A Little History:
After the reign of King Solomon, his son, Rehoboam, and a trusted servant, Jeroboam, divided the kingdom according to prophecy in 1 Kings 11:29-33:
“It came about at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now Ahijah had clothed himself with a new cloak; and both of them were alone in the field. Then Ahijah took hold of the new cloak which was on him and tore it into twelve pieces. He said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes (but he will have one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel), abecause they have forsaken Me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the sons of Ammon; and they have not walked in My ways, doing what is right in My sight and observing My statutes and My ordinances, as his father David did” (NASB).
Rehoboam heavily taxed the people in Israel against Jeroboam’s advice. Ten tribes of Israel rebelled, left Jerusalem, and followed Jeroboam into the north. Two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, remained in the south. Rehoboam became the first King of Judah and Jeroboam became first King of Israel; the divided kingdom. The people in the south became known as the Jewish people; the northern ten tribes as Israel and/or Ephramites.
Jeroboam created two centers of worship in the north: one in Bethel and the other in Dan. He made golden calves and told the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt” (1 Kings 12:28). In the future, for their rebellion against Adonai that never ceased, the northern tribes would be taken captive into Assyria (where Adonai sent Jonah to call them back). Eventually they would assimilate into world cultures, lose their identity as the people of Adonai, and become dispersed to the nations of the world.
Though Rehoboam remained in Jerusalem, he also turned the people away from worshiping the God of Israel. “He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord” (2 Chronicles 12:14).
Over the centuries many kings ruled over Judah, some were faithful to Adonai, others were not. Ultimately, they also received judgment for their rebellion against Adonai by being taken captive into Babylon.
There is prophecy given to Ezekiel that promises to restore the two divided kingdoms by bringing the two sticks – Ephraim and Judah – back together (Ezekiel 37:16-24). This will be a supernatural event that restores not only political unification, but also spiritual unification of the nation and people of Israel.
1. Who was Jehoiakim? When and where was his reign?
2. When does the first chapter of Daniel begin?
3. How was this King related to King Josiah?
4. Read 2 Kings 23. Describe King Josiah’s reign.
5. Who was King of Babylon when Jerusalem was beseiged this first time?
6. What do you know about King Nebuchadnezzar
7. Why was Jerusalem beseiged? What happened to the King and the Temple items? (Read Jeremiah 9:13-15).
A Little Manna: The city of Jerusalem was destroyed this first time with its temple on the 9th of Av on the Hebrew calendar. The second time Jerusalem was destroyed along with the Temple in 70 CE also happened on the 9th of Av. Look up 9th of Av and read about all of the horrible things that have happened to the Jewish people on the 9th of Av. This day has become a day of mourning.
8. Where is Shiner?
Dig Deeper: Learn a little about the three major gods in Babylon. How were these gods and goddesses worshiped? Does their worship remain alive today? How? Read Revelation 17:5 about Mystery Babylon. How do these two Babylon’s compare?
Biblical References to these gods and goddesses
Bel or Baal
Jeremiah 2:8, 23, 9:13-25, Zephaniah 1:4
Inanna or Ashtoreth or Ishtar
1 Kings 11:5, 31-34
She was also known as the Queen of Heaven: Jeremiah 7:18, Jeremiah 44:17-25
Tammuz
Ezekiel 8:14
9. Who was Ashpenaz?
10. What is a eunuch?
11. Why were men made eunuchs when taken into captivity?
12. What type of boys did the king want in his court?
13. There are some scholars who believe that Daniel, Hannaniah, Mishael, and Azaryah were eunuchs. Would you agree? Why or why not?
14. What would be their ‘training?’
15. The boys were given new names. Why? What did their names mean in Hebrew? In Babylonian?
Daniel –
Belt’shatzar –
Hananiah –
Shadrach –
Mishael –
Meshach –
Azariah –
Abednego –
16. Why do you think Daniel made the decision about the food, not defiling himself with the king’s food or wine?
17. Why did Daniel choose to eat only vegetables, beans, legumes?
18. How did God reward Daniel’s request to remain faithful to His dietary commands (Leviticus 11).
19. What did the chief servant fear?
A Little Manna: The number 10 is the number of testing. There were 10 plagues, Naomi lived in Moab 10 years, and there are 10 virgins challenged to keep oil in their lamps. This ten-day test was not about eating only vegetables and legumes.
20. After the ten days, what was the result? Why do you think this was the result?
21. Describe the uniqueness of these boys in Daniel 1:17-21.
A Little Hebrew: The Hebrew ashshaph means conjurers, astrologers.
22. Who is King Cyrus and when did he rule Persia?
23. How long would Judah remain in captivity according to Jeremiah 29:8-12, Nehemiah 1, and 2 Chronicles 36:22-23?
24. How does this account of Daniel’s captivity and his Biblical stands challenge you in your walk with the God of Israel in today’s culture?
25. What one way can you be more like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah?
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