Post by Admin on May 11, 2017 7:28:13 GMT
We briefly reviewed the historic context of Daniel’s life.
• In 605 BC, Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon defeated Egypt and subsequently invaded Judah. To avoid the destruction of Jerusalem, King Jehoiakim of Judah changed allegiances from Egypt to Babylon. He paid tribute from the treasury in Jerusalem, and gave up some temple artifacts and some of the royal family and nobility as hostages.
• Daniel was probably age 12 to 14 when he was carried off to Babylon in 605 BC by Nebuchadnezzar. He was still living over 70 years later when Babylon was conquered by the Persians.
• In 601 BC Nebuchadnezzar unsuccessfully attempted to invade Egypt and was repulsed with heavy losses. The failure led to numerous rebellions, including Judah, where King Jehoiakim stopped paying tribute to Nebuchadnezzar. So Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem, which eventually fell in 597 BC. Nebuchadnezzar pillaged the city and its Temple, and the new king, and his court and other prominent citizens and craftsmen, and much of the Jewish population of Judah, were deported to Babylon. The first deportation is the start of the Jewish Diaspora (or exile).
• Nebuchadnezzar installed Zedekiah as tributary king of Judah, however, Zedekiah revolted against Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar responded by invading Judah and began a siege of Jerusalem that ended in 586 BC when he broke through Jerusalem's walls, conquering the city. The Babylonians plundered Jerusalem and Solomon's Temple was destroyed. Most of the elite were taken into captivity in Babylon. The city was razed to the ground. Only a few people were permitted to remain to tend to the land.
Among the interesting issues discussed was the various tactics used by the Babylonians to assimilate Daniel (changing names, giving special food, teaching him, treating him well) – and why the special food was the tactic on which Daniel would not compromise. The primarily reason seems to be that it was expressly forbidden in scripture to eat pork and other foods that were included. This led to talking about the tactics by which our culture and environment woos us to be complacent about God’s standards and expectations, and how even the workplace culture is a powerful influence on our behavior.
Daniel did not merely say no about eating the special food, or refuse to cooperate, or create a stir – instead he devised a way to explore an alternative. In our lives, when we meet a challenge to our faith, can we avoid the aggression of direct disagreement in favor of suggesting ways to explore or test our position?
In thinking of Daniel’s character, we collectively felt that much faith and confidence in God had been placed in this young man by his parents and teachers and other influencers.
• In 605 BC, Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon defeated Egypt and subsequently invaded Judah. To avoid the destruction of Jerusalem, King Jehoiakim of Judah changed allegiances from Egypt to Babylon. He paid tribute from the treasury in Jerusalem, and gave up some temple artifacts and some of the royal family and nobility as hostages.
• Daniel was probably age 12 to 14 when he was carried off to Babylon in 605 BC by Nebuchadnezzar. He was still living over 70 years later when Babylon was conquered by the Persians.
• In 601 BC Nebuchadnezzar unsuccessfully attempted to invade Egypt and was repulsed with heavy losses. The failure led to numerous rebellions, including Judah, where King Jehoiakim stopped paying tribute to Nebuchadnezzar. So Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem, which eventually fell in 597 BC. Nebuchadnezzar pillaged the city and its Temple, and the new king, and his court and other prominent citizens and craftsmen, and much of the Jewish population of Judah, were deported to Babylon. The first deportation is the start of the Jewish Diaspora (or exile).
• Nebuchadnezzar installed Zedekiah as tributary king of Judah, however, Zedekiah revolted against Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar responded by invading Judah and began a siege of Jerusalem that ended in 586 BC when he broke through Jerusalem's walls, conquering the city. The Babylonians plundered Jerusalem and Solomon's Temple was destroyed. Most of the elite were taken into captivity in Babylon. The city was razed to the ground. Only a few people were permitted to remain to tend to the land.
Among the interesting issues discussed was the various tactics used by the Babylonians to assimilate Daniel (changing names, giving special food, teaching him, treating him well) – and why the special food was the tactic on which Daniel would not compromise. The primarily reason seems to be that it was expressly forbidden in scripture to eat pork and other foods that were included. This led to talking about the tactics by which our culture and environment woos us to be complacent about God’s standards and expectations, and how even the workplace culture is a powerful influence on our behavior.
Daniel did not merely say no about eating the special food, or refuse to cooperate, or create a stir – instead he devised a way to explore an alternative. In our lives, when we meet a challenge to our faith, can we avoid the aggression of direct disagreement in favor of suggesting ways to explore or test our position?
In thinking of Daniel’s character, we collectively felt that much faith and confidence in God had been placed in this young man by his parents and teachers and other influencers.