18
JERUSALEM’S FALL
588 B.C.
Daniel stood nearby as Ezekiel proclaimed the word of Yahweh amid a cluster of houses in the compound. Almost every day for five years, he had prophesied to all who would listen. He had been condemning his people’s continuing rejection of God, both in Judah and Babylon. He had warned that God’s judgment on His people would continue and that Jerusalem would someday be completely destroyed, including the temple. He had also prophesied that Nebuchadnezzar would attack Egypt.
Today, however, Daniel was hearing something new from his prophet friend. Ezekiel was proclaiming Jerusalem’s destruction was eminent. “For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways to use divination; he shakes the arrows, he consults the household idols, he looks at the liver. Into his right hand came the divination, ‘Jerusalem,’ to set battering rams, to open the mouth of slaughter, to lift up the voice with a battle cry, to set battering rams against the gates, to cast up ramps, to build a siege wall. And it will be to them like a false divination in their eyes; they have sworn solemn oaths. But he brings iniquity to remembrance, that they may be seized. Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Because you have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that in all your deeds your sins appear—because you have come to remembrance, you will be seized with the hand.”’1
Daniel knew King Nebuchadnezzar had a large army contingent camped around Jerusalem. They were sent there soon after King Zedekiah sent messages of complaint to Babylon about tax increases and tighter restrictions on Judah’s trade with neighboring nations. King Nebuchadnezzar had mentioned that he had been consulting with the sorcerers again regarding whether to invade Jerusalem a third time. Daniel took offense at such circumventing of his advice and counsel but could not control who the king trusted most. Bulludhu’s advice often prevailed because he told the king what the king wanted to hear.
Ezekiel’s prophesy was confirmed sooner than Daniel had anticipated. Late that afternoon, King Nebuchadnezzar summoned him to his chambers.
“Belteshazzar, I am leaving in a few days for Jerusalem with a small army contingent commanded by Nabonidus to reinforce the troops already there. Zedekiah has fortified the city more than we had anticipated with stronger walls and gates. Nabonidus will begin a siege of the city cutting off all food and supplies. You have seen the reports from my overseers there that Zedekiah has been communicating with Pharaoh Hophra, attempting to forge an alliance. I have no desire to go to war with Egypt again. Apparently, Zedekiah thinks I am a fool. Nine years ago, I showed mercy to him and over twenty-five thousand people remaining in Jerusalem, plus three times that many in all of Judah. I made him king with a level of independence. Now, he has betrayed me and will pay for it dearly.”
Daniel understood his limitations in influencing decisions regarding the king’s many vassalages. “I understand, Your Excellency. I know my advice carries little weight in these matters, but I urge you to be as merciful as possible. Those twenty-five thousand people you speak of inside the walls are not your enemies. They are innocent. And the reports from there have noted that their prophet Jeremiah is passionately denouncing the move toward the pharaoh.”
“You are a hopeless pacifist, Belteshazzar. If they want mercy, they will have to surrender the moment I arrive.”
“How long will you hold siege before you attack?”
“Until they starve, if necessary.”
Three days later, Daniel was directing the activities surrounding the early morning departure of the king, his army commander, Nabonidus, and about a thousand soldiers. Dejected mothers, wives, and children bade farewell to their loved ones while the musicians performed rousing instrumentals. As the royal party led the entourage through the gate, Amytis moved next to Daniel.
“I feel less lonely at times like this, now that the gardens are becoming so beautiful and occupy my time.”
“I’m glad, Your Highness. The king has certainly provided you a wonderful gift to help ease the burden of his long absences necessary for preservation of the kingdom.”
“I am not as naïve as you may think. My yearnings for Media that I shared with you had long fallen on the deaf ears of my husband. But you were sensitive enough to my needs to risk confronting him about it. Your influence on my behalf will not be forgotten, Belteshazzar. I will return the favor. But you will have to wait. I am finally pregnant. The king was convinced that being unable to conceive for fourteen years, I would bear him no heir to the throne. I believe this will be his heir.”
Daniel forced a smile. “What wonderful news. I am happy for you and the king. Speaking of the gardens, I haven’t been there in a while. I must see how it’s going. Good day, Your Highness.”
Six months later, Daniel dispatched a message to the king. Your Excellency, you have an heir to the throne. He and his mother are doing well. As you commanded, he was named Amel-Marduk—Man of Marduk.
