Living Temples Are Found in Babylon

Notes

1. It would be well to read 2 Chron. 33:1; 36:7 in order to have early in mind the course of circumstances which led up to the Babylonish captivity. The book of Daniel opens with the simple statement of a conflict between the king of Jerusalem and the king of Babylon, and a record of the fact that the Lord permitted Babylon to conquer Jerusalem. We have already seen that it was because of transgression that this experience came to God's people. 1 Chron. 9:1. Reasoning from the Babylonish standpoint there was abundant evidence of the superiority of the religion of Babylon over the religion of Jerusalem. Back to the land from which Abraham went forth the vessels of the temple are carried, and they are placed in the idol temple at Babylon as tokens of triumph. Those whose religion consisted merely in the ritual service of the temple of stone may well feel that they have lost their religion. The real fact was that as soon as their religion became nothing more to them than a ritual service, it thereby became essentially Babylonish in its nature, and even worse in God's sight because of rejected light. Therefore, Babylon triumphed over them.

2. The Lord's purpose that the gospel shall be preached to all nations through the ministry of those who know the truth is repeatedly set forth. About two centuries and a half previous to the time of this lesson, when Nineveh was the capital of the heathen world, God sent a warning message to that city (Jonah 1:1, 2), and thus saved them from destruction. His purpose is the same for Babylon, and as His people had shut away the gospel message of life from Babylon, even when they sent up to Jerusalem after it (2 Chron. 32:31), He now sends His people to Babylon in captivity, but sends among them those who will give His message in Babylon. The power of the true gospel of the indwelling life will reveal itself even under these apparently adverse circumstances. Although the temple at Jerusalem had been profaned and the typical service interfered with, yet there are those among the captives who will make known the true temple teaching. To open the way for this the Lord stirred up the mind of the king of Babylon to select some of the captives to receive a training to stand before him. The requirements demanded in these youth could best be met by those who had retained the purity of the gospel in their experience, and this naturally gave to Daniel and his three companions places among those selected for the king's court.

3. Judging from the outward circumstances, the religion of Babylon was the best in the world, the wisdom of Babylon was superior to any other, and, naturally enough, the diet of Babylon would be regarded as best adapted to the needs of those who were to be instructed in the wisdom of Babylon. The king of Babylon seemed to recognize a relation between the physical and the mental, and so he provided the very best diet for these young captives, according to the Babylonish standard. Since Babylon has conquered Jerusalem, who shall say that the Babylonish diet does not develop more and better powers, both of mind and body, than any other diet? It was under these circumstances, when true principles had apparently failed, and those who did not themselves know the experience of true principles were likely to become confused, that Daniel and his companions were brought to the front to bear witness to the truth in Babylon.