The first three days of the week close the prophecy of Ezekiel, upon which comments were made last week. The last four days of the week cover the book of Daniel, chapters 1-9. Daniel was also contemporary with Ezekiel; but while Ezekiel was by the river Chebar, Daniel was in Babylon, taken there when a young man, a prince of the royal family, in fulfilment of the prophecy which God gave to Hezekiah that the time would come when his own sons would be taken to Babylon and be eunuchs, or servants, in the palace of the King of Babylon. See Isaiah 39.
The career of Daniel himself was a marvelous one. He was called to be a prophet when a young man. After being tried and tested in the popular worldly schools of Babylon, he attended for three years at the university at Borsippa, doubtless proving during that time steadfast to his early teachings and to God. He came out of the school far in advance of his teachers, holding with him three devoted, faithful companions, of whom he makes mention in his book. There are those who believe that Psalm 119 was composed by Daniel, and the internal evidences seem strongly to favor it. The prophet passed through the same experiences with the same results as are recorded in that wonderful psalm. Ezekiel classes him with two eminent men such as Noah and Job. His wisdom must have been of note in the days of that prophet. See Eze. 14: 20 and 28: 3. He held a high place in the courts of Nebuchadnezzar, Darius, and Cyrus, in spite of all the plots of malignant rivals. His book is written partly in Hebrew, partly in Aramaic. It was not written as a lesson for his own time merely, but for all subsequent time as well, and most emphatically for the last days, the times in which we are now living. It contains lessons for all classes of people. Take, for instance, the following suggestive chapters, and read them with the thought of the titles in mind:
Chapter 1, God the Teacher.
Chapter 2, God the Revealer.
Chapter 3, The God Who Delivers.
Chapter 4, God the Ruler.
Chapter 5, God the Judge.
Chapter 6, God the Vindicator of His People.
Chapter 7 shows the great antagonistic powers against God and His government.
Chapters 8 and 9 take up more fully the worship of God, and what that means to the powers antagonistic to His worship and service.
