11

CHALDEAN INDOCTRINATION

ASHPENAZ ENTERED THE ROOM WAVING his hand in front of his face mockingly showing his displeasure of the smell.

“I’m glad to see you enjoyed your exercise period,” Ashpenaz began.

Eyes rolled and heads shook throughout the room.

“Your brains work better when your body is at its peak,” he continued. “For the rest of the day, we will exercise our brains. For the next many months, you will be taught by my assistants and me how to be Chaldeans. You will become model citizens of Babylon, fitted for service to His Majesty, King Nebuchadnezzar. You will learn the finest standards of the Aramaic language. You will become speakers and writers according to communication standards expected of the royal court. You will learn the religions practiced by the land that has adopted you. The origins and histories of our gods will become very familiar to you. You will learn how to practice our religious rituals.”

Daniel felt a tightness in his gut. Another conflict we will have to deal with. How will we keep our loyalty and faithfulness to Yahweh while being confronted with the hedonism of this place every day? How can we be held accountable for learning the ways of other gods while not acknowledging them? He prayed silently, Oh, Yahweh, we are going to need Your wisdom beyond measure. I crave Your guidance. Keep us, Your children, devoted to You in unity.

“You will become students knowledgeable of the sciences for which the Chaldeans are known throughout the nations. This will involve the realms of the celestial sciences of astrology and astronomy. Uses of oils and herbs for healing and nutrition will become part of your skills. We will give you much interface with our leading magicians and sorcerers, so you will learn of their arts and crafts. You will be experts in the history and geography of not only the Chaldeans, but also the Assyrians, the Medes and Persians, and the Egyptians. The fine arts of sculpture, painting, music, and drama will be easy conversation for you. You will be immersed in all of these subjects and more for the next many months of your Chaldean indoctrination.”

Except for a short pause to nosh on the light mid-day meal and a quick time of rest, Ashpenaz continued the introduction lecture until time for the culture walk around the opulent city.

The forty-nine boys made their way down the busy streets with some semblance of formation while often giving way to the unappreciative pedestrians of the city. Ashpenaz was leading the group accompanied by his assistants and some palace guards. They were drawing many piercing stares and hearing occasional obscene insults from strangers as they progressed slowly toward the gigantic pyramid-shaped structure, which had appeared between and over tops of buildings several times along the walk. The exterior walls of most of the buildings were made of glazed brick, making them glimmer in the sun. Facades were in bright colors.

Ascending a steep hill, the boys stared in awe of the tall edifice now commanding their total attention. It was obviously in the beginning stages of construction. Daniel remembered not being able to take his eyes off of it when they entered the gate to the city the day prior.

Ashpenaz circled the group around him at the base of the mysterious cascading structure of brick with tar mortar. He began to explain the structure.

“This is the reconstruction of the tower of Babylon. It is the ziggurat called Etemenanki, which means ‘house of the platform of heaven and earth.’ It will reach higher than anything in the world made by man. Many Mesopotamian cities have ziggurats, but Babylon’s will make dwarfs of them all. King Nabopolassar had hoped to see the project complete, but his son will now have the honor of celebrating the accomplishment.”

“Ziggurats have been built where people have migrated from the historic tower of Babel. We believe the ruins that form the base of Etemenanki are from the original tower of Babel built here in Babylon long ago. This will be the resurrection of that ancient tower.”

Daniel whispered to Hananiah, “This is amazing. They recognize the history of Babel from the first book of Moses. As we learned from the priest, the descendants of Noah built a tower in Babel, which displeased Yahweh, causing Him to separate the people into different lands and languages. Our captors and we get our knowledge from different sources, but the knowledge is the same.”

The afternoon tour wound through other parts of the city, pausing occasionally for instruction on some of the many temples to pagan gods. Ashpenaz identified the Temple of Esagila as the shrine of Marduk, or Bel, meaning “the lord.” He explained that even the rafters in this principle temple were clad with gold.

“Priceless articles from your Jerusalem temple have been stored in there and will soon adorn our temple to the pleasure of our gods,” Ashpenaz remarked.

Muffled moans rippled over the group. As they approached the palace, Ashpenaz led them by the facilities housing the king’s harem. He pointed out the queen’s residence that was far more elegant than the others. Several of the young women were dancing together in the courtyard. Ashpenaz explained that they were practicing entertainment routines often performed for the king and his guests. He added that the practices also kept them in top physical shape.

That night, the small room that was now home for Daniel and his three friends had been quiet. The boys were readying themselves for a much-desired sleep. However, sleep any time soon seemed unlikely for any of them because of the flurry of thoughts and emotions welling in their heads. All of them were seated on their beds, contemplating the experiences of the day.

