Of Fire and Lions

by Mesu Andrews

  “No!” I stepped back, and Arioch’s urgent knocking suspended the conversation. Yahweh, please bring my Daniel home so I can apologize for presuming my fears were his.

  “Abba!” Kezia’s greeting drew my attention to the courtyard gate, where my husband entered, looking beyond weary. All four girls ran to greet him, surrounding him with hugs and bouncing curls.

  He squeezed each one and placed kisses on their heads, then looked at me across the courtyard with a sadness that pierced me. “I must have a private word with your ima in our chamber about Kezia’s betrothal.”

  “Please make Ima agree, Abba,” Kezia whined. “You know how difficult she can be.”

  Daniel shot a surprised glance at me, but I kept my features placid. Was he surprised I hadn’t revealed that her supposed champion was actually the one ready to crush her hopes? He tipped her chin. “Your ima and I will make the decision of your betrothal together. We both love you and want only what’s best for you.” Kezia cast a furtive sneer my direction as she and the other girls grudgingly released their abba to me.

  He walked toward me, paused, and offered his hand. I noticed it shaking but grasped it without question. As we climbed the stairs, he spoke in barely a whisper. “We must betroth Kezia to Sheshbazzar right away. The king’s dream will change all our lives.”

  * * *

  When Daniel left his chamber with Arioch, he’d experienced a fleeting moment of terror that this time Yahweh might not give him the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The shock he felt now—after hearing the dream and receiving Yahweh’s interpretation—filled him with more dread than he could have imagined.

  He and Belili reached the doorway of their chamber, and she lifted his hand to her lips. “Should we invite Ater and Shesh for the midday meal? We could make a day of it. Celebrate the betrothal, begin plans for the wedding feast…” Her words disappeared as she searched his face. “What is it, Daniel?”

  “We have more to plan than a wedding.” Daniel opened their door and led her to the couch beside their bed. He kept his head bowed and began the difficult retelling. “When Arioch escorted me to the throne room last night, Nebuchadnezzar was waiting, pale and trembling. The first thing he said to me was, ‘I’m going to tell you my dream, and you must be completely honest. Don’t let its message frighten you, Belteshazzar. I vow, on the lives of Amyitis and our children, you will be punished only if you bend the truth to your will.’ ” Belili waited intently, but his mouth went dry. “I should have walked away then. Instead, I promised to tell only the truth, good news or bad.”

  Shaking his head at the memory, Daniel could barely believe it still. Yahweh, the prophecy seems too fantastic, utterly ludicrous.

  “What was the dream?”

  With a resolute sigh, he began the recounting as the king told it to him, and with each detail, his heart rose to a crescendo that silenced all doubt. “Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream a tree that touched the sky and was visible to all the earth. Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant. This tree provided shelter for wild animals, birds lived in its branches, and it produced food for all living creatures. But a messenger came down from heaven and cried, ‘Cut down the tree, trim its branches, strip off its leaves, and scatter its fruit. The animals will flee from beneath it and the birds from its branches, but let the stump and its roots remain in the ground, bound with iron and bronze.’ ”

  Belili’s features hardened into a grim smile. “I can’t say I’m saddened by the imagery of judgment in Yahweh’s message, Husband. Are you? Nebuchadnezzar murdered your family, destroyed our homeland, and nearly ruined our lives. If anyone deserves to be cut down, trimmed, stripped, and scattered, it is Babylon’s king.”

  “I agree, my love, but it was the second part of the dream that makes me tremble.” He shook his head. “The interpretation shifted from speaking of a tree, saying ‘its branches, its leaves,’ to a transformation of him that makes me shudder, Belili. I can’t fathom it.”

  “How can you have pity on a barbarian? His cruelty has no limits. He’s utterly inhuman in his cruelty—”

  “And the Lord said, ‘Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live with the animals among the plants of the earth. Let his mind be changed from that of a man and let him be given the mind of an animal, till seven times pass by for him.’ ”

  Belili’s brows drew together, first seeming confused and then registering the misgivings Daniel himself had battled since the words left his mouth. “He’ll become like an animal?” she asked, incredulous.