*
586 B.C.
The past two years had been a turbulent time for Daniel. King Nebuchadnezzar had remained with his army for six months, holding Jerusalem under siege. He had returned upset and frustrated at King Zedekiah’s resistance. His vassal in Jerusalem had refused to even speak with him and had barred the city’s gates. Zedekiah had sealed his city’s ultimate demise with no food or supplies coming in. A famine had already depleted much of the grain stores, but they had an ample source of water through the underground tunnels built by King Hezekiah over a century prior for defense against a potential Assyrian siege.
What King Nebuchadnezzar viewed as suicidal intransigence by the Hebrews had caused his army to have to build a long siege ramp, fabricate battering rams, and confiscate food from nearby cities for an indefinite period. Upon arrival at Babylon, the king took his aggravation out on the exiles by clamping down on their food supply and other needs. It took Daniel over a month to calm the king and convince him that what he was doing was slowing progress on the gardens.
The king’s return was primarily to see his blood succession to the throne. To Daniel’s surprise, he was spending a lot of time with little Amel-Marduk, even carrying him proudly as he visited construction sites around the city. After eight months in Babylon, the king departed again to join his army in final readiness for invasion. They had completed the siege ramp and weakened the gate doors and walls to make a forced entry possible.
During this absence of the king, Bulludhu had organized a work slow-down among many in the palace court and on the Babylon tower project. And Amytis became bolder in her efforts to seduce Daniel by showing up frequently at places where she knew he would be alone.
A knock at the door woke Daniel just before dawn. Raviv had received a message from Ezekiel requesting a visit right away.
Ezekiel was waiting in his doorway. He was shaking. “Peninah has been ill for a couple of days. Last night, I had a dream. Yahweh told me that she was going to die soon.”
Daniel interrupted. “No, my friend. It was probably just a bad dream.”
“Only if that were true. This is another real-life drama to show His people their transgressions and His judgment. He commanded me not to mourn or weep but that He would give me words to say to my people.”
Ezekiel continued. “You have been so busy; I have not been able to share with you a vision I had last week. I saw two angels escort the Spirit of Yahweh out of the temple of Jerusalem. I believe Yahweh no longer dwells with our people in the Holy of Holies but has given them over to Babylonia because of their rebellion.”
“That would mean His dwelling with the Ark of the Covenant in the tabernacle of Moses and the temple of Solomon is now over after seven centuries,” Daniel said.
Daniel remained with Ezekiel throughout the day, praying over Peninah and consoling Ezekiel. Ezekiel shed no tears. Peninah died just past midnight.
Shortly after sunrise, Ezekiel was on the streets telling of his wife’s death but showing no sadness. He spoke the words the Lord put in his mouth. “Thus, says the Lord GOD, ‘Behold, I am about to profane My sanctuary, the pride of your power, the desire of your eyes and the delight of your soul; and your sons and your daughters whom you have left behind will fall by the sword. You will do as I have done . . . You will not mourn and you will not weep, but you will rot away in your iniquities and you will groan to one another. Thus Ezekiel will be a sign to you; according to all that he has done you will do; when it comes, then you will know that I am the Lord GOD.”’2
Although the message confused many of the people, Daniel and Ezekiel understood that not only would Jerusalem be attacked, but the temple would also be completely destroyed. And most likely, it had just happened that day, the day Peninah died.
As the people of the compound were leaving, mostly grumbling about what they had just heard, Daniel put his arm around Ezekiel. “Your obedience to Yahweh in showing no emotion over the death of your beloved Peninah strengthens me for my personal battles. Let’s go now and prepare her for a proper burial.”
Four weeks had passed since Ezekiel prophesied the destruction of the temple. Daniel was inspecting the gardens when an army officer ran up to him and announced what had been anticipated. A young soldier had just arrived from Jerusalem with a report for him. The walls of Jerusalem had been broken down to the foundation in many places. What remained of the palace had been finished off, and the temple had been razed to the ground. Valuables from all public and private places were being hauled back to Babylon as plunder. There was not a lot of bloodshed because King Zedekiah, along with his entire army and officials, had attempted to escape.
“So, the king and his army retreated without much of a fight?” Daniel asked.
“Yes, sir. But the Chaldean army caught up with them in the plains of Jericho. Some of Judah’s army scattered, but most were captured.”
“And King Zedekiah?”
“The general slaughtered his sons before his eyes, then put out his eyes with the tip of a sword.”
Grimacing, Daniel inquired further. “Is he still alive and among the captives?”
“Yes, sir, and he is to be imprisoned as was Jehoiachin.”
“Is the king bringing many exiles back with him?”
“Sir, that is the reason I was told to get here as swiftly as possible. The king wants you to prepare for twenty thousand more exiles.”
