel had cooperated with Jeremiah. So also had Ezekiel. And in these two men, in Daniel and Ezekiel, we have the influence and the power of Jeremiah, a tremendous influence for good. And you know there's a principle there that I think that we need to encourage in our ecclesiast.

49. 20:01

    And the principle is this, that in these men, in Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel, you have age and youth combined to work an effective work. You have the elderly man, Jeremiah, cooperating with the two young men, Ezekiel and Daniel. And you have that cooperation there that it's such a powerful work to the people in dispersion at that particular time.

50. 20:27

    And this is a valuable thing. It's something that we need to inculcate in our ecclesiast, where age and youth should work together for the furtherance of the truth. Because youth need the experience of age, and on the other hand, age needs the virility of youth. And when you have both working together for a good work, an important work will be accomplished.

51. 20:50

    You find it so often, in the word of God, this, you have a Jonathan and a David. You have a Haggai and a Zechariah. You have a Paul and a Timothy. And both are cooperating together in the work that Yahweh had set them to do. And this is a very valuable thing. Far more valuable than segregating age and youth into two groups.

52. 21:14

    Unfortunately, when that takes place, you find a distinct loss in both, and a distinct loss in ecclesial life. Far better as a family unit to move towards the kingdom of God. And as age and youth cooperate together to that end, you have a very wonderful work that is accomplished. We learn in this first chapter, in verse 3, that there were certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes, children in whom there was no blemish, but well favoured and skillful in wisdom and cunning and knowledge, and so forth.

53. 21:52

    And among these children, there was Daniel. They were taken as hostages to Babylon. And the word that is translated children in verse 4 is from a Hebrew word signifying youth. They were youth. They were perhaps about 17 or 18 years of age. And if they were that age, they were born in a very significant year.

54. 22:18

    They would have been born about the year 623 BC. the year in which King Josiah brought the people of God to renew their covenant. So that these young men would have been children of the covenant. They'd gone through that very important time. They had heard of Josiah and his reform. They had cooperated with Jeremiah.

55. 22:46

    And therefore, they were prepared by the study of the word of God for the crisis that now faced them. They were brought up in a godly home. No doubt about that to my mind. Though Daniel is there on his own in the city of Babylon, the influence of the home is found in Daniel.

56. 23:05

    In that he, though a young man, is determined to carry out the principles of Yahweh. And the environment of his godly home stood him in good stead when he was brought into that evil atmosphere of Babylon at that particular time. And that is another important lesson that we need to take to ourselves.

57. 23:27

    The influence of the home in the development of godly character. And I believe that it is important in our study of the word to take out these principles. And the home is the place where the ecclesia is greatest. Let our homes be oases in this wilderness wandering where the water of life is constantly supplied.

58. 23:51

    Let the daily readings be a function of that home. Let communal prayer be a feature of that home. And let the children be brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. And bring them out in that fashion. Don't speak down to them, but encourage them. Ask them questions upon the word of God.

59. 24:16

    Allow them to come into the readings with you. Though they stumble their way through and it takes three times as long to read the chapter, and sometimes you're looking at your watch as they're stumbling through some short words like here to the armor and things like that. Be encouraged with them. And you find that those children will be encouraged by it.

60. 24:35

    And the influence of a good home will be found in their life afterwards. It doesn't always happen. You have examples in the word of God as though to encourage us in whatever circumstances of life we find. For example, I am convinced that the home of Samuel was a godly home. But his sons, having been brought up in a certain understanding, went a certain way.

61. 25:03

    So, much depends not only upon the parents, but upon the individuals, the members of that family. And we're not responsible to them so long as we have done our part. But in this age, it is vitally important that our home become a center for the exposition of the word to our children, no matter how simple it might be.

62. 25:28

    This age requires it, because the world will take our children. Unfortunately, my experience has been that I've been brought close to close with many such problems. and I'm finding that these problems are increasing as we reach the end of time. And time and again, you are being involved in problems of this nature that show the need of the impact of the word of God in the mind of a child.

