Daniel series lesson 3

Daniel 1:1–3 KJV 1900

1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. 2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god. 3 And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes;

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah.

The Captivity

Jehoiakim was the son of one of the best kings that ever sat upon the throne of David. His father, Josiah, was a fearer of the Lord from his youth. In a period of great degeneracy, he was enabled to live a holy and consistent life.

Convinced that religion is the true source of national prosperity, and that sin is the procuring cause of national calamity, Josiah exerted his royal influence to promote the revival of godliness among his subjects.

The land, however, was ripe for vengeance, and in wrath against it the days of this excellent prince were shortened. He was “taken away from the evil to come.” In the flower of his days, he was slain in the battle of Megiddo, while fighting against Pharaoh-Necho king of Egypt.

After the death of Josiah, his son Jehoahaz was raised to the throne. This appointment being offensive to the king of Egypt, he deposed Jehoahaz, after a reign of three months, and selected, as his successor on the throne of Judah, Eliakim, another son of Josiah, who, on that occasion, had his name changed into Jehoiakim.

The exaltation of such a prince to the throne, in so corrupt a state of society, was a token that judgment was nigh. So early as the third year of his reign, the land was overtaken by the first stroke of calamity.

The minister of Divine indignation was Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. From the days of Manasseh, the land of Judea was tributary to Babylon. But when Pharaoh-Necho conquered Josiah, he obtained the superiority of Judea. Babylon and Egypt were then rival monarchies, struggling with one another for the ascendancy of the world. When, therefore, Nabopolassar king of Babylon heard that Pharaoh had taken Jerusalem and other towns in Palestine, he resolved to make an effort for their recovery.

Through age and infirmity, being unable to head such an enterprise in person, he assumed Nebuchadnezzar his son into partnership with him in the empire, and sent him into Syria. Having conquered the Egyptians on the Euphrates, he marched into Judea and took Jerusalem.

Secular history is generally written, just as it would have been, if no agent had the least influence on the affairs of the world, besides those who are visible to our senses. It traces the actions of man, as if man was all.

It takes no notice, or but little notice, of God. But Scripture history is written on a different plan. It begins with God, as the creator of the world, and throughout, it exhibits him as its governor, everywhere present, and always operating. In an especial manner, it traces all the revolutions that take place in kingdoms--their origin--their progress--their decline and fall--to his sovereign and holy will, as the ultimate cause.

“And the Lord gave into his hand Jehoiakim king of Judah,--a mode of expression which signifies that Divine displeasure was the true and proper cause of this calamity. In a period of defection from God, superstition often usurps the place of religion. When men have ceased to confide in God himself, they often place their confidence in something pertaining to him, and trust in it for protection from danger.

To reprove such a spirit, God usually permits that in which they confide to fall into the enemy’s hand. But while they had no confidence in God, they placed the most overweening confidence in the temple.

They thought, that so long as it remained among them, they was safe. In one of the earlier messages of Jeremiah, God warned them against this delusion (; ). This threatening God now began to execute. Literally, “judgment began at the house of God.” Having entered the temple, Nebuchadnezzar carried away part of the vessels of the Lord’s house.

Jeremiah 4:4 KJV 1900

4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

Jeremiah 4:12–14 KJV 1900

12 Even a full wind from those places shall come unto me: Now also will I give sentence against them. 13 Behold, he shall come up as clouds, And his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled. 14 O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?

These he took into the land of Shinar, the ancient name of the region in which Babylon was situated, and placed them in the treasure-house of his god. Considering the place from which these vessels had been taken, and to whose service they had been consecrated for ages, they may certainly be regarded as one of the most remarkable trophies that ever a conqueror presented at the shrine of his deity.

