blessed are the meek
“In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.” (Daniel 1:1)
The book of Daniel begins with a tremendous amount of history marking one of the darkest times for the people of God; the Bible is full of details regarding the circumstances surrounding the exile, but if the history of the times is left unknown the significance of the narrative to come will not be read with the impact in which it was written. First, it must be understood that the experienced demise and devastation of the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. did not come without significant warning; death and destruction came to the people of God because the elite ignored the prophets and continued in their folly: “the prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it” (Proverbs 27:12).
“Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the LORD. And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” (Isaiah 39:6-7)
The second thing that must be understood is that this was not a quick one-time event; the destruction of everything sacred—the experience of death, hardship, and grief—lasted for years. Multiple kings—father to son—continued on a path that doomed their people. Daniel was young, but his earliest experiences would have consisted almost entirely of watching his city burn to ashes, hearing the sound of war drums, smelling the disease of death, witnessing the piling of bodies as the carnage continued and Jerusalem was plundered. This is not an exaggeration; it is the reality of Daniel’s childhood. The history for this time can be found in 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Lamentations, and Jeremiah; the book of Daniel dives quickly into the life of a few in exile, but the history of the matter informs us of the world and upbringing in which this remnant lived.
Furthermore, what makes the experience of the exile more heart-wrenching is the ignored lamentations of the heartbroken. Through the poetry of Lamentations, we are shown the despair of God’s people and told that the cries of their hearts are met with apathy. The poet even cries out, while reciting an account of the destruction, that although he has made himself heard, people pass by him unmoved and unconcerned: “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?” (Lamentations 1:12). Nebuchadnezzar conquered, plundered, and burned the holy city sparing only the prophet Jeremiah along with the poorest inhabitants; and, still, the hearts of the people were apathetic and hardened—even when the Temple was plundered.
“And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, 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 placed the vessels in the treasury of his god.” (Daniel 1:2)
It is in the middle of this devastation that we learn about Daniel and his companions. We are told that those who were taken into captivity were good-looking, intelligent, young, educated, and without blemish (which likely implies that they were guiltless of the crimes committed by Jerusalem’s ruling authorities). The narrative of the book of Daniel begins with a march of slaves being led into hostile territory.
“Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king’s palace.” (Daniel 1:3-4a)
What is particularly interesting from the text is that the captivity of these educated slaves served a particular purpose: “…to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans” (Daniel 1:4b). Not only were they made to endure a childhood of war and suffering only to be dragged away in chains and made witnesses of the defiling of their holy relics, but they were also to be educated in all the ways of the enemy. This is particularly interesting because Daniel and his companions do not resist such a purpose; in fact, to the contrary, they excelled in learning Babylonian culture, literature, and customs—and, it’s exciting to know that when we read The Epic of Gilgamesh we enjoy the same story Daniel intently studied! Despite having ample reasons for resisting godless curriculums, the choice was instead to become knowledgable scholars worthy of recognition.
“As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.” (Daniel 1:17)
“And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom.” (Daniel 1:19-20)
While it is important to note that there is no indication that Daniel and his companions allowed their new education to distort their understanding of the truth of God, the desire and effort to become a reliable servant to all (even enemies) is a remarkable theme through the narrative of the book of Daniel. These youths without blemish were not afraid of education, and, one can imagine that their studious efforts may have even helped them form and present Godly counsel through language and imagery understood by the Babylonians. This is an example that should serve as a lesson for us today; we need to understand the cultural definitions, worldly perspectives, and guiding stories in order to engage and serve those around us where they are. After Nebuchadnezzar’s conversion and redemption, Daniel’s counsel likely included fewer references to The Epic of Gilgamesh; but, the relationship had to start somewhere and the efforts of such a start proved eternally fruitful.
The example displayed at the beginning of Daniel also demonstrates a practical application for “blessed are the meek” (Matthew 5:5); the meek are not simply the humble and lowly, but are instead better understood as those who have a rightful claim to resentment and yet intentionally choose to withhold. Few have a greater claim to resentment (on many fronts) than these exiled captives, and, yet, they chose to serve their enemy, to make themselves useful to their captors, and to stand amongst their peers not as those holding fast to rightful resentments but instead clothing themselves with humility. Can we say the same of ourselves today?
History of Daniel
“How lonely sits the city that was full of people! How like a widow has she become, she who was great among the nations! She who was a princess among the provinces has become a slave. She weeps bitterly in the night, with tears on her cheeks; among all her lovers she has none to comfort her; all her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they have become her enemies. Judah has gone into exile because of affliction and hard servitude; she dwells now among the nations, but finds no resting place; her pursuers have all overtaken her in the midst of her distress. The roads to Zion mourn, for none come to the festival; all her gates are desolate; her priests groan; her virgins have been afflicted, and she herself suffers bitterly. Her foes have become the head; her enemies prosper, because the LORD has afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions; her children have gone away, captives before the foe.” (Lamentations 1:1-5)
“At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it, and Jehoiachin the king of Judah gave himself up to the king of Babylon, himself and his mother and his servants and his officials and his palace officials. The king of Babylon took him prisoner in the eighth year of his reign and carried off all the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold in the temple of the LORD, which Solomon king of Israel had made, as the LORD had foretold. He carried away all Jerusalem and all the officials and all the mighty men of valor, 10,000 captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths. None remained, except the poorest people of the land. And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon. The king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officials, and the chief men of the land he took into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.” (2 Kings 24:10-15)
“Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD his God. Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and bound him in chains to take him to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar also carried part of the vessels of the house of the LORD to Babylon and put them in his palace in Babylon.” (2 Chronicles 36:5-7)
“[9] Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. In the spring of the year King Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babylon, with the precious vessels of the house of the LORD.” (2 Chronicles 36:9-10a)
“Therefore he brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or aged. He gave them all into his hand. And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon. And they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem and burned all its palaces with fire and destroyed all its precious vessels. He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia.” (2 Chronicles 36:17-20)
“And he burned the house of the LORD and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls around Jerusalem. And the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, together with the rest of the multitude, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into exile. But the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen. And the pillars of bronze that were in the house of the LORD, and the stands and the bronze sea that were in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans broke in pieces and carried the bronze to Babylon. And they took away the pots and the shovels and the snuffers and the dishes for incense and all the vessels of bronze used in the temple service.” (2 Kings 25:9-14)
“And in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, graciously freed Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life he dined regularly at the king’s table, and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs, as long as he lived.” (2 Kings 25:27-30)