63. 25:57

    And as we are reaching a different environment than what the environment I was brought up in, so we must match our instruction with that environment. When I was brought up, of course, my father said I did a thing and I did it. And today, of course, you say a thing and the children have decided themselves whether they came to do it or they might think that.

64. 26:19

    And this has to be countered by the way in which we bring those children up. That, I believe, is the teaching of this first chapter of Daniel. When Daniel was brought to Babylon, he, together with certain others, were taken by the king of Babylon. The king of Babylon was determined to wean them away from their adherence to Yahweh, the God of Israel.

65. 26:45

    When the king of Babylon had besieged the city of Jerusalem, he had entered upon a holy war. It was a case of Bel versus Yahweh. And the fact that he was able to take hostages to Babylon seemed to imply that Bel was greater than Yahweh. And now to impress that even further, he takes these young men and he's going to wean them away from their beliefs and he's going to compel them to submit to the way of Babylon.

66. 27:14

    Basically, I don't know what the position is in this country. That is what the educational system is doing in Australia at this time. I don't know what the circumstances are here, but I know what it is in Australia because I've been brought face to face with it. And I've actually challenged. But the principle of education today is to take those children from the home.

67. 27:36

    And sometimes teachers will tell those children they've got to manifest an independence. Never mind what their parents say. Work it out for yourself. And in some of the schools in Australia at the first of the moment, they are educating the children that they might take their own individual life. When they become 17, they can go out, leave home, go and have a flat.

68. 27:56

    Make your own way in life. And this is being encouraged. And you've got to fight that back. And that is what we will do. We'll fight that issue back. And if necessary, I would approach the powers that be in regard to that as far as Australia is concerned. Because the impact of that is absolutely perilous upon children today.

69. 28:16

    And of course, the economic situation is such that when a child becomes about 17 and they imagine that they're at all, they will take and leave home because it doesn't mean to do so. you know, just to tell you another story, one time when I was young, very young, I decided to leave home and I ran away.

70. 28:39

    When I ran back, I thought to figure out the prodigal sermon and they will come out and welcome. I did. I felt very warm after that welcoming. But it wasn't quite the same sort of warming. But that is the important thing that we have in this particular chapter with the education of that man, Daniel.

71. 28:56

    He had been taught in the things of God. And you know, the basis of true education, of true understanding is found in this book. When a person will study this book, it will establish habits of attention and concentration, which once he develops, will enable him to make a success in any realm of life.

72. 29:16

    But of course, he won't want to be a success, except that he wants to be a success in the things of God. So they took these young men, our first of all, they educated them in the wisdom of Babylon. Then having educated them in the wisdom of Babylon, they changed their names. And having changed their names, they insisted upon them eating the food of Babylon.

73. 29:41

    And Daniel was content to be educated in the wisdom of Babylon. He had sufficient knowledge of the word of God to be able to count over all that the university might set before him. He knew he had the tongue of a frog. So it didn't matter what the university taught as far as evolution was concerned, he was governed by the things of God, and so it didn't matter very much.

74. 30:06

    His name was changed. He didn't like the change of name. He tells us that, not in so many words, but in the way he uses his own name in this book. But his name was changed. And he didn't mind that. But when it came to eating the food of Babylon, and eating food that the law would not permit him to eat, he refused categorically to do so.

75. 30:28

    He was not prepared to do so. And though it meant a disgrace as far as the authorities were concerned, he was determined in his heart he would not conform. He would not conform. And there's one little word there that I think we need to underline in our mind. And the word is in verse 8.

76. 30:48

    Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with a portion of the king's meat. He was determined. There was purpose of mind in what he did. He would not be turned out of his way. He purposed in his heart that he would refuse that king's meat. You know, when you come over to the Acts of the Apostles, you find the use of that word again in a very, very excellent way.

77. 31:16

    way that we can apply to ourselves. Because when we come to the 11th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, and we read concerning Barabbas, we read in the 23rd verse that when he came and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and he exhorted them all that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.