4:4; Jer_4:12-14). This threatening God now began to execute. Literally, “judgment began at the house of God.” Having entered the temple, Nebuchadnezzar carried away part of the vessels of the Lord’s house. These he took into the land of Shinar, the ancient name of the region in which Babylon was situated, and placed them in the treasure-house of his god. Considering the place from which these vessels had been taken, and to whose service they had been consecrated for ages, they may certainly be regarded as one of the most remarkable trophies that ever a conqueror presented at the shrine of his deity. But victories obtained over God’s people, when they are also triumphs over God himself, will in the end be found pregnant with disaster. Thus, when the Philistines took the ark captive, God glorified himself in a very remarkable manner. And, when he summons the nations to the overthrow of Babylon, one reason mentioned is, to take vengeance on her for what she had done to his temple. “Make bright the arrows; gather the shields; the Lord hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes; for his device is against Babylon to destroy it; because it is the vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance of his temple.” In a subsequent chapter of the Book of Daniel, we shall meet again with these vessels, and see them prostituted, by an impious monarch, to bacchanalian purposes. Jerusalem was taken in the third year of Jehoiakim. We are not, however, to suppose that this was the end of his reign. Having humbled himself, and promised to pay tribute to the king of Babylon, he was restored to his throne, and reigned seven years. Having then rebelled a second time, Jerusalem was again taken, and he bound in chains, to be carried to Babylon, but died by the way. The final overthrow of Jerusalem did not take place till the eleventh year of Zedekiah’s reign, about eighteen years after this period. When we consider that the sins of the Jewish people were so numerous, varied, and aggravated, and that they had been accumulating for ages, it might have been expected, that they would have suffered the seventy years of threatened captivity, from the time when the final stroke of vengeance came upon them, in the reign of Zedekiah. But, “for the sake of the elect, the days were shortened.” The seventy years of the Babylonian captivity did not begin when the temple was destroyed, but when the vessels of the temple were taken away--not when the nation was removed, but when Daniel and a few others of noble birth were carried into Babylon.

But victories obtained over God’s people, when they are also triumphs over God himself, will in the end be found pregnant with disaster. Thus, when the Philistines took the ark captive, God glorified himself in a very remarkable manner.

And, when he summons the nations to the overthrow of Babylon, one reason mentioned is, to take vengeance on her for what she had done to his temple. “Make bright the arrows; gather the shields; the Lord hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes; for his device is against Babylon to destroy it; because it is the vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance of his temple.”

In a subsequent chapter of the Book of Daniel, we shall meet again with these vessels, and see them prostituted, by an impious monarch, to bacchanalian purposes. Jerusalem was taken in the third year of Jehoiakim.

We are not, however, to suppose that this was the end of his reign. Having humbled himself, and promised to pay tribute to the king of Babylon, he was restored to his throne, and reigned seven years. Having then rebelled a second time, Jerusalem was again taken, and he bound in chains, to be carried to Babylon, but died by the way.

The final overthrow of Jerusalem did not take place till the eleventh year of Zedekiah’s reign, about eighteen years after this period.

When we consider that the sins of the Jewish people were so numerous, varied, and aggravated, and that they had been accumulating for ages, it might have been expected, that they would have suffered the seventy years of threatened captivity, from the time when the final stroke of vengeance came upon them, in the reign of Zedekiah.

But, “for the sake of the elect, the days were shortened.” The seventy years of the Babylonian captivity did not begin when the temple was destroyed, but when the vessels of the temple were taken away--not when the nation was removed, but when Daniel and a few others of noble birth were carried into Babylon.

I. Nebuchadnezzar invested Jerusalem, and took it, by the union of his own skill, and the courage of his army, and yet it is here said, “the Lord gave Jehoiakim into his hand.”

From this, we may learn, that there is a twofold agency concerned in all the events that take place in this world,--the agency of man on the earth, and the agency of God in the heavens.

This twofold agency, however, is not co-ordinate. God and man are not possessed of equal efficiency in the production of events, Nebuchadnezzar besieges Jerusalem, but it is the Lord who gives Jehoiakim into his hand. Jehovah is the God of gods, and the King of kings, the First Cause of all events, as well as the First Cause of all beings.