  Slowly, tentatively, Daniel nodded. “ ‘Till seven times pass by,’ which I think means he’ll endure the judgment for seven years. However, Yahweh made it clear that if Nebuchadnezzar repented of his arrogance, He would forestall His righteous judgment. If not, and the king continues to boast that his own power and wisdom established his kingdom, Yahweh’s judgment stands. Yet His mercy will be offered—as the iron and bronze stump of the tree implies—and Nebuchadnezzar will be given a chance at the end of seven years to humble himself and acknowledge that Yahweh gives kingdoms to whomever He pleases.”

  Belili choked out a sardonic laugh and turned away. “King Nebuchadnezzar will never admit any god gave him anything. He’s seen glimpses of Yahweh’s power but knows nothing of the divine passion that arouses it.”

  “Look at me,” Daniel said, sharing every bit of her anger toward the destroyer of Yahweh’s people. When their eyes met, he hoped the determination she saw there would convince her. “Seeing God’s power at work in others isn’t enough for some people. Those riddled with pride must experience God’s personal discipline before they can feel the warmth of His love. We must be with Nebuchadnezzar—and Amyitis—for all seven years of his judgment so when his mind is finally capable of acknowledging Yahweh’s supremacy, we can lead him to the One who deserves his praise.”

  Pulling away, Belili began shaking her head before he’d finished speaking. “Don’t be ridiculous! I have no idea who is on the king’s council anymore, but I’m sure any one of them will attempt to steal his throne the moment Nebuchadnezzar starts eating grass and begins to moo.”

  “No one must know, Belili. We must hide him.”

  He saw the wheels of thought spinning behind her lovely dark eyes. “You’re mad. We have no room in our small stable for another—”

  “We must take Queen Amyitis and the king away from Babylon. Arioch will go with us. No one else can know.” He slid his fingers through her curly hair. Gazing intently, they exchanged all the impossibilities without words before Daniel spoke again. “The king is frightened and says he will humble himself. I hope he does, but experience tells me he won’t. Arioch and I will begin forming a plan today. The king has reinstated me to serve at the palace, thinking having me near will somehow protect him from the coming judgment.”

  “No, Daniel! How can he expect—”

  “He is the king, Belili. I have no choice.” The truth silenced her, but how would she respond to Nebuchadnezzar’s decision concerning her? “He’s also given Queen Amyitis permission to resume her friendship with you. I was delayed this morning waiting for her to finish this correspondence to you.” He retrieved the missive from the pocket of his robe and offered it to his wife. Belili simply stared at the small scroll.

  When she looked up, her eyes were moist. “Do you know what it says?”

  He couldn’t lie. “Yes.”

  Her curiosity darkened to anger. “Why not just tell me, then?”

  Daniel broke the seal, unrolled the parchment, and held up the short message for her to read. “It says the queen would like to help you and Kezia plan her wedding feast.”

  29

  In the visions I [Nebuchadnezzar] saw while lying in bed,…a messenger, coming down from heaven. He called in a loud voice: …“Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live with t
he animals among the plants of the earth. Let his mind be changed from that of a man and let him be given the mind of an animal, till seven times pass by for him.”

  —DANIEL 4:13–16

  Twelve Months Later

  April 570 BC

  The sun had risen well above the horizon by the time Daniel ascended the grand palace stairway, taking two steps at a time. He’d stopped at the wine merchant’s home to settle the bill for Kezia and Shesh’s wedding feast. And what a feast it was. He’d never seen Kezia look lovelier or his family happier.

  The week-long celebration had only been possible, however, when Belili relented and officially invited the king and queen. Since the vision of the tree and beast, Nebuchadnezzar hadn’t allowed Daniel out of his sight for more than an afternoon. Short visits home, or when Belili and the girls visited Queen Amyitis at the palace, had been Daniel’s only chance to see his family for the past year. So a full week in his home, enjoying the company of his wife in their chamber—well, it was almost like reliving their own wedding week.