78. 31:44

    And there's his explanation to them all. See, one line, with purpose of heart they should cleave unto the Lord. The exhortation possibly took an hour, but it can be summarized in that statement. Brethren and sisters, with purpose of heart let us cleave unto the Lord. It says, for he was a good man and full of the Holy Spirit of faith.

79. 32:06

    Much people was added unto the Lord. God. You see, what Barnabas is saying is this, you can't just drift into the kingdom of God. You have to have an objective, and you must drive to that objective. That's what the word purpose means, with purpose of heart, a clear objective, not merely gathering together as a social gathering, not merely because it's a friendly community that we meet with, but because in every regard, in actually we have a purpose before us.

80. 32:38

    We have an objective, and we're driving towards that objective, and we're never going to be deflected therefrom. That's what Barnabas told them. Moses did the like, in the 32nd chapter of Deuteronomy, when he's about to die, and he gave to them the last message, the book of Deuteronomy, and he told them to ponder over these things, and he says, because it is your life.

81. 33:03

    They were the words to you, it is your life. And if the book becomes our life, then with purpose of heart we will cleave unto the Lord. Now, as far as Daniel was concerned, it was with purpose of heart that he would not defile himself with a portion of the king's feet, nor the wine which he drank.

82. 33:23

    And so he has brought before the prince of the eunuchs, and he advises the prince of the eunuchs that he is not prepared to carry out this instruction. We read here that God, verse 9, had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs. You know, they're wonderful words, and they're words that illustrate the words of wisdom that Solomon penned in the 60th chapter of Proverbs, and at verse 7.

83. 33:54

    When a man's ways please Yahweh, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. And here we have an example of that. God hath brought Daniel into favour and tender love with a prince of the eunuchs. And so the great contest is given. And the time is allowed, Daniel, and at the end of the time, we read that at the end of the days, verse 15, their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat.

84. 34:29

    And therefore, Daniel showed that his adherence to the things of Yahweh was in no danger to himself. Now, before we leave this point, let us consider the names that were given to Daniel and his friends. In verse 7, unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names, for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belshazzar, to Hananiah of Shadrach, to Mishael of Meshach, and to Azariah of Abednego.

85. 35:01

    All of the names of those hostages honoured the God of Israel. Daniel means the judgment of God. Hananiah means Yah hath been gracious. Mishael means who is like unto Eol, or God. And Azariah means help of Yahweh. And if you want to put all those names together, you can make a sentence if you desire to do that.

86. 35:27

    And the sentence would be something like this. In spite of the judgment of God, Yah has been gracious, and they shall be made like unto Eol, who lean on the help of Yahweh. So the four names really spelled out that message. And no wonder the king of Babylon wanted to change their name.

87. 35:45

    So he gave unto Daniel the name of Bel to Shazah, which means the keeper of the hidden treasures of Bel, the God of Babylon. And to Hananiah he gave the name of Shadrach, which means the inspiration of the son, whom they worshipped. And of Mishael they gave the name of Meshach, which means given to the goddess Shadrach, another god of Babylon.

88. 36:17

    And as far as the last one, Azariah, they gave him the name of Abednego, servant of the shining fire. And they worshipped the fire in Babylon. So every one of those names were names that honoured the god of Babylon. And that indeed is what Daniel, that indeed is what Nebuchadnezzar intended. Because when you come to the fourth chapter of Daniel, and at verse 8, Nebuchadnezzar says this, At the last, Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belshazzar, according to the name of my God.

89. 36:54

    According to the name of my God. So that you can see that as far as the king was concerned, he wanted to honour the gods of Babylon. Now Daniel himself accepted that name. Though he preferred the name of Daniel, as I said earlier. And throughout the book, he mentions both this name of Belshazzar, and his own name of Ben.

90. 37:21

    Daniel himself, as an individual, was a key student of the word of God. He was not only from the inspiration on high that he gave his knowledge, but from a careful study of the word of God. You find that in chapter 9 and verse 2. Because there he says, I learned by books.

