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This Week's Reading: Daniel 1-6
Come Follow Me Insight #1
The Bible Dictionary mentions that there are parts of the story of Daniel not included in our Bible, but that ARE included in the Apocrypha (source). But what exactly is the Apocrypha? When the Old Testament was organized, compiled, and translated into the then-common language of Greek, the translators included books such as Bel and the Dragon and Books of the Maccabees (source). However, over time these books were recognized as not being divinely inspired. During the 1885 printing of the King James Version of the Bible the Aprocrypha was removed. These writings are not considered to be scripture by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but can be instructive (source).
Come Follow Me Insight #2
Old Testament prophets drank wine, so why didn’t Daniel? The only Old Testament prohibitions on drinking wine were for the Levites (Leviticus 10:9) when they served in the temple and for Nazarites who consecrated themselves to God (Numbers 6:3). . . Daniel was neither. We can’t be sure then why he refused the wine, but it is a great example of drawing a line in the sand for yourself. Daniel knew what the Israelites’ standards were and he set his own standard even further than that in order to keep himself spiritually safe.
Come Follow Me Insight #3
Was Daniel a cutie?! In Daniel 1:4 we find out the criteria for the Israelite young men who were chosen to serve in the king’s court. The two main requirements were: be smart and be attractive (every girl’s dream!). The phrase “well-favored” in verse four comes from the Hebrew (pronounced “tove mare-ay”) טוֹב מַרְאֶה and literally means good looking. So if you want to tell someone they’re cute without them knowing, you can just say, “You’re so tove mare-ay.” You can thank me later.
My Favorite Scriptures for the Week
- Daniel 1:3-8; 6:10
- Daniel 1:19
- Daniel 2:25-28
- Daniel 3:17-18
- Daniel 3:20-25
- Daniel 6:3
- Daniel 6:25-27
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