From Captive to Delegate

(The Crown Series)

FROM CAPTIVE

to DELEGATE

by RONNIE DAUBER

Copyright © 2018 Ronnie Dauber

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used by any means, graphic, electronic, mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and book reviews.

Printed in the United States of America 2018

This story of Daniel is written in a storybook format based on biblical facts given in the book of Daniel. All quotes and facts are referenced from the New King James Version (NKJV) unless otherwise specified.

Author Credits:

From Shepherd to King (2017)

From Prince to Prophet (2017)

From Slave to Hero (2016)

From Cradle to King (2016)

A Christmas King (2016)

God's Calling…It's for You (2016)

No Compromise, Biblical Answers to Some of Today's Issues (2015)

No Compromise, Biblical Answers to Some of Today's Issues (revised 2017)

Let Faith Arise (first edition 2012)

Let Faith Arise (revised edition 2016)

Books may be ordered through Amazon stores or by contacting:

Smashwords at http://smashwords.com

Or Ronnie Dauber’s website at http://www.ronniedauber.ca

ISBN-13: 978-1975890636

Acknowledgments

I want to thank my very best friend and husband, Eric Dauber, for his continued encouragement and support that have enabled me to research the biblical facts so I could write the fifth book in this amazing series.

I also want to thank my dear friend and professional illustrator, Mishel McCumber, for her cherished friendship and support, and for creating another sensational book cover that truly depicts the hero of this book.

And above all, I want to thank the Lord for filling me with His love and inspiration that have enabled me to write this book, and for teaching me so much about Himself in the process. To Him, I give all the praise and all the glory!

Dedication

To all those who know that there is no shame in praying to our Heavenly Father in a public place.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Dedication

Table of Contents

Introduction

Ashamed!

The Fall of Jerusalem

From Freedom to Captivity

Welcome to Babylon

Daniel’s New Life

Daniel’s First Challenge

Kill the Interpreters!

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

Bow to the Image or Die!

Death in the Fiery Furnace

Nebuchadnezzar’s Second Dream

From King to Beast

The Writing on the Wall

A Rise to Honor

The Plot to Kill Daniel

Death in the Lion’s Den

A New Declaration

Why Didn’t the Lions eat Daniel?

A Tough Life with No Regrets

God Gives Daniel a Vision

Why?

The End of the World?

An Inevitable Fate

The Last Vision

Daniel was not Ashamed to Pray!

I am Not Ashamed!

A Loving Heart is not Ashamed!

Introduction

We are so privileged to be able to read the Bible and learn about the amazing men and women who loved God and gave their lives to lead, guide and sustain the Jewish nation. Some were great leaders, others were mighty warriors on the battlefield, and some were mighty warriors on their knees. And one of these heroes is Daniel.

The story of Daniel is a popular one in many Sunday school classes. Most Christians know that he was thrown into a den of hungry lions and that God closed the mouths of the lions. But few know why Daniel didn’t get eaten.

Daniel’s life was not an easy one; in fact, he suffered many hardships that most people today couldn’t survive. And yet through it all, Daniel never lost his love for God. He loved God amid a nation that served false gods. He was mocked and targeted and yet, he was not ashamed to pray to God or to stand up for the truth of the God of Heaven.

Daniel was born about 500 years after King David took the throne in Jerusalem. As we learned in the previous book, From Shepherd to King, David was a man after God’s own heart. He brought the nation of Israel together and all the people worshiped only God. But over the years, the people fell away from God, and by the time Daniel was born, the nation was deep into idol worship and immorality. God had warned them many times to turn back to Him, but they refused. So, His judgment upon them was about to happen.

Daniel’s story begins when King Nebuchadnezzar attacked Judah and took the people captive. Many died, but those who survived became slaves. Jerusalem was destroyed completely, including all its buildings and the temple that King Solomon, David’s son, built for God. This was a time of great sorrow for the children of God, and it was a time when God rose up prophets to warn His children that His judgment would come if they didn’t turn back to Him. God gave visions to Daniel and revealed the future of the nation of Israel, and Daniel has shared those visions with us.

This book touches on the highlights of Daniel’s life and tells of some specific events that helped to sustain the Jewish nation. The story is taken from the book of Daniel, all chapters from 1 to 12. The meaning of his visions are not explained in great depth because they are too detailed to put into a storybook, but it’s all in the Bible for you to study. And this author encourages you to read and study them because they will change the way you think about life.

From Captive to Delegate will help you understand why Daniel was not ashamed to pray anywhere—and why you should never be ashamed to pray anywhere, either. As his story unfolds, you’ll be able to understand and relate to his feelings and his actions, and you’ll see why love can conquer all things.

The Crown Series is for readers of all ages who want to know God through the heroic men and women of the Bible. It’s perfect to read to a child, or for teens, adults or new bnezzarelievers to read on their own. And just like the other books in this series, Grandpa is reading to his grandson who asks all the questions we would want to ask.

I hope this book will inspire you to search the Scriptures so you can know the details of Daniel’s visions, and why he was never ashamed to pray anywhere.

…Ronnie Dauber

Chapter 1

Ashamed!

It was the perfect summer day! The sky was blue, the sun was shining brightly, and the warm breeze sent a wave of tranquility across everything it touched. Grandpa was lying on his pool mattress, his legs hanging over the edges and his feet dangling in the water while he sipped on his huge stein of cold lemonade. Life couldn’t get any better than this! Peace and quiet and not a care in the world—but then—nothing lasts forever.

Lucas sauntered into the backyard and stripped down to his bathing trunks. Grandpa hadn’t noticed him yet, so this was the perfect time to get his attention through a well-practiced cannonball dive into the water. Grandpa’s world of serenity suddenly disappeared as water sprayed all over him and the mattress became the captive of a small tsunami. But before he could figure out what had happened, Lucas bounced on the mattress and laughed. Hi, Grandpa! Did I wake you?

