Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
Jerusalem had fallen, the temple treasures were in Babylon, and the captives now stood inside a pagan palace. So why does Scripture pause to name four young men of Judah — and what happens to their names in a city full of idols?
The capture of these young men was not an accident of war. God had warned Hezekiah about it generations earlier — and He used the same event for mercy.
Hezekiah once received the messengers from the king of Babylon. Their attention flattered him, so he showed them all the treasures of his kingdom. Isaiah was then sent to him with this message: "Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house... shall be carried to Babylon. And some of your own sons... shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon" (Isaiah 39:5-7). The opening verses of our chapter show Isaiah's prediction fulfilled. But note this: in carrying out His own word in judgment, God remembered mercy. Out of these very descendants of Hezekiah He raised up witnesses for Himself in the middle of Babylon's idolatrous corruption.
Each Hebrew name said something about the God of Israel. That is why Babylon replaced them.
Daniel means "God is my judge"; Hananiah, "Beloved of the Lord"; Mishael, "Who is as God"; Azariah, "The Lord is my help." These beautiful names were soon changed to names with pagan meaning, to blot out the very memory of Jehovah. Daniel becomes Belteshazzar (Bel's prince); Hananiah becomes Shadrach (lit up by the sun-god); Mishael becomes Meshach (who is like Shach — Venus); and Azariah becomes Abednego (the servant of Nego).
The new name came with honour attached. One writer sees it as the first move in a longer campaign — flattery first, force later.
Daniel's name was changed to Belteshazzar, which means "Bel's prince," or "he whom Bel favours." This may have been a snare of Satan. By giving him a name and a place of honour tied to the chief god of the land, it would draw Daniel away from the worship of the one true God — and away from loyalty to the God whose name was woven into the name his parents gave him in Israel. The enemy of God and of our souls is that cunning. By both flattery and force he seeks to turn us from loyalty to Christ, whose blessed name is called on us — "Christians." The enemy tries flattery on Daniel and his friends first. When this fails to seduce them into idolatry, he tries the burning fiery furnace and the lions' den.
Israel as a nation had failed as God's witness. Yet the light did not go out; it moved to Babylon.
The people of Israel were God's witnesses in a world wholly given over to idolatry (Isaiah 43:10). God had set them in a high position to shine for Him, but their unfaithfulness cost them that place. Yet He never lacked a small remnant true to His name and His interests. Here, in the capital city of this king who sat in darkness, four of these lights shine out. The light that was despised in Jerusalem is now radiant in Babylon.
The king of Babylon wanted these young men at his court — on his terms.
He would seek to decorate his court with the leaders of God's people. He wanted the royal line, the princes, and men who were good-looking and marked by wisdom, knowledge and learning. The religious world will use the people of God for its own glory. But it cannot tolerate their God, their obedience to His word, or their separation from its own evils.
Every outward support for their faith was gone. They obeyed anyway.
They had lost every privilege of the temple, and the temple itself lay in ruins. They were captives at the mercy of a pagan king, pressed with every sort of alluring temptation. Yet they held the Nazirite's place of true separation through obedience to the word of God. No doubt Daniel's faith and energy acted on his companions and led them to follow him in the path of God's will. But if so, the others were willing to follow. All four are striking proof that God's grace is enough to sustain His servants in the worst circumstances imaginable.
- Named — Scripture names four young men of Judah at the moment judgment falls. God remembered mercy while He carried out His own word.
- Renamed — Each Hebrew name declared something about God. Babylon swapped them for the names of its idols to erase the memory of Jehovah.
- Courted — The world wanted their wisdom and their looks for its court. It did not want their God or their obedience to His word.
- Tested — Flattery came first. The fiery furnace and the lions' den came later. The honour on offer was the opening move, not the last one.
- Shining — The light despised in Jerusalem shone in Babylon. God's grace holds His people when every outward support is gone.
And the prince of the eunuchs gave them names to Daniel he gave [the name] Belteshazzar, and to Hananiah, Shadrach, and to Mishael, Meshach, and to Azariah, Abed-nego.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.