Dear WPA,
The last thing i might have imagined in my college days was a link between Thoreau and the PROPHET DANIEL. But THE MOST HOLY SPIRIT did so and i have lived with it for several years. Now several people have shared from the BOOK of DANIEL and what they have received. I guess it is my turn to mess things up.

To me the IMAGE of CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE and TEMPORAL AUTHORITY is nothing more than an "arbitrary" "LINE IN THE SAND". I put the "term" arbitrary into the statement because there will always be those who will call any decision of deciding any DECISION TO STAND as ARBITRARY. I do not agree. And the story of "the children of ISRAEL" in Nebby's Court is the ultimate key.

So let's look at the beginning of the story. JERUSALEM has fallen to THE ARMY OF BABYLON and numerous captives were taken off into "bondage". Yet verse 3 is a point of "demarcation". Ashpenaz was given the "duty" to go among the captives and separate from them those who were related to King Jehoiakim or were "princes". Sons of the "leading families" of the TRIBES of Levi, Benyamin, and Yahuda.

And then he was to "cull" the group and take the best he could find. But look how it was written...
"Children in whom [was] no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as [had] ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans." Talk about "the cream of the crop", the "pick of the litter"(a little dog humor:).

These teenaged boys were special...and Ashpenaz knew what he was looking for. Creating "jannissaries" out of one's captives was a proven way to control "captive people". Make the best and the brightest part of the AUTHORITY SYSTEM and all leadership of possible future rebellion would be isolated from the "common people".

Ashpenaz would use a system where normally those who are "separated for service" would identify more with those in "AUTHORITY" than the displaced people from which they were taken. It was a three year agenda that Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah began whether they wanted to or not.

According to "THE SYSTEM" two things occurred at the immediate beginning. First the "young men" would be completely dependant on a foreign system for all their needs. Second their identities were erased as new names were given to them.

But we immediately see a "line in the sand is drawn". "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself."

Funny, DANIEL, whose name meant "GOD is my JUDGE" did not make an issue of the NAME CHANGE. "SUDDENLY" one who was "GOD is my JUDGE" became "Belteshazzar",
"lord of the straitened's treasure". Hananiah, "God has favored", became "Shadrach", "the royal scribe" Mishael, "who is what God is" became "Meshach"..."guest of a king". And Azariah,"Jehovah has helped" became "Abednego", "servant of Nebo".

Funny that all four youth had names that HONORED their GOD. And suddenly were given names that pointed to their conqueror.

Ever wonder then why Danny drew "the line" with the daily provision from the King's Table. And not with the name change?

I did and got really no where. The CHANGE in NAMES literally destroyed their IDENTITY with THEIR GOD. Yet none of them appear to have said or did anything about it. Now the next verse explains Danny's rational... "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself."

Why would the food and drink "defile" him, and not the name change? It gets more interesting with the next verse... "Now God had brought Daniel into favor and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs."

What we have is a repeat of Joe's story in Genesis. So the issue is if Danny was "in favor", why no issue on the names, and a big to-do about the provision?

Again, the next verse... "And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which [are] of your sort? then shall ye make [me] endanger my head to the king."

Now Melzar, to whom Ashpenaz put them, if the guys were found "lacking" it would be his head that would roll. But Danny had an answer, and everything worked out. Yet why did he not challenge the name change if he "had favor"?

The answer is in THE TORAH. Moses told THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL not to follow idols, worship idols, build idols, or eat the food "given unto IDOLS". When Nebby's pet priests and chaldeans "said grace" it was not to YHVH. And the guys could not EAT. And no where in TORAH did Moses adress names of kids. It seems that to YHVH, what and how the boys were called was nothing to "STAND AGAINST".

Simple isn't it.

Now we see the next "BROOHHAHAH" in Chapter 3 and Danny is not even seen. Old Nebby got one of his brainstorms and built a big idol....and issued orders for everyone to worship it. But Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah drew a line in the sand and would not budge.
We all know that story.

Except there is a point that usually gets missed. They were "ratted on" by "certain Chaldeans".
"Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews."

You see there was a "power problem Nebby had not been watching. And it was all caused by the missing Danny...sort of. You see, chapter 2 was another flash back to Joey...Yacov's boy.
Like ol' Pharoah, Nebby had a real whopper of a night mare. Now all the magic boys of his pagan court wanted to jump in and get the credit for soothing Neb's night vision. Only Nebby changed the rules and told the local psychic HOT LINE to tell him not what the dream "meant" but to tell him what was actually in the dream.

Now in anticipation of their inability, he raised the anti....tell him or else...they all would get chopped. And they all saw THEIR END coming around the bend. Only the "all of them" included 4 guys from JUDEA.

Enter one "Belteshazzar", who literally did the impossible. And Nebby rewarded him...and he passed it on to "the team".  Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise [men] of Babylon. Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel [sat] in the gate of the king.

Now that could not have gone over well with the "old school" types. So they ratted em out. And Nebby had a problem. He had made a rule. And the only guys who would not play along were probably the only honest guys in his government....remember we have no clue where DANNY is. But every thing worked out.

Yet the ploy Nebby fell for was repeated in chapter 6 on the new ruler Darius. By now Danny, "Belteshazzar" was an old man and set in his ways. He obviously could not be bought off. He held to his integrity. So they used their knowledge of his behavior pattern to try to do him in.

So they created a plan whose only goal was to get Danny killed. And he could not care less....and again we know the story.

Danny knowingly "broke a law". True it was a bad law. And once Darius saw why the Chaldeans got him to create the law, he knew he had been used. Only he was willing to "ice" the one man he knew was honest. This ol' Danny had to also know. So why go pray in front of the open windows so all could see?

Now all of this puzzled me for years. Me, i would have found a secret place. Kept it quiet like. But not Danny. Eventually i figured out the only way i'll ever really know is if he will someday tell me...
In a much better time and place than here and now.

So to sum it all up, there were 4 times in the BOOK OF DANIEL where CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE might have taken place. The first, Danny and the guys got around it by becoming the best that BABYLON ever saw. Without defiling themselves according to TORAH.

The second possibility really was not because the name issue was a NON-ISSUE to GOD.

Now the third and fourth are the real deal. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah could not "cross" their line. To worship an idol was anathama to them. Death was preferred to the sin. But Daniel clearly wanted to confront the BAD LAW and those who had plotted for his death.

Which is the HIGH ROAD for those who seek to confront abusive authority. Now several years ago THE MOST HOLY SPIRIT told me about taking the LOW ROAD and not the HIGH ROAD. And since then i have trying to figure out ways to be unnoticed by "THE SYSTEM". Or at least "misdirect" BIG BROTHER in some way.

which is where we will probably be going next.... anyone for a nice brisk walk?

selah
olddog