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18 METOKA AND GALEDA MAGAZINE. today is a shield from the evils of the world. Through him we are not only blessed, but may be made a blessing. It is a mighty encouragement to hasten his coming by our efforts to win the world for him. ▲ ▲ ▲ Daily Helps from Other Scriptures. M. - Faithless Shepherds, Ezek. 34: 1-10. T. - The Shepherd of Captive Israel. Ezek. 34: 11-19. W. - Jehovah's Shepherding Care. Ezek. 34: 20-31. Th. - Jehovah's Representative. Ezek. 33: 1-9. F. - The Righteous Judge. Ezek. 33: 1-20. S. - Dry Bones Revived. Ezek. 37: 1-14. Su. - Restored and Exalted. Ezek. 37: 15-27. ▲ ▲ ▲ Themes for Class Use. 1. How Christ is the Good Shepherd. 2. The visions of Isaiah and Ezekiel. 3. Mercy and justice in God. 4. The exiles in Babylon. ▲ ▲ ▲ Review of the Facts. What two things does the Lord declare he will do? To what does he compare himself? What is the condition of the flock? What does he propose to do? When was the flock scattered? In what manner did God declare he would do? What did he promise for his people there? How else does he describe a favorable condition? What things would he do for these people? What would he do for the lost? What for the broken and sick? What would he destroy? With what should these people be fed? What was to be set up? What should he do? Who was this to be? What did he purpose to be to this people? What would he make with them? What was to be made to cease? How were the people to dwell? What is said and meant by leeping? What would he make the people to be? What would he cause? What did he call this gift? What were the trees and the earth made to do? What should be the condition of the people? What were they to know? How is their condition described for the future? What do we learn as to- (1) Food and rest the great necessities? (2) The promise of this life and that which is to come? (3) The blessedness of believers? (4) God's offers and the world's? (5) Justification pre-requisite to to peace? (6) The yoke of sin? (7) Spiritual fruit? (8) The believer's security? (9) God manifest in the flesh? LESSON 11. SEPTEMBER 9, 1917. The Benefits of Total Abstinence. (Temperance Lesson.) MOTTO TEXT. - "Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king's dainties, nor with the wine he drank." (Daniel 1:8.) LESSON PASSAGE, Daniel 1. PASSAGE FOR READING IN OPEN EXERCISES, Daniel 1: 8-20 MEMORY VERSES, 19, 20. ▲ ▲ ▲ The Babylonian Captivity. AFTER eight and a half centuries in possession of the Promised Land, the Jewish nation had been driven out into the captivity of alien peoples who knew not God. The of the tribe so fell into idolatry that they became obliterated, and the remaining two were in a strange land with their own country devastated and in the possession of enemies. A miserable remnant remained, but these were harried and mocked by their conquerors. Another portion had the promise of return, but to be dependent upon great world powers. The chosen people had sinned in their attempts to imitate these great monarchies, and here we perceive the result of the failure to remain, as desired by their God, as a peculiar people entirely different from others. In their captivity they understood how material splendor is inconsistent with religious peace and prosperity. Compared with Babylon their loved Jerusalem was mean in appearance, and their beautiful temple dwindled into insignificance before the grandeur of the shrine of Bel, with its towers rising hundreds of feet into the air. Their homes in Judæa were as hovels compared with the Babylonian palaces covering miles of territory amid the hanging gardens that were a world's wonder. The wealth of the strange land, and the haughty arrogance of its princes flushed with victory and the things for the gaining of which they had forfeited the protection of the Almighty, brought to them no consolation. The beauty of the Chaldean streams with their fringes of overhanging boughs, through which marble structures glistened, possessed no attraction, for here the hapless captives sat and wept as they remembered Zion (Psalm 137). So the Christian has no heart for a world that despite all its magnificence has no realization of a covenant keeping and peace-speaking God. [[end page]] [[start page]] 19 METOKA AND GALEDA MAGAZINE Daniel and His Associates. In the reign of the worthless Jehoiakim, when Nebuchadnezzar captured the city and overran the land, many of the young nobles were carried, together with vast treasure, to Babylon (2 Chron. 36: 5-7; 2 Kings 24: 1). Among these young princes who were taken to a foreign court to be trained for service were four whose history is very attractive to us. Lest their names might be offensive to the heathen gods, inasmuch as each one bore an allusion to the majesty and grace of Jehovah, these were changed by edict of the sovereign to signify peculiarities of the god Bel. Daniel (God is my judge) became Belteshazzar (Bel protects). Hananiah (God is gracious) became Shadrach (controlled by Abu, the moon god). Azariah (God's heler) became Abednego (servant of Nebo). Mishael (God is) became Meshach (follower of Aku). Ezekiel (14: 14, 20) refers to Daniel as having superior wisdom and being remarkable for his piety and strict observance of the Mosaic code, and we cannot fail to be impressed with these marked peculiarities in his successful history. ▲ ▲ ▲ Lesson Text. 8 But Dǎn'iĕl purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. 