Rachel Workman: 1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia[a] and put in the treasure house of his god. It says God delivered. This tells us that God is still in control of all things. Good and evil. He allowed his articles to be taken into the temple of false gods. It must have been hard for Satan to have God's presence in his place of worship.
3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— 4 young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians.[b] 5 The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.
6 Among those who
were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7 The
chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to
Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
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John Burnett:
1 In
the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah,
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.2 And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim
king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of
God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia[a] and put in the treasure
house of his god. Israel was not being good at this time so God handed
Judah over to the Babylonians.
3 Then
the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the
king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the
nobility— 4 young
men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of
learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in
the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the
Babylonians.[b] 5 The king assigned them a daily
amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for
three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.
6 Among
those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and
Azariah. 7 The
chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to
Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego. This
shows God sovereignty. He places Daniel and his friends in significant
positions to carry out His purposes.
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Krista Cook:
- I
am always in awe as I read this description. These guys had to be
extremely outstanding - both physically and intellectually. And I would
imagine spiritually, as well. What an honor to be chosen bc of these qualities.
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Allen Michaels: 1 In
the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord
delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the
articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god
in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god. At certain time God allows his work to suffer. In this
instance, the Babylonians raided the temple of God, and took the worship
articles to the temple of a god in Babylon. Those who loved the Lord must have
felt disheartened and discouraged. We feel greatly disappointed when our
churches suffer physical damage, split, close down for financial reasons, or
are wracked by scandals. We do not know why God allows his church to experience
these calamities. But like the people who witnessed the plundering of the
temple by the Babylonians, we must trust that God is in control and that he is
watching over all who trust in him.
3 Then the king
ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s
service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— 4 young
men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of
learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the
king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the
Babylonians. Their qualifications were to be that
they were without any physical defect, handsome, and Intelligent.
Nebuchadnezzar must have had an eye for physical beauty as well as mental
excellence. In a way, the king got more than he had bargained for. These youth
were so spiritually and mentally solid that they did not hesitate to oppose his
majesty in regard to his sinful behavior 5 The king
assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were
to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s
service.
6 Among those who
were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7 The
chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to
Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego. I guess that Nebuchadnezzar thought that he could change their
religious loyalty simply by changing their names.
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Tomorrow’s reading for Daniel 1:8-14
11 Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” 14 So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.
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