Daniel praised the God of heaven and said:
“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
wisdom and power are His.
He changes times and seasons;
He deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
He reveals deep and hidden things;
He knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with Him.”
The Babylonian Chronicles were discovered in 1860 in the region of Nineveh. The oldest and most-populous city of the ancient Assyrian empire, Nineveh is situated on the east bank of the Tigris River and now encircled by the modern city of Mosul, Iraq.
The Nebuchadnezzar Chronicle records the King’s siege of Jerusalem on March 16th, 597 BC. The chronicle is written on a clay tablet that is now kept in the British Museum.
In Daniel 1 we learn that during the siege, slaves were taken that included four of the finest young Hebrew men. Daniel 1 says that they were to be young men without physical defect, handsome in appearance, skilled in all wisdom, quick to learn, prudent in how they used knowledge, and capable of serving in the king’s palace. They were to learn the literature and language of the CHALDEANS.
The CHALDEANS were secular, educated people from Southern Babylonia. The scientists of that day. Some were Astrologers. Some were capable of interpreting dreams. Upon experiencing a very troubling dream, King Nebuchadnezzar demanded that these wise men not only interpret his dreams, but that they do so without knowing what the dreams were! Just before the King dispatched them all for their incompetence, the young slave Daniel saved them by giving the king just what he asked for. From that time on, the Chaldeans watched Daniel and had faith in his God Yahweh. Daniel went on to serve on the Chaldean Court of Babylon for 70 years. He was a prophet of Yahweh and revealed prophetic secrets to the court that were passed on for future generations of Chaldeans.
Fast forward 600 years. Since the time of Daniel, generations of Chaldeans had studied the Hebrew Scriptures and the prophesies of Daniel. They had passed this knowledge on… generation after generation. And combined with their knowledge of the Scriptures, they were able to use the star to find Yeshua Jesus. They gave precious gifts that later would sustain the Holy family as they fled from Herod to Egypt. And they threw the evil King Herod off of their trail!
Yahweh God used the Chaldeans of Babylon in a mighty way. He used a young Daniel and his friends as a powerful witness. And the stone record of the Babylonian Chronicles is an important example of how the science of Archaeology authenticates the Bible.
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