Category: Babylon
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Wisdom: Finding the Right Way to Do the Right Thing
I have enough failed resolutions in my life to appreciate the difference between making up my mind to do something and then actually getting it done. Daniel makes up his mind in 1:8 not to eat what the king is serving – but actually keeping his resolution without dying in a hunger strike is a […]
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What’s His Beef?
We have barely met Daniel (v.6) before we learn that his name is changed to the more Babylonian appropriate “Belteshazzar,” which probably meant something like “Bel (oh, great Babylonian god!), protect his life!” (v.7). Having informed us of this fact, the narrator immediately reverts back to the name “Daniel” (v.8). This narrator will have nothing […]
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All the King’s Not-Quite-Yet Men
Last time I thrilled you with a roll call of King Nebuchadnezzar’s staff. I’m sure you’ve been checking back hourly to see if I’ve written more of this compelling material. At the risk of disappointing you, I thought I’d write next about the guys you actually care about – namely, Daniel & Co., the good […]
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All the King’s Men
Daniel is the most famous person in the book of Daniel, followed by Nebuchadnezzar and Shadrach-Meshach-and-Abednego, but before he rises to fame, we encounter a number of his handlers. Chapter 1 introduces us to a cadre of officials with cameo appearances. In verse 3 we meet Ashpenaz, the king’s head honcho. English translations aren’t quite […]
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An Ancient Hyperlink
Hyperlinks aren’t really anything new under the sun. A book as ancient as the Bible has its own kind of hyperlink – though, unfortunately, they aren’t underlined in blue. You just have to pay close attention to notice them. There’s one in Daniel 1:2. “And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, […]
Three Rubies Press 