Question: Why did Daniel reject delicacies, but later did not reject ...

by Lady Liberty 8 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  Lady Liberty

  Hi everyone...

  I was thinking about the whole star in Bethlehem issue as many have posted on the subject. And something struck me as strange. And I wanted to know if any of you have ever thought about this:

  Daniel when taken to Babylon was one of the young men who rejected the delicacies of the king... like split hooved animals as food etc.. He took a stand.

  See Daniel 1:8,9

  8

  But Daniel determined in his heart that he would not pollute himself with the delicacies of the king and with his drinking wine. And he kept requesting of the principal court official that he might not pollute himself. 9 Accordingly the [true] God gave Daniel over to loving-kindness and to mercy before the principal court official.

  Ok.. then if he would refrain from something like that, doesn't it strike you strange that he would accept a position that he obviously took, becoming cheif prefect over all the magic practicing priests in Babylon??

  Note the dictionary says for the definition of prefect:

  pre·fect / 'prif?kt / Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation [ pree-fekt ] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation

  –noun

  1.	a person appointed to any of various positions of command, authority, or superintendence, as a chief magistrate in ancient Rome or the chief administrative official of a department of France or Italy.

  2.	Roman Catholic Church . a. the dean of a Jesuit school or college. b. a cardinal in charge of a congregation in the Curia Romana.

  3.	Chiefly British . a praeposter.

  See Daniel 2:48

  48

  Consequently the king made Daniel someone great, and many big gifts he gave to him, and he made him the ruler over all the jurisdictional district of Babylon and the chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.

  Why did'nt he take a stand against that? Or perhaps were these "wise men" or magic practcing priests not what we think of them as being.

  Anyhow...any takers???

  Sincerely,

  Lady Liberty
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  dvw

  people like you are the watchtowers worst nightmare.

  seriously, abstention of the delicacies, and subsequent embrace of the demon worshipping priests has its parallel in our modern day with the governing bodie's refusal to allow a life saving blood transfusion, with a corresponding membership with the united nations.
• 

  Wild_Thing

  You mean .... the bible contradicts itself?? I'm shocked!

  The only thing I can think of is that there were supposed magic practicing priests that were okay with God ... like turning a staff into a snake. Those were the good guys that did that. Right? Sounds like magic to me.
• 

  Abandoned

  I think the best thing to do is to take this at face value. Daniel was worried about swallowing a gnat by eating the dlicacies but had no problem with swallowing down a camel. So, maybe he really was a jehovah's witness. LOL!!!
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  Narkissos

  It simply shows that the WT "scale of values" doesn't correspond to that of the Jewish circles which produced / edited / received the book of Daniel.

  The avoidance of "pagan" food is characteristic of nascent pharisaism, with the transferral of the sacred sphere (temple, priesthood, sacrifices) to the everyday life of "separated" lay people...

  Otoh holding political responsibilities in a Gentile empire is a sign of divine blessing, cf. Joseph and Esther.

  As I said on one of the "Christmas star" threads, it also show that astrology was not lumped together with prohibited divinatory practices such as necromancy, but was regarded as one field of "Wisdom".
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  ICBehindtheCurtain

  This together with a host of other contradictions, errors and revisions in the bible is the reason I no longer believe in this book.

  IC
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  JosephMalik

  More than likely because such food was first sacrificed to idols, not that there was anything otherwise wrong with it. Daniel could eat of it later if such practices were discontinued.

  And being appointed to a position in such a government (good or bad from our point of view) is not a problem. After all such governments were created by Christ for the purpose of maintaining peace here on this earth until the Kingdom replaces such governments. This is why we have:

  16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

  Joseph
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  dvw

  joseph, that doesnt make any sense to me. he wasnt appointed dog catcher of the realm. he was put in charge of the goings on of the magic department. this should have pissed jehovah off at least as much as eating the defiled foods. i am going with i c behind the curtain on this one.
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  Narkissos

  As to the real context of Daniel (at least its final edition), cf. 2 Maccabees 6:18--7:2

  Eleazar, one of the scribes in high position, a man now advanced in age and of noble presence, was being forced to open his mouth to eat swine's flesh. But he, welcoming death with honor rather than life with pollution, went up to the rack of his own accord, spitting out the flesh, as all ought to go who have the courage to refuse things that it is not right to taste, even for the natural love of life.
  Those who were in charge of that unlawful sacrifice took the man aside because of their long acquaintance with him, and privately urged him to bring meat of his own providing, proper for him to use, and to pretend that he was eating the flesh of the sacrificial meal that had been commanded by the king, so that by doing this he might be saved from death, and be treated kindly on account of his old friendship with them. But making a high resolve, worthy of his years and the dignity of his old age and the gray hairs that he had reached with distinction and his excellent life even from childhood, and moreover according to the holy God-given law, he declared himself quickly, telling them to send him to Hades.
  "Such pretense is not worthy of our time of life," he said, "for many of the young might suppose that Eleazar in his ninetieth year had gone over to an alien religion, and through my pretense, for the sake of living a brief moment longer, they would be led astray because of me, while I defile and disgrace my old age. Even if for the present I would avoid the punishment of mortals, yet whether I live or die I shall not escape the hands of the Almighty. Therefore, by bravely giving up my life now, I will show myself worthy of my old age and leave to the young a noble example of how to die a good death willingly and nobly for the revered and holy laws."
  When he had said this, he went at once to the rack.
  It happened also that seven brothers and their mother were arrested and were being compelled by the king, under torture with whips and thongs, to partake of unlawful swine's flesh. One of them, acting as their spokesman, said, "What do you intend to ask and learn from us? For we are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our ancestors." Those who a little before had acted toward him with goodwill now changed to ill will, because the words he had uttered were in their opinion sheer madness. When he was about to die under the blows, he groaned aloud and said: "It is clear to the Lord in his holy knowledge that, though I might have been saved from death, I am enduring terrible sufferings in my body under this beating, but in my soul I am glad to suffer these things because I fear him." So in this way he died, leaving in his death an example of nobility and a memorial of courage, not only to the young but to the great body of his nation.