Paragraph # 2 Study # 1
August 21, 2022
Broadlands, Louisiana
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Thesis: Nebuchadnezzar made a concerted effort to "Babylonize" the Jews he carried into captivity.
Introduction: In our last study we considered the name-change imposed upon Eliakim by Pharoah-nechoh by which that Pharaoh wished to take the identity of "Elohim" away from "Yahweh" and reduce Him to the status of a mere "tribal deity". From that we saw that there was a clear conflict that existed between Yahweh and the pagan kings of the surrounding territories. The problem for those pagan kings was that they were
entirely dependent upon their military successes for their validation of their exaltation of their "gods". We see this
both in the name-changes that began with the Egyptian pharaoh and continued with Nebuchadnezzar the Babylonian king
and in the fact that Nebuchadnezzar robbed the Temple of the True Elohim and took part of the vessels from this "house of God" and deposited them in "the house of
his elohim". This proves the almost universal point of God's Word regarding human idolatry. It also shows that, no matter what a man's accomplishments may be (massively impressive or simply the ability to "get by"), every man's "bottom line" is the question of the identity of The Final Authority over creation. For the idolaters, this question is
always answered by the demonstrated "Power". The problem with that is that it
both dismisses the real foundation for answering the question (Omniscience, not Omnipotence),
and it allows men to effectually set themselves over their "gods" so that they may justify their own claims to "greatness" until they are defeated by a greater military power (proving, from their point of view, that their "god" is not "God").
This evening ...
- I. The King's Further Attempts To Justify His Theology Of "Might Makes Right".
- A. He instructs Ashpenaz...
- 1. His name is of foreign origin and not given a "meaning-translation". There is some speculation that the name means "I will make prominent" and, in this man's case, that is exactly what the king commanded him to do. That this was actually beyond his ability is clear from the refusal of the four faithful Jews whose "life in God" kept them from being conformed to Babylonian beliefs and practice.
- 2. His position in Nebuchadnezzar's echelon of rulers is "the chief of his officials".
- a. The word translated "officials" is translated in the Authorized Version as "eunuchs" because its origins seem to be tied to a verb that meant "to castrate". However, the Hebrew text has this form of this noun in five places (Genesis 40:2; 1 Samuel 8:15; 2 Kings 24:12 and 15; and Daniel 1:3 which is in a Hebrew portion of his work) and it is highly likely that it does not always mean "eunuch" because other forms of the same word are found in 42 texts of the Old Testament among which is Genesis 39:1, referring to Potiphar (the husband of the woman responsible for Joseph being thrown into prison). Also, 1 Samuel 8:15 uses the word to refer to the king's "officials" to whom he was to give special prizes taken away from the Israelites. It is more than unlikely that a King of Israel would have "eunuchs" as his "chief officials" including his personal bodyguard (Genesis 37:36), as well as the chief authority over his military (2 Kings 25:19).
- 1) Like many texts of the Bible, "castration" has significance across the entire spectrum of man's composition as a body indwelt by a spirit producing a "person" called "a living soul".
- 2) The significance of this "significance across the whole of a man's being" means that there is such a thing as "the castration of the soul" and "the castration of the spirit".
- a) The "castration of the soul" consists (by way of analogy) of the removal from the "person" of the ability "to pass life on from one who has it to one who does not" (Isaiah 56:3).
- b) The "castration of the spirit" consists (by the same way of analogy) of the removal of every ability "to pass 'significance' on to another" as that is something only God can actually do (Isaiah 56:4), and Whose power can overpower the weaknesses involved.
- b. Daniel's point is that Ashpenaz (a name only used here in the Old Testament) was the highest of Nebuchadnezzar's "officials" and was appointed by the king to "Babylonize" the captives of Judah.
- B. "...to bring in some of the captives..."
- 1. "Some" of the "sons of Israel".
- 2. "including some of the royal family" (Hezekiah's downline offspring: 2 Kings 20:18).
- 3. "and of the nobles"
- C. These captives were to be characterized as in terms of what most people think are the characteristics of powerful authority.
- 1. Without defect.
- 2. Good looking.
- 3. Showing intelligence in every branch of wisdom.
- 4. Endowed with understanding.
- 5. Discerning knowledge.
- 6. Having ability to serve in the king's court.
- D. This "chief of officials" was to "Babylonize" these young men.
- 1. By teaching them Babylonian literature.
- 2. By teaching them the Babylonian language.
- 3. By providing them with "choice food and drink" on a daily basis.
- 4. By educating them for three years for the purpose of serving in the king's personal service.
- E. This included Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
- 1. These four were "renamed".
- a. Two had original names referring to "Elohim".
- 1) Daniel's name meant "Elohim is my judge". He was renamed Belteshazzar in reference to the Babylonian "god" Bel who was "to protect"; note Darius' use of Daniel in his question of "protection".
- 2) Mishael's name meant "Who is what Elohim is?" He was renamed Meshach which apparently means "Who is?" or "The shadow of the prince".
- b. Two had original names referring to "Yahweh".
- 1) Hananiah's name meant "Yahweh has been gracious" (this is the Hebrew equivalent of the Greek "John"). He was renamed Shadrach which possibly means "command of Aku" (Babylonian god of the moon) which would be a direct contradiction to "grace".
- 2) Azariah's name meant "Yahweh has helped". He was renamed Abednego which meant "servant of Nebo" (the Babylonian "god" who was identified as "The Confounder" whose primary method of "confounding" was false prophecies).
- 2. This was to contradict their Hebrew names.
