I. God’s Sovereignty
seen in Daniel’s coming to Babylon.
A. Daniel and his
friends taken to Babylon (1:1-7).
1. The geo-political
situation (1:1-2)
1:1: In the third year of the
reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to
Jerusalem and besieged it.
v “In the third year of
the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah…”
o
A distinct
chronological reference; chronology the backbone of real history. NOT set in the
milieu “once upon a time…”
o
“In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim;” 605 BC, the year of
Nebuchadnezzar’s great victory over the Egyptians at Carchemish.
o
Question: Is there a contradiction with Jeremiah 25:1 & 46:2 (“in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah”)?
o NO! Best solution to
apparent difficulty: Daniel & Jeremiah using differing dating systems.
o Daniel using Tishri system (starting the head of the
year in the fall), Jeremiah using the Nisan
system (starting in the spring).
o Tishri used by Judahite royalty to date their
reigns, corresponding to the fall harvest.
o The Nisan reckoning followed the Jewish
religious calendar—and also was in harmony with the Assyrian & Babylonian
systems.
o Conjecture: Jeremiah used a system consistent with
Babylon, because that’s where the people were going! Daniel, however, looks
forward to a future for the Hebrew people back home.
v “Nebuchadnezzar king
of Babylon…”
o Son of founding
Neo-Babylonian (Chaldean) king Nabopolassar,
who died that year, 605 BC. Nebuchadnezzar means “Nabu protect the boundaries.”
o In 605 BC, Nebuchadnezzar humbles Egyptian
Pharaoh Necho at Carchemish,
conquers Palestine, and returns to Babylon to be crowned.
o “…came to Jerusalem
and besieged it.”
First of his three incursions into the Promised Land (605, 597, 586 BC).
1:2: The Lord gave Jehoiakim
king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels of the house of
God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and he
brought the vessels into the treasury of his god.
o
“The Lord;” Adonai: emphasizes God as supreme Master, pointing
to His sovereignty and lordship over the situation.
o
“gave Jehoiakim…” A petty, impious, vindictive, small-minded,
and wicked king.
o Infamous for his impiety
in cutting up and burning the original Jeremiah
scroll (Jer. 36:23).
o Also known for his
vindictive pursuit and murder of Uriah
for prophesying in the spirit of Jeremiah (Jer. 26:20-23).
o The Chronicler’s summation of his ungodly
reign: 2 Chron. 36:5-8.
o
“…along with some of the vessels of the house of God…” Nebuchadnezzar made a demonstration of the
superiority of his gods—but wishing to appear politic and moderate, and seeking
to avoid rebellion, only took “some” of the sacred articles, and left the
Temple intact.
o Contrast Nebuchadnezzar’s handling of the sacred
articles of the Hebrew God YHWH with that of Belshazzar (Dan. 5:2-4).
o
“and he brought them to the land of Shinar…” Ominously recalls
the Tower of Babel (Gen. 11:2)—the land to which wickedness is banished (Zech.
5:11).
o
“to the house of his god…” The warrior-god Marduk, the head of the Babylonian
pantheon of gods—who may have originated as a later deification of the hunter/conqueror
Nimrod (Gen. 10:8-12).
Summation:
o Despite all outward
appearances, God is sovereign, and completely in control of events.
o It was not
Nebuchadnezzar’s brilliance and strength, nor Jehoiakim’s foolishness and
weakness that served as the determining factor with regard to these events. Rather,
it was God’s will.
o The wickedness of the
Hebrew people and their leaders is the reason that the Babylonians prevailed
and the covenant curses came upon them (2 Chron. 36:14-21, Hab. 1:6)—not the
superiority of Babylon’s false gods.
o God has His own
purposes in allowing the wicked to seemingly prevail for a season.
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