{show notes from the Mishkan Katan series on LAMBNetwork.TV, June-July, 2024}
Have you ever been taken somewhere you did not want to go? Most of us can give answers such as: to the dentist’s office, to the home of an unliked relative, in some cases....to church! You get the idea. Few of us, however, have ever been taken captive and hauled off to a foreign land. My heart goes out to those who are still alive (I don’t think there are many left) and who were taken captive on October 7th, in southern Israel. Many of them have been killed, and the fate of the rest is unknown. We need to continue to pray for their return to their homes. I rejoice that four were rescued last week, although at tremendous “cost” to Israel.
Today, we begin the study of an Old Testament book that has captivated many for generations. It begins with a nation taken captive as the spoils of war, with the young and talented people taken away to a foreign, hostile land called Babylon. Many of them finished their lives there. I first studied this book in depth in 2012 and 2013, when I did a study by a lady named Beth Moore. Many of you listening are familiar with her work. Her study of Daniel produced her 10th bible study for women. The byline of her study was “Lives of Integrity//Words of Prophecy”. I thought that was an interesting way to “frame” the content of the book. And, here’s why:
The book is essentially divided into two parts. The first few chapters contain stories of heroes who indeed lived their lives with integrity. The second half of the book, or thereabouts, deals with prophecies of the future, both near fulfillments and far away fulfillments. If you don’t understand that last statement, it will be my task to make it plain as we go along. Additionally, Daniel wrote the book in two languages. Daniel 1:1 – 2:4 is in Hebrew, the language of Israel/Judah, as is Daniel 8:1 – 12:13. The chapters and verses in between are written in Aramaic, the language of Babylon.
The stories from the first part of the book of Daniel are well-known: the fiery furnace, the lion’s den, etc. But, we are going to take a deeper look into this wonderful book over the next several weeks. Hopefully, we will be inspired to live our lives with courage, to make godly choices, whether today, tomorrow or in the years to come. And, to do it surrounded by a hostile culture, a modern-day Babylon.
The prophet Daniel was born into a wealthy family of the tribe of Judah, in the land of Judah, around 570 BCE, 16 years before Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem, where Daniel likely lived. He was, according to Daniel 1, vs. 3, of “royal blood”, a relative of Jehoiakim, the Judean king reigning when Nebuchadnezzar and his hordes swooped in like a powerful tornado.
The declining years of the Jewish nation were not pretty. The zenith of the time of the Hebrew people possessing the Promised Land was the period of David’s and Solomon’s rules. After Solomon, the kingdom divided, with precious few righteous rulers in the latter years from Rehoboam to Jehoiakim. The Jewish people became more and more compromised by the idolatry of the nations surrounding them. King Manasseh appears to have been “the straw that broke the camel’s back”, as far as God was concerned. And, it was not just idolatry. Rebellion also played a factor. It was so bad that 2 Kings 21:10-15 describes how the glory of God departed from the Temple and from the Land.
Jeremiah 23:11 - - “Both prophet and priest are godless; even in my Temple I find their wickedness.”
Wicked is a word that applies to those who know the truth, but regardless they deliberately, rebelliously disobey it. Such is what led to Judah being overthrown.
King Josiah was the last righteous king of Judah. Two of his sons succeeded him, but they were spiritually more like their grandfather, the exceedingly blasphemous King Ammon, than their father. The first to succeed Josiah (Jehoahaz) only ruled 3 months, before he was deposed and replaced by his brother, Jehoiakim. He ruled for three years before Nebuchadnezzar replaced him with his son, Jehoiachin/Jeconiah. His reign was less than a year, before Neb replaced him with Zedekiah, the last Judean king. It was during Jehoiachin’s reign that the Temple was destroyed and its contents taken to Babylon, where they were installed in the pagan temples there.
