“The king ordered…young men in
whom was no blemish, but well-favored and skillful in all wisdom, and cunning
in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to
stand in the king’s palace.” Dan.
1:3-4
Nebuchadnezzar
is considered the greatest king in the Babylonian Empire (605BC-562BC). After
conquering and destroying Jerusalem, this exceedingly powerful, brutal and
outrageously ambitious king issues and unusual order. Instead of killing or
enslaving all Jewish captives, this king uncharacteristically sets forth qualifications to invite some of them into
his innermost circle. (Picture a present day carnal dictator desiring to entrust
himself and his kingdom to young men of Jehovah God! Crazy, huh? But this is
God, Who was and is and is to come, directing the steps of kings, proving
“Heaven rules” Dan. 4:26; Dan. 5:21.)
Now,
the credentials for this king’s most trusted future advisers and servants are
what we are going to observe below. (Qualities young Jewish boys must possess, to serve the king):
Without
any physical defect “m’uwm”:
without physical defect or moral stain
Well-favored “towb”: pleasant, agreeable, of good understanding, ethically good;
“mar’eh”: appearance, supernatural
vision, power of seeing
Skillful
in all wisdom
“sakal”: to be prudent, be
circumspect, wisely understand, have insight, have comprehension, be prudent,
act wisely, to cause to prosper; “chokmah”: skill in war, wisdom in
administration, prudence in religious affairs, ethical shrewdness
Cunning
in knowledge
“yada’”: to know, be acquainted with,
to perceive, see and discern, to have knowledge, to make known, to be skillful
in, to reveal oneself; “da’ath”: perception, skill,
discernment, understanding, wisdom, and knowledge
Understanding
science “biyn”: to show oneself discerning
or attentive, consider diligently, to give heed to, to have insight and
understanding, to instruct/teach; “madda”: mind, thought, intelligence
or consciousness
Such
as had ability “koach”: human strength, strength
of angels, power of God
In
them to stand
“’amad”: take a stand, become servant
of, present oneself, be appointed, ordain
Look
at the magnitude of these qualifications: Young Jewish men, set apart and found
to possess no moral or physical stain. They were ethically good with
supernatural insights, wise understanding, possessing wisdom and skill in
practical affairs, war, and religion, and pleasant to the eye (handsome). They
had the ability to discern truth and to teach these truths with the strength of
angels and power of God. ~And Nebuchadnezzar appointed them for his personal
service. Wow. A small spark in Neb’s heart understood the value of Truth.
If
God influenced a man like Nebuchadnezzar, He can certainly influence evil leaders of our present day. ~May we faithful Believers call upon our God in Spirit and
Truth, begging Him to show Himself real to our country’s leaders and kings of
the world. Amen and amen.
We
are in this together. Much love and hugs, ~Shaun and Betsy
