Background / Context
Verse One:
Daniel's story doesn't begin with much background or context. I suppose
if you are rather familiar with the Israelites' (Daniel was an Israelite) story
as a whole, you will have more context. However, if you just picked up this
book and read it (which I highly recommend), you will find yourself immediately
in the midst of a great siege. It's like going to the theatre and after the
opening credits have rolled, you are immediately bombarded with a battle. You
don't even know who the "good guys" and "bad guys" are yet.
All the first verse tells us is that Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon has
besieged Jerusalem - the homeland of the Israelites.
Verse 2
The opening battle scene soon drifts to a glimpse in the past, an
explanation for what is happening and why. In this verse we discover that God
Himself allowed Israel to be overtaken by the Babylonians. While it is not
clear from the text alone, this was done because Israel had chosen to not
follow the commandments of God. Their hearts had drifted away from Him. Don't
take this verse lightly. Much of the Old Testament is dedicated to God's chosen
people - Israel - fighting for a place to call home. If you know the Exodus
story - how Moses rescued the Israelites from hundreds of years of slavery -
then you know how blessed these people were to at last have a homeland. They
had their own king, their own property, and they were free to worship God
however they pleased. Yet, they chose to follow their own path, and not that of
their true rescuer, God. So God, in an act of punishment, allowed Israel to
lose their freedom once again.
The battle resumes. This is the part where you grip your armrests, you
forget altogether of the popcorn in your lap, or even that this is just a
movie. The choir sings a lamentation as you watch children taken from their
weeping mothers - all in slow motion. It's gripping.
Verse 3
The King of Babylon instructs a man by the name of Ashpenaz (unfortunate
name) to a select group of people to bring back to Babylon with him (the rest
were allowed to stay in Israel under Babylonian rule). These three groups were:
