Summary

In this verse, we read about a three-year course they have to undergo in order to enter into the king’s service. It is a mighty weapon of Satan to Babylonize the most influential young men among the people of God. If he can pull this off, chances are good that they will influence the rest of the people into feeling like true Babylonians, and that the people will then also start worshipping the Babylonian gods. God’s people are tempted, then, to blend into the world. According to Satan’s thinking, God would then completely reject his people and the Saviour would no longer come. This is the real struggle at issue here. It is the invisible war that is being fought behind the scenes. Even after Christ has come into the world, for the church left in the world there will be a continual struggle against the devil (see John 17:15).

The church - and especially the youth of the church – experiences a significant test at the court of Nebuchadnezzar. The king of Babylon makes use of three means to achieve his goal. These include the following:

• Education

•  Food

•  Different names

Education.  The instruction is aimed at instilling in these boys the science and religion of Babylon and to remove from their lives any deep reverence for the Lord,  which is precisely what is described as the beginning of true wisdom (see, among others, Proverbs 1:7; Psalm 111:10). This is the wisdom the Holy Spirit teaches us from the Bible. These boys are now expected to learn the religion of Babel. They are to gain knowledge of several occult practices. They need to learn what the stars are teaching and predicting for them. The instruction they receive will necessarily contradict the teaching the Lord gives in His Word. These boys are exposed to great dangers, to a great temptation. What wisdom will they allow into their hearts? How do they test all the things they are learning about here in Babylon? How do they distinguish between what is and is not true wisdom? It is clear from the sequel that, for Daniel and his friends, the Word of God continues to be their compass for life.

Food. The second weapon Nebuchadnezzar uses to convert the Jewish boys is the food that comes to the table. They are given the same food as the king – the best, the most expensive and the tastiest! The king spoils these boys in training. It appears very attractive to eat from this menu. You would be very foolish to refuse such delicious food, where the best is offered to you free of charge. It all looks very attractive and yet there is devilish poison hidden here. The poison is that much of what is on the king’s table is unclean for the people of God of the Old Testament. All kinds of foods were forbidden to the people of God according to the law of the Lord in the Old Testament. If these boys, who are part of the people with whom God has made his covenant, eat of this food,  they are entering the path into the world and they will become more and more like the world.

Different names. The third means that Nebuchadnezzar implements to make his plan of indoctrination succeed with these boys is the use of different names. Four of the young people brought to Babylon from Judah are mentioned by name. They are Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Their names bear strong witness to the work of God. Ashpenaz, by order of the king, gives different names to these boys. These young men are to leave their past behind, forgetting the God of their ancestors and of their youth. They need to remember that they are now under the authority of Babylon and the gods of Babylon, and the Lord will no longer be the God who determines their lives. The gods of Babylon are to be served.