In their conquering, the Babylonians were not stupid. They realized that the people of Judea had tremendous gifts; otherwise, they would not have produced such an amazing kingdom. The king realized that the youth of Judea had much to offer. Furthermore, if Nebuchadnezzar stripped Judea of its finest, he could be relatively assured they would no longer be a threat to him. And, that is why Daniel and other young Hebrew men like him were taken captive to Babylon, as opposed to merely being killed. Nebuchadnezzar’s plan was to turn these impressionable young people into Babylonians, and then use their talents to advance his kingdom.
History tells us that prisoners of this type were not transported in cattle cars. There were no railroads. They certainly were not transported by air either. No, often they were chained together, often stripped naked in order to humiliate them, and then they were forced to march to the destination. Many did not make it, but instead died along the way. Because of his royal blood, could Daniel have been taken in a caged cart? Possibly. We have no way of knowing. How long a trip was it, then? 100 miles? 200? The prophet Ezra, years later, made reference to a trip from the same point A to the same point B, in Ezra 7:9. According to his testimony, this same trip, going from Babylon to Jerusalem, took four months. Although Babylon was 550 miles from Jerusalem “as the crow flies”, there was not a direct straight line. The terrain was often rugged and challenging. It was more like a trip of over 650 miles. Envision Atlanta, GA to Washington, DC, which via interstate 85 is a trip of 640 miles. Imagine walking that.
About 900 years before this, the Hebrew people were slaves in Egypt. Since their deliverance by the strong arm of Yahweh, they had had their victories and defeats; but, although the Northern Kingdom of Israel had fallen to the Assyrians about 150 years earlier, the people of Judea had never been vanquished and carted away. It must have been a dreadful shock. Most of the survivors never saw Jerusalem again.
God has a vast array of tools in his arsenal, to accomplish His purposes. Our favorite is when “the good guy” wins, and “the evil guy” gets what’s coming to him, right? But, in Daniel, we see Nebuchadnezzar referred to as God’s “servant”. Strange thing to see, especially since Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem. And, there are numerous other examples throughout Scripture, of God using adverse circumstances to accomplish His will in the earth.
Along with this, we read and realize in Scripture that when evil people try to “outsmart” righteousness, they often “hoist themselves on their own petard”, as the expression goes, meaning that they fall into a trap of their own making. One of the best examples of this is Haman, in the book of Esther, who ended up being hanged on a grandiose gallows (execution stake) he had built for the righteous Mordechai.
Let’s talk about Babylon for a moment. The great city would have been in modern-day Iraq. It had a city wall that was 56 miles long. By comparison, the interstate highway that surrounds the city of Atlanta, GA, is 64 miles in circumference. So, the city of Babylon, covering some 200 square miles, was almost as large as the city of Atlanta. She was a very cosmopolitan, pagan city, with many opulent temples to numerous pagan gods. A stark contrast to Jerusalem, with its one Temple to the One, true Elohim.
Daniel grew up having heard the prophecies of prophets like Isaiah. Let’s look at what the prophet says in Isaiah 47:8-11. In this chapter, Isaiah is predicting the fall of the Babylonian Empire, but in these verses, he describes Babylon.
8So now hear this,
O lover of luxury who sits securely,
who says to herself,
‘I am, and there is none besides me.
I will never be a widow
or know the loss of children.’
9These two things will overtake you in a moment,
in a single day:
loss of children, and widowhood.
They will come upon you in full measure,
in spite of your many sorceries
and the potency of your spells.
10You were secure in your wickedness;
you said, ‘No one sees me.’
Your wisdom and knowledge led you astray;
you told yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’
11But disaster will come upon you;
you will not know how to charm it away.
A calamity will befall you
that you will be unable to ward off.
Devastation will happen to you
suddenly and unexpectedly.
Do you see the opulence, the sorcery, the reliance on earthly wisdom and knowledge, the spinner of spells? But, the most damning thing that Babylon said about herself was in vs. 8 and 10 “I am, and there is none beside me.” Also, “No one sees me.” Verse 8 is a play on words because this is exactly what God had previously declared about Himself! We see this in Isaiah 45:5.
