by Mesu Andrews
I stared at the small treasure, no larger than the length of my hand, and felt Daniel’s arm wrap my shoulder. “Open it, my love.”
Noise and chaos assaulted my senses, creating a wider chasm between the world around me and the holy thing in my hand. “I can’t, Daniel. Not here. Please take me home.”
Making some excuse about the rich food and his feet, my husband excused us from our table and escorted me from the palace into the cool night air. The freedom of it was palpable.
Daniel wrapped me in his woolen cloak for the walk home. I let my head fall back to look at the stars as Allamu had taught me. “Tell me what you know about Zerubbabel, Husband. He seems like a lost soul. So kind but alone.”
“I believe Allamu mentioned on the first night we met him that Zerubbabel is the grandson of Jehoiachin, so we are cousins. I know little else.”
“Is he returning with the exiles?”
“Oh no, love. He’s a eunuch. His loyalty is to the king until death.”
The thought saddened me. Zerubbabel’s greater loyalty was obviously to Yahweh. He’d obeyed Darius unswervingly on the night of Daniel’s arrest yet showed me compassion through it all. Jerusalem needed men like him. Shesh needed leaders like him.
The thought nagged me in my sleep and while I helped Mert make bread the next day. I slammed my fist into the bread dough.
She grunted at me. “What happened at that banquet? You’re as sad as a two-legged dog.”
I’d never heard that one. “Well, I don’t believe I’m quite that sad, but I’m thinking about—”
“Does the king require my presence?” My husband’s voice distracted me.
Mert and I exchanged a wary glance and rushed to the courtyard gate, finding there the Hebrew guard who had consumed my thoughts. “No, Daniel ben Johanan. I no longer guard the king.”
I might have been frightened were it not for the joy on his face. “Come in, Zerubbabel.” Daniel caught sight of me following our guest. “Abigail will get us something to drink.”
Zerubbabel shook his head. “Thank you, but no. I’d like to see Lord Sheshbazzar. King Darius gave me permission to join the exiles.”
I covered a gasp, but Daniel clapped his shoulder. “Congratulations! How did you manage it?”
“I’m sure it was Yahweh’s hand. I suggested a contest of wisdom with the king’s other two bodyguards last night after King Darius had gone to sleep. We each wrote on a piece of parchment the one thing we thought most powerful in this world. The king and his council judged my answer of greatest wisdom and offered me rich gifts and great honor, but I chose the thing I hold in greatest honor. I asked to return to Jerusalem with my people.”
I stared at the man in wonder, so many questions racing through my mind. I wasn’t sure which to ask first. “What were the most powerful things you and your friends listed?”
His eyes sparked at the chance to retell it. “Utultar, my red-haired Scythian friend, wrote ‘wine’ because it forces people to both folly and violence. The Medjay, Ikeno, believed the king to be strongest. Most likely he chose this because he’s been enslaved his whole life, never knowing the freedom to do as he pleases.”
“And your winning answer?” Daniel’s amused tone baited the man.
Zerubbabel let out a jolly laugh. “Women, of course. They give birth to the king and baker alike. Men fight for gold and glory but then see a beautiful woman and relinquish all to gain a wife.”
Daniel and I laughed with him, this man who led my husband to the lions and offered me high praise. How strange is this life on earth? How odd the random patterns that somehow curve into a portrait of ourselves.
Zerubbabel’s laughter faded, and he raised a finger. “But I added a note to my answer that overruled even women.” He paused, whetting our appetites for more. “Truth. It is the only purely righteous thing on earth, giving it power over the excesses of wine, unrighteous kings, and disagreeable women. Truth alone prevails forever without partiality or preference.” He bowed, finishing his recitation. “Truth conquers all.”
I pressed my hands together as if in prayer to the God of truth. “Indeed, my friend. Truth has set us both free.”
EPILOGUE
In all, there were 5,400 articles of gold and of silver. Sheshbazzar brought all these along with the exiles when they came up from Babylon to Jerusalem.
