Welcome to EBible Fellowship’s Sunday afternoon Bible study. Today is study #4 of Daniel, chapter 1, and we will begin by reading Daniel 1:3-7:

And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain? of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes; Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego.

I will stop reading there. In our last study we were looking at verse 3 and the idea that Daniel and his three friends had been placed under the care of the eunuchs which meant that they, too, were eunuchs. We spent some time looking at a few verses where the Bible speaks of eunuchs, often in a favorable way. They are used as types and figures of true believers.

Before we look a little more at “eunuchs,” let me recap the historical setting and what it means spiritually. This was a time of Judah’s affliction at the hands of the Babylonians. God uses this period of history as a type and figure of the Great Tribulation. King Nebuchadnezzar represents Satan and Babylon represents the forces of Satan, while Judah represents the New Testament churches and congregations. God commanded the people of Judah to go into captivity and that is an example of coming out of the churches and going into the world, as Babylon does picture the world.

We have Daniel and his three friends, so there are four young men and they are pretty much the focus of the Book of Daniel’s narrative section, which are the first six chapters. We do not read about any other Jews even though there were many Jews in Babylon. We only read of these four young men. The reason is that the number “four” represents universality and God is focusing, therefore, on all the elect that would live in Babylon or in the world. They are those that left the churches and went to live in the world during the time of the Great Tribulation. The Book of Daniel also goes past that time into Judgment Day, but while they are in captivity in Babylon, they are out in the world. It is like the years 2001 and all the way up to 2011 when God’s people heard about the end of the church age and they came out of the churches and into the world. On Sundays they either stayed at home or they went to a fellowship group that was not a church organization. It is picturing that situation of us being out in the world during the time of the Great Tribulation. And who was ruling the world at that time? God gave Satan the rule over the churches and congregations and we know God gave him complete rule as he sat as the “man of sin” in the temple, but God also expanded Satan’s rule in the world during the time of the Great Tribulation, as it says of the beast coming out of the sea in Revelation 13:3-8:

And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

All that dwell upon the earth that were unsaved worshipped the beast. In that same chapter an image was made to the beast and all were commanded to worship it. In the Book of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar made a golden image and commanded all to fall down and worship it. Who did not worship it? It was Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Again, God’s elect also experienced that command that all the world must worship the beast, but God’s people remained faithful to God. In this historical narrative section of the Book of Daniel about these young men in Babylon, we are going to learn about our own experience living in the world during the time of the Great Tribulation and the pressures that were placed upon the people of God that obeyed God’s command to come out of the churches. Yet, when they came out of the churches, they were in Babylon. It is not a wonderful place. It is not paradise. It is a nation under the rule of an evil king. It is a king that is cruel and fierce and he rules his people ruthlessly, but this is where the people of God found themselves.

Right away, as Daniel and his friends were placed under the care of the master of the eunuchs, they would find out that even what they typically had eaten as Jews was now going to change. The king of Babylon wanted them to eat something other than what they had been eating and that becomes a point of emphasis. It was a point at which Daniel and his friends took a stand. It was a small point, was it not? No, it was not small to them. You see, to the people of God every Word of God has purpose and they stand for the Word of God. Wherever that Word is being assaulted and wherever the enemies come against it, the people of God do not bow the knee and submit to Nebuchadnezzar or to Satan. They steadfastly maintain their position because they have a desire to be obedient to God. They cannot give in on any point of doctrine and this is really what the changing of their meat was all about and, Lord willing, we will get to that verse a little later.

Right now, let us look at the word “eunuchs” again, in Isaiah 56:3-5:

Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to JEHOVAH, speak, saying, JEHOVAH hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree. or thus saith JEHOVAH unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant; Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.

A eunuch that kept God’s Sabbath would represent the elect and they will have an “everlasting name” or eternal life. This verse tells us that God views eunuchs as a type and figure of His people.

It says in Matthew 19:12-13:

For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.

This would involve being a spiritual eunuch for the kingdom of heaven for service to God. For example, if someone has been divorced, the Bible says you are to be reconciled to your former spouse, if possible, or remain unmarried. You are not to be involved in any kind of sexual relationship, but you are to be like a eunuch. There are people of God that out of their desire to be obedient to God’s Law, they would stay celibate and conduct themselves like a “eunuch” for the kingdom of God’s sake. Also, there are people of God that remain in their single state and they conduct themselves as a “eunuch” as they do service to God. As we read about them in the Bible, God often has good things to say about eunuchs, like the Ethiopian eunuch in the Book of Acts.

There is also a eunuch we read about named Ebedmelech, an Ethiopian eunuch, in the Book of Jeremiah. The name “Ebedmelech” means “servant of the king” and he was a servant in the king of Judah’s house, but his name would point to serving the King of kings who is God. It says in Jeremiah 1:7-13:

Now when Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs which was in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon; the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin; Ebedmelech went forth out of the king's house, and spake to the king, saying, My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he is like to die for hunger in the place where he is: for there is no more bread in the city. Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die. So Ebedmelech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence old cast clouts and old rotten rags, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah. And Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah, Put now these old cast clouts and rotten rags under thine armholes under the cords. And Jeremiah did so. So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.

I do not know what kind of hole they had thrown Jeremiah in, but that is what it sounds like they did when we read about the difficulty involved in lifting him out of that dungeon. It is not like they walked down some stairs and opened an iron gate that was sealing him inside. Jeremiah was many feet down in some kind of filthy dungeon and there was mire into which he sank. It was necessary to make a rope and throw it down there. There were 30 men with Ebedmelech to lift him up from this hole, so it was a horrible place. Only one man in all of the nation of Judah went to the king about this and it was an Ethiopian eunuch. He was not even a natural-born Jew. He went to the king and told him that they had done evil in casting Jeremiah into the dungeon. It was many of the leaders of Judah that had placed Jeremiah in the dungeon. The Ethiopian eunuch pleaded to the king on behalf of Jeremiah and the king hearkened to him and allowed him to take Jeremiah out of the dungeon.