“I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God.” (ESV)
Deuteronomy 32:39 says similarly,
“‘See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.
Babylon, also called Shinar, was a “me-centric" culture, instead of a God-centric culture. It was a culture that plainly exalted itself above God. On the surface, that can appear very accepting and very welcoming. However, that siren’s song can be very dangerous to living the godly life. We see this today in America. The culture is very open, accepting, affirming and welcoming - - - to everything, except the godliness described in the Scriptures. If we are not careful, we too will, like Daniel and his stalwart, courageous friends, be in danger of losing our identity and integrity as the people of Yahweh, the Bride of Mashiach.
In Daniel's day, t he Bride’s wedding garments were dingy and stained. This is why Judea was conquered. Not only were the people disregarding the God of their fathers, they were living in flagrant opposition to Him. Daniel had heard the warnings about the judgment to come upon his nation for as long as he could comprehend it. Now, it had come true, in the prime of his life.
What would be your response if this were to happen to you? It’s not inconceivable, you know. If Yahweh did not spare His chosen people, what makes us think He will spare America. Although founded by people who worshipped or at least respected the God of the Bible, our country is today beset by a conspicuous absence of truth, all manner of sexual perversion, a constant barrage of lies from all quarters, the legally sanctioned killing of the most innocent, the loss of freedom of speech by those who speak truth the loudest, etc. We have become possessed by the spirit of Babylon, and I have a sense of dread for our future.
Regardless, should that day come, what would be your response? I often ask myself, what my response would be.
I pray it would not be the Stockholm Syndrome. This is a term applied to captives who are held in what we might call “friendly captivity.” That is, they are not free, but they “have it pretty good” there. What happens with Stockholm Syndrome is that the captives begin to turn their opinions and views toward those of their captors. One of the recently released Israeli hostages, said she was kept in the home of a wealthy Gazan family. Thank God, she was not abused. But, I wonder if she ever felt she should just “throw in” with them? I somehow doubt it.
Honestly, it is only by the grace of Father Yahweh that this Babylonian captivity did not spell the end of the Jewish nation. Other peoples who were conquered and scattered are no more. Have met any Hittites lately? How about Amorites? Those civilizations are gone. It is so obvious that Father Yahweh has preserved the Jewish people over the past 4000 years!
Let’s read together Daniel 1:1-4 TLV
In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 God gave King Jehoiakim of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels of the House of God. He brought them into the land of Shinar to the house of his god and put the vessels into the treasure house of his god.
3 Then the king told Ashpenaz the chief of his officials[a] to bring in some of the sons of Israel from royal descent and nobility— 4 youths without any defect, handsome, proficient in all wisdom, knowledgeable, intelligent and capable of serving in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.
So, it was under Jehoiakim’s brief rule that the first wave of captives was taken to Babylon. Daniel and other young Jewish men of nobility were in that first group.
Note in verse two that Nebuchadnezzar took some sacred items from the Temple on his first foray into Jerusalem, but that the Temple was not fully “sacked” until sometime later. Jeremiah 27:19-20 makes reference to this. It is interesting to also note that the Ark of the Covenant did not go to Babylon. I’m not going to get off on that rabbit trail, but will merely say that it is widely believed by the Jewish sages that King Josiah and the prophet Jeremiah conspired together to protect and to hide the Ark of the Covenant, foreseeing what would lie ahead for the nation.
Who was Ashpenaz? He is called the Rav Sarim. “Sar” is a Hebrew word meaning “commander” or “prince”. There is a difference of opinion among the commentators as to whether or not Ashpenaz was merely one of the chief officers, or if he was a eunuch. It was customary in antiquity for rulers to have eunuchs administer their courts' affairs. Because of this, many believe that Ashpenaz was a eunuch and that the others who served in Nebuchadnezzar’s court were eunuched as well. That would include the group of Jewish young men - - Daniel and friends - - who were taken as captives to serve in the king’s court, the group referred to in verses 3-5. One of the key arguments for this position is the prophecy of Isaiah 39:5-7. Let’s take a look at that passage.