—EZRA 1:11
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Thank you for taking this journey through sixth-century BC Babylon with me. I hope you discovered things about the Bible, Daniel, and ancient Israel and Babylon that spur your curiosity to search the Scriptures. Some readers may have hoped to discover more about Daniel’s prophecies in these pages, but my purpose in writing was to explore the deeper truths of the prophet’s life and let other Bible teachers take on the meaty challenge of interpreting those complex visions in God’s Word. For a well-researched, thoughtful study on Daniel’s biblical text, please consider Dr. David Jeremiah’s Agents of Babylon: What the Prophecies of Daniel Tell Us About the End of Days.
As with all my books, writing takes on a three-layered approach. First I read the biblical accounts of the time period to build the foundation (Daniel; 2 Kings 24–25; 2 Chronicles 36; Jeremiah; Isaiah; Ezekiel; and Ezra). Second come the historical facts that support the truth of God’s Word, taken from archaeological records, maps, scholarly articles, commentaries, and so forth. Creative fiction is the third element, the mortar that holds historical fact and biblical truth together.
Because expert opinions vary, I try to find a golden thread of agreement that runs through my research in order to create a believable fictional account of Scripture’s truth. In Daniel’s case, I had believed for years that when Daniel and his friends were taken to Babylon, they became eunuchs because of Isaiah’s dire prophecy to Hezekiah: “Some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon” (2 Kings 20:18).
After researching the original Hebrew further, I found eunuch also described Potiphar, interpreted as “chief official” in Genesis 39, the man whose wife made overtures to handsome Joseph. Potiphar may not have been a great husband, but he wouldn’t have been married had he been a eunuch—in the way I’d understood the word all those years. This singular finding allowed me to imagine Daniel as a husband and father, opening my heart to the story you’ve just read.
Three mysterious characters made Of Fire and Lions an especially difficult book to decipher.
Nebuchadnezzar/Nabonidus—Daniel 4 gives an incredibly detailed account of King Nebuchadnezzar’s miraculous transformation from a prideful king to an animalistic beast and then his re-formation to a ruler who acknowledges the sovereignty of the Most High. This is biblical truth. Indisputable. As I researched the historical context of his change—looking for a period of seven years when Babylon might have been without Nebuchadnezzar’s leadership—I discovered historians’ conflicting accounts. Some Babylonian legends say that Nabonidus, the father of King Belshazzar (see Daniel 5), was stricken with the same malady as Nebuchadnezzar. Other records say it was Nabonidus—and not Nebuchadnezzar—who suffered the physical condition called boanthropy. Rather than focus on a bunny trail, I made a small mention of the rumor and moved on. Again, in my heart and mind, biblical truth is foundational.
Cyrus/King Darius/General Gubaru—Perhaps the most difficult characters to sort out were the Medo-Persian kings Darius and Cyrus. Scripture is clear that King Darius the Mede cast Daniel into the lions’ den (see Daniel 5:31). The Bible is also clear that in King Cyrus of Persia’s first year he made a proclamation that any Jew who wished to do so could return to Jerusalem to help rebuild the Temple (see Ezra 1:1–4). Scripture and time lines put both kings in power during the days of Daniel. “Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian” (Da
niel 6:28). When I began researching their roles and histories, General Gubaru—a Median general—popped up as the identity of Darius before he assumed the throne name of Darius. Though that’s not the only explanation for the three names, it felt most plausible with what we know to be true from biblical text.
Sheshbazzar/Zerubbabel—Some commentaries proposed Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel to be the same person because of the formation of their names in the original Aramaic text. I found them treated very differently, however, in both Scripture and history. Sheshbazzar is a prince of Judah in Ezra 1:8, and Zerubbabel’s winning competition among his fellow bodyguards is recorded in the apocryphal book of 1 Esdras 3–4.
I purposely did not include what might have happened to the Ark of the Covenant. If you’d like to hear more about that, you can read my novella, By the Waters of Babylon, which focuses on the destruction of Jerusalem and gives a glimpse into Jeremiah’s flight to Egypt (where some suspect he hid the Ark in a cave—see 2 Maccabees 2:4–8).
I hope you’ve enjoyed Daniel’s epic journey. If I strayed from Scripture, please forgive my unintentional oversight. I pray truth will shine brightly and the Most High God will give us all courage to stand strong in the presence Of Fire and Lions.
READERS GUIDE
1.How does the metaphor of the sesame seed in the opening paragraph forecast the differences in Belili and Daniel throughout the story? their personalities? their relationships? their faith?