We would say that Ebedmelech had a “heart.” He had compassion and mercy. We know the situation was that Judah was under siege by the Babylonians and the Babylonians had damaged the city and taken many captive. They had cut off food to the city and there was a great famine in the city. It was a terrible time and this pictures God’s judgment on the churches and congregations when judgment began at the house of God. Satan had infiltrated the churches and overcome the camp of the saints and was seated as the man of sin in the temple. The people of God that were left within were being mistreated. They were suffering great spiritual hunger because they were in a place from which they must depart out, but, of course, God had placed Jeremiah there in order to continue witnessing His Word. He was a picture of the Word of God and He was witnessing about the truth of the wrath of God being upon Judah and Ebedmelech is a picture of God’s elect.

Let us go to Jeremiah 39:11-14:

Now Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, saying, Take him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee. So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard sent, and Nebushasban, Rabsaris, and Nergalsharezer, Rabmag, and all the king of Babylon's princes; Even they sent, and took Jeremiah out of the court of the prison, and committed him unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, that he should carry him home: so he dwelt among the people.

The city had been taken and the Chaldeans burned the king’s houses and the houses of the people. They had overrun the city and, yet, Jeremiah is to be well taken care of, and it goes on to say in Jeremiah 39:15-18:

Now the word of JEHOVAH came unto Jeremiah, while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying, Go and speak to Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Thus saith JEHOVAH of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring my words upon this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished in that day before thee. But I will deliver thee in that day, saith JEHOVAH: and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid. For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith JEHOVAH.

Ebedmelech would be delivered in that day. God said He would surely deliver him and his life would be for a prey. If we go to Jeremiah, chapter 21, we will find out what it means if your “life shall be for a prey.” It says in Jeremiah 21:9:

He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey.

Here, God defines what He means by that. He means it is someone that goes out of Judah to be captive of the Babylonians. Spiritually, it is someone that departs out of the churches. Ebedmelech would surely be delivered, as he is a type and figure of the elect, by coming out of the churches and going into the world (Babylon).

When a child of God gave notice to his church’s pastors and elders and he may have said, “I can no longer be part of this church. I do not want to be member of this church, or any church, any longer and I will not be coming back again because God’s judgment is upon the churches.” It would have been a good idea for the believers to make it known why they were leaving and many people did. In Ezekiel, chapter 12, God commanded Ezekiel to take him “stuff for removing” and he was to do this by day in their sight. In other words, let them know why you are coming out of the churches. Let them see that you believe the church age is over as a witness to them. The Bible pointed this out in Ezekiel 12 that Ezekiel was to do this that “they might consider.” And, perhaps, someone might have considered coming out of the churches as they saw other people depart out.

Ebedmelech came out of Judah and went to the Chaldeans and his life was for a prey. God used him as a picture of the elect. He was one of the few remaining elect in Judah, but then he did come out and go into captivity. The Bible said that all the elect should do this, without exception. Remember, in Jeremiah, chapter 24 God presented Jeremiah with two baskets of figs. I am going to read this because it is good to be reminded. It says in Jeremiah 24:1-10:

JEHOVAH shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple of JEHOVAH, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon. One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe: and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad. Then said JEHOVAH unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil. Again the word of JEHOVAH came unto me, saying, Thus saith JEHOVAH, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good. For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up. And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am JEHOVAH: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart. And as the evil figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil; surely thus saith JEHOVAH, So will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt: And I will deliver them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth for their hurt, to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them. And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers.

The “good figs” are those that went into captivity to Babylon. The “evil figs” are those that remained in Judah. This relates to the good people of God (the elect) that came out of the churches and went into the world. The evil people are those that remained within the churches and continued to insist that God was with them. There is the “wheat” and the “tares.” The “wheat” left the congregations and the “tares” stayed behind. This is the teaching of the Bible and it has not changed – there is no going back. When God ended His relationship with national Israel almost 2,000 years ago, He was done with them for good. When God ended the church age back in 1988, He was done with them and there is no turning back. The last command concerning the churches was to “depart out of the midst” and “flee to the mountains.” That was the command to God’s people.

This is what we are reading about in Daniel, chapter 1. We are reading about the “good figs.” We are reading about the “wheat” and not the “tares.” The “tares” stayed in the land of Judah, but Daniel and his three friends are a type and figure of the true believers and all the language points to this fact. The fact that they are under the care of the master of the eunuchs means that they, too, were eunuchs. Ebedmelech was a eunuch that God delivered, so it is not surprising because of the positive way God speaks of eunuchs that his elect are considered “eunuchs,” spiritually speaking.

It goes on to say in the second part of Daniel 1:3:

… that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes;

Each one of these statements can relate to God’s elect. The “children of Israel” are the Israel of God or spiritual Israel. The “king’s seed” indicates that the elect are of royal blood and of the royal priesthood of God’s chosen people. We are also of the family of Christ, the King of kings, and that makes us the “king’s seed.” It says in Galatians 3:29:

And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Lastly, it says, “and of the princes,” and, again, that would point to being of the royal family of God. God is the ultimate royalty. He is the Supreme King and all that are of His family are “princes.” We are also called “prophets, priests and kings,” but God is the supreme King, so we rule under him as princes.