“Twenty thousand?” Daniel blurted out.
He dismissed the messenger and went straight to King Jehoiachin, sending word for Mishael to join him there in the prison.
“Gentlemen, we have a major crisis,” Daniel said to the king and Mishael. “Twenty thousand more exiles from Jerusalem will be here in less than six weeks. I want the three of us, along with Azariah and Hananiah, to pray individually into the night. If it takes all night to get an answer, so be it. The task seems impossible. We must have Yahweh’s wisdom. All five of us will meet in my chamber for breakfast in the morning. If Yahweh has spoken by then, we will all be unanimous in the solution. Your Excellency, I will have the guards escort you to the palace for this meeting.”
Raviv had set the table with five place settings of mixed fruit, cheese, wheat cakes, and pomegranate juice. The five men sat around the table and talked about King Zedekiah and what was now only a small remnant of poor, lame, and unskilled Jews left in Jerusalem. They also discussed the over seventy-five thousand Jews living elsewhere in Judah, mostly farmers and shepherds, who were apparently affected little by the routing of the city. After the meal was finished, Daniel got to the point of the meeting.
“Has everyone received an impression from Yahweh that you feel is His answer to our crisis?”
There were three nods and a lowered head.
“Your Excellency?” Daniel said.
“Yahweh knows I am not worthy to pray to Him. I tried, but I felt nothing,” King Jehoiachin said.
“He will draw you to Himself in a personal encounter if you call on Him. As you observe His love and power in this meeting, He will reach out to you, but you must accept His hand.”
Daniel eyed the other three. “I will reserve what he revealed to me until I hear from you, so there will be no influence on my part.”
Mishael began. “I did not receive the details I would have preferred, but the general strategy came to me clearly. I believe Yahweh would have us move those occupying the compound into the city. They would intermingle with the citizens of Babylon, build themselves houses, and become part of the established communities. Then we could place the new exiles in the compound, since most of the shelters have been improved and enlarged. Still, many new shelters will have to be built quickly.”
Hananiah stared at Mishael with raised eyebrows and smiled. “I had basically the same revelation, except that I saw many of the original exiles moving in with Babylonian families having extra room in exchange for domestic services.”
“Same here,” Azariah said. “I also visualized those moving into the city practicing their unique skills and knowledge for pay from the Babylonians. Some would set up shops and trade in the marketplace.”
Daniel laughed. “That matches what was revealed to me exactly. Yahweh is so faithful and so good! Your Excellency, as you can see, Yahweh is still powerfully present among us here in this pagan land. He has not abandoned us.”
“That is obvious,” Jehoiachin said. “I want to be a worthier servant of His.”
Daniel continued. “The enormous contributions to Babylon our people have made for the last eleven years and their peaceful coexistence have surely made a lasting impression on the city. Everyone is in awe of the gardens and credits the exclusive skills of our people with its beauty. I am convinced the city’s residents will welcome them as a benefit, rather than a burden. This reminds me of the letter from Jeremiah urging us exiles to build houses, plant gardens, and eat with our captors. Your Excellency, you will need to prepare your people for an abrupt life change. Make sure they understand how crucial it will be for them to be good neighbors, honorable, helpful, and courteous.”
Daniel turned to his administrators. “It is eleven years ago over again but doubled in accommodations, all in the next five weeks. We will temporarily terminate the work on the gardens and divert that workforce to this requirement. Assess the capacity of the existing compound and build new shelters as needed. Organize the moving out effort. I will distribute a letter to all residents and businesses in the city explaining the plan and exhorting them to be patient and accommodating. I will highlight how this will enhance their lives. When the first exiles arrived, we could have never envisioned this happening. But Yahweh has orchestrated what our minds could not conceive. Praise Him!”
Daniel dismissed his assistants but asked King Jehoiachin to remain. “Your Excellency, you must turn your attention to the new exiles after their arrival. Your staff will need to remain in their original shelters and receive your orders from your confinement. The new arrivals will need you far more than those moving into the city. You remember what it was like when you arrived. Prepare for double the chaos. Your palace will be your prison room.”
Daniel was being realistic. He knew that King Nebuchadnezzar would never allow his conquered ruler to be released from confinement. King Jehoiachin understood.