  Hurrying down the hallway to the throne room, Daniel prayed Arioch had kept Nebuchadnezzar distracted in his absence. The guards mumbled congratulations to the abba of the bride and opened the doors to the yawning, empty throne room. Odd. The king was usually preparing for his day of petitioners by now. Perhaps he was recovering from too much drink from last night’s final evening of celebration. Daniel ascended the dais and exited the side door to the private hallway leading to the king’s chamber. His royal eunuchs nodded their greeting but made no move to open the door.

  “Is the king ill this morning?” Daniel asked.

  “No, my lord. He and Arioch went to the roof early to break their fast and haven’t returned.” One of the eunuchs studied me. “Shall I go with you to check on them?”

  “No, no.” Daniel chided himself for letting his concern stir the guard’s suspicion. He forced levity into his voice. “Perhaps the king and I will have our morning meeting on the rooftop.” He hurried away before the eunuch could argue.

  Daniel climbed the stairs leading to the palace roof, foreboding speeding his steps. Emerging atop Babylon’s second-highest building, he found Arioch sitting on the low wall surrounding the perimeter of the rooftop, sobbing into his hands.

  “Where is the king?” Daniel’s coarse whisper startled the man.

  He looked up, but before he could respond, Daniel’s eyes were drawn to a sight his mind couldn’t comprehend. A strange creature nibbled in the king’s prized garden.

  During the thirty-five years Daniel had known King Nebuchadnezzar, the man had been Daniel’s ruler, Judah’s destroyer, and Yahweh’s instrument of wrath. He was a pagan. Prone to excess and extremes. As ruthless and bloodthirsty as any king in history. Daniel’s hate for him had festered and grown into a writhing thing in his belly, and in Daniel’s eyes, Nebuchadnezzar was no better than an animal.

  But when God’s judgment fell and he actually became one, even Daniel pitied him.

  “I saw it happen.” Arioch stood beside him. “A Voice, as clear as mine is now, called from the sky, repeating the exact words you spoke to the king on the night you interpreted his nightmare.” He knelt and bowed to Daniel. “King Nebuchadnezzar was right. The spirit of the gods lives in you, Lord Belteshazzar. You have proven yourself faithful to my king, and I am yours to command until he is restored to Babylon’s throne.”

  Daniel placed a hand on Arioch’s shoulder. “Stand up, my friend, I’m only a man. The only difference between you and me is the God we serve, and Nebuchadnezzar will be restored to his throne only when he admits my God gives kingdoms to whomever He pleases.”

  At Daniel’s comment, the eunuch stood, nostrils flaring and jaw muscles flexing. Could he deny the proof that Yahweh was true to His word? God had mercifully given the king a year—to the day—to humble himself. Instead, Nebuchadnezzar had continued in his arrogance and kept Daniel at his side like a talisman, as though he could ward off Yahweh’s discipline. No man, great or small, could preempt the fulfillment of God’s relentless pursuit—or His perfect wisdom.

  Daniel stared at the creature, repulsed but unable to look away. Coarse, thick hair was layered in the colors of an eagle’s feathers all over his body and glistened with morning dew. His spine was curved, causing him to walk on both hands and feet. Long nails, pointed like talons, dug into the garden’s rich soil and some of the king’s prized vegetables.

  Certain Nebuchadnezzar would never humble himself before Yahweh, Daniel and Belili had secretly made preparations necessary for this day. “We must amend my plan in order to get him safely and unnoticed out of the palace.”

  “You’ve planned for this?” Arioch’s reaction seemed a mixture of shock and relief.

  Daniel nodded, his emotions jumbled as he contemplated all that would change in this day. “We’ll need to subdue him somehow in order to move him to the docks outside the Adad Gate.”

  “He cannot leave the palace.”

  As if the creature heard Arioch’s protest, he lifted his tail and fertilized the royal garden. The king’s bodyguard needed no further coaxing. “Where are we taking him?”

  “I purchased an estate in Borsippa. It’s completely private, and servants who have proven their discretion are prepared for our arrival at any time, day or night.”

