During the third year of Jehoiakim’s reign, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel were alive and walking with the Lord. Their king did not walk with the Lord. In fact, Jehoiakim took the written words of Jeremiah and threw them into a fire. Jehoiakim assumed that he could trash God without consequence. He was wrong. He was captured by his enemies. The Lord had said of Jehoiakim in Jeremiah 22:19, “He shall be buried with the burial of a donkey, dragged and cast out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.”
King Nebuchadnezzar raided the house of God. He placed the expensive items in the house of his god.
In Genesis 11:2, people “traveled from the east and found a plain in the land of Shinar.” Shinar is now commonly known as Iraq. Shinar is where Nimrod’s kingdom began (Genesis 10), the Tower of Babel was built (Genesis 11), and where Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 1) made his home.
According to Genesis 9:1,7, after Noah died, God commanded the Israelites to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” Eventually, as they spread out, they came to an open plain in the land of Shinar (modern Iraq). According to Genesis 11:1–9, there, they built a city with an enormous tower whose “top is in the heavens” to “make a name for” themselves. The Tower of Babel story explains why we have different languages and how Shinar earned a new name... Babel or Babylon which means “confusion.”
Babylon is a code word in the Bible for a kingdom that opposes God. God gives people wisdom and understanding. Babylon fools and confuses people. In Revelation 17:6, Babylon is “drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.” Babylonian kingdoms have caused the deaths of millions of people including some of God’s prophets.
In Isaiah 11:1-12, the Lord gave to Isaiah a prophecy of Messiah for His people...
“There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. His delight is in the fear of the Lord, and He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears; but with righteousness He shall judge the poor and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious. It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left, from Assyria and Egypt, from Pathros and Cush, from Elam and SHINAR, from Hamath and the islands of the sea. He will set up a banner for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.”
Jesus Messiah is the hope of Jews and Gentiles, even those in Shinar, for victory over evil empires. One day, Jesus Messiah will totally vanquish all opposition to love. God’s love will create a new heaven and new earth were there is no more pain or death.
Upon defeating the last antichrist, the Root of Jesse and the son of David — Messiah Jesus — will rule supremely. He will bring His remnant people from the four corners of the world. He will serve as a banner (translated as “signal flag”) as a rallying point for them.
“Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles, young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans. And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king. Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names: he gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abed-Nego.” Daniel 1:3-7
King Nebuchadnezzar wanted to incorporate the brightest minds and best looking people from among his captives into his service. He reeducated them via a three year training program. They learned the language and literature of Babylon. He renamed them after his gods.
Daniel means, “My God is Judge.” Babylon renamed him “Belteshazzar” which means “Bel’s prince.” Hananiah means “My Lord is gracious.” Babylon renamed him “Shadrach” which means “inspired or illumined by the sun-god.” Mishael means, “who is what God is?” or “who is comparable to God?” Babylon renamed him “Meshach” after the goddess Sheshach, the earth goddess of love. It was during her feast that Persia conquered Babylon. Azariah means “My help is the Lord.” Babylon renamed him “Abed-nego” which means “servant of the shining fire.” Thus, instead of honoring the Lord, these men’s names now honored the four leading gods of Babylon: Bel, the chief-god, the sun-god, the earth-god, and the fire-god.
“But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore, he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs. And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, ‘I fear my lord the king, who has appointed your food and drink. For why should he see your faces looking worse than the young men who are your age? Then you would endanger my head before the king.’ So Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, ‘Please test your servants for 10 days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king’s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.’ So he consented with them in this matter and tested them 10 days. And at the end of 10 days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies. Thus the steward took away their portion of delicacies and the wine that they were to drink and gave them vegetables.” Daniel 1:8-16
Daniel and his fellow believers in the Lord did not want to be filled with sumptuous food or alcoholic drink lest they would lose their love for the Lord. While others catered to their fleshly desires, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah focused on remaining in fellowship with the Lord. They risked being ostracized, tortured, possibly executed for refusing to adhere to the king’s agenda, but God gave them favor with their Babylonian appointed overseer.