Men may form their plans, and gratify their passions, with the most entire freedom from all control, and yet they will only do “what God determined before to be done.” This is the fundamental truth of religion, whether natural or revealed; the denial of which shows as great a lack of philosophy, as of piety. If the material, or intelligent, creation, was in any respect independent of God, this would sap every rational ground of confidence and composure.

I know few duties more necessary to be inculcated, than this, of connecting outward events with the Divine government. Jehovah is, to a great extent, practically deposed from his throne of providence.

Even many who profess to believe in his supremacy, “put a reed into his hand for a sceptre.” Speculations on the state of the world too generally overlook the influence of God in the affairs that are occurring. In contemplating the world and its affairs, we should beware of looking only to the hand of man. Let us look beyond the creature, to the Creator.

II. The political causes, that led to the overthrow of Jerusalem, are apparent to all.

These causes are not stated in the Book of Daniel.

They are, however, fully developed in the prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah. In mentioning irreligion, as the radical cause of God’s controversy with Judea, it is unnecessary to produce proofs of the assertion from Scripture.

While the outward forms remained, there was such a want of true godliness, that Jehovah loathed and abhorred his own ordinances.

And, when a people cease to fear God, or decline in this, their national character will begin to lower. They will cease to be distinguished for those loftier sentiments, which have their origin in the more strictly spiritual department of human nature, and which, more than anything else, tend to cherish wisdom, courage, genius, and patriotism. When the religious feeling of a country begins to decline, it will be marked by a growing disregard for God’s holy day.

Sabbath desecration is placed prominently among the causes of God’s wrath against Judah.

Religion is the parent and the nurse of all genuine morality.

As might have been expected, from the low state of religion, we find the prevalence of immorality stated as one cause of this calamity that came upon Judea.

“Run ye,” said God to Jeremiah, “to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it “().

Jeremiah 5:1–6 KJV 1900

1 Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it. 2 And though they say, The Lord liveth; surely they swear falsely. 3 O Lord, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return. 4 Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the Lord, nor the judgment of their God. 5 I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they have known the way of the Lord, and the judgment of their God: but these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds. 6 Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased.

Zephaniah in like manner represents the corruption of manners as extending to all classes.

“Her princes within her,” says he, “are roaring lions, her judges are ravening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow. Her prophets are light and treacherous persons; her priests have polluted the sanctuary and done violence to the law.”

Her prophets are light and treacherous persons; her priests have polluted the sanctuary and done violence to the law.” There are some sins particularized by all the prophets. Among these none is mentioned more frequently than deceit. With the prevalence of this the prophet Jeremiah was so affected, that at the beginning of the ninth chapter of his book, he breaks forth in these heart-rending strains, “O that mine head were waters,” etc. (Jer_9:1-8). Covetousness is specified as another sin (Jer_6:12-13). Covetousness is represented as producing fraudulent dealing, and corrupting the sources of justice, because of which the Lord was displeased (Mic_6:10-11). Pride and luxury are also mentioned (Isa_3:16-24). The prevalence of immorality, and particularly, the prevalence of deceit, covetousness, and luxury, may, generally, be considered as symptomatic of the last stage of nations. These operate disastrously in two ways. First, They expose to danger, because they are offensive to God. Secondly, They operate, naturally, to produce a dissolution of the social body. Luxury has the same influence on the social health, that an Asiatic climate has upon an European frame; it enervates and debilitates, and causes premature decay, and death.

There are some sins particularized by all the prophets.

Among these none is mentioned more frequently than deceit. With the prevalence of this the prophet Jeremiah was so affected, that at the beginning of the ninth chapter of his book, he breaks forth in these heart-rending strains, “O that mine head were waters,” etc. ().

Jeremiah 9:1–8 KJV 1900

1 Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, That I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people! 2 Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men; That I might leave my people, and go from them! For they be all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men. 3 And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: But they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; For they proceed from evil to evil, And they know not me, saith the Lord. 4 Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, And trust ye not in any brother: For every brother will utterly supplant, And every neighbour will walk with slanders. 5 And they will deceive every one his neighbour, And will not speak the truth: They have taught their tongue to speak lies, And weary themselves to commit iniquity. 6 Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; Through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the Lord. 7 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; For how shall I do for the daughter of my people? 8 Their tongue is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit: One speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, But in heart he layeth his wait.