“My heart aches!” Mishael blurted out, his head bowed almost to his knees. “This place is awful. It’s scary. I want to be home with my mother and father, my brothers and sisters.” He began to sob.

“My heart longs not to be here, too, Mishael,” Daniel responded. “But we are here by the will of Yahweh, and we must be strong. Yahweh is with us. He will protect us.”

Azariah spoke up. “How can we stand another day like today? And another. And another. We are ordered around like slaves. How many more things will we have to confront like unlawful meals? How long can we hold up under the strenuous physical competitions and exercises? I wanted to place my hands over my ears during the lectures about heathen gods and their bloody history and over my eyes as we visited the pagan temples. They are trying to make us typical Chaldeans by packing our brains with evil things. I’m not sure I can make it through tomorrow.”

“About the physical training, Daniel,” Hananiah added, “I realize what you are trying to do in winning the races and leading the exercises. You are showing our captors that we can take what they demand and more, too. You are allowing them nothing to criticize us for. Am I right?”

“I’m just doing what I feel will assure Ashpenaz and the other of my leadership ability, so they will back off and let us rule ourselves as much as possible. The more they trust us, the less we will have to be subjected to their culture and the more we can honor our Hebrew faith and culture. I also want to convince our fellow captives I can lead in a way that avoids as much persecution as possible.”

“You may overestimate our own people, Daniel,” Hananiah advised. “From the grumbling and murmuring I heard today, I think they believe you are seeking favor from the enemy at their expense. They are wondering whether your leader assignment has gone to your head. I worry that they may revolt, which would be devastating for us all.”

“And what do you each think my motive is?” Daniel asked, making eye contact with each of them.

After a pause, Azariah said, “Right now, I think the motive of all of us should be to get some sleep. We can evaluate our situation better tomorrow, having rested.”

Daniel blew out the lone oil lamp and assumed a fetal position under his blanket. But sleep was not to be enjoyed immediately as worrisome thoughts haunted his mind.

Why does there have to be such conflict? Ashpenaz insists on converting us to the pagan culture of his world. His assistants watch our every move, ready to punish any infraction of their rules or disobeying of their commands. I must protect my people while pleasing our captors. Now my own people are questioning my leadership. I’m not even sure my three best friends are on my side. How can I lead these people in such a place as this? I am only a child. We are all only children. What will tomorrow bring?

Daniel finally fell asleep, silently crying out to God for help.

The young exiles’ second day in Babylon was about the same as the first. Physical training after the morning meal was the worst part of the day. Daniel and his three friends gutted out the piggy-back run again to win first and second place. However, in the final lap, Daniel slowed purposely to allow Mishael, carrying Azariah, to take first place at the finish line. The blue turbans worn by Daniel and Hananiah during the morning had drawn jeers from most of their peers. They were more than happy to hand the turbans off to Mishael and Azariah.

During the exercise period, Daniel again showed no mercy in leading the effort beyond the requirements of the assistants. He led them at a faster rhythm and with more repetitions than necessary.

Following the classroom teaching and mid-day meal, the afternoon tour included a visit to the water source for the city. An under-water gate beneath the surface of the Euphrates River controlled water traveling through a large underground aqueduct below the city wall and into various access points in the city. This system provided ample irrigation for the myriad gardens, shrubs, and trees growing prolifically throughout the city. It also provided drinking water for every dweller in the city by a complex method of distillation. An important by-product of the underground system was the security advantage of not having their source of water easily destroyed by an enemy.

That evening, Daniel and his friends bedded down for the night extremely exhausted and without much discussion about the day. Emotions were still somewhat tense among the foursome. Before any of them had time to get to sleep, there was a loud knock at the door. Mishael, being closest to the door, answered. It was Segev.

“Come out in the hallway, now!” He ordered in a loud voice. “All of you!

Daniel’s pulse raced. What now?

Moving into the hallway dressed only in their undergarments, Daniel and his friends could see the silhouettes of all the young Hebrews standing along the wall. Segev motioned for Daniel to follow him to a point halfway down the hall. They were in easy hearing distance of the rest of the group.

“We have had a meeting,” Segev began. “We have some grievances—no, some demands—to raise with you.”

Daniel’s breathing rate quickened. He instantly moved from nervousness to anger. He thought he had gained Segev’s absolute loyalty after rescuing him from the cage. Now, it appeared his repented nemesis was betraying him.

“During our journey, we all reluctantly sacrificed our freedom to become subject to your leadership. We didn’t agree with everything you did, but it was ultimately to our advantage to allow you to lead us and represent us before our captors. Since we arrived in Babylon, you are attempting at every turn to make us look inferior to you, to elevate yourself in the eyes of our captors, to gain their approval for your selfish gain.”

