Jeremiah 19:1-20:18
Daniel 1:1-21
We came to the end of the warnings about the fall of Judah and it
finally happened. Jeremiah was the prophet alive at the time; he, unfortunately,
witnessed it all. “I will hand the people of Judah over to the king of
Babylon,” says the Lord. “He will take them captive or run them through with
the sword. I will let her enemies plunder Jerusalem. All the famed treasures of
the city will be carried away...” (Jeremiah 20:5).
After all of the warnings, the event was described in only two verses
in Daniel.
“During
the third year of King Jehoiakim’s reign, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came
to Jerusalem and besieged it with his armies. The Lord gave him victory... When
Nebuchadnezzar returned, he took with him some of the sacred objects from the
Temple of God and placed them in the treasure house of his god...” (1:1, 2).
Among those taken captive were four young men — Daniel, Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah, otherwise known as Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Did you notice that the King chose them for his service, for the reason that
they were “strong, healthy, and good looking, and because they were gifted with
knowledge, good sense, and poise”? Then, the king sentenced them, and many more
like them, to a three-year indoctrination process, to turn them into good
Babylonian boys.
However, Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with
the king’s food and wine. Because of Daniel’s determination not to compromise
his convictions, the other three boys joined him; and, because the Lord had
blessed them all with knowledge and wisdom, when it came time for the
evaluation process, these four youth stood out from the others. In fact, “the
king found the advice of these young men to be ten times better!” (1:20).
Daily Reflection
It must have been tempting for these boys to give in to the
hospitality and education of their captors. At least they were alive and being
treated well, right? While that may be true, Daniel saw through the charade. He
discerned what was happening, that by catering to the boys’ desires, they would
let down their guard and accept whatever propaganda they were fed. They were
even given new names, to reflect their changed identities.
But, you will notice that Daniel refused his new name; for the rest of
his book, he will refer to himself by his Jewish name. In other words, although
the Babylonians did their best to change his identity, he remained faithful to
the Lord’s will and ways. As a result, he would influence not only his friends
but the entire kingdom.
Do you see any similarities to the enemy’s strategy with God’s people
today? What are they?
Your spiritual enemy despises the fact that you are a follower of
Christ. He will do everything in his power “to take you captive” by his world
system and by his warped way of thinking. His ultimate goal is to change your
identity into
one who forsakes the Lord to serve his own purposes. You must resist him at all
costs!
Faithfulness to the Lord’s will and ways, however difficult it may be,
will prove to be ten times better in the end! You must not
forsake your identity in Christ for the pleasures or philosophies of the world.
Be faithful to the true King and refuse to give in to enemy schemes.
BiAY.org | Day 218 — 147 Days to Go
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