During the third year of King Jehoiakim's reign in Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. The Lord gave him victory over King Jehoiakim of Judah and permitted him to take some of the sacred objects from the Temple of God. So Nebuchadnezzar took them back to the land of Babylonia and placed them in the treasure-house of his god. Daniel 1:1-2
Not long ago, I spent the night at my brother's house. Typically, when I am not staying at home, I immediately remember where I am. This time, however, I woke up in the middle of the night, and for a few seconds, I did not know where I was. I was perplexed. I quickly remembered where I was, but I did not forget the disorientation I briefly felt. The feeling of displacement was momentary, unlike Daniel and the other young men who were taken from their homes as exiles to the unknown land of Babylon. Despite the fear and confusion these men must have felt, they stayed faithful to God and their faith in Him.
Daniel 1 tells the story of when Daniel and three other young men's lives were turned upside down instantly. When they were young men, the Babylonians took over Jerusalem and Judah. In this takeover, the king of Babylon ordered young Jewish men to be taken captive and brought to Babylon to serve in the king's palace. Daniel and three other young men, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, were all taken to Babylon. These men were ripped away from everything they knew. They were torn from their family and their friends. They were taken from their culture. The Babylonians even went so far as to change their names. Daniel was called Belteshazzar, Hananiah was called Shadrach, Mishael was called Meshach, and Azariah was called Abednego. These name changes were given to remind these men that they were no longer in Judah. They were in Babylon now. Suddenly, their entire lives had changed.
The situation Daniel and his friends faced was difficult and dark, but they were not alone. You see, God was still working. Verse 2 of Daniel 1 tells us that the Lord had allowed these things to happen. He was working behind the scenes. Jerusalem and Judah were going to learn to trust God and not worship false Gods. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, we find throughout the book of Daniel, were going to have an opportunity to make His name known throughout Babylon. For them, all hope was not lost. God was working still.
My friend, when life brings curveballs, when we are thrown into new places that we would not have chosen, we can find encouragement in Daniel's story. God is working. He is with us. And He can take even the worst situations and change them for good.
Daniel 1:1-7
"During the third year of King Jehoiakim's reign in Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 The Lord gave him victory over King Jehoiakim of Judah and permitted him to take some of the sacred objects from the Temple of God. So Nebuchadnezzar took them back to the land of Babylonia and placed them in the treasure-house of his god.
3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief of staff, to bring to the palace some of the young men of Judah's royal family and other noble families, who had been brought to Babylon as captives. 4 "Select only strong, healthy, and good-looking young men," he said. "Make sure they are well versed in every branch of learning, are gifted with knowledge and good judgment, and are suited to serve in the royal palace. Train these young men in the language and literature of Babylon." 5 The king assigned them a daily ration of food and wine from his own kitchens. They were to be trained for three years, and then they would enter the royal service.
6 Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were four of the young men chosen, all from the tribe of Judah. 7 The chief of staff renamed them with these Babylonian names:
Daniel was called Belteshazzar.Hananiah was called Shadrach.Mishael was called Meshach.Azariah was called Abednego."
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