Most of the others were nodding and verbalizing their affirmation of Segev’s words. The atmosphere was so heavy, Daniel felt like it was literally pressing on his shoulders.

Segev continued. “You gained the enemy’s favor by unnecessarily relieving them of the morning formation burden, but you make us rise earlier and get to the meal sooner. You think you are holier than us with your special Hebrew diet. You have put at risk the endless portions we enjoy of the king’s best food. You run faster than you have to, so you can win the races and wear that ridiculous blue turban. You lead the exercises like you are trying to kill us in order to impress Ashpenaz and his assistants.”

Even in the low light, Daniel could see the redness in Segev’s face. The blood vessels in his temples were swelling. He wondered when the diatribe would end.

“I have been asked to speak for my Hebrew brothers,” Segev said, lowering his voice somewhat. “You must choose. Either stop leading us altogether and let the responsibility of our captors take its course or lead as one of us in opposition to our captors.”

I doubt you have been asked to speak, Segev, Daniel remained silent. I thought I could depend on you, but I see now you are still bent on being in control of this group. I do not sense that you are acting under Yahweh’s hand. Yahweh, please give me strength and wisdom here. Give me words that will change the hearts and minds of my brothers.

Daniel positioned himself in sight of all the others. He said nothing before making eye contact with each individual, except Segev, making a one-to-one connection.

“Brothers, please hear me out,” Daniel began. “I would love to do exactly as you wish, but that is not Yahweh’s will. We are all in the same predicament. As mere children, we have been ripped from our families, from loving parents and siblings, from the city and nation we loved, from our security, and from our anticipated destiny as elite countrymen. Now, we are the subjects of a harsh, pagan people in a strange, hostile land. We have nothing to hang on to but each other . . . .and our Yahweh. We did not leave Yahweh in Judah. He came with us. Even though it was His will that we were the first to be exiled under His judgment on our homeland, He still loves us and wants to protect us if we stay faithful and true to Him. His punishment, as repeatedly warned about by our prophets, does not mean His rejection. He has always been a merciful God of second chances. What is most critical now is that we honor Him in our actions and stay unified in our relationships.”

Daniel paused and again paced slowly, looking directly into forty-seven sets of other eyes, one person at a time.

“We know our captors see their sole purpose as preparing us to be servants of the king’s court. What they do not understand is that they are part of Yahweh’s plan for His judgment of His people. We should not see them as our enemy but as participants along with us in the Divine orchestration of events by the hand of Yahweh. Therefore, we must not resist them, except when their directions violate the commands of Yahweh, in which case we will not compromise our beliefs. Our objective must be to overly accommodate our captors in order to gain their trust and confidence. That will please Yahweh and will ultimately benefit us. That is why we must be very attentive in class, demonstrate extra exertion in physical training, show interest in their culture, be respectful. We can survive here in maliciousness against our captors, or we can thrive here by subjecting ourselves to them.”

He paused again to allow his audience to process what he was saying. “There is another thing we must consider. We have learned it is common practice for Babylon to make eunuchs of enslaved exiles from conquered nations. They are castrated to keep them docile and passive, as well as to alleviate the risk of their violating the women they serve.”

Grimaces and moans ensued at Daniel’s graphic reminder.

“I have heard no implication that we will face such emasculation. I believe this is another confirmation of Yahweh’s hand of protection on us. But we must not give our captors any reason to view us as a threat and lower us to eunuch slaves.”

Daniel asked the young men to sit on the floor. They obliged, except for one. Daniel made his final point, standing toe-to-toe with Segev. They could feel each other’s breath.

“Segev, you told me I must choose to either step down voluntarily or lead our opposition toward our captors. I will do neither. But I ask each of you to choose. Either choose a posture of antagonism from a few Hebrew boys against the kingdom of Babylonia or choose to accept the plan of Yahweh for our exiled co-existence with our captors. I will lead us in the latter direction. The choice is yours.”

Daniel abruptly turned and walked away toward his room. His three friends followed. He didn’t know what the others did afterward and didn’t bother to find out. Nothing was said in the room until all four were back in bed. Finally, Hananiah broke the silence.

“Oy veh, Daniel. Awesome, but risky.

“Divine oration?” Mishael asked. “Where do you get those words?”

Daniel couldn’t hold back a muffled chuckle. “I had no idea what I was going to say when I first opened my mouth. I continue to be amazed and humbled by Yahweh’s provision when words beyond my capacity are needed.”

“What do you think will happen?” Azariah asked

“We will all know tomorrow,” Daniel answered.

