Digging Deeper: Daniel 1

Daniel 1:1–7 “1 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.”

Does anyone know who Zaphenath-paneah is? How about Hadassah?

Genesis 41:45

“45 Then Pharaoh gave Joseph a new Egyptian name, Zaphenath-paneah. He also gave him a wife, whose name was Asenath. She was the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On. So Joseph took charge of the entire land of Egypt.”

Esther 2:7

“7 This man had a very beautiful and lovely young cousin, Hadassah, who was also called Esther. When her father and mother died, Mordecai adopted her into his family and raised her as his own daughter.”

Daniel (Hebrew): "God is my judge." Derived from Dan (judge) and El (God).

Belteshazzar (Babylonian): "Bel, protect his life." This name directly honors Bel (Marduk), the patron god of Babylon.

Hananiah (Hebrew): "Yahweh is gracious" or "The Lord has shown favor." Derived from Hanan (gracious) and Yah (Yahweh).

Shadrach (Babylonian): "Command of Aku." Aku was the Babylonian god of the moon.

Mishael (Hebrew): "Who is what God is?" An expression of humility and praise regarding God's unique power.

Meshach (Babylonian): "Who is what Aku is?" or "Guest of the king." It cleverly mimics his Hebrew name but redirects the praise to a Babylonian deity.

Azariah (Hebrew): "Yahweh has helped." Derived from Azar (help) and Yah (Yahweh).

Abed-nego (Babylonian): "Servant of Nebo" (or Nabu). Nabu was the Babylonian god of wisdom, literacy, and vegetation.

Why give them new names?

1. Stripping Away Their Hebrew Identity

2. Replacing the True God with Babylonian Deities

3. Demonstrating Royal Ownership and Authority

This brings up the question,

What ways are we letting society influence os in a negative way?

How can we resist the influence of our society when forced to participate?

VS 8-16 deals with how their decision to avoid defilement and I want to simply highlight that this was something “set in his heart” not a spur of the moment decision.

Daniel 1:17–21

“17 God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams. 18 When the training period ordered by the king was completed, the chief of staff brought all the young men to King Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked with them, and no one impressed him as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the royal service. 20 Whenever the king consulted them in any matter requiring wisdom and balanced judgment, he found them ten times more capable than any of the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom. 21 Daniel remained in the royal service until the first year of the reign of King Cyrus.”

The first thing we read her is that God gave…

I want to look at what God gave these four young men and compare that to what the King did.

God gave them “Unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom”

and he gave Daniel “the special ability to interpret the meaning of visions and dreams”

But we also read earlier in vs. 9 that God “Now God allowed Daniel to receive favor and compassion from the palace master”

When God gives you something he does so you can use it.