As reviewed in the previous article, the book of Daniel starts with an account of the city of Jerusalem (in ancient times) being invaded by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (see Daniel 1:1-2). In order to connect some more dots, we learn from 2 Kings 24:14 that the king exiled certain people from Jerusalem, but was somewhat selective in doing so, taking officers, soldiers, tradesmen, and – from what we learn from Daniel 1 – royalty and nobles. While ten thousand exiles might seem like a lot, it wasn’t everyone from Jerusalem.
We might ask why Nebuchadnezzar brought these ten thousand Israelites back to Babylon. It would have seemed easier to leave them in place, or – in the harsh pattern of certain other ancient invasions – to execute them.
For instance, did King Nebuchadnezzar bring these exiles to Babylon…
- To add more skilled contributors to his kingdom?
- To win them over to himself, so that they could help him manage the others from their nation?
- To impose his philosophies upon a conquered people (i.e., indoctrination)?
- To reduce the chance of these leaders rebuilding an uprising against Babylon?
- To make an example of them to other nations?
I encourage you to ponder that question while we learn how some of these exiled Israelites were put into a special “program”.
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— 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. 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.
Daniel 1:3-5 NIV
While Nebuchadnezzar likely had a combination of strategic reasons for doing so, this particular decision – to select some of the top Israelites and treat them well while they learned Babylonian ways and prepared to work for him – seems like it was geared towards influence. And, maybe the king realized that even people he conquered had good things to offer in his kingdom.
We don’t necessarily know how many people were selected for this “apprenticeship program”, but it sounds like the king expected his new help to be fully trained. Nebuchadnezzar apparently didn’t want to have to translate their language or explain things to them. These selected exiles weren’t just being trained as a courtesy: they had work to do.
Notice also that these were – from a human perspective, at least – the “best of the best”. They were not only selected from the Israelite upper class, but were also physically and mentally capable of doing a good job.
I don’t know if one could flunk out of this program, or get kicked out, but given that the king had already demonstrated that he wasn’t going to let opposition stand in his way, I suspect that those who were selected were expected to either do their best or face the consequences. As we find later in this chapter, “washing out” of this program didn’t just put an individual participant at risk, but could reflect poorly on the person who was in charge of it.
While you and I may not have been exiled by a foreign nation, we live in a world that seems to have gone off the rails. For those trying to live in a way that honors God, sometimes life can feel like living in a foreign land, exiled from where we consider home. As the songwriter put it, “This world is not my home. I’m just a-passing through.” (See This World Is Not My Home)
Like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, though, God is still with us, helping us on the journey through this foreign land. Like a missionary or doctor that leaves family and friends to serve far away, or an employee who must travel to earn money, we can still make a great difference around us, even while those of us who follow Jesus Christ look forward to getting home someday.
For those who have been reconciled to God through the salvation that Jesus Christ provides, God didn’t leave us here on earth after our conversions by accident. Let’s not get so focused on our future that we miss out on the present, even if it feels like we’re in a foreign land where hostile forces seek to indoctrinate us.
For those who haven’t yet found their way back to God, but who feel like this world is more than a little broken, there is hope. Not only does God offer complete forgiveness of your sins – past, present, and future – no matter how bad you’ve messed up, but He also has a purpose and a plan for you. Following God might feel out of place in a world that wants to keep you away from Him, but He has something much better in mind if you will only accept His offer. God doesn’t need you to be chosen as the “best of the best”, either. He already made you perfect!
From Sunday School lesson prepared for June 2, 2024
References:
- The Lookout, June 2, 2024, © 2024 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Esther & Daniel, by Mark Mangano. © 2001 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 