Lucas! Yeah, but I think thirty seconds of rest should do it. What brings you here today? I thought you were going bowling with your friends. Just as Lucas started to answer, Grandpa dived into the water and chased him until he cornered him and then got even with a powerhouse of splashes. The two played around and laughed for a while and then got out of the pool and wrapped themselves in huge towels before they sat on chairs under the big tree.

So, Lucas, are you ready for the big family supper at the restaurant tomorrow night?

Yeah, and see, that’s what I want to talk to you about. It’s going to be fun with all of us there. I haven’t seen some of my cousins in years. So, will our family be in that little room in the back that’s far away from the rest of the people?

Oh, I don’t think so, Lucas. There are too many of us this year to fit in that little room, so we’ll be out with everyone else, but likely on the one side. Why?

Well, I was thinking; since there will be so many of us and no one will be paying attention anyway, can you maybe just skip the part where you stand up and pray over the food?

No.

No? Grandpa, just this once can you not do it?

Especially this time I’m not going to skip praying over the food, Lucas. Our whole family is finally getting together to celebrate Nana’s birthday. There’s no better time for me to be thankful. This is an answer to prayer. I have to pray, and I have to get everyone to join me so we can thank God for bringing us all together.

Okay Grandpa, but can we all do that at home before we get there?

Oh, I’ll probably do that, too.

But Grandpa, not everyone in our family goes to church. I mean, Uncle Luca and Aunt Tori don’t go to church. I don’t think they even believe in God, so I don’t think we should make them pray just because we pray.

All the more reason to pray, Lucas! We can be a good example to them. Every time we do something that shows the love of God to them, they think about it, and I’m hoping that one day they decide to pray on their own. Wouldn’t that be great?

Yeah, but Grandpa, there will be lots of people in the restaurant, and you’re going to stand up and yell out a prayer. And you do yell, Grandpa. It’s like you do it on purpose so the whole world can hear you.

Okay, Lucas, what’s this all about? We always pray before we eat, even at McDonald’s. So, why is this an issue now? Oh, let me guess, you’re worried someone will see you there?

Lucas sighed heavily and then pouted as he shifted in his chair. My friend Lucy and her family are going to be there, and she doesn’t know that we pray. Don’t look at me like that, Grandpa! She’s gonna think I’m really weird and she’ll tell everyone at school because she’s a blabbermouth and that’s going to be so embarrassing.

But we’re on summer holidays, Lucas; she’ll forget about it by the time school starts up again.

No Grandpa, she won’t! By then she’ll just be even worse. She could ruin me!

Yeah, I see your point. You’d be totally ruined! Okay, we’ll need you to change schools, probably have to dye your hair, give you a new name and drop you out of the local sports. Yep, it could be fatal if saw you praying with me.

This isn’t funny, Grandpa. No one prays anymore. It’s old-fashioned. I’ll be the biggest joke ever if she sees you praying.

Okay, let me get this right; it’s okay to ask God for things or thank Him for things in private because no one sees you, but don’t do it out in public because it’s embarrassing.

Yes Grandpa, I’m glad that you get it. And I know God won’t mind because He doesn’t want us to be embarrassed or upset, so He understands.

So Lucas, you want to be able to pray to God for things, thank Him for things and even talk about how great He is in private places like home or church, but you don’t want anyone to know about it outside of that because God is embarrassing to you in public. Is that right? And that’s okay with God because He understands and wants us to be happy. He doesn’t want others laughing at us in public so we should just be like them.

Well, Grandpa, you’re always saying we should try and keep peace wherever we can, and this is one of those times that we need to do that. Why are you looking at me like that? I’m just asking this one time. When you’re by yourself, you can pray in public all you want.

What? Lucas, you have your priorities all backward. You see, God is the King over us and He loves us, and you know in your heart that you love Him, too. When you love someone, you should never be ashamed of them no matter what others think. It’s like this: either He is your God and your friend and you love and respect Him, or He’s not. I’m telling you, if you were nice to me at home and then ignored me in public because you were ashamed of me, I’d soon drop you off my friend’s list even though you’re my grandson.

But Grandpa, it’s not like I do this all the time. It’s just this once! I’m not ignoring God the rest of the time at home. And I’m pretty sure that God understands.

Lucas, your attitude needs some work. First of all, you say you love God, but you’re ashamed to pray to Him in public. That hurts God! What kind of a friend to God are you? He is certainly not ashamed of you or me, and we’ve done some pretty awful things in our lifetime that would give Him good reason to be. But He’s proud of us, anyway. And besides that, there will be family members at this dinner that don’t know God and don’t go to church. So when they die, they won’t be going to Heaven with the rest of us. Wouldn’t it be good to show them that our love for God is real, that we’re not ashamed of Him? And wouldn’t it be great if our example of loving God, even in public, helped them to want to know God for themselves? How would you feel if when they see that we’re ashamed of God, they decide never to want to know Him?

I would feel bad, Grandpa. But this isn’t the only time that you can tell them about God. Why do I have to be the one that suffers through this? You can tell them about God when we get home. And you’re always saying that we should be like the heroes in the Bible, but no one there prayed in public and embarrassed anyone. I mean, when Jesus prayed at the last supper, they were all Christians, right? So no one was embarrassed.

Wrong! There’s a guy named Daniel who loved God so much that he didn’t care what anyone else thought. He wasn’t going to offend His Father in Heaven just because others might laugh at him. In fact, sometimes people threatened to kill him just because he wanted to pray. So, when he wanted to pray, he prayed. He wasn’t ashamed, and he wasn’t embarrassed because he knew that God loved him and that was all that mattered.

"I know Daniel from Sunday school, but he got