9 Now God had brought Dǎn'iĕl into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs. 10 And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Dǎn'iĕl, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king. 11 Then said Dǎn'iĕl to Mĕl'zär, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Dǎn'iĕl, Hǎn-ǎ-nī'ǎh, Mī'-shā-ĕl, and Ǎz'ǎ-rī'ǎh, 12 Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. 13 Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants. 14 So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days. 15 And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat. 16 Thus Mĕl'zär took away the portion of their meat, and the wine that they should drink; and gave them pulse. 17 As for these four children God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Dǎn'iĕl had understanding in all visions and dreams. 18 Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nĕb-ū-chǎd-nĕz'zär. 19 And the kings communed with them; and among them all was found none like Dǎn'iĕl, Hǎn-ǎ-nī'ǎh, Mī'-shā-ĕl, and Ǎz'ǎ-rī'ǎh: therefore stood they before the king. 20 And in all matters of wisdom understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm. ▲ ▲ ▲ Explanatory Notes. But. The significance of the word is that the change of name did not alter Daniel's purpose or his views. Defile himself. The luxurious living of the far East was the converse of the plainer diet of the Hebrews; he was therefore exposed to the danger of violating such prohibitions as in Lev. 11: 4-8, 10, 13-19, 29, 20; Deut. 23-25). Nor with the wine. Refusing the peculiarly strong wines of the Babylonians that would quickly intoxicate. Prince of the eunuchs. In charge of the domestic household of the king. God had warned the heart of this man to tender love or sympathetic compassion for the captives (cp. Gen. 39: 21). I fear, etc. He was held responsible for their health and good appearance, and had very likely been given orders upon this point. Worse liking. Rather looking, as if they had been underfed. Of your sort. Of like age and dignity, equal to princes of the royal family; pleasant and attractive appearance was essential to court lift, and absolute power might endanger his head if he was found disobedient. Melzar is an official designation, and not a proper name; a sort of steward. Prove ... ten days. A fair proposition since it would be a long time before they could be brought into the presence of the king. Pulse. Beans or peas, leguminous food; perhaps meaning a vegetable diet as opposed to flesh. As thou seest. Strong confidence in the result of obeying God: a reasonable challenge which the Melzar accepted. End of ten days. Farrar says that this was a mystic Persian week marking the extent of some religious rites of feasting. Fatter in flesh (cp. Revised Version). Learning ... wisdom. The peculiar conceptions of an uninspired people combined with revelations of truth made to them; interpretation of dreams was the occupation of very learned men, and visions the result of study of the stars. End of the days. The long period consumed in this education. Brought for the first time into the court of the king; the three years (verse 5). Therefore stood they. As the result of the investigation appointed to positions of administration. Wisdom. Judgement. Understanding. Practical skill in carrying out routine duties. Enquired. In the sense of testing. Magicians as describing general learning according to the times as astrologers represented the scientific experts in that age, forming their judgements upon the phases and movements of the constellations; the civilization of that day is not comparable to the present development on scientific discovery. In such attainments as it was possible to explain strange things these young men had become well acquainted with existing methods. ▲ ▲ ▲ Special Topics. What so deeply interests us in the rather remarkable fact that this little captive group should have entertained views out of the prevailing sentiment about them. They were but slightly removed from the most perilous stage of their youth. We are told they were children, but that does not mean precisely what we understand by that word; for it was common enough to speak of the children of Israel when the aged were included. Of course we understand that these were emerging out of ladhood into advanced youth. Inasmuch as they were of noble extraction, for none else were transported in the captivity which they experienced, it was remarkable that they did not bring the customs of an extravagant court. Back behind this record must have been pious trainers never coming out of obscurity; for how else should
