“Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were four of the young men chosen, all from the tribe of Judah. The chief of staff renamed them with these Babylonian names:
King Nebuchadnezzar (King Nebby) was attempting to make these boys Babylonian. He was trying to change the religious loyalty of these young men from Judah’s God to Babylon’s gods. In Hebrew, Daniel means “God is my judge.”; his name was changed to Belteshazzar, which meant “Bel (the chief Babylonian god), protect his life.” Hananiah means “the Lord shows grace”; his new name, Shadrach, means “under the command of Aku (the moon god). Mishael means “who is like God?”; his new name , Meshach, means “who is like Aku?” Azariah means “the Lord helps.”; his new name, Abednego, means “servant of Negro (the god of learning).
I think it’s really important we take a good look at the integrity of Daniel. There had to be many strong, young boys chosen by the king to “Babylonian(ize).” Only Daniel and his three friends determined in their hearts to keep God’s laws. Think about that. It must have been incredible peer pressure! They were surrounded by a culture that didn’t honor God, but yet they still obeyed Him. Wow! It’s so much easier to resist temptation if we think through our convictions before the temptation arises.
We will get into trouble if we have not previously decided where to draw the line. Daniel and his friends first made the decision to honor God. We are confronted with daily decisions to go God’s way, or to compromise and go the world’s way. Before those situations arise, let’s decide on our committments and what we will do. Then when temptation comes, we’ll be ready to stand and say “no.”
