The prophet Jeremiah was called the weeping prophet. He wept because he loved God, yet he watched as the nation of Israel rebelled against Him. Jeremiah knew that their hearts were hard, ugly, and full of sin. They rejected Yahweh and the amazing privilege it was to be His holy, chosen people. For hundreds of years they had not turned to Him in trust. God had warned them again and again through His holy prophets, and still they had not turned in repentance to their God.
Read MoreThe mighty army of Babylon stormed through the land of Israel in 605 BC. It had conquered the nations of Egypt, Syria, and Persia in a sweeping campaign of war. Then Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, laid siege to Jerusalem and defeated the city. His vast troops surrounded the city walls and waited while the Jews inside trembled with fear. Days and weeks past and they began to run out of food and water. People were growing weak. Many began to starve and die.
Read MoreThere were probably many ways that Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Daniel chose to honor the God of Israel over King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian gods. The royal court of a pagan king was a place full of all kinds of degrading sins. Choosing to live by the high and holy, pure law of the God of Israel would have set these teenagers apart from the rest in everything they did.
Read MoreDaniel and his friends were probably still teenagers when a great problem arose for the wise men of Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream. It was powerful and vivid, and he knew it had special meaning. He knew it told something important about the future, something mighty and great. It filled his mind, and he was desperate to discover the right interpretation.
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