5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah: “Hear the word of Adonai-Tzva’ot, 6 ‘Behold, days are coming when everything in your house, which your fathers have stored up to this day, will be carried to Babylon—nothing will be left,’ says Adonai. 7 ‘Moreover, some of your descendants—who will issue from you, whom you will father—will be taken away and will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’”
You see, Hezekiah had made a strategic error during the last 15 years of his reign. The fledgling kingdom of Babylon had sent a goodwill entourage to Hezekiah. Feeling “full of himself” I guess, Hezekiah gave the envoys a full tour of Jerusalem, his palace, his riches. After he did this, he got paid a visit by Isaiah the prophet, who told him the full impact of what he had done. These verses are often glossed over, but it is entirely possible that the descendants referred to in verse 7 could have included Daniel, who we know was of noble birth, and his friends.
However, other commentators hold to the more traditional interpretation of “sarim”, that Ashpenaz was merely a high-ranking official. Scripture does not record Daniel as having any offspring. But, I will leave it to you to decide what you think.
I also want to point out here a directive from the prophet Jeremiah, who served somewhat after Isaiah (although there was some overlap). After the people were taken away, he sent them this message:
Jeremiah 29:4-7
4 thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot, the God of Israel, to all those in captivity, whom I removed as captives into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:
5 “Build houses and live in them; also plant gardens and eat their fruit; 6 take wives and have sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 Also seek the shalom of the city where I took you as captives in exile, and pray to Adonai for it—for in its shalom will you have shalom.”
This message followed Daniel to Babylon, because he went in the first wave of captives, and the letter accompanied the last king, Zedekiah, and the last wave of captives. However, its message pertains to what Daniel and his compadres faced, when they realized the destiny Father Yahweh had prescribed for them in Babylon. They were to seek the peace of Babylon and to pray to Father Yahweh FOR it. That does not mean, however, they were to give up their Jewish identity, while taking on lessons about what it meant to be a “good Chaldean”.
Interestingly, if you recall, Abraham came out of “Ur of the Chaldeees”. So, in a way, the Jews were being taken back to scene of where it all began, weren’t they?
At any rate, Daniel and his fellows were students in Chaldean University now, perhaps after having been eunuched, which would have been a severely traumatic experience, to say the least. These young men were already highly educated, quick of mind, sound of body and good-looking, to boot. They were creme de la creme of Judaism.
Soon, they were to face their first major test. Verse 5
5 The king allotted them a daily portion from the king’s delicacies and from the wine that he drank. They were to be trained for three years, and at the end they were to stand before the king.
The king was so concerned about the "Babylon-ization" of these boys that he personally dictated their education, nutrition and care. They were provided the finest food in the land of Babylon. To the Gentile mind, this business about the king’s delicacies is all just part of the Shinar Palace Package. That’s because Gentiles have few if any dietary restrictions, unless they are imposed by health conditions or just by personal preferences. However, eating according to God’s dietary laws given to and through Moses was and is an integral part of being an Israelite, later a Jew. To be asked to eat non-kosher food was “a bridge too far for Daniel and his Jewish friends, as we shall soon see.
First, though, as part of the process, the young Jewish teenagers were given Chaldean/Aramaic names. It was the custom in those days to change the name of those who became elevated to royal positions, as certainly Daniel, Chananyah, Mishael and Azaryah were. Interestingly, these are the only four whose names are mentioned in this context. Were there more Jewish youths in the Chaldean Conversion Program? No doubt. But, these four are integral to the story of Daniel, and for this reason they are mentioned as having their names changed. The name of Israel’s God “El” and “Yah” was imbedded in each young man’s name. That must have rankled Nebuchadnezzar exceedingly. Here’s another example, to illustrate what I’m trying to say. Adam and Eve doubtless had more children than Cain, Abel and Seth. Otherwise, it would not be possible to populate the earth. Since the other scores of children, most likely, were not integral to God’s story, their names have been lost to history. Same principle.