The Lord said in Exodus 23:25, “You shall serve the Lord your God, and He shall bless your bread, and your water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of you.” In Deuteronomy 8:3, the Lord said, “Man does not live by bread only, but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.” Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah remained faithful to the Lord’s leading in their lives, and He blessed them both spiritually and physically.
“As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.” Daniel 1:17
The Lord gives knowledge, skill and wisdom that the world’s best schools cannot provide (if God does not give it to them). In Exodus 31:3, the Lord “filled him (Bezalel) with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship. In 1 Kings 3:12, the Lord gave to Solomon “a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.” In Job 32:8, Job said, “There is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.” James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”
God gave Daniel understanding in dreams. God made one of the despised covenant-people eclipse the Chaldeans in the very science on which they most prided themselves. The Chaldeans were considered the elite class of people in Babylon.
“Now at the end of the days, when the king had said that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. Then the king interviewed them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore, they served before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them 10 times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm. Thus Daniel continued until the first year of King Cyrus.” Daniel 1:18-21
Proverbs 22:29 says, “Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings. He will not stand before unknown men.” The Lord helped Daniel to excel in his work.
The Lord preserved Daniel against all the threats and plots leveled against him while serving in Babylon. Daniel was one of the first captives taken to Babylon. He lived to see Persia conquer Babylon. Then, King Cyrus of Persia appointed Daniel to serve in his government. In Daniel 10:1, Daniel is mentioned as still living “in the third year of Cyrus.”
God is able to preserve and glorify His Name in the most anti-Christian places. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:22, “All the saints greet you, but especially those who are of Caesar’s household.” Once, I was part of business delegation that met in the Great Hall of the People in China. The Great Hall is one of the locations in China where laws against Christians originate. Yet, by God’s grace, others and myself, shared our faith in Christ with those who sat around tables with us. Nothing is impossible with God.
No one could snatch Jesus until His ministry on earth was complete. In regards to our faith in Christ, Jesus said in John 10:27-30...
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.”
I like to sing the words of the hymn entitled, “Let Us Ever Walk With Jesus” by Sigmund von Birken...
“Let us ever walk with Jesus,
follow His example pure,
Flee the world which would deceive us
and to sin our souls allure.
Ever in His footsteps treading,
body here, yet soul above,
full of faith and hope and love,
let us do the Father's bidding.
Faithful Lord, abide with me,
Savior, lead; I follow Thee.
Let us suffer here with Jesus,
to His image e'er conform.
Heaven's glory soon will please us,
sunshine follow on the storm.
Though we sow in tears of sorrow,
we shall reap in heavenly joy,
and the fears that now annoy
shall be laughter on the morrow.
Christ, I suffer here with Thee,
there, O share Thy joy with me.
Let us also die with Jesus,
His death from the second death,
from our soul’s destruction, frees us,
quickens us with life’s glad breath.
Let us mortify, while living,
flesh and blood and die to sin,
and the grave that shuts us in
shall but prove the gate to heaven.
Jesus, here I die to Thee,
there to live eternally.
Let us gladly live with Jesus,
since He's risen from the dead,
death and grave must soon release us.
Jesus, Thou art now our head.
We are truly Thine own members,
where Thou livest, there live we,
take and own us constantly,
faithful Friend, as Thy dear brethren.
Jesus, here I live to Thee,
also there eternally.”
to His image e'er conform.
Heaven's glory soon will please us,
sunshine follow on the storm.
Though we sow in tears of sorrow,
we shall reap in heavenly joy,
and the fears that now annoy
shall be laughter on the morrow.
Christ, I suffer here with Thee,
there, O share Thy joy with me.
Let us also die with Jesus,
His death from the second death,
from our soul’s destruction, frees us,
quickens us with life’s glad breath.
Let us mortify, while living,
flesh and blood and die to sin,
and the grave that shuts us in
shall but prove the gate to heaven.
Jesus, here I die to Thee,
there to live eternally.
Let us gladly live with Jesus,
since He's risen from the dead,
death and grave must soon release us.
Jesus, Thou art now our head.
We are truly Thine own members,
where Thou livest, there live we,
take and own us constantly,
faithful Friend, as Thy dear brethren.
Jesus, here I live to Thee,
also there eternally.”
Let us like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah ever walk with the Lord!
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