*
The past six weeks had been the most challenging time Daniel, his staff, and his assistants had ever experienced. But with the obvious miracles of God undergirding the effort, twenty thousand additional captives from Jerusalem now occupied the compound. King Zedekiah was unable to walk by the end of their journey and was laid in a prison room not far from his nephew, Jehoiachin. Daniel had an all-day meeting with King Jehoiachin and King Zedekiah, where all three agreed that Jehoiachin would continue to act as the king of the exiles. Zedekiah, blind and in poor health, was pleased to abrogate any claim to kingship back to Jehoiachin.
The ten thousand original exiles had assimilated into the city, some boarding with host Babylonian families and some having built their own houses with materials provided by the kingdom. King Nebuchadnezzar’s return had settled much of the effort of Daniel’s antagonists to undermine his leadership. Amytis had ceased showing up at the most awkward times. Daniel turned the attention of the province back to the kingdom’s former objectives. The new exiles, now with twice the manpower, began the accelerated finish work on the gardens.
At the end of the king’s scheduled meeting with Daniel, he added an unexpected agenda item. “I’ve been greatly impressed with the relative ease with which you have settled the new exiles into the compound. Equally impressive is the integrating of the first exiles into the mainstream of our people and culture. Now, we must look at how we can best use the expanded labor force to accomplish my vision for this amazing city. I want Babylon and my kingdom to be known by all future generations, forever and ever, as the envy of all cities and kingdoms of the world. The gardens and the Babylon tower will contribute to that. I also want to build the most grandiose buildings ever constructed. I want gold cladding and colors on many of the facades. The lion, the fiercest of all animals, will be our kingdom’s symbol known throughout the world. This animal will line our walls, overlook our gates, and dominate our sculptures. With the labor and craftsmanship of the Hebrews, the engineering skills of the Chaldeans, and the plundered treasures from our conquered lands, we have the resources.”
Daniel was astonished by the arrogance of this man who could instantly shift from rational thinking to ego-driven mania. My people will be expected to work brutally to satisfy his whims. The king continued, “As a tribute to my power and reign over this magnificent society, I want to now begin the delayed project of erecting my golden image. The abundance of gold brought from Judah, added to our plunder of Egypt, should now be sufficient to build the image. Have our engineers and draftsmen draw up three or four optional plans from my general specifications, which I will give you.”
“Excellency, your vision for such extravagant buildings and artisan works will make Babylon truly the envy of the rest of the world. Trade routes will be redirected to our door. Other kings will visit to observe and study the highest standards you set for a city. Such a monumental undertaking will occupy the full capacity of the workforce for many years. We will need to expedite the completion of the gardens and the tower, then turn attention to the long-term development of the city. As the majesty and beauty of Babylon becomes a testimony to your greatness, it will serve as a more impressive tribute to you than a golden image could ever be. Every man-hour dedicated to an image is a man-hour taken from your vision for the city.”
“Do not try to sway me, Belteshazzar. I have dreamed of this golden image of myself since my coronation. The statue with the golden head described in your interpretation of my dream confirmed the gods want me to do this. You will begin now to coordinate with our designers, craftsmen, and labor managers. I want it completed within a year.”
Daniel met with his three administrators the next day to begin the long-range planning for the king’s objectives. They worked daily from morning to evening laying out the sequence of events and division of labor for completing the garden and the tower over the next few years while accomplishing the first stages of the complete rebuilding of the city. All exiled men and many of the women would be allocated to the gardens and city projects. Chaldean workers would continue on the tower. Daniel waited for several days to tell the three about the golden image. Silenced in astonishment, they listened until the end of his announcement.
“How can we be a part of this?” Hananiah said. “The basic laws of Yahweh say to not make a graven image.”
“The law refers to an image to be worshipped like an idol,” Daniel said. “If this is just a sculpture to remind future generations of the founder of this magnificent city, I don’t support it; it’s a waste of time and resources; and it’s a huge overstatement. But I think I’ll save my next battle for something more critical to the honor of Yahweh.”
Daniel’s acquiescence drew mixed comments, but the other three decided to not make it an issue.
“We will need to protect our people from working on such an offensive task. It will have to be a Chaldean project,” Mishael said. All agreed.
“I expect the designers will use hardwood as the core material and clad it all with gold overlay,” Daniel said.
“I’m sure much of the gold will be that which was plundered from Jerusalem,” Hananiah said. “It sickens me that the gold from the temple will be used to honor a pagan king.”
“Me, too,” Daniel said. “But keep remembering, Yahweh has placed us in the middle of all this for His purpose. For many years now, we have lived a delicate balance fulfilling our duties without compromising our faith. There will be times when we must rebel, but I don’t sense this is the time.”
The four worked late into the night developing the framework for the enormous tasks ahead.
