Episode 1 Slaves!

The Mountain Audio

Our Verse: Dan 1:3 “...young men of Judah’s royal family and noble families...were brought to Babylon as captives.”
Welcome back to the Daniel adventures! It's one of the most exciting stories in the Bible. A young man's one of a kind adventure serving God. Now, Part 3...Slaves!
It was a grim day. Destruction all around, merciless executions. Surrender into the brutal hands of Babylonian troops. A deal was cut. “Give us the hostages. Give us your gold. We'll let you live.” A puppet government was established, the hostages collected and it was over, but not for the hostages. They were transported 600 miles over land to Babylon; there to be brainwashed, reprogrammed to Babylonian standards. Remove the brain trust from conquered enemies and they became pliable, controllable and taxable!
One of these hostages was Daniel. From noble, maybe royal heritage, he was an intelligent boy about 20 years old. Ripped from everything familiar, he had no idea what lay ahead. But... God had big plans for him!
Once in the enemy capital, the hostages were processed. New names, new food, new language, it was a blur of the unfamiliar. Only the quick learners survived, those who couldn't cut it, were out. Daniel and his friends crammed high speed courses of Babylonian language, history and culture. After 3 years, final oral exams before the king himself! High tension test, pass or fail.
Here's what happened on exam day:
“The king talked with them, and no one impressed him as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.”
All four passed with flying colors! They would serve the greatest empire in world history and perform 10 times better than anyone else.
Next episode- No evil food for us!
Backgrounder info:
It's nearly 600 miles from Israel to Babylon through arid, terrible country. Our political hostages were probably stunned by the industry and development as they neared the capital city.
Finally, they arrived before Babylon's massive gates. (some suggest 2 chariots could race along the top of the city walls.) It's king, Nebuchadnezzar, had conquered much of the Middle East, what we call the Fertile Crescent, modern day Mosul and Baghdad, Iraq. The King selected the best and brightest from conquered nations to be trained as advisors. These young prisoners could be formed (read brain-washed) to the Babylonian philosophy. They could also return to their homelands as puppet leaders for the King. They were enrolled in a massive cram course, three years long, learning the Babylonian language, literature and science. Only fast learners- Mensa level types, survived the course load! The language was completely different for the hostages. Grasping the academics was massive, and while they learned it, they had to learn all the culture and manners as well. Only with God's help could they thrive and excel. Tune in soon for more on The Daniel Adventures.
Note: Daniel's 3 friends are referred to in this episode by their Hebrew names. Find their Babylonian names in Daniel 1:7