91. 37:42

    And the books that he was studying at that time was the book of Jeremiah. We learn also that he was a man that pondered the message of those books. Consider the following reference. In Daniel 7 verse 28, we read this, As for me, Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me.

92. 38:05

    You see, it affected him personally that he should understand the things that were revealed unto him. Again, in verse 27 of the next chapter, I, Daniel, fainted and was sick because he couldn't understand. See the emotional impact of the word upon the man. It's like we read in the book of Revelation. When John says, when he saw the sealed book, I wept much because he said no one could read that book.

93. 38:35

    So it was here. again in the 10th chapter, and at verse 12, Gabriel says to Daniel, Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand and to chasten thyself before thy God, their words were heard, and I am come for thy word. See how God took me to that man, this lonely captive in Babylon, this teenage boy that had been taken as a hostess to the city of Babylon that was surrounded by everything that seemed to express the pomp and power of flesh, and in the midst of that, took out those books and started to read those books and to study them that he might understand, who was so emotionally upset because he could not understand them, that he put it in his prayer that God might reveal the matter unto him.

94. 39:25

    See what God in heaven thought of that? The great God in the heavens, Yahweh in the heavens, surrounded by his angels, looking down, seeing the great city of Babylon, seeing that lonely captive, seeing him with his books open, and it pleases the heart of the mighty God. In another place, he says, he has elevated his word above all his holy name.

95. 39:50

    And you know, when people come aside to study that word, they honour the Father. They honour God. And here we have the message direct from heaven to this man. from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were free. And here in heaven, we have the interest that God showed in the development of a mind governed by the word of God.

96. 40:22

    We remind it again of words that you have in Malachi, in Malachi chapter 3, where we read in verse 16, that they that feared Yahweh spake off one to another, and Yahweh hearkened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared him, and thought upon his name, and they shall be mine.

97. 40:45

    They shall be mine. So you see, God looked down from heaven on gatherings even as this, and the sacrifice of money and time given before these gatherings, good in the sight of Almighty God, they shall be mine. And here we have it in the case of Daniel. Daniel was supremely a man of prayer.

98. 41:09

    You can travel through the Bible, through the book, and read of his prayer. For example, in chapter 1, verse 9, he prays at a time of personal need. In chapter 2, verses 17 and 18, at a moment of crisis, he brings his friends together. And he sets before them the principles that he wants Yahweh to help him with, in relation to the image.

99. 41:35

    In chapter 9, verse 3, a tremendously long prayer, as he prays for the peace of Jerusalem. A prayer that is recorded there, and kept there, because the day has yet come when that prayer will be here. It has not been answered. Again, we have him in chapter 9, and verse 23, in chapter 10 and verse 12, praying for knowledge.

100. 41:59

     Praying for knowledge. Whenever we open that book, we should have a prayer to the Father that he will help us in the understanding of the book. And we, I believe, will gain help, because we're told in James chapter 1, and of verse 5, that if any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God.

101. 42:17

     Let him ask in faith. Daniel was therefore a man of prayer. He was also a man of courage. You have that in the first chapter when he defies the king, and when he defies the prince of the eunuch. He was a man of courage. He was clear-sighted. He knew what he wanted. He was plain speaking.

102. 42:39

     You see that in the words that he uttered. When he comes before the king, he does not hesitate to express himself in a very courageous way, as we shall see later on. He was courageous in his action, he was reverent in his understanding, and he is approached to God. He was a man who walked with Yahweh, and Yahweh walked with him, and in all the circumstances of his life, there was a man that was governed and motivated by the things of Almighty God, because he drew God into his life as he came to understand his word.

103. 43:15

     And therefore we have in this man, a man of outstanding wisdom, so much so that we read in the 14th chapter of Ezekiel, and at verse 14, these words, Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord Yahweh.

104. 43:40

     And again he says this same thing in verse 20, Though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, saith the Lord Yahweh, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter, they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness. So the qualities of Daniel were well known even his day and generation.