2.In chapter 2 we don’t yet know why Belili’s family shuns her or why she can’t forgive herself, but Mert seems confident the relationships could be mended if Belili would simply explain the past to her adult children. After reading the whole story, in what ways was Mert right? In what ways was she wrong? What traits can we learn from Mert that would strengthen our relationships with friends and family members?
3.Toward the end of chapter 3, Abigail experiences Yahweh in a personal way while hiding in the Holy of Holies in Jerusalem’s Temple. She could have tried to explain the shimmer and missing bread with natural causes—like Ashpenaz eating the bread—but she quickly acknowledges the miraculous. Why do you think this little girl believed in Yahweh though most of Judah worshipped pagan gods? When others try to dismiss God’s intervention in our world today, how do you choose faith over doubt?
4.At the end of chapter 7, Abigail wonders if Yahweh will be able to find her in Babylon. Her doubts mirrored the overall fears of all the exiles. Why then was it so significant that Yahweh appeared with the three brothers in the fiery furnace (see Daniel 3)? Have you ever felt abandoned by God or perhaps felt like an exile in a place where God seemed absent? In what ways did Yahweh prove His presence in various locations and/or seasons of need?
5.In chapter 5 when young Daniel realized he was headed for exile in Babylon, he remembered Jeremiah’s prophecies and said, “The royal court ignored Jeremiah’s warnings, but we won’t ignore his promise.” Today, the Bible is to us what the prophets were to Daniel—God’s living Word (see Hebrews 4:12). In what ways might we ignore its warnings? Do we ever ignore its promises? What are some practical steps we can take to heed the warnings and embrace the promises of Scripture?
6.Chapter 19 reveals Daniel’s faith at a low point. What events chipped away at his confidence in Yahweh? Have you struggled similarly? Are you encouraged or discouraged that a “hero of the faith” might have experienced moments of doubt, despair, or even rage? Please explain.
7.(See chapters 31–33.) Do you think Belili needed to leave her children when Nebuchadnezzar became a beast? What did Belili discover was Yahweh’s purpose for her at Borsippa? How did she change and grow during that time? What hard decision have you made that important people in your life might have disagreed with? In what ways did God redeem your decision by giving it purpose and/or strengthening you?
8.(See chapters 40–41.) How did Belili’s view of family and friendship change throughout the story? In what way did those changes affect her decision to support Daniel’s choice to ignore Darius’s edict and continue praying to Yahweh? If you were Belili, could you have supported Daniel’s decision? Why or why not?
9.(See chapters 39 and 43.) How did Daniel win King Darius’s favor? What stands out the most to you about Daniel’s witness of Yahweh to others? What stands out most to you about Daniel’s personal relationship with Yahweh? What steps can you take to be more like Daniel in your witness to others and strengthen your personal relationship with Yahweh?
10.(See chapter 41 and others.) What did Belili fear her confession would cost? What did she gain from it? When have you hesitated to confess for fear of the cost? When have you gained from a hard confession? Is there something the Lord is nudging you to talk to someone about right now?
11.(See chapters 43–44.) How did Daniel’s night in the lions’ pit change him? How did it change Belili and her children? Think of a difficult relationship in your life right now. How might it change if lives were at stake? What would become most important, and what issues would become insignificant and petty? Share if appropriate.
12.Some commentators believe that Isaiah 44:28, which mentions King Cyrus’s involvement in rebuilding Jerusalem, was penned over a hundred years after Isaiah’s death (during the exile by a faithful student). However, I chose to write the scene in chapter 45 as if our miracle-working God told Isaiah the name Cyrus decades before the Persian king seized the throne. Why? Because I couldn’t imagine any other reason that a foreign king—in the first year of his reign—would allow nearly fifty thousand Jews (Ezra 2:64–65) to return with such vast wealth to rebuild a city and a temple to an unknown God. Can you think of other plausible reasons Cyrus might have sent the Jews back to Jerusalem?
13.What do you notice about Belili’s personal growth as she tells her story? In what ways did the events of her life change her actions, attitudes, and faith? How have events and circumstances in your life changed your actions, attitudes, and faith?
Thanks for pondering what Daniel’s life might have been like in Of Fire and Lions.
