Next to Elijah in the frieze stands Daniel, that stanch leader whom
nothing could dismay, not even the fear of being placed in the lions’
den. He does not look as if he could easily be persuaded to turn aside
from what he believed was right. The fixed folds of his garment
correspond with his features and his character as we know it. In his
hands he carries a piece of parchment upon which is inscribed in Hebrew,
“And they that be wise shall shine.”
His was an unusual life full of strange experiences. He was fourteen
years old when the people of Judah were taken captives to Babylon by the
victorious King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel was chosen with several other
boys to be trained as pages for the king; then many strange things
happened to him. In the first place his name was changed from Daniel,
which means “God is my judge,” to Belteshazzar, after one of the idols
of the Babylonians. All the pages were given these strange heathen
names. They were treated very kindly but were expected to eat the rich
food from the king’s table, most of which had been offered to the idols.
[Illustration:
_Amos, Nahum, Ezekiel, Daniel. The Frieze of the Prophets_
]
When Daniel found this out he made his first stand for what he believed
was right. Feeling that it was wrong to eat this food, he persuaded
three of the other boys to go with him and ask the king’s officers to
give them plainer food. The officers consented to test this diet with
the four boys, and at the end of three months found they had gained in
strength more than the other pages, who had continued to eat the rich
food; and so Daniel’s request was granted. All the pages had to study
very hard, for they had to learn the language of the Babylonians besides
many other things. When they were brought before the king to be examined
three years later, Daniel and his three friends were found to be the
brightest scholars of all. People began to look up to them, and to call
them very wise.
Not long after this King Nebuchadnezzar had a very strange dream, but
when he woke up in the morning he could not remember what it was. He
called his wise men together, but none could tell him what he had
dreamed. He became very angry and ordered them all put to death, even
Daniel and his friends, whom he thought ought to be wise enough to tell
him.
All that night Daniel and his friends prayed for help, until, utterly
weary, they fell asleep. In a dream the Lord told Daniel what to tell
the king. King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream had been about his kingdom, and
who should rule after him, and he was amazed that one so young as Daniel
should tell him what he had dreamed and what the dream meant. He gave
Daniel many presents and made him a great ruler.
Daniel continued in favor with Nebuchadnezzar’s successor, Darius. So
much was he favored that the other officers of the king wished to
destroy him. Appealing to his vanity, they persuaded Darius to set aside
thirty days in which all his people should pray to him just as if he
were a god. He made this dreadful law among his people, who were Medes
and Persians. Of course we know how Daniel continued to pray to God, was
watched, and reported to the king. Then King Darius saw the trap which
his officers had set for Daniel. He was greatly distressed, but not even
a king could change a law among the Medes and Persians. He had said that
any one who disobeyed his law should perish in the den of lions.
But we know how Daniel was taken care of; how the king rejoiced to find
him alive the next morning; and how all the people marveled and believed
in the God who had saved him. At this time Daniel was eighty years old.
God sent some wonderful dreams to him, and he was able to prophesy many
things that should happen to the Jews. It was through him that they were
delivered from their captivity.