“One of the first requirements for the massive construction effort will be to enlarge the lime kiln furnace for substantially more mortar production capacity than we have now,” Daniel said. “Thousands of loads of wood from nearby forests will be needed to fuel the fire to an extremely high temperature.”
*
FOURTEEN MONTHS LATER
The golden image of King Nebuchadnezzar, fifteen times his height, loomed ominously in its remote location in the plain of Dura. It looked like a speck on the horizon from atop the city walls. But as visitors approached it, they felt goosebumps. The glistening gold figure rising ever skyward out of the flat, barren desert was mystifying. The conical base made up half of its height. The top half was a recognizable, full-body representation of King Nebuchadnezzar in his royal robe and cylindrical crown. His right hand grasped his long sword. The entire monument was covered with gold overlay, giving it a brilliant glow that burned the eyes on a typical sunny day.
Daniel had managed to distance himself from the statue project and to keep his Hebrew people occupied with other tasks ordered by the king.
Late afternoon, as Daniel entered the palace, Ashpenaz met him in the hallway and handed him a folded parchment with a wax seal. He recognized the document as an official order from the king. Ashpenaz smiled and walked away. Daniel broke the seal and read the order by the diminishing light from the window.
Seventy days from today, at mid-morning, you will assemble all the Babylonian satraps, prefects, governors, counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and provincial rulers at the foot of the golden image on the east side for the official dedication. No one will be excused. I, King Nebuchadnezzar, so declare.
Daniel lay on his bed staring at the ornate ceiling, the order still in his hand.
O Yahweh, my greatest fear is not the king You have placed me under or my enemies inside the palace court or other threatening nations. I am not afraid of anyone or any force that can cause me physical harm. I do, though, constantly fear that I will fail You. I worry that I may not carry out the expectations You have of me in this complex role. Every day, I am torn between obeying You and obeying the pagan king You have led me to serve. Now, I appeal to You to grant me wisdom, yet again, regarding this order.
Daniel continued to pray when he awoke several times through the night. By morning, he felt a peace about carrying out the order. He had Raviv summon Mishael, Azariah, and Hananiah. After reading the king’s command to them, he explained his confidence that they were to continue submitting to Nebuchadnezzar’s demands, unless the demands violated the specific laws of Yahweh.
“Have our scribes copy the king’s declaration and dispatch messengers to the listed Babylonian officials throughout the kingdom,” Daniel said. “Make it clear that attendance is mandatory.”
*
TEN WEEKS LATER
During the past week, scores of provincial officials had poured into the city. The journey for many had taken over a month. On the eve of the dedication, King Nebuchadnezzar had put on a lavish party for his kingdom’s elite. Shortly after sun-up, all were dressed in their exquisite, colorful attire for the two-hour ride to the statue. Fighting hangover headaches and nausea from the previous night, they formed a long line beginning at the river bridge. Hundreds of trips by construction workers had formed a well-packed, sandy road to the site.
Once there, everyone was guided to their places by palace hosts according to rank and position. When Daniel arrived, accompanied by his three administrators, he was seated at the front on one of only three chairs available. The seats to his immediate right were reserved for the king and queen. Musicians with harps, lyres, drums, and trumpets performed a welcoming serenade for the guests. The crowd sang celebratory tunes until the music quieted. A trumpet trio sounded the king’s arrival strain, followed by the herald’s announcement. “His Majesty, King Nebuchadnezzar. Long live the king!”
The crowd responded, “Long live the king!”
King Nebuchadnezzar stood on a garish platform custom-made for the occasion. A host led Amytis to the chair beside Daniel. She gently touched his thigh momentarily while the king was looking away surveying the crowd. The king thanked everyone for attending, made a few remarks about the statue, and called his herald to the platform. The herald unrolled a parchment, accompanied by a three-note blast from the trumpet trio. He began to read.
“To you the command is given, O peoples, nations, and men of every language, that at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up. But whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.”3
Daniel’s sigh was loud enough to turn the heads of the king and queen. He didn’t look in their direction but could feel their sharp stare.
How could I have been so naïve as to think this monstrosity was just a monument to a powerful king to ensure his reign would be recognized by future generations? No. It was an idol—a graven image as initially described by Bulludhu. And it must not be worshipped by any Hebrew.
The ride back to the city in Daniel’s carriage seemed quick as his mind was totally occupied with the fate of his people under the decree. He determined he would have to convince the king to make an exception for the thirty thousand Hebrews.
1 Ezekiel 21:21-24
2 Ezekiel 24:21-22, 23-24
3 Daniel 3:4-6