  Thoughts raced behind the eunuch’s keen eyes, and he gave a single nod. “How do we get him there?”

  Daniel explained what they needed, and Arioch went to the royal chamber to retrieve a vial of imported lavender oil and several blankets. The lavender oil would calm the beast, and the blankets would hide his strange form while they secreted him out of the city. Arioch’s high rank was enough to clear every guard from the king’s private halls to the royal stables. There, they loaded the creature onto a cart—beside a heifer to stabilize the weight—where a stable boy waited to accompany us to Borsippa.

  He could barely believe they’d made it this far without being detected. “I must go home. Belili is the only one who can get the queen to the docks.”

  Arioch grabbed his arm. “No. The queen need not know.”

  “Of course she needs to know.”

  “He leaves her for military campaigns all the time. We can send word when the king is safe. Tell her he’s on an extended siege and can’t come home.”

  Daniel considered it. Nebuchadnezzar had been gone for a year, even two, but the king and queen had never been separated for seven years. “It’s too long. He’ll need his wife.” He held Arioch’s gaze. “You know how he loves her.”

  The eunuch pursed his lips, defeated. “Go, then.”

  “I’ll send Belili to the queen and meet you at the Adad Gate.”

  Arioch left the stables, leading the cart through narrow streets.

  Daniel hurried to the stables at his villa, where he instructed the servants to prepare two camels: one for his “journey to Canaan” with the king and the other for Lady Belili’s “journey to Achmetha” with the queen. Once inside the villa, he found Mert playing the general, commanding her bevy of servants to restore their household to its prewedding calm.

  When she spotted him, she laid aside the basket of soiled linen in her arms and met him at the base of the stairway. “What’s wrong?”

  “Where’s Belili?” he asked.

  “She’s still dressing in your chamber.”

  Daniel kept his voice steady. “Perhaps you should follow me.”

  Her sharp gray eyes flashed. “Is this about the dream?”

  Surprised for only a moment, Daniel realized his wife did nothing without confiding in Mert. “Yes. It’s time.”

  She rushed up the stairs without further comment, and Daniel followed a step behind.

  Mert entered the chamber without knocking, and Belili didn’t even turn. Back to the door, she tried to fasten a gold-stitched belt aroun
d her waist. “Oh, Mert, I’m glad you came. I need help with—”

  Daniel’s hands slid around the belt, and she turned in his arms, startled. “What are you—” But the joy in her surprise faded with his silent sorrow. Realization dawned on her lovely features, replaced by pleading. “No, Daniel, no. Not today. We can’t leave. Not when Shesh and Kezia have just entered their wedding chamber.”

  “We must, my love. We’ve talked about this.”

  “But we can’t disturb them, and we can’t leave without saying goodbye. And the other girls. I know we’ve talked about it, but the twins will need husbands in two years. Who will make that match? How can we just abandon…”

  Her words disappeared into sobs, and Daniel pulled her into his arms.

  Mert stood like a soldier prepared for a long siege. “You know I’ll take good care of them.” Disapproval laced her tone, but she patted Belili’s back. “Shesh is a good man. He’ll help me.”

  Daniel nodded his thanks and laid his head on his wife’s. “Come, my love. We need to do this.”

  “Why?” She shoved him away, hugging her waist. “Why must I leave my children, my life, to help save a king I despise?”

  “You know why.” He let silence massage her heart, letting their year of preparation overcome this moment of doubt.

  * * *

  Yes, I knew why, but bitterness fed my defiance, and I matched my husband’s determination. “I don’t care if Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges Yahweh is sovereign. I don’t care if he regains his throne in seven years. I don’t even care to convince Amyitis to follow him into hiding.”

  Daniel looked as if I’d struck him. “Our lives in Babylon aren’t for our own pleasure or purpose, Wife. We live for Yahweh, to fulfill His purpose for us on this earth.”

  “And what about your vow to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Daniel?” I shouted. “What of preparing the remnant of Judah for the return to Jerusalem? How does protecting King Nebuchadnezzar fulfill Yahweh’s purpose for our people?”