Story 2: The Fall of Jerusalem
Daniel 1:1-7
The mighty army of Babylon stormed through the land of Israel in 605 BC. It had conquered the nations of Egypt, Syria, and Persia in a sweeping campaign of war. Then Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, laid siege to Jerusalem and defeated the city. His vast troops surrounded the city walls and waited while the Jews inside trembled with fear. Days and weeks past and they began to run out of food and water. People were growing weak. Many began to starve and die.
Finally, King Nebuchadnezzar stormed in with his final defeat and ransacked the city. He began taking prisoners and sending them off to live in the nations he had conquered. It is easy to control people who are alone and afraid. He emptied the land by forcing the people into exile.
The royalty of Israel was sent to Babylon. He destroyed the Holy Temple built by Solomon and tore down the walls of the city. It all happened just as Moses had said it would happen. It happened just as the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah had said it would. God is ruler over time, nations, and all people. God is ruler over history. His chosen servants had spoken His Word in total faithfulness.
King Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, was taken to Babylon. So were four young men named Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. They were probably only fourteen or fifteen years old, and they were probably descendants of King Hezekiah. In the eyes of the world, the king of Babylon brought great honor to himself by having the royalty of conquered nations serve him in his court.
The Bible says that Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were each very handsome and strong young men. They had no physical flaws, and they had brilliant minds. Perhaps because they grew up as royalty, they were able to hold themselves with the dignity and honor fitting a royal court. King Nebuchadnezzar brought them to Babylon, and for three years they were trained by the very best tutors in the world. These young men were taught the great world languages and literature of their time.
King Nebuchadnezzar had conquered all the great nations, and now Babylon was the most powerful empire in the world. He was the most powerful man alive, and he liked to show his power. When he invaded Jerusalem, he robbed the Temple of the Jewish God to show he had no fear of their Lord. He took the best and brightest of Jewish youth so he could convert them to the Babylonian way of life. He would impose his will over Israel’s greatest treasure-her sons. It would be another form of victory to convert young men like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah to the ways of Babylon. The battle did not end in Jerusalem. These boys would have to decide whether they would give in to the demonic idolatry and sin of their new homes, or if they would take a stand for their Lord.
Nebuchadnezzar’s officials changed the names of these boys from names that honored the God of Israel to names that honored the gods of Babylon. In Hebrew, the language of Israel, Daniel’s name meant “God is my judge.” It was changed to Belteshazzar, which is a word that pleads with Bel, a Babylonian god, for protection. In the same way, Hananiah, or “the God of Israel is gracious“ was changed to Shadrach, which means “command of Aku, the moon god.” In Hebrew, Mishael meant “who is what the God of Israel is” was changed to Meshach which means “who is what Aku, the moon god, is?” Azariah, or “the God of Israel has helped”, was changed to Abednego, or “the servant of the Babylonian god Nego.”
These young men had no choice about taking the Babylonian names. But there were many other choices ahead that they could make. Would they turn away from their covenant with the God of Israel? Would they reject God’s laws and follow the ways of Babylon? Or would they honor God by standing strong for Him? The king of Babylon had challenged the Most High God. He had destroyed the Temple of the Lord and ruined His holy city. Now the battlefront would be in the lives of these young men.