DANIEL SIMPLIFIED
CHAPTER 1.4
Gleanings
from the Book of Daniel:
A
Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series
DANIEL
Chapter
One
The Early Life of Daniel in Babylon
The Outline of Daniel Chapter One
1. The Deportation of Judah (Vv. 1-2)
2. The Design of Nebuchadnezzar (Vv. 3-7)
3. The Deportment of Daniel (Vv. 8-16)
4. The Development of Daniel (Vv. 17-21)
Review
At the beginning of the Babylonian
Captivity, approximately 50 to 75 noble Hebrew youths were taken along with an
enormous amount of Temple treasures (about 606 to 605 B.C.). As was the custom,
King Nebuchadnezzar indoctrinated them into the Babylonian culture by enrolling
them in a three-year educational and social training program.
Rather than becoming common slaves, Nebuchadnezzar
was preparing the youth to stand in his court on behalf of their people. Three
main functions were as follows:
1. They were to practice servanthood in
his government
2. They were groomed to socially grace the
royal court
3. They were instructed in administering
Jewish affairs
2.
The Design of Nebuchadnezzar
(Continued)
(Verse 4)
Children (youth) in whom was no
blemish, but well favoured, and skillful in all wisdom, and cunning in
knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom
they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.
Historians agree there
were approximately 50 to 75 young male youths taken during the first
deportation. Besides Babylon’s Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the
Ancient World, culturally, Babylon was infamous for its enormous library. This
would be significant to the hostages for their secular education.
Qualifications for Hostages Taken
In invading a country,
Nebuchadnezzar knew that the greater treasure was not its coffers of gold or
silver, but their youth. So, during
the first deportation, not just any captive, but choice males were taken back
that met certain criteria.
Notated are some strict and stringent
specifications:
1. They were to be free from physical
infirmities
Having no blemish in the eyes of the Babylonians meant not only possessing a physical imperfection or moral defect but also being healthy.
2. They were to be handsome
Being well favoured, meant having a pleasing appearance, being happy, joyful,
and exhibiting kindness. In antiquity, similar expectations needed to be met in
other cultures as well.
Be reminded of when the Jews chose their
king:
1
Samuel 9:2 – And he (Kish) had a choice and handsome son
whose name was Saul. There was not a more handsome person than he among the
children of Israel. From his shoulders upward he
was taller than any of the people.
3. They were to be gifted in wisdom
Skillful
in wisdom as a
qualification included shrewdness, wit, and intellectual superiority. This also
meant the ability to apply sound truth to any practical situation.
As prince of the Egyptians, Moses was
an exemplar of wisdom:
Acts
7:22 - Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.
4. They were to be knowledgeable
Endowed in knowledge means a person is
well-informed. Knowledgeable is a
word identifying a person who is cunning, prudent, and skillfully
discriminatory, and judgmental at perception.
5. They were to be swift in understanding
Swift
in understanding is
another qualifier. One was required to be a person who was sharp mentally and
endowed in comprehension and perception
6. They were to have the abilities of class
servanthood
To stand and articulate well in the
king’s court was to act as a servant of the king and/or on behalf of the king
in his absence.
7. They were to be potential instructors
of the language and literature of the Chaldeans
Upon learning the language, these
Hebrew youths were expected to be bilingual, i.e., gifted in teaching Chaldean
to the Hebrews, and also translating Hebrew into Chaldean.
Indoctrination
Nebuchadnezzar's responsibility to the
captives was not only to maintain their intellectual development but also to
improve their physical development as well. This tactic was designed to
compromise and replace their Jewish roots and values with Babylonian
principles.
Babylon had two main strategies to
denaturalize the hostages and re-program them into Babylonian thought and social
patterns. Their new lifestyle would eradicate all vestiges of their background and
cultural rearing to promote loyalty to the king.
Their program included:
1. To replace Jewish values with
Babylonian values.
2. To re-educate them intellectually
through Babylonian language arts, science, and literature
3. To promote them physically to a higher
standard of living. This was cleverly accomplished by providing them with quality
food and drink. They were allowed to eat meat and drink extensively from the
king’s table.
(Verse 5)
And the king appointed them a daily provision
of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three
years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.
King Nebuchadnezzar
not only required educational and physical development, but he invited them to
partake as dinner guests at his table to become acclimated to regal nutrition. Their
provisions were considered an integral part of a three-year training program
before standing in the king’s court. After the three-year initiation, Daniel
most likely would have been about 19 to 21 years old.
Babylonian Cuisine
Daily provisions of
rich food and expensive wines offered were suitable for royalty.
For example, some meats
included:
1. Oxen
2. Pigs
3. Sheep
4. Deer
5. Lambs
6. Geese
7. Fowl
Bread, stews, fresh
fruits, vegetables, fish, shellfish, and creeping things, were also common
staples.
