A Little History of Babylon
The Bible’s first mention of Babylon comes in genesis 10. This chapter is referred to as the table of nations as it traces the descendants of Noah’s three sons. In the genealogy of Ham, Genesis 10:8 tells us: “And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.”
Babylon has its beginnings steeped in rebellion. Fueled by pride, the people preferred to “make a name” for themselves and build a city with a high tower. This, they thought, would enable them to remain together in defiance of God’s command to “be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth”. The tower of Babel was a post-flood rebellion against God by Noah’s descendants (Genesis 11:1-9). God saw that their heart was evil and that there was nothing to restrain them from doing what they imagined to do. They chose to rebel against God rather than following His command. God sent judgment by confounding the language that brought an end to the building of the tower, and scattered them upon the face of the earth to fill it. The attempted “one-world kingdom” fractured and came to an end.
Hammurabi rose to power. He made many conquests and wrote a code for just about every aspect of life for his citizens. Babylon became one of the most powerful cities of the ancient world under the rule of Hammurabi. Babylon was rich, powerful and was an influential city, however, it was short-lived and fell apart after Hammurabi’s death and reverted back to a small kingdom for many centuries.
Centuries later, a new line of kings established a Neo-Babylonian Empire that spanned from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea. During this period, Babylon became a city of beautiful architecture and hanging Gardens. Again, Babylon rose to power from 626-539 BC. It is during this time that Nebuchadnezzar II reigned in Babylon from 605-562 BC. His kingdom was luxurious and prosperous. This is where we will pick up the story in Daniel 1.
The Israelites
The people believe God is going to deliver them no matter what, but they do not take an account of their sin and how they have turned away from God. They did not take to heart that those blessings or curses was always before them. They expect God to save them ‘in’ their sin even though they are not following or obeying Him. They have a sense of entitlement, forgetting that God is no respecter of persons (2 Chron. 19:7; Job 34:19; Rom. 2:10-11; Gal. 5:6; 1 Peter 1:17). They are sorely disappointed, but they only have themselves to blame.
God is in the business of saving us ‘from’ our sins…not saving us ‘in’ our sins.
Daniel and His Friends
We need to understand that Daniel was being raised around the worship table, and his parents were teaching him from the Old Testament. This included the prophets Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah and their prophecies regarding the result of rebellion as in blessings or curses. He was familiar with these prophecies about the coming captivity, and it was unfolded before eyes.
Daniel knew one day the Messiah would arrive and he determined to stay faithful. The book of Isaiah talks about the Prince of the Covenant which is Jesus. For example, in Isaiah 53 it talks about how He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. As we go through the Book of Daniel, we see Daniel’s faithfulness to God and his word.
Verses 1-2:
1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.
2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.
Further study: Jeremiah 25:8-11, 2 Kings 24:13-16.
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon
Why did God give his people over to Nebuchadnezzar?
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Nebuchadnezzar was a man full of pride, and thought highly of his conquest of Jerusalem. He was so smug that he took some of the holy vessels from the house of God, and placed them in his temple as a treasure to his god. In his arrogance he was proclaiming that his god was more powerful than the God of the children of Israel. God is preparing a work to be done in the life of the king.
Nebuchadnezzar thinks he has taken God captive, but in reality, God has come as a guest. This is God’s plan, not Nebuchadnezzar’s. God allowed this to happen, and God has a purpose and it is through His mighty power, love, mercy, and grace that He Himself will be exalted. Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian citizens, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, and the other Hebrew captives; all had a blessing set before them. Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians had an opportunity to come to the God who created heaven and earth; Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah had an opportunity for their faith to be strengthened, speak boldly for God, and be a witness for those observing; and the other Hebrew captives to repent and return their heart to God.
As with us, once we understand His purpose, it will strengthen our faith, encourage us to be obedient, and prepare us for life’s trials – especially during the final movements in Earth’s history as we will see later in our studies.
King of the North and King of the South Terms
What direction did Nebuchadnezzar come from and why is that important?
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Looking at the map, we can see that a desert (Judaean Desert) prevented Nebuchadnezzar traveling westward to Jerusalem. Notice the red path and you will see that he had to travel north and then turned southward to Jerusalem. From this perspective, in his initial siege he came from the north; thus ‘king of the north’. The ‘king of the north’ term has a much deeper meaning that Nebuchadnezzar alone. As we continue, we will see the ‘king of the north’ in greater detail and its significance in the end of time.
The reason that Nebuchadnezzar took siege of Jerusalem was to because he did not want the Egyptians to cut off the Babylonian trade routes to the eastern Mediterranean region known as the Levant, so he invaded and laid siege to Jerusalem to block them.
Nebuchadnezzar is referred to as king of kings, coming from the north, with horses, chariots, and military might, thus the king of the north. He traveled several hundred miles in his conquest of Jerusalem. In this first siege he takes captives of which Daniel and his three companions are taken. His attention gets distracted (more about this below) and he pulls away from Jerusalem to address another issue that has risen. Note: The ‘king of the north’ has prophetic implications. The type foreshadows the anti-type, and we will study this in detail when we get to Daniel 11.
Look at the map again and locate Egypt. Egypt is south of Jerusalem. We can visualize the distance that the Israelites traveled after the Exodus out of Egypt to the Promised Land. So, we can see how Egypt would be referenced to as king of the south. The ‘king of the south’ has prophetic implications. We will study this in detail when we get to Daniel 11.