105. 44:04

     We should like to trace through the life of Daniel now. I have found this personally encouraged, because you see, he gives us an example in every age in which we might live. We are told that he was a child, a youth, when he was taken to Babel. He was approximately 17 or 18 years of age, according to the use of that word in chapter 1 and verse 5.

106. 44:31

     He was given a three year apprenticeship, so then at the end of that apprenticeship when he stood before the king in the way that is described in chapter 1, he would have been about 21 years of age. In chapter 2 however, which was before the completion of his apprenticeship, when he gave the revelation of the vision of the image, he would have been 19 years of age.

107. 44:54

     As a young man of 19, he stood before the king. In the third chapter of his prophecy, when there was this image of gold, Daniel had been sometime in the service of the king. He was perhaps about 30 years of age. In the fourth chapter, when he stood before the king, and he called upon the king to change his ways, when the king had seven years badness, and it was probably towards the end of the king's reign, Daniel would have been a mature man of 51 years of age.

108. 45:27

     When we come to the seventh chapter, which he dates himself, in verse 1, the first year of Belshazzar, he was 68 years of age. 68 years of age. In the eighth chapter, which is likewise dated, he's between 70 and 71. So you see, at whatever age we might be, there is an example given unto us in this man.

109. 45:53

     In the fifth chapter, and at verse 1, which likewise is dated, he would have been 88 years of age when he came into that palace, and he gave the revelation concerning the hand that was upon the wall. In the ninth chapter, verse 1, he was 89 years of age, at the fall of Babylon.

110. 46:16

     In the sixth chapter, verse 1, which likewise is dated, and he was taken into the lion's den, we always imagine him as a virile young man, and the pictures they print of him, he's a virile young man, and the lions look virile and young as well. But Daniel looks very, very virile and young.

111. 46:33

     He was in fact, between 90 and 91 years of age. You imagine, a man of that age, standing up and facing so courageously what happened as recorded into that chapter. And in Daniel chapter 10, verse 1, likewise dated, he was approximately 92 years of age. And that possibly shortly after terminated his life of service before his God and to his fellow men.

112. 47:01

     I'm glad that our brother Percy had his mind on the time, because I hadn't. And I'm pretty cockingly napping when he sat down. That is as far as time was concerned, of course. Thank you. Yes, I do mean that.

113. 47:22

     I was working on the day for the day. I can assure you that there was quite a number in the audience that were agreeing with me because of their game like that. Yes, well I'm sure brothers and sisters, we've appreciated very much the scriptural evidence that our brother has brought before us concerning the principles of salvation that were seen manifested in the life of this great man Daniel.

114. 47:51

     And possibly amongst many of the great principles that he brought out, one of the most comforting of them all is to love and to meditate upon the word of Yahweh is pleasing to Yahweh. We said at the outset the handshakes of fellowship had been experienced this morning and our fellowship would deepen and our fellowship this afternoon through the instruction that we've received and the meditation that we've given to the word has indeed revealed to us has it not some of the depths of the fellowship some of the joys that we experience because every second of our life is known unto Yahweh and what a comfort it is with his servant our brother who had unfolded to us these wonderful principles and lessons and our heavenly father and our master has heard every word and he knows the desires of our heart to yet learn more.

115. 48:49

     Thank you for listening to the Good Christodophian Talks podcast. Please subscribe for new episodes and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or whichever service you are listening from to help people find the show when they search for it. If you enjoyed this talk, share it on social media so other people can find it too.

116. 49:12

     For show notes and links to the talk that you just listened to, visit our show page at anchor.fm slash gct. We want to encourage everyone to share their thoughts from the talk this week on Facebook or Instagram where we are at goodchristodophian talks or on Twitter where we are at gct underscore podcast.

117. 49:31

     If you know of a great talk, we want to know about it too. Send a suggestion to goodchristodophian talks at gmail.com or message us on any of our social media platforms. Thank you for listening. God bless and talk to you next week.

118. 49:49

     God bless and God bless and goodchristodophian God bless and goodchristodophian God bless and God bless and goodchristodophian God bless and goodchristodophian God bless and goodchristodophian