Jewish Dietary
Restrictions
But, most foods were restricted
under Jewish dietary laws:
1. They were to abstain
from unclean animals (cf. Deuteronomy 14:1-21; Leviticus 11)
2. They were forbidden to
eat anything sacrificed to idols or pagan gods (cf. Numbers 25:2; Acts 15:29; 1
Corinthians 8:70)
3. They had a special
cooking process that was Kosher, such as soaking, salting, and boiling. And,
they were not allowed to eat anything that had blood in it (cf. Exodus 23:19;
34:26; Leviticus 11; Deuteronomy 14)
(Verse 6)
Now among these were of the children of Judah,
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
The phrase, Among these, indicates many more
children of Judah. So, of the 50 to 75 Judean youths taken to Babylon, Daniel
and his three friends are mentioned. It appears the king selected solely members
of royal descent from the house of David. Again, the Children of Israel came from the divided Kingdom’s house of
Judah.
(Verse 7)
Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names:
for he gave unto Daniel the name of
Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to
Azariah, of Abednego.
After a select few youths
were chosen for the king’s court, Ashpenaz, prince of the eunuchs, changed their
godly Hebrew names to Babylonian names as part of their reorientation program.
Interestingly, each Hebrew name had a special meaning in relationship to the God
of Israel, and at the same time, gave testimony to their lives and upbringing.
The Babylonian
reasoning, however, was that their new names would erase all vestiges of their
identification, and to obliterate any reference to the true God of Israel. Losing
one’s identity is called brainwashing. Thus, they would be more inclined to
worship the pagan gods of the worldly Babylonians.
Deities of Babylonia
Babylon had a polytheistic
society. It represented a pantheon of gods from different areas of Mesopotamia
that met and assimilated the needs of various cultures, i.e., Sumer, Akkadian,
Chaldean, and Assyrian.
Some of the prominent pagan gods
are as follows:
1. Marduk
(Bel-Merodach) –
The chief god of the Babylonians, father of Nabu
2. Bel
– An Akkadian deity (from Bēlu), a counterpart of Baal, the god of the
Canaanites. He was the lord and master, and also the god of writing and
vegetation
3. Ishtar
– Associated with the planet Venus, she is the goddess of love and war. Additionally,
she is known as Ashtoreth, the Canaanite Astarte (called Sheshach in Jeremiah
25:26; 51:41)
4. Nebo
– The prince of gods, and the god of fire, science, and literature
5. Dagon
– The god of grain, and one of the judges of the underworld
6. Rach
(Ra, Wok) – The sun deity
7. Aku
(Eri-Aku) – The Sumerian moon god
Ignoring
His Covenant, the Judeans forsook God, profaned the Sabbath, and practiced
idolatry with false gods. Babylonian religion always required knowledge of Sumerian
deities, literature, magical arts, astrology, and science.
Meaning of Hebrew and
Babylonian Names
A. Daniel (God is my
Judge)
B. Belteshazzar (may Bel
protect his life)
A. Hananiah (The Lord is
gracious)
B. Shadrach (servant of
the moon god)
A. Mishael (who is what
God is)
B. Meshach (who is what
Ishtar is)
A. Azariah (Yahweh hath
helped)
B. Abednego (servant to Nebo,
or Nabu)
Note: Daniel refers to
his changed name only five times. Significantly, he uses his Hebrew name
seventy-five times.
Name Changing in the
Bible
Changing one’s name is
consistent throughout biblical history. Some examples include:
1. Abram (high or exalted father)
was changed by God to Abraham [father of many nations (cf. Genesis 17:5)]
2. Sarai (princess of Abraham)
was changed by God to Sarah [princess of many nations (cf. Genesis
17:15)]
3. Jacob [he that supplanteth
or follows after (cf. Genesis 25:26)] was changed by God to Israel [a
prince of God (cf. Genesis 32:28)]
4. Joseph’s [the Lord shall add (cf.
Genesis 30:24)] name was changed by the Egyptians to Zaphnath-paaneah [Egyptian,
possibly, governor of the place of life (cf. Genesis 41:45)]
5. Moses (Egyptian, to pull out son, Hebrew, deliverer) was named
by Pharaoh’s daughter (cf. Exodus 2:10)
6. Hadassah (Myrtle tree, a
symbol of beauty, peace, and prosperity: Used for booths at the Feast of
Tabernacles) was given the name Esther (a derivative of Ishtar) when she
was taken into Babylonian captivity (cf. Esther 2:7; see Zechariah 1:8-11)
7. Believer’s (the overcomers)
names will be given a new name by
God in the New Jerusalem (cf. Revelation 3:12)
The following study
will reveal how Daniel conducted himself, and how he maintained his convictions
to the God of Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac in his new setting.
QUESTIONS:
1. What were some qualifications for the
royal captives?
2. Why did they need to pass such
stringent specifications?
3. Why were they privileged to eat from
the king’s table?
4. Why were there three stages of
deportation?
5. Why were the captives given new names?
6. What is the meaning of the name Daniel?
7. What were the Babylonian names given to
his three friends?
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