The next day, Daniel continued with his leadership duties as if the confrontation of the evening prior hadn’t happened. He seated the group in the dining room ahead of schedule with no involvement of the assistants. He again crossed the finish line first with Hananiah on his back, then led the exercises with no let-up from previous days. All the day’s events followed the routine of days one and two.

In the evening, when Daniel knew everyone was making final preparations for bed, he asked his roommates for assistance. “I need your help. We have one more event tonight. Let us go knock on the doors of every room and tell them I am calling for a short meeting in the hallway.”

Soon, everyone was accounted for and standing in the hallway in various stages of dress, looking confused. Daniel faced the wall and extended his arms parallel to the hallway.

“Everyone, please line up along this wall facing me.”

“This will be a short meeting. You have had time to think about and, I hope, pray about what I said last night. What you saw in my leadership today was a continuation of how I intend to lead as long as I have your confidence and loyalty. I remain convinced that the behavior and demeanor that we are demonstrating is the right response to the demands of our captors and the response that will ultimately be to our advantage. My actions are in our best interests.”

He stepped backward to the opposite wall.

“All who are willing to affirm me as your leader, step forward to this wall.”

Daniel’s three friends immediately stepped forward, followed by several others. Then, a few more moved after some side glances. Finally, there was only Segev standing alone. His head lowered as he slowly shuffled to join the others. Daniel stepped to a position facing them.

“The agreement we have just reached is the crossing of a threshold. From this point forward, whether we are captives for a year or we die here as old men, we will be unified. We will trust each other. We will help each other. We will hold each other accountable. If necessary, we will sacrifice our lives for each other.”

Daniel paused to emphasize his statement, then continued. “There will be times when each of us needs encouragement. Sometimes, this may be in the heat of conflict when our captors’ demands are too extreme or not permissible under our laws. I want us to adopt a code word that will generate strength and hope in times of dire need. You remember from our studies, my brothers, that the hope of all Hebrews is in the Messiah to come. The King will come from the line of David, from our own tribe of Judah, and will reign forever. He will save His people, Israel. That is us! That is our strength, our encouragement, our hope!”

“His name shall be Immanuel. Immanuel!” Daniel shouted. “Which means ‘Yahweh with us’! The prophet, Isaiah, wrote that a virgin will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel. Remember that word. It is our code word. Our captors will not understand it. We will shout ‘Immanuel!’ in public when any of us is in need of encouragement, prayer, and of a reminder of who we are. We are the children of Yahweh, Who will deliver us through King Immanuel!”

“Now, let us return to our rooms in peace and oneness. Sleep well, for tomorrow is another challenging day.”

Without a word from anyone, the hallway quickly cleared.

*

After ten days in Babylon, the Hebrew captives were settling into the burdensome, but predictable, routine of intense learning, demanding physical training, and rigid schedules of other activities. There had been occasional bullying by the assistants and guards, as well as private grumbling and complaining among the boys. However, no significant conflicts had ensued as Daniel’s principles for surviving and thriving as exiles were seemingly taking hold and his leadership honored.

Ashpenaz entered the dining room just as the morning meal was being served. He had been present every day either teaching in a class or leading a city tour or sometimes both. However, this was his first appearance at the morning meal since the first day after their arrival. He lifted both hands, signaling quietness and attention.

“As I told you on your arrival, the king instructed me to feed you the same diet he and his royal court were fed. He wanted to develop your bodies with plenty of meat, bread, and wine. However, on the first day, your leader, Daniel, petitioned the chief chef, saying that your Hebrew laws did not permit such a diet. He requested a different fare for him and his roommates. At great risk of offending His Majesty the king, I allowed the chef to prepare four meals for each seating in accordance with your laws as an experiment for ten days. I assumed at the end of ten days, the four at Daniel’s table would be thinner and weaker than the rest.”

Ashpenaz ordered Daniel and his three friends to stand at their table.

“As I compare these four with the rest of you, I judge them as stouter and more muscular than most of the others. I am also told that these four have been first or second to cross the finish line in the race around the palace every time. This fact has caused quite a stir among the king’s court as we have discussed it. It also frustrated the king when I reported it to him. I regret allowing the experiment, but we cannot deny its results. Therefore, from this point forward, all of you will be served food that satisfies the laws of your Hebrew nation. I will expect you to develop your bodies more aggressively and to see more balance in who wins the races. I will see you in class shortly.”

Daniel’s eyes scanned the room to see the immediate reaction of the group. To his pleasant surprise, there was no reaction. They all continued eating their last meal from the king’s menu. He was pleased with yet another indication of the unity that had developed among them and their acceptance of his leadership. But he sensed there were bigger tests looming.