"CHANGE OF NAMES COULD NOT STOP THEM"

Post date: Jul 25, 2017 4:01:38 AM

These four Hebrew men Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah  were captured and imprisoned indefinitely; their names were changed to reflect the idol god of the Babylonians to spite them spiritually and physically; were taken from the camp of the Almighty God of Israel and placed in the camp of the enemy’s Babylon god, yet in that very situation they were, through that same physical, spiritual and emotional trouble, nothing was able to humiliate them out of their right minds with their God, nothing changed their decisions, nothing changed their views of the God they knew and worshiped, nothing changed their trust for Him, their believes in Him and their decisions to follow and depend on Him; nothing was able to frustrate them out of their faith, and nothing was able to stop them from being fulfilled according to desires and plans of the Almighty God for their lives. Daniel’s name changed to Belteshazzar, Hananiah changed to Shadrach, Mishael changed to Meshach and Azariah was called Abednego yet these four men were fulfilled in their God. I don’t know what name you have been given by your enemies which are different from what you were given by God and known by your family and people before. According to the good plans of God, according to His desire and by His power, you will not fulfill the plans of the enemies but the plans and desires of the Almighty God.

Despite the names, Daniel became an adviser; Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were advanced in the kingdom. “During the third year of King Jehoiakim’s reign in Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. The Lord gave him victory over King Jehoiakim of Judah and permitted him to take some of the sacred objects from the Temple of God. So Nebuchadnezzar took them back to the land of Babylonia and placed them in the treasure-house of his god. Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief of staff, to bring to the palace some of the young men of Judah’s royal family and other noble families, who had been brought to Babylon as captives. Select only strong, healthy, and good-looking young men, he said. Make sure they are well versed in every branch of learning, are gifted with knowledge and good judgment, and are suited to serve in the royal palace. Train these young men in the language and literature of Babylon. The king assigned them a daily ration of food and wine from his own kitchens. They were to be trained for three years, and then they would enter the royal service. 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: Daniel was called Belteshazzar. Hananiah was called Shadrach. Mishael was called Meshach. Azariah was called Abednego. But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods. Now God had given the chief of staff both respect and affection for Daniel. But he responded, I am afraid of my lord the king, who has ordered that you eat this food and wine. If you become pale and thin compared to the other youths your age, I am afraid the king will have me beheaded. Daniel spoke with the attendant who had been appointed by the chief of staff to look after Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water, Daniel said. At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king’s food. Then make your decision in light of what you see. The attendant agreed to Daniel’s suggestion and tested them for ten days. At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king. So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the food and wine provided for the others. God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams.” Daniel 1:1-17. That’s our God. For prayers, Click here