Will you take time to read Daniel 1 with me? You've read it before; so let's stop and dig into some of the details we tend to skip over because of familiarity with the text.
In our chronological study we had just a glimpse of King Jehoiakim in 2 Kings 23. It was during his reign that Babylon invaded Jerusalem, and King Nebuchadnezzar carried Daniel and his friends into exile. Notice the description of the young Israelites the king selected in Daniel 1:3-4, "royal family and the nobility-young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king's palace." These kids were the cream of the crop. I cannot imagine what it was like to be taken from their homeland and from their places of importance in Israel to become slaves to a pagan king. Personally, I would have just curled up in a corner and died of depression.
In verses 6 & 7, not only did the king give Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah new names, but he gave Daniel the name of Belteshazzar. I think it is cool that we know Daniel by his Hebrew name instead of his Babylonian name. Throughout the book of Daniel, Belteshazzar is put in parentheses because that is the name the king called him. We recognize him by his God-given name instead. I think it is a terrific example of how a young man stayed true to his godly upbringing rather than conforming to the secular culture.
"But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way." (Daniel 1:8) Would I have had the nerve to make this request of the chief official? Would I have preferred a diet of veggies and water over steak and potatoes and apple pie? Would I have given up after the chief official said no? Daniel did not take no for an answer. In verse 11, he asked the guard to test them for ten days. I had never noticed before that Daniel asked the chief official first and then talked the guard into trying his plan. This also makes me wonder if I have trained my children to value their religious beliefs like Daniel and his friends did. Would my kids stay true to their faith under this type of pressure? Is their faith their own, or are they relying on my faith? My prayer is that God will become very real to my children. I pray they will stand firm in their beliefs, especially when I am not around.
God honored the faithfulness of these four young men. At the end of the test, they were healthier and better nourished than any of the other exiles. In fact, Nebuchadnezzar found the boys ten times better than all the wise men in his whole kingdom. God gave them knowledge and understanding and enabled Daniel to interpret visions and dreams. God took the tragic circumstances of their slavery and used it to form these young men for service in His heavenly kingdom. I am so thankful that these boys took advantage of the opportunity rather than giving up on God. Would we do the same?
Daniel keeping his Hebrew name was about a lot more than just not liking his new name or keeping his Hebrew roots and culture. He was making a stand for his faith. The new names given to all four were names that pointed to Babylonian gods rather than Jehovah. Their names changed. Daniel - "God is my judge" became Belteshazzar meaning "Bel (or Baal) protect his life." Hananiah - "Jehovah is gracious" became Shadrach meaning "the command of the moon god." Mishael - "Who is like God?" became Meshach meaning "who is like Aku?" Azariah - "Jehovah is my helper" became Abednego meaning "the servant of Nego."
ReplyDeleteI was impressed that Daniel conducted himself in such a Godly manner. He didn't rebel and refuse to eat the king's food, he submitted to authority and asked permission, and God gave Daniel favor with the commander.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if this is suppose to say to us that vegetables are good for you! Uggg, I want the meat and potatoes. We always want the things that are not healthy for us, why is that? Because of our fallen nature. I was just talking to a friend today about how we always want what we don't have. Hmmm, but I don't think if I had meat and potatoes, I would instead want vegetables. I am probably totally analysing verses wrong here, but this is what I thought when reading this.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting, Trent, about what the names meant. I never knew that. You know we are still looking for a pastor....Hint Hint Just kidding, but we do miss you bunches!
Thanks for bringing up this point, Trent. It makes me wonder what sacred things in our lives we have given up so that we won't stand out too much in our society.
ReplyDeleteI admire Daniel's submissive spirit too, Mimi. His respect for authority gained him great advantages in the kingdom.
Refusing the king's richest foods was also "about a lot more than just not liking" the food. The Jews followed the strict dietary laws of Moses. I found the following quote at www.jewishvirtuallibary.org. "In his book To Be a Jew (an excellent resource on traditional Judaism), Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin suggests that the dietary laws are designed as a call to holiness. The ability to distinguish between right and wrong, good and evil, pure and defiled, the sacred and the profane, is very important in Judaism. Imposing rules on what you can and cannot eat ingrains that kind of self control. In addition, it elevates the simple act of eating into a religious ritual. The Jewish dinner table is often compared to the Temple altar in rabbinic literature."
Personally, I could stand to be ingrained with self-control at my dinner table!
Did you know that Obesity-related diseases annually cost Americans an estimated $120 billion. Obesity and other weight-related problems have overtaken smoking and are now the single most preventable cause of illness and death in the US. I think all of US could stand to ingrain self-control at the dinner table.
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