Covetousness is specified as another sin ().

Jeremiah 6:12–13 KJV 1900

12 And their houses shall be turned unto others, with their fields and wives together: for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the Lord. 13 For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.

Covetousness is represented as producing fraudulent dealing, and corrupting the sources of justice, because of which the Lord was displeased ().

Micah 6:10–11 KJV 1900

10 Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, And the scant measure that is abominable? 11 Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, And with the bag of deceitful weights?

Pride and luxury are also mentioned ().

Isaiah 3:16–24 KJV 1900

16 Moreover the Lord saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, And walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, Walking and mincing as they go, And making a tinkling with their feet: 17 Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, And the Lord will discover their secret parts. 18 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, And their cauls, and their round tires like the moon, 19 The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, 20 The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, And the tablets, and the earrings, 21 The rings, and nose jewels, 22 The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, And the wimples, and the crisping pins, 23 The glasses, and the fine linen, And the hoods, and the vails. 24 And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; And instead of a girdle a rent; And instead of well set hair baldness; And instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; And burning instead of beauty.

The prevalence of immorality, and particularly, the prevalence of deceit, covetousness, and luxury, may, generally, be considered as symptomatic of the last stage of nations. These operate disastrously in two ways.

First, They expose to danger, because they are offensive to God.

Secondly, They operate, naturally, to produce a dissolution of the social body. Luxury has the same influence on the social health, that an Asiatic climate has upon an European frame; it enervates and debilitates, and causes premature decay, and death.

And deceit is like a secret poison, pent up within the bowels of the empire, and gliding fatally, yet imperceptibly, through its veins.

And covetousness is like a vulture preying on a diseased and disabled victim, while its blood is still warm, and its breath has not gone forth.

And general immorality is like begun mortification, a disease that has no successor in the list of maladies.

Irreligion and immorality, when combined, never fail to produce a bitter and malignant aversion to the cause of holiness and truth, and to their adherents.

Before the overthrow of Jerusalem, the spirit of irreligion did not exist in a state of apathy. It was roused to great fierceness; it stood forth in the form of malignant contumacy, and defiance against the Lord.

His warnings were rejected, his denunciations were scorned, his prophets were persecuted.

III. We shall only mention two things illustrative of the circumstances in which the captivity came.

1. The overthrow of the Jewish state came gradually. Manasseh was first carried captive, then Josiah was slain in battle, Jerusalem was then taken four times by the enemy, twice in the days of Jehoiakim, again in the days of his son, and finally in the reign of Zedekiah.

From this we may learn, that national destruction is sometimes a gradual thing.

It comes in successive shocks, some at a greater interval, and others at a lesser interval.

We are not to suppose, because the sins mentioned prevail in any land, that it shall be instantly overthrown.

It is with nations as with individuals,--the impenitent person shall perish, but God may spare him to a good old age.

Caution is, therefore, necessary, lest we should commit the honour of Christianity, as good men have often done, by denouncing judgment as certainly at hand.

Sin will assuredly Bring it; but the times and the seasons are in the Father’s hands.

2. A second thing very observable is, that before each of these successive shocks of national disaster, God made use of means to promote the reformation of the country.

Before the calamities that came upon the land, in the days of Manasseh, godly Hezekiah, had endeavoured, during a lifetime, to promote a revival of true religion.

The reign of Josiah immediately preceded this disaster in the days of Jehoiakim. In the interval between the death of Josiah and the destruction of the temple, they were warned by divinely-commissioned prophets.

Among others, God employed Jeremiah, a man in whose character, zeal for God was finely united with tenderness to man. And it has been God’s ordinary way, to use means for reforming nations, before their overthrow.

The flood came and swept away the ungodly world, but did not God give them warning? Nineveh was not overthrown till she was called to repentance by the ministry of Jonah.

If God’s government be a moral government, then moral evil must be the cause of all physical sufferings, and of all political difficulties.

Moral evil is the crime, the political evil is the punishment.

Moral evil is the disease, political evil is but the symptom. (William White.)

The Judean Captives

I. INTRODUCTORY.

Nebuchadnezzar is called king, but he was not yet the reigning sovereign of Babylon. He shared the throne in conjunction with his father Nabopolassar. His accession to the sole sovereignty was some two or three years later (compare chapter 1, , with , and chapter 2, ).

Daniel 1:5 KJV 1900

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.

Daniel 1:18 KJV 1900

18 Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.

Daniel 2:1 KJV 1900

1 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.

This captivity is here said to have taken place during the third year of Jehoiakim, while Jeremiah () places it in the fourth. Both statements are true.

Jeremiah 25:1 KJV 1900

1 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that was the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon;

Daniel reckons the three completed years. Jeremiah the fourth upon which Jehoiakim had just entered.

There were three deportations of the Jews in the reign of Nebuchadnezzar;

this--the first--in 606 B.C.,

a second in 598 B.C.,

and the third when Jerusalem was destroyed in 588 B.C.

This captivity appears to consist of nothing more than a number of hostages carried to Babylon, among whom was Daniel and his three friends, whose history, more particularly of the first, is given in this book.

II. THE CAPTIVES.

1. They were of noble birth.

They were selected of the king’s seed and of the princes. Daniel himself was probably of the blood-royal, as we learn in , that David had a son of that name. Josephus says he was the son of Zedekiah.

1 Chronicles 3:1 KJV 1900

1 Now these were the sons of David, which were born unto him in Hebron; the firstborn Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second Daniel, of Abigail the Carmelitess:

It was a sad day at Jerusalem when the most promising of the young nobility, in whom the hopes of the nation were centred, were carried away captive to Babylon.

2. They were distinguished by personal beauty.

The orientals connected a handsome form with mental power.

This, alas! is not always true. Neither spirituality nor intellect appears to be partial to beautiful tenements; but sometimes the purest gem is found in the commonest setting.

When Socrates, now an elderly man, becomes acquainted with Charmides, the loveliest youth in Athens, he is so deeply touched by the charms of this paragon that at first he knows not what to say.

Recovering his self-possession, however, the sage speaks worthily of himself, telling Charmides that the fairest form needs one addition to make the man perfect--a noble soul.

History makes it more than doubtful whether the, Grecian did not fail here; but about the Jewish youth there is no doubt whatever. (John Taylor.)

The Jewish traditions represent Daniel as a tall, spare man, with a beautiful expression.

3. They were intelligent and well instructed.

They are represented as “skilful in wisdom,” “cunning in knowledge,” and “understanding science”: by which is probably meant that they had been well taught in the knowledge of their day and had discovered an aptitude for deep studies.

The Babylonian king designed to induct them into all the lore of the Chaldeans, in order to wean them away from the worship of God and make them subverters of Israel’s national faith. If, therefore, they should be the future prophets of heathenism to their own people, it was necessary that they should be skilful and wise; and if he, indeed, had any such ulterior designs,

it must be confessed he chose his instruments well.

But there was an element in their previous training which he either overlooked or held too cheaply.

If a Jewish youth was taught in science and earthly knowledge, he was yet far better instructed in the truths of his religion.

Nebuchadnezzar will find it difficult to eradicate this deeply-planted faith; and the issue will show that, with four of them at least, he makes lamentable failure.

4. They were very young.

But God can strengthen the hearts of the young and make the mouths of babes and sucklings to render him praise.

Doubtless many a mother, parting with her offspring and sending them forth into life, or to the temptations of collegiate halls, can find comfort in this reflection.

III. THE PROSPECTS OF THESE CAPTIVES.

Considered from a world-standpoint there were two sides to their future.

There were elements of deep sorrow, and elements which might be regarded by some as mitigations of their lot.

1. They were exiles.

This word is enough to excite our sympathies.

So long as the sentiment of patriots remains, exile will be among the saddest of words.

But chiefly to the Jew was exile a bitter misfortune.

Not only patriotic sentiments, but religious, contributed to darken the life of one who was borne away from his loved Jerusalem, where stood that Holy Temple in its glorious beauty, the visible centre of the worship of Jehovah.

Some of the psalms of the captivity reveal the depth of this great sorrow to a Jew, particularly that beautiful song: “By the rivers of Babylon” ().

Psalm 137:1–9 KJV 1900

1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, When we remembered Zion. 2 We hanged our harps Upon the willows in the midst thereof. 3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; And they that wasted us required of us mirth, Saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. 4 How shall we sing the Lord’s song In a strange land? 5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, Let my right hand forget her cunning. 6 If I do not remember thee, Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; If I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy. 7 Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; Who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof. 8 O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; Happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee As thou hast served us. 9 Happy shall he be, that taketh And dasheth thy little ones against the stones.

2. They were cut off from hope of posterity.

They were significantly given into the care of the “prince of the eunuchs,” and the ordinary practice of oriental courts leaves us little doubt of their fate.

This, moreover, had been prophesied ().

2 Kings 20:18 KJV 1900

18 And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.

3. They were to be taught all the wisdom of the Chaldeans.

No doubt much of the Chaldaic learning was valueless, but it is undeniable that they cultivated many useful arts and sciences.

Daniel and his friends would learn new languages unfolding to them new literature.

They would be trained in arts of divination by which they could obtain power over kings, and princes, and the common people.

They would be taught the science of astronomy, which at that day the Chaldeans had carried beyond any people.

They would be educated in the science of politics, rendering them necessary to rulers as advisers.

All this knowledge would of itself give them caste among this new people, would elevate them to position and power.

4. They were to occupy honourable positions in the court of the king.

This opens up many prospects which might fire the ambitions of youth.

We can well imagine, then, that if these had been godless youths this prospect of power, stimulating their ambitions, might have suited to offset the horrors of exile; yet we may be sure that there was not one of them who would not have given all the wealth and splendour of Nebuchadnezzar’s court for one brief day on the hills of Judea, among the comrades of their childhood.

IV. A LESSON.

The prince, their keeper, shall endeavour to make of these Jewish captives, Chaldean sages, and he begins this endeavour by changing their names.

These four are named for the four chief deities of Babylon.

Bel--the Chief-god, the Sun-god, the Earth-god, and the Fire-god. To render this change of character and religion complete all their external relations are correspondingly changed, and a whole new set of influences are brought to bear upon them. And yet, change what they would, they could not reach the heart.

It is beyond man’s power to do that.

How powerless man stands before the spirit of his fellows! (The Southern Pulpit.)

Affairs in Judea

From , we learn that Jehoiakim was raised to the throne of Judah by Pharaoh-Necho king of Egypt.

2 Kings 23:34–36 KJV 1900

34 And Pharaoh-nechoh made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the room of Josiah his father, and turned his name to Jehoiakim, and took Jehoahaz away: and he came to Egypt, and died there. 35 And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh; but he taxed the land to give the money according to the commandment of Pharaoh: he exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, of every one according to his taxation, to give it unto Pharaoh-nechoh. 36 Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Zebudah, the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.

He continued tributary to Egypt three years, but in his fourth year, which was the first year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, a great battle was fought near the Euphrates between the Egyptian and Babylonian kings, and the Egyptian army was defeated.

This victory placed all Syria under the Chaldean government; and thus Jehoiakim, who had been tributary to Egypt, now became a vassal of the King of Babylon. (; ; ).

Jeremiah 25:1 KJV 1900

1 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that was the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon;

Jeremiah 46:2 KJV 1900

2 Against Egypt, against the army of Pharaoh-necho king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon smote in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah.

2 Kings 24:1 KJV 1900

1 In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him.

After three years, the King of Judah rebelled against the King of Babylon, who came against Jerusalem, and besieged and took it, as soon as his engagements with other wars allowed him to direct his attention to Jewish affairs.

The land of Shinar was the ancient name of Babylon. (W A. Scott, D.D.)