Egypt, which sits south of Jerusalem, has aligned themselves with their archenemy the Assyrians to attack Babylon at Carchemish (Battle of Carchemish).
Josiah, King of Judah, went to meet with Pharaoh Necho. Why? The concern was that Assyria took Israel captive much earlier, so Josiah was attempting to protect Judah from an attack like Israel had suffered. Pharaoh Necho told him this battle did not concern him and to leave them alone for God had sent him. Josiah disguised himself and went to make war anyway and was killed (2Chron. 35:19-23). Remember, The House of David was divided after Solomon’s death, Israel became the Northern Kingdom and Judah became the Southern Kingdom. An observation, there is division between the north and south.
This is the issue that distracts Nebuchadnezzar’s siege of Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar goes to Carchemish and defeats Pharaoh Necho, the king of Egypt (king of the south). He also defeats what was left of Assyria. The ‘king of the north’ defeating the ‘king of the south’ has prophetic implications. We will study this in detail when we get to Daniel 11. Note: Years earlier Babylon joined with the Medes and took the Assyrian city of Nineveh down.
The ‘king of the north’ and the ‘king of the south’ are fluid not static. So, as history continues we see entities that rise having these characteristics. The climax is manifested in the end of time, and as stated earlier the power behind them both is the same power who is the mastermind of deception. This power is none other than Satan who will come as the counterfeit Christ while manipulating these end time entities bring about a time of trouble that the world has never seen. We are not fear mongering, this is fact; and we have nothing to fear for God as long as we keep our eyes on Jesus for he will take us through.
After the defeat, Nebuchadnezzar once again turns his attention to the glorious land (the people of God) because Judah refuses to pay him tribute. Remember, he has laid siege once to Jerusalem already and taken captives, including Daniel and his three friends. As he surrounds Jerusalem, Egypt causes another stir. Nebuchadnezzar keeps Jerusalem surrounded while he utterly defeats Egypt, moving them out of the way, there is no more obstacles to stop Babylon. It is after the second battle with Egypt, that Nebuchadnezzar turns his focus on the glorious land (God’s people) and besieges Jerusalem. The glorious land; meaning God’s people, has prophetic implications, we will study this in detail in Daniel 11.
Bible References – See: Ezekiel 26:7; Jer. 25:8-9, 46:1-2*,13.
Note: The concept of ‘king of the north’ and ‘king of the south’ is an important concept. Here we are looking at the literal king of the north and king of the south. It is what these two entities represent that is vital to know, for there are spiritual applications and it has significance in the end of time scenario. We will dig deep into the meaning of ‘king of the north’ and ‘king of the south’ when we get to Daniel 11 and 12 and as it relates to end time prophecies. We will come to understand the meaning behind these terms/concepts.
*Note on reckoning time: In Jeremiah 46:2 it states ‘in the fourth year’ which is Babylonian reckoning, which is ‘in the third year’ of Jewish reckoning…some commentators say it was at the end of the third year which was the beginning of the fourth year – so, Daniel 1:1 and Jeremiah 46:2 has no discrepancy.
Jumping ahead for a moment to verse 5: Once Nebuchadnezzar takes captives, he mandates or enforces that they eat from his table and drink the wine of Babylon. For the moment keep in mind the ‘wine of Babylon’ which is another important concept to as we study the end time scenarios. We will learn that the ‘wine of Babylon’ is false doctrine. See: (Jer. 51:7; Rev. 14:8, 18:3).
God Humbles Himself
Why does God humble Himself before a Nation?
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God is showing that he works through humility, and it is because of His love he is exalted. He is interested in saving people from the consequences of living for self. He humbled himself before the nation of Babylon, not because he lacks the power to snuff them out, but because he wants to save them. God wants to save the Babylonians, he wants to save his captive people, he wants to save the nations; so, he comes in this way to provide opportunity and warning, just as He did when he came to earth and put on flesh of mankind. See: John 10:14-18.
This story reflects to us what Christ came to do by: humbly coming to Earth as a babe, living the life of a carpenter, stepping into his ministry as a humble servant to people with an unfailing message of hope and love. When he was baptized and anointed by the Holy Spirit, he began his ministry. The first thing he did was conquer Satan. How? In the wilderness, through the temptations. This is where Adam and Eve failed, but Christ was successful. He went to the cross freely on our behalf to pay the wages that we owe for our sins, AND, rising victoriously conquering death and the grave.
God’s people were humbled through an idolatrous nation. They were called to be a light and bring the message of promise to those living in darkness, unfortunately they failed miserably. God did not leave them there, he continued to teach them that apart from him they have no hope. He showed them that going their own way and deciding what is good or evil for themselves leads to destruction. He provides them with another opportunity to return to Him and to follow his instruction which leads to life.
As we will see later, Nebuchadnezzar eventually is humbled; initially coming to an intellectual knowledge of God and later a full heart conversion.
In this Babylonian experience, God’s faithful were strengthened. Daniel, Meshack, Shadrack, and Abednego were pillars of the faith, not wavering even in the face of death but exalting God in each circumstance that was before them.
God has people in Babylon today, this is an end-time context of spiritual Babylon where God has people. And, God will use special people just like he used Daniel and his friends in the end of time. There are parallels we can draw all the way through Daniel and how it relates to us in our day.
In all of this, God was exalted. Just as God gave Jesus Christ into the hands of Pilate and into the hands of the enemies only to be lifted-up on the third day.