So, Daniel was re-named Belteshazzar; Daniel means “El is my judge”; Belteshazzar means “Bel protect the prince.” Chananyah (Yah has acted graciously) was renamed Shadrach (the command of Aku, the moon god). Mishael (Who is like El?) was renamed Meshach (Who is like Aku?). Azaryah (Yah has helped) was renamed Abedneggo (Servant of Nabu, son of Baal). Each one was renamed after one of the Babylonian gods, in an effort to change the entire identity of the name-bearer.
When I was a public school administrator and led in schools with family cultures that departed from Judeo-Christian values, the staffs and administrators soon learned that we were pretty powerless to change the culture/values of the students. What they had learned at home was just too firmly ingrained. So, if a kid learned from his parents it was ok to steal, he would come to school and steal. As an alternative, we taught kids that they needed to “code switch”. When they came to school, they had to switch to the rules and culture of school, not because it was “right”, because we had no basis for convincing them of that, when it came down to it, the reason being there was not a moral code which was mutually held. It was a matter of their success that they code-switch when they came to school and did it again when they went home.
The Hebrew children in the Babylonian court had to do something similar. They had their “court names” and their true Jewish names. When Daniel, in his book, mentioned his name, he usually used both names, the Jewish and the Babylonian, for the sake of clarity. When King Neb was narrating, in chapter 4, Daniel’s Babylonian name was used. In chapter 2:49, Daniel refers to his 3 friends by their Babylonian names, because he is referring to matters of the king’s court. However, it is doubtful he called them privately by anything other than their birth names. Code-switching.
Were they thoroughly assimilated, thoroughly re-branded? No, thank Heaven, they were not. Verses 6-10 - - -
8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the king’s delicacies or with the wine he was drinking, so he entreated the chief official for permission not to defile himself. 9 Now God caused the chief official to show mercy and compassion to Daniel. 10 But the chief official said to Daniel: “I fear my lord the king, who allotted your food and your drink. Why should he see your faces looking poorly, unlike the other youths your age? Then the king would have my head because of you.”
You might be wondering why Daniel did not just “eat around” the non-kosher items on the table. In those days, the meat and the wines (apparently) had been offered as sacrifices to idols before reaching the table. These foods did double-duty. The Jewish sages have debated extensively as to how far this went, with one interesting comment being that getting addicted to Babylonian food would promote intermarriage with them. I thought that was curious...the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, as the adage goes. But, no, the sages said that eating and drinking with pagans broke down walls of social resistance and promoted stronger social bonds, which could ultimately lead to intermarriage, something strictly forbidden.
Notice how Daniel did not rationalize on this theological point about the food and drink. He did not say, “I’ve been through a lot; I deserve a break from God’s dietary laws.” This is a form of spiritual seduction, where we seduce ourselves into doing what we want to do, as opposed to what God has commanded. Worldliness over godliness. It takes a strong faith to resist the deep indoctrination of worldliness. And, Daniel had that faith. He also had resolve. Look back at verse 8. Daniel RESOLVED to stand firm in the ways of Yahweh. The Hebrew literally says, that he “put it upon his heart”.... He set his face like flint, as did Isaiah speak of in Isaiah 50:7. Then, he consistently walked out his faith in the one, true God. Godliness is never accidental, nor is victory a happenstance, a coincidence. These are essential components of integrity. I’ll bet Daniel had been walking in integrity even before he was brought to Babylon.
“But Daniel....”
By his example, undergirded by the causal actions of God, Daniel showed himself a leader. He was able to attain not just for himself but also for his fellow Jews the opportunity to avoid defilement and for his God to “show out.”
Amir Tsarfati pointed out in his book, “Discovering Daniel”, that God already knows what our choices will be. He knew Daniel would stay true to the laws of Torah. Therefore, He prepared the situation in advance, to be a situation that would bring Him (Yahweh) glory. This is why we need never fear obeying God, in any situation. He has gone before us, and He will continue to be with us. Daniel had a lot to fear, in “bucking the system”. Essentially, his refusal could have been seen as a brazen attempt to subvert the king’s authority. Fortunately, the LORD had prepared the overseer’s heart, and he went along with the experiment, even though his neck was also on the line.
Having cleared that hurdle, Daniel went to the guy in charge of the distribution of the food, the steward.
Vs. 11-14
11 Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days, giving us just vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king’s delicacies, and treat your servants according to what you see.” 14 So he listened to them in this matter and tested them for ten days.
So, the race was on. Vs. 15-16
15 At the end of ten days their appearance looked better and their bodies healthier than all the youths who ate the king’s food. 16 So the guard took away their delicacies and the wine they were supposed to drink and gave them vegetables instead.
The sages say that the improved appearance of the righteous foursome was due to not only a healthy kosher diet, but also because of the peace of mind the young men had in living according to God’s dietary laws. The sages also say that the steward took their rations appointed by the king and enjoyed them himself, although the Scriptures don’t actually say that.
Some have taken this passage as a justification for a vegetarian diet. While that is permitted, it is not required, since the days of Noah. It’s interesting to note, as I’ve stated in the Holy Cow interviews, that people lived to be several hundred years old on a vegetarian diet. But, there were other earth conditions that were quite different before the Flood, and the Mosaic law requires some eating of meat.
Ok, onward. It has been pointed out that, since the king would not have contact with the Chaldeans-in-Training for 3 years, that there was little chance this “test” would be discovered. That may have been true.
Maybe I’m reading it incorrectly, but verse 16 seems to say that the Fearsome Foursome were in appearance so far superior to the other young men in the program that they immediately went to “the head of the class” and then ALL of those in the program got their wine and delicacies taken away and replaced with vegetables and water. That must surely have made the rest of the guys like Daniel and friends a WHOLE lot!
Vs. 17
17 Now as for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and proficiency in every kind of wisdom and literature, and Daniel could understand all sorts of visions and dreams.
As Beth Moore put it, the four young men “became culturally relevant, without becoming spiritually irrelevant.” The sages say that all four stood out and excelled, because of the mercies of God, but perhaps because of his courage in leading the way, Daniel received from God the additional bonus of being given the ability to interpret dreams and visions. Daniel’s spiritual giant predecessor, Joseph, also a stranger and alien in a foreign land (Egypt) had been given by Father Yah a similar gift, and as Joseph said in Genesis 40:8 “Do not interpretations belong to God?” As Joseph likewise stood out among his brothers, Daniel was the class valedictorian!
Vs. 18-21
18 At the end of the time set by the king to bring them in, the chief official presented them before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 When the king spoke with them, he did not find among all of them anyone like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. 20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers throughout his realm.
21 Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.
Daniel was well into his eighties and possibly as old as 100 (Jehoiakim to Cyrus) at the time King Cyrus took the throne. (It depends in which King Cyrus you think vs. 21 is referring to...Darius the Great who came to power right after the Persian conquest of the Babylonians OR Darius/Cyrus, the son of Queen Esther and Ahashuerus, who ruled some 15-20 years later.) Verse 21 seems to indicate that Daniel was there to oversee the governmental transfer and that afterwards, when King Cyrus made a decree throughout his kingdom that whoever wanted to go up to Jerusalem could go (see Ezra 1, verse 3) Daniel, although quite aged, took that opportunity to return home.
There’s lots more to Daniel’s story before that happens, however, and we will continue in chapter two next week.
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