![]() Nebuchadnezzar’s food was deceptive food. ![]() Personally, I think it has more to do with Proverbs 21:1-3 (which Daniel would have known) than anything else. Only one other person will know about this. While I think there is some hint of truth there, all indications are that this “boycott” is private. They are letting the king know that they will not be co-opted, they won’t fold, and they won’t fully become immersed in Babylonian society. Here, I think, we are getting a bit closer to the truth. No, it seems that something else is taking place. It’s possible that this is the reason, but why learn astrology? And why abstain from the wine? And it seems from Daniel 10:3 that at some point, he did eat Babylonian food.ĭoes it have to do with idolatry? Are they simply not wanting to offer food offered up to idols? Perhaps, but again this is sketchy because the Babylonians would have offered up all of their food to the gods, even the veggies that they did eat. Their diet would have been filled with unclean meats. Some have theorized that it is because the food would have been forbidden according to Levitical law. The one place where they refused to acquiesce was in regard to the king’s food and wine. These are significant issues, and yet it seems that none of these young men lodged a protest. Daniel became Belteshazzar, which means “the divine lady protects the king.” All indications are that when one of the Babylonian leaders shouted Belteshazzar, the artist formerly known as Daniel would have turned his head in acknowledgment. Often their names, like Daniel, carried with it a meaning like “God is my judge.” But the Babylonians switched them to pay homage to their deity. Even their names were changed to reflect their new status as Babylonians. They, surprisingly, didn’t draw a line in the sand here. Daniel could read a sheep liver with the best of them. Rather than refusing the assignment, it seems that Daniel and his friends rose to the top of their class. And yet we read nothing of their objections. Leviticus 19:26 and 20:6 are pretty explicit in their condemnation of this practice. It’s important to know that divination is strictly forbidden in the Old Testament. There is no indication that Daniel and his friends balked at this request. It would be tossed aside, and they’d have to learn Aramaic and Akkadian. They believed Hebrew to be a sacred language. What would be required of them to fit in with Babylonian culture? What Would it Take for Daniel to Fit In?įirst, they would have to learn a new language. It’s interesting to think of all they would have encountered in these three years. ![]() But certainly, there would be lines that shouldn’t be crossed. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.įitting into the culture of Babylon is, in part, what faithfulness would look like. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Increase in number there do not decrease. Marry and have sons and daughters find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down plant gardens and eat what they produce. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |