Over the next 5 weeks or so, we are going to be working through the book of Daniel. Our staff team are writing the reflections.

~~~

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 into his hand Jehoiakim king of Judah, along with some of the articles from the house of God. He carried these off to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, where he put them in the treasury of his god.

3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his court officials, to bring in some Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— 4 young men without blemish, handsome, gifted in all wisdom, knowledgeable, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace—and to teach them the language and literature of the Chaldeans.

5 The king assigned them daily provisions of the royal food and wine. They were to be trained for three years, after which they were to enter the king’s service.

REFLECTIONS

Written by James Davidson

The book of Daniel begins about 600 years before the birth of Jesus. God had already judged the northern kingdom of Israel, and he is about to bring the southern kingdom of Judah to an end as well. Daniel 1 describes the first deportation of a few of the young Jewish nobles to Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar will attack Jerusalem twice more, and the final attack will bring about the destruction of the city and the temple, and the end of Judah as an independent nation ruled by a king in David’s line.

This is the start of the Jewish exile in Babylon. The book of Daniel is all about God’s people living and suffering under foreign powers, waiting for God to intervene and rescue them. And yet, as we see today, some of them were offered special privileges.

Put yourself in the shoes of one of these young Israelite men selected for the King’s Academy in Babylon. Imagine you are a faithful Israelite – you believe the God of Israel to be the Creator God sovereign over all nations. He is your God. You’ve been devastated to see the kings of Judah lead your people away from God and bring down on them God’s discipline through the King of Babylon. And so now you find yourself a captive in Babylon.

But then this amazing opportunity opens up. You’re selected for the three year training program at the King’s Academy to prepare you for service in the palace – all meals provided!

Then your parents pull you aside and say “Son, we know you love God. We don’t want you to abandon your faith. But please keep your head down. Please don’t make a fuss about the details of your faith. Fit in with the other students as much as you can. Go along with the teachers. This could be a great opportunity for our family and all our people. You could rise in this kingdom and be a great help to all your people. You just need to let your faith slide under the radar for 3 years.”

Whenever we enter a new situation – a new course or a new job or a new neighbourhood for example – we are faced with a similar decision. Will we blend in for a while, downplay our faith and try to fit in with everyone around us, or will we – right from the start – be praying for opportunities to identify with Christ and talk about our